Reese grew up watching America’s Next Top Model on TV, and was particularly drawn to Tyra Banks, an Angel herself. “I love Tyra Banks. She reminds me of myself—her confidence and the way she just owns it,” Reese says. So it should come as no surprise that Banks (among other supermodels) served as an inspiration for Reese’s own runway walk.
“I watched a lot of Tyra, I watched a lot of Naomi, I watched Adriana Lima,” she says of her runway preparation. Although Reese admits that all three of the models have totally different walks, she’s taking note of the little things that set them apart. “Tyra does a nice little bounce; Naomi’s more fierce. I’m not really [emulating] the exact walk, but more of the gestures and mannerisms—small things, like a little smize.”
Gilbert Flores/Getty Images
Gilbert Flores/Getty Images
While she’s got confidence to spare, Reese worked with a runway coach, Alexander Aleson, to help her train for this moment. “He’s actually retired, but he came out of retirement for me,” she says. His prevailing advice? “Be confident, be yourself, have fun. Know that you’re that girl. Just own it.”
Here, Angel Reese takes us behind the scenes at the 2025 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.