From an AI-driven fashion house to a gallerist reframing how art is sold, these 30 visionaries are the vanguard of creativity.
By Simone Melvin, Osman Can Yerebakan and McKenna Leavens
Although he is just 25, model, artist, and actor Chella Man has been breaking boundaries for most of his life. From being IMG’s first trans and deaf model to becoming one of the only disabled actors playing a superhero (on DC Universe’s Titans), Man says pushing the envelope of mainstream media has been beautiful and terrifying. “There are people who have been working in these industries for 40 or 50 years, and it’s their first time working with a trans or disabled person,” he says. “Which is just mind-blowing because there’s no framework, and it fuels my motivation to construct one.”
New York City’s youngest gallerist—Paul Hill—is also leading the way in what he considers an antiquated industry. Hill’s gallery falls under his brand, Strada World—an art “ecosystem” aimed at reimagining art sales for emerging artists. In addition to showcasing buzzy performers such as Doja Cat and Teezo Touchdown, Strada has partnered with brands like Nike and Spotify and exhibited young artists whose works have gone on to be acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. “We are here to change the art world, and change it for the better,” the 24-year-old Hill says.
Hill and Man join 28 other innovators on this year’s Forbes Under 30 Art & Style list. The Class of 2024 was reviewed by a panel of expert judges, including fashion designer Tan France, star of Netflix’s Queer Eye and columnist for GQ; Winnie Harlow, a model-turned-entrepreneur and alumna of the Under 30 Class of 2022; music producer and rapper Swizz Beatz, a passionate art collector focusing on Black artists; and photographer and filmmaker Laurie Simmons, one of the leading figures of ‘The Pictures Generation,’ an influential art movement of the 1970s and ‘80s.
The honorees are redesigning the future of their respective fields—including some who use artificial intelligence. Ramin Ahmari, founder of the AI-driven fashion brand Finesse, uses technology to predict trends and forecast consumer demand. Finesse customers vote on 3D renderings of clothes they want to buy from the website, and the company—which has racked up $56.4 million in funding—uses the data to prevent overproduction. Other listers, like Isabella Lalonde, are crafting the designs that are setting the trends of the future. A year after graduating college, she launched Beepy Bella, a jewelry and accessory label that caught the attention of young stars like Olivia Rodrigo, Grimes, Bella Hadid, and Bad Bunny. “I remember Grimes messaging me on Instagram when I just started, saying ‘I love your work’—and it feels nice that people whose work you respect, also respect yours,” Lalonde says. After having her jewelry showcased in HBO Max’s Euphoria, she has since taken her L.A.-based business to retailers, including Nordstrom, SSENSE, and soon, Urban Outfitters.
Supermodel-turned-entrepreneur Kendall Jenner made the list with her first venture into the business of premium tequila. Forbes estimates that Jenner’s 818 Tequila made around $25 million in sales in 2022.
Meanwhile, art adviser Kendra Walker is blazing a trail in her native state of Georgia. The 27-year-old founded Atlanta Art Week in 2022. “There’s great talent in Atlanta,” she says. “I think an art week within the city will create more long-term relationships with larger players throughout the world.”
Farther north, the state of Vermont appointed Tillie Walden its newest cartoon laureate, and at 26, she’s the youngest artist to receive the honor. Walden, who has published more than 10 books, often centering queer narratives, is also one of the youngest recipients of an Eisner Award, often referred to as the Oscars of the comics industry.
In Canada, Nia and Justice Faith Betty launched Révolutionnaire, an apparel company for dancers of color and have since sold out of collaborations in stores across Canada, the U.S., and Taiwan. The sisters champion social impact and activism, having worked with the nail polish brand Essie to create inclusive hues and raising $1 million for volcano relief following the 2021 La Soufrière eruption in Saint Vincent.
While dividing his time between New York City and Los Angeles, celebrity stylist and author Andrew Gelwicks has a clientele that includes Sarah Jessica Parker, Catherine O’Hara, and Idina Menzel. And making impact around the globe is Gisela McDaniel: an indigenous Chamorro visual artist whose work has been shown in Germany, London, New York, India and at galleries such as Jeffrey Deitch, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, and the Institute of Contemporary Art Miami.
This year’s Art & Style list was edited by Simone Melvin, Mckenna Leavens, and Osman Yerebakan. Click here for a link to the complete Art & Style list, and for full Under 30 coverage, click here.
