Q&A With 20-Year-Old Model Lillian Conner

Graphic by Bailey Richards. Images via Lillian Conner.

High school, college, career. These are the typical stepping stones that are ingrained in Western children as they grow up and plan their futures, but not for Lillian Conner.

The 20-year-old model moved to New York City from her home in Austin, Texas, at the mere age of 17, ready to start her career. Since then, she has walked for Prada in New York Fashion Week, shot for Vogue Hong Kong and traveled the world. I sat down with Conner to talk more about her big move, challenges in her career so far and what it felt like to see her face looking back at her in Sephora.

STITCH: When did you realize you wanted to be a model professionally?

Conner: Since I was two, I’ve always been a camera whore. There are family videos of my mom filming my brother and me shoving him out of the way to be filmed or photographed. I always enjoyed a camera. When I was in high school I did a lot of AP level classes, but I’ve always been interested in acting or the arts. I always said I would go to college, but inside I never felt like I would actually go; I wanted to do something different. So when I was scouted and I heard about the opportunities and plans my agency had for me, I realized this might actually be something I want to do.

STITCH: You’ve had such a successful career so far at such a young age. Where did it all begin?

Conner: I, like the majority of high fashion models who are signed to top agencies, got into it totally by mistake. I was scouted eating a sandwich at a deli with my friends and this strange woman came up to me and handed me her card and told me I needed to come meet with her. I thought it was total bullshit, but I met with her and now she’s my mother agent. She told me within two weeks I’ll have you signed with the top agencies in New York. I thought it was bullshit again, but give it two weeks and I was signed with the agency that I’m with right now.

STITCH: So did you have to travel a lot then between New York and Austin?

Conner: I was scouted when I was 15, right before my sophomore year of high school. I just did local shoots in Texas then, preparing me to go to New York. Summer before junior year I went to New York to meet with my New York agency for the first time and we did test shoots. Then senior year, that summer, I moved to New York permanently and graduated a year early from high school. I worked in Japan, New York and Europe [during] what would have been my senior year. I got really lucky because I did a lot of Advanced Placement classes my junior year, so I had only a couple credits left that I could test out of.

STITCH: Was that a hard decision for you to make, to move to New York?

Conner: It was definitely an interesting decision because you miss out on your senior year of high school, which are a lot of memories you can’t really get back. But at the end of the day, I have a good agency and I had a lot of trust and faith in their plan. I was very at ease with the whole idea because they made me feel at ease with what they had planned for my career.

STITCH: What was the hardest part for you? You’re 17, alone in New York — where are you living?

Conner: You end up living in models housing, an apartment or house owned by your agency. You have a rotating cycle of roommates, just whoever is in town at the time. It could be girls from Russia, China, Japan, LA — all over. One bathroom and you don’t get to choose your roommate. That can be a blessing and a struggle because you can end up with some interesting characters but then I also made some of my best friends.

The hardest thing about starting out in the industry at such a young age is that when you’re entering a fashion week or month you’re going to 5-10 casting sessions a day and you are going to be rejected from the majority. At such a young age, dealing with that rejection and having to comprehend that you might be confirmed for a show and they cancel you the night before was one of the most difficult things.

STITCH: What has been the best moment in your career so far?

Conner: I’m going to give you three that are tied. My debut show when I first started walking fashion month was Prada, and that was a moment I had waited for for so long. It was so last minute, I got the show at 9 p.m. the night before. I remember getting that call, that feeling was so overwhelming. The happiness and excitement, the relief that I finally did it. Getting to work with models that I dreamed of being on the same runway with was the most surreal experience. 

The next moment is when I did a Fenty show, that was a highlight for the whole experience. We got to fly to Rome together and the show was in front of the Colosseum which was just a beautiful experience. 

My last highlight is when I shot a mascara campaign for Marc Jacobs Beauty. Getting to see that on display in Sephora with my photos … that was surreal. That’s been one of my goals in my career for the longest time, just to be in Sephora.

STITCH: Most recently you were in Vogue! How did that feel?

Conner: I was so excited when I found out about that shoot. Because the photographer is a friend of mine, I knew for a fact I would like how the images would come out. That was my first Vogue I’d ever done; it was also one of my goals so it was amazing to achieve.

STITCH: It sounds like you’re reaching so many of your goals at such a young age, what’s in the future for you? What are your new goals?

Conner: I have certain goals, but with fashion I try not to make certain timelines because it is so unpredictable and every girl’s career is different. I don’t want to make goals and not achieve them by a time and be disappointed. For this year, I really want to shoot multiple editorials for Vogue, Marie Claire, Elle and more. I want to shoot with some of the best photographers like Zoey Grossman for example, who has been such an icon for me for years. Eventually, I want to get back over to Europe once coronavirus settles. 

While Conner’s life can be described as anything but average for a 20-year-old girl, her tenacity and dedication to her craft has allowed her to stay focused and humble. Some of her accomplishments are those little girls (and my younger self) dream of, and yet there is still so much more in store for her.