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Model Adut Akech has really come a long way. Coming all the way from South Sudan and scaling through the four walls of the refugee camp in Kenya with her mother, to the city of Adelaide, Australia as South Sudanese refugees, the-20-year-old is now one of the sought-after models on the planet.
As her modeling career continues to skyrocket, the model met her runway breakthrough after making a debut during Saint Laurent SS17 show in 2016. Since then, Adut Akech became a name to reckon with, walking all the catwalks for luxury brands such as Valentino, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Fendi, Chanel (to name a few), as well as scoring major campaign gigs.
She is the second black girl in history who has landed 4 vogue covers after Naomi Campbell.
“Wow, mum look at me on the cover of American Vogue @voguemagazine for April 2020 issue!!,” the model wrote while sharing her new Vogue’s cover with Ugbad Abdi and Kaia Gerber on Instagram a few days ago. “Thank you to everyone who has believed in me and supported me throughout my career. I finally have the big 4 vogue covers and the second black girl to do it in history after my mama @naomi 🥺 I’m gonna cry myself to sleep now bye 😭😭😭. Congratulations to every model on this cover and to everyone who worked on it 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾.”
The South Sudanese beauty, however, was crowned 2019 “Model of the Year” by the British Fashion Council back in December last year. The award which was presented by British Vogue’s Editor-In-Chief, Edward Enningul, and Valentino’s Pier Paolo Piccioli was clearly one of the biggest things in Akech’s life, which she described it as a ‘rarity’ for someone like her.
“It is important for all of us to remember that someone like me winning this award is a rarity,” the model said during her speech. “This is for the young women and men who found representation and validation in my work. I want them to never be afraid of dreaming big like I once did.”
However, in an Instagram post shared by the model last night, she decided to dedicate it to the “little girls and boys who are not heard and seen,” adding that “if a little dark-skinned, South Sudanese refugee who came from absolutely nothing can do it, so can you.”
Per BFC, “Model of the Year” title is an award that “recognizes the global impact of a model, irrespective of gender, who over the last 12 months has dominated the industry. With an influence that transcends the catwalk, the Model of The Year has made an outstanding contribution to the industry, garnering numerous editorial and advertising campaigns throughout the year.”
