Alek Wek

At 14, supermodel Alek Wek fled her native Southern Sudan, where she was raised in the Dinka tribe. She moved to London where she attended the London College of Fashion and was discovered at a street fair. Wek went on to appear in various music videos for Tina Turner and Janet Jackson. She was catapulted to stardom when she became ELLE’s first black cover model. She appeared in the annual Pirelli calendar, a major coup for any model, four times.

She has been on the covers of international magazines including Vogue Germany and Japan, Essence, L’Officiel, London Style, and Sunday Times Style. i-D magazine named her “Model of the Decade,” and she was double crowned one of People magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People” and one of the “50 Most Influential Faces in Fashion.” Wek has opened couture shows for Valentino and Christian LaCroix as well as ready-to-wear collections for Yves Saint Laurent, Tom Ford, Chanel, Givenchy, Alexander McQueen, Gucci, Hèrmes, and more.

She is also a humanitarian activst and author of the best-selling memoir, ALEK: From Sudanese Refugee to International Supermodel.