Vivian Wilson, the transgender daughter of billionaire Elon Musk, made her runway debut at New York Fashion Week on Friday, appearing in a themed presentation by jewelry designer Alexis Bittar at the Abrons Theater on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.
Wilson, 21, wore a bright red dress and a purple sash reading “Miss South Carolina” during the Alexis Bittar SS26 presentation, which Bittar described on Instagram as “MISS USA 1991: a dream sequence” exploring misogyny, objectification and trans rights and drawing inspiration from films such as Blue Velvet, Carrie and The Virgin Suicides. Wilson spoke briefly for Bittar’s account and later posted an Instagram photo celebrating the show: “First fw show done, very slay.”
The appearance comes amid a public estrangement between Wilson and Musk that began after she transitioned and legally changed her name and gender in 2022. Wilson has repeatedly criticized her father on social media; Musk has publicly questioned aspects of her transition and has described family developments in stark terms in interviews and remarks while campaigning alongside conservative politicians.
Wilson has spoken to media about living independently in Los Angeles without financial support from Musk. In a recent interview she said she does not “have a lot of money” and lives with roommates because it is cheaper, and that she is weighing whether community college is financially viable in the fall. She said she has enough to pay rent and buy food and retains some expendable income, but that she does not enjoy the kind of wealth her father possesses. Musk’s net worth is estimated in the hundreds of billions of dollars.
Wilson, born in 2004, is one of Musk’s older children and a twin to Griffin. She uses her mother’s maiden name, Wilson. She has discussed being diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and the social challenges she faced at a private high school she described as populated by “nepo babies.”
Musk has publicly addressed the family rift at times, telling a biographer he had made overtures to reconcile but that Wilson did not wish to spend time with him. In 2024 he told reporters he felt he had been “tricked” into signing documents related to one of his older children and described the family situation in critical terms. During campaign appearances on behalf of conservative candidates, Musk at one point said Wilson had been “killed by the woke mind virus,” a comment that prompted public rebukes from some of his children.
Designers and producers said the Bittar presentation aimed to use surrealism and pageant iconography to critique cultural and social themes, and Bittar thanked Wilson for taking part and for making the show her first public New York Fashion Week appearance. Wilson’s decision to model at the event and to speak about her financial independence and personal life continues a public narrative about the relationships and differences within one of the world’s highest-profile families.
The New York Fashion Week appearance is the latest development in a string of public statements and actions by both Wilson and Musk since their reported split in 2022. Wilson has used interviews and social media to describe her experiences and to assert her autonomy, while Musk has periodically commented in interviews and public appearances about his relationship with his children. The family’s disagreements have attracted sustained media attention because of Musk’s prominence and wealth, and Wilson’s visibility in fashion and online circles has added new dimensions to the conversation.