Meet FASHION’s September 2026 The Ones Cover Stars

The Autonomous Ingenue: Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova

Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova has the kind of onscreen presence that demands your attention—even over a video call. Her honey-blond curls frame her face, her piercing green eyes captivate the camera and her glowy golden skin makes it seem as if she’s permanently cast in sunset-hour lighting. By every It-factor metric of Hollywood, Kharlamova looks like a star. And after appearing in the record-breaking hit Heated Rivalry last year, she has certainly been solidified as such.

“Being an actor is so interesting because things can change at the drop of a hat,” she reflects. “One year, no one knows you, and the next year, you’re a superstar.” In Heated Rivalry, Kharlamova plays Svetlana—the scene-stealing confidante and occasional lover to Ilya (Connor Storrie) as he navigates his sexuality amid a repressed hockey culture. Svetlana is slinkily dressed, emotionally intelligent and, most memorably, unconditionally accepting in a setting shrouded with homophobia.

“We need to be more diverse with our genres; we need to start utilizing our people because it’s really cool up here.”

As a biracial woman who grew up between Russia’s St. Petersburg, Toronto and Seattle, Kharlamova brought a unique understanding of hard-earned individuality to the role. “I don’t like people telling me what to do,” she says. Having started acting at just 11, the 23-year-old has been dealing with unsolicited opinions about her appearance since before she hit puberty. “It was always a big thing for me when I was growing up, especially with strangers telling me how to do my hair,” she says. “It still happens now, and I have to tell people ‘No, I’m not doing that; I like doing my own thing.’”

Movies were her first introduction to the beauty of being different. She was raised on films of all sorts—from her mom’s collection of animated Soviet titles to her dad’s choice of ’80s anime and Korean horror. “I would think, ‘This character is a doctor; I want to be a doctor’ or ‘This character is a scientist; I want to be a scientist.’ And then I realized, ‘Oh, I think I want to be a person who embodies all these things.’”

This pull toward experimentation is what has informed her recent fashion-world endeavours. Since Heated Rivalry’s release, she has walked the runway at New York Fashion Week, presented at the Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards and begun working with a new stylist, Bahador Pourvakil (who happens to be her boyfriend). Putting together an outfit is fun, but like most things in her life, it’s intuitive instead of outward-facing. “I don’t really dress for other people,” she says. “I don’t care if something is from two seasons ago or whether it’s considered ‘cool.’”

When it comes to pursuing onscreen projects, she takes a similar gut-instinct approach. She loves the filmmaking scene in Canada but wishes that weirder things were getting made. Heated Rivalry is a prime example of a homegrown show with a less-than-mainstream premise that struck a viral chord when given a chance. “We need to be more diverse with our genres; we need to start utilizing our people because it’s really cool up here,” she says. Would she ever move south for work? Maybe, she answers—but adds that you can’t beat the satisfaction of making something entirely in Canada.

The Shape-shifter: Humberly González

You wouldn’t guess this from talking to her now, but Humberly González grew up stif­ling her self-expression. With her contagious smile, effusive affect and tendency to fall into monologuing, the award-winning actor brings an exciting theatre-kid grandeur to even the most casual conversation. But she has worked hard to get here.

After immigrating to Canada at the formative age of 15, González found herself in an unknown environment. All of a sudden, everything was new: the language, the social codes she had to abide by and the place she now called home: Fort McMurray, Alta. “It’s a tiny little town,” she explains. “There’s, like, one mall, one movie theatre, lots of moose and the northern lights every night.”

Coming from Venezuela, she often felt out of place. “I am bubbly and loud and wear bold shades, and I could see how that rubbed some people the wrong way,” she says. Despite an interest in theatre, she spent her high-school years shrinking down to fit in. But when she moved to Toronto to study at the Canadian Film Centre, she had to undo that assimilation. “The first few years of my auditioning were actually me coming back to myself—the version of me who was extra, colourful and intuitive,” she says. Luckily, digging out that younger, sillier self has manifested in a chameleonic screen presence that transcends typecasting. González performed harrowing horror as the scream queen in Match, dabbled in sci-fi-world-building as an alien in Star Trek: Section 31 and for three seasons served as the supportive high-school best friend in Ginny & Georgia.

“I thought that acting was putting on a mask. But acting is the act of exposing.”

