Natalia Bryant shined bright for her 2026 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show debut.
While sitting in her glam chair on Sunday, October 18, Bryant, 23, exclusively told Us she didn’t “even know what time” it was after arriving at the Sony Lot in Culver City earlier that morning.
“[It’s] almost 10 a.m. So what, like, two hours?” Bryant said of how long it took to get her hair and makeup done before strutting her stuff. “I feel like roughly two hours in glam.”
Natalia, who is the eldest daughter of the late Kobe Bryant and wife Vanessa Bryant, was beaming from ear-to-ear thinking about her Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show debut, calling it “amazing” and a “surreal experience” while giving Us a behind-the-scenes look at her big day. (Kobe and Vanessa, 44, also share daughters Bianka, 9, Capri, 7, and Gianna, who died at the age of 13 in January 2020 alongside Kobe, who was 41, after a fatal helicopter crash.)
“I am so happy to be here,” she gushed, adding that her runway mantra was to simply keep her “shoulders back” and walk “confidently.”
Natalia modeled an embellished bra, cropped cardigan and rhinestone-covered jeans from the brand’s PINK collection for her Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show debut, bringing a sparkling and playful touch to the catwalk.
While Natalia was new to the VS scene, she told Us she felt like one of the girls thanks to the models who embraced her ahead of the show.
“Ashley Graham is like the No. 1 hype woman,” Natalia revealed. “She’s seriously the best, and really, she just encourages me to be myself.”
Natalia also pointed to Gigi Hadid as the “biggest hype woman of the bunch,” saying, “Oh, my gosh, I mean, Gigi. I have to say Gigi. I mean, Gigi and Ashley. Together.”
Outside of the seasoned pros, Natalia told Us she found comfort knowing her mother, Vanessa, would be in the room during her big moment.
“I feel like when walking, I have such tunnel vision, so I don’t really look to the sides,” she shared. “But I know my mom’s going to be there, so I’m really — that makes me at peace.”
Natalia signed a contract with IMG Models in February 2021, just months before she graduated from the University of Southern California that summer.
She has since been featured in campaigns for Victoria’s Secret PINK and UGG and made her runway debut at Milan Fashion Week in September 2023 for the Versace Spring 2024 show.
Becoming an Angel at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show — which has featured supermodels including Gisele Bündchen, Miranda Kerr and Heidi Klum — has always been a dream for Natalia.
“It’s such a surreal experience, I have to say,” Natalia told Us. “Growing up watching the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show to now being here and like being here with all the angels — I mean, it’s such an honor.”
