The Faces in October 2026

Exceptional talents in front of the camera, behind the microphone, in the kitchen, or at the computer – once again, we’ve unearthed the most exciting faces of the moment.

AKIRA FLORES

TURN IT UP

A tip for a beautiful life: always follow the good music. Just like recently, when we heard Akira Flores’ soundcheck for an open-air concert through the open editorial office window. Perfect timing: Akira’s album “Pura Vida” drops on November 5, followed by a tour through Spain and Switzerland. If his music makes you think of Bad Bunny, you’re crawling into the right rabbit hole. But the mix of Latin American genres and relaxed electro-beats holds further exciting twists. We should work with open windows more often.

ADÉLA

PIROUETTES IN BUFFALOS

It’s not Britney, bitch. But Adéla is hot on her idol’s heels with sissonne jumps. As a trained ballet dancer, the Slovakian knows how to make elegant appearances. Yet, she prefers to fill Swan Lake with pink glitter, stirring up the Y2K retro wave. Adéla was the first to be eliminated from the TV casting for the girl group Katseye. But somewhere we read that the last shall be first. Now the singer is going solo, and her song “Nicole Kidman” has even made the celebrated actress blush with gratitude.

DARIO VITALE

LEADING LEGACIES

Is he the man dynasties trust? After Donatella’s departure, Dario Vitale took over the creative direction of Versace. Then Prada took over Versace, but not Vitale. Che vai! The quiet aesthete, who had previously contributed to Miu Miu’s rise for 15 years, didn’t stay on his (undoubtedly beautiful) couch for long: Armani has appointed him as the new Creative Director. After Giorgio’s death, a new person will pull the strings for Armani for the first time. And we are confident that these will be impeccably crafted.

ASTRA TAYLOR

DISASTER RELIEF

We prefer to write about beautiful things. Astra Taylor does not. And that’s a good thing. The Canadian activist and author, together with colleague Naomi Klein, has published the book “End Time Fascism: And the Fight For the Living World.” A dramatic title, yet reality is currently working diligently to live up to it. Taylor and Klein expose the political entanglements of the tech industry, painting a picture with charcoal pencils. But amidst the bleak vision, they also plant a tiny seed of hope.

JOSH SILVER

WRITE OR WRONG

As a psychiatric nurse specializing in queer and drug-addicted youth, Josh Silver has seen a lot. Now he has written it down. The result is a darkly satirical novel: In “Fruit Fly,” a writer befriends a homeless man and – desperately seeking a new bestseller story – exploits his fate for her literary comeback. Those who, like us, devoured this pitch-black summer read can look forward to the planned miniseries from film studio A24.

ALBA LARSEN

FAST & GLORIOUS

Others cram for their driving test at 17. Alba Larsen chases best times on Formula 1 tracks. Since 2026, the teenager has been driving for Ferrari in the F1 Academy and repeatedly landed on the podium in the summer. This makes the Dane one of the greatest young talents in the world of Wrrrroooooom. However, the competition should stay on her heels, or rather, tires. That’s why Larsen founded the Girls International Racing Lab (G.I.R.L.), an initiative that aims to inspire girls for motorsport and already counts over 600 participants.

ALI ASGARI

BEACON OF HOPE

Things look bleak. Especially when one’s gaze turns to the Middle East. Ali Asgari, at least, finds “A Bit of Light.” The director’s new film stands in the tradition of Iranian auteur cinema, seeking the political in the everyday and stirring things up without being loud. The filmmaker uses the screen to process his experiences in the Iran-Iraq War. Banalities are interrupted by bombs and vice versa. It received much applause at the Venice and Zurich film festivals. Because art has always outlasted every war.

ROSALIND ELEAZAR

GREEN TO GOLD

We don’t want to brag. But we will anyway: The last time we made an Oscar prophecy for Best Actress (Mikey Madison in “Anora”) here, Miss Madison shortly thereafter lifted the golden statuette. This is not an invitation to take your savings to the nearest betting office – but: What Rosalind Eleazar performs in the drama “Misty Green” is truly grand cinema. And it turns the talent of the Englishwoman, whose film casting was almost ruined by bad Wi-Fi, from a secret tip into common knowledge.

SANDRA CHOI

HEEL THE WORLD

In recent months, creative directors in the fashion industry have been swapped like football stickers in a schoolyard. But one remained where she is. Where she has always been. For 30 years, Sandra Choi has been responsible for the literal appearance of Jimmy Choo. Under her, the shoe brand first became a luxury good, then a pop culture icon. And after a brief post-post-pandemic dip, in 2026, JC’s cash registers will once again clack like a sharp heel on marble. The British Fashion Council will therefore honor Choi with the Special Recognition Award in November.

ASHA SHARMA

ON ANOTHER LEVEL

The job as CEO of Xbox is about as difficult as a No Hit Run in “Elden Ring.” (We allow ourselves at most one video game comparison per year in the magazine, so no further ones are to be feared.) The gaming giant’s health bar has suffered greatly in recent years. Now Asha Sharma takes the controller and fundamentally restructures the company. For this, she even worked in customer support, personally and incognito answering players’ questions and concerns. Game Over? With this attitude, certainly not for a long time.

MATTHEW RHYS

DOUBLE TROUBLE

A quick crash course in Greek mythology: Thalia is the muse of comedy, Melpomene that of tragedy. Their laughing and crying masks are the universal symbol for theater. But actually, one face is enough: that of Matthew Rhys. He won all categories for lead actor at the last Emmys. On the one hand for the horror-comedy “Widow’s Bay,” on the other for the psychological drama “The Beast In Me.” The Welshman has thus achieved something no colleague before him has. We laugh and cry, but above all: we applaud.

We have more talents you should know about here.

More from the series: The FACES in September 2026 · The FACES in June 2026 · The FACES in May 2026. Also relevant to Dario Vitale: Donatella Versace’s dazzling career.