Now an accomplished 34-year-old, she still swears by honouring her inner child—starting with what she wears. “I approach getting dressed as if I were a kid again putting on a fashion show,” she says. Aesthetically speaking, González is a jack of all trades, rocking everything from chrome-coloured capes to avant-garde updos. Ultimately, it’s the look of someone whose heart is undeniably open. “For so long, I thought that acting was putting on a mask,” she says. “But acting is the act of exposing.”

What she values most about her job is the collective bonding that comes from a good performance, especially at a time when human connection can feel hard to find. “Something AI can’t get rid of is fandom—it’s commun­ity, it’s fans wanting to meet the people behind their favourite stories,” she reflects. She acknowledges the challenges of the ever-changing industry but emphasizes that Canadian cinema is underestimated on the world stage. And while she had a turbulent beginning, González credits Canada for nurturing her creativity. “Looking back, it’s interesting that one of my first anxieties was about potentially not meshing with this country, because acceptance is what I love most about it,” she says. “It’s up to you what you want to be.” Needless to say, these days, she’s being her fullest self.

The Suave Superhero: Nathan Mitchell

When Nathan Mitchell was about 23 years old, he experienced a wave of existential angst. An aspiring actor fresh out of Toronto Metropolitan University, he was struggling to get callbacks, missing his friends who had moved away and feeling all around dissatisfied. So, he sought guidance from a higher power. “My career just wasn’t getting the traction that I wanted,” he explains. “So I looked to astrology.”

His chart—Sagittarius sun, Scorpio moon and Cancer rising—indicated that it was time for redirection, and with persuasion from a friend, he moved to Vancouver. After the leap, he began booking more than he ever had—supporting gigs, recurring roles and leads. It all culminated in a job that would change his career: playing Black Noir on The Boys, a superhero who has anchored the Amazon Prime show for nearly a decade.

In case you couldn’t tell, Mitchell is something of an astrological savant. “When I got into astrology, it was really about trying to understand myself,” he explains. “But what I found is that you can look at different periods of your life and, based on the energies that were prevalent at that time, put certain things that you went through into context.”

Indeed, Mitchell moves like someone who is entirely tapped into energy. Even over a video call from Toronto, he has a self-assured, serene and in-sync vibe. His taupe button-up complements the minimalist, airy condo behind him. He speaks steadily, free of filler words or frothy uncertainties. And much like his onscreen counterparts, he has a way of holding the attention of a room. At 37 years old, he says that this cool demeanour is thanks to his having taken harsh feedback early on. “One of my acting teachers, years ago, would tell me ‘I don’t believe you,’” he recalls. “For someone whose whole craft is about getting people to believe them, that’s a hard thing to hear. But it forces you to be ruthlessly honest with yourself.” Non-biased self-reflection is something Mitchell is always seeking. He knows his job demands that he put himself out for interpretation, so he leans into it—with his work and his outfits.

“With everything we wear, we’re revealing ourselves. Fashion is an expression of what’s going on inside of us.”

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Dress, Dsquared2. Shoes, Christian Louboutin. Necklace and ring, Pandora. Tights, Simons.

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“With everything we wear, we’re revealing ourselves,” he says. “Fashion is an expression of what’s going on inside of us.” Lately, Mitchell has been bringing his version of personality-filled menswear to the red carpet—from luxe velvet textures to chocolate-brown palettes. And as a veteran in the Canadian acting scene, he’s now focused on forming a fashion identity. “I value comfort, structure and a touch of elegance,” he explains. “So I want things to feel relaxed and like me.”

If he had to give younger Mitchell advice, what might he say? “Focus on the craft, find a good teacher and say ‘yes’ to experiences that will help you succeed.” Of course, when in doubt, consulting your birth chart doesn’t hurt.

Photography, Nick Merzetti. Publisher, Deidre Marinelli. Creative direction, George Antonopoulos. Styling, Ashley Galang. Hair, Anna Barseghian for Plutino Group/Oribe. Makeup, Angela Lee for Plutino Group/Nars and Edit Beauty. Lighting technician, Juan Delgado. Hair assistant, Ted Troback. Makeup assistant, Hassan Haque. Fashion assistant, Ceeci Calica. Fashion interns, Rowen Cruz, Mauricio Herrerabarría, Pamela Ong and Krystle Tabujara.