Alek Wek on the Moments That Defined Her Trailblazing Career in Modeling
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Loading... - Abdulsamiu Garang
- 04 Apr 2023
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Wow, you’re really taking me back! It really has been two and a half decades,” says Alek Wek of her zeitgeist-shifting entry into the fashion industry.
The British and South Sudanese model was scouted in 1995 as an 18-year-old art student roaming the stalls of Crystal Palace market in London, and quickly shot to fashion stardom. She was photographed by Steven Meisel for Italian Vogue and Herb Ritts for the Pirelli campaign early on in her career, and went on to grace just about every runway that mattered, including many of Alexander McQueen’s most memorable shows.
As one of a handful of darker-skinned Black models in the industry at the time, Wek blazed her own trail, lighting the way of a new generation with her trademark gap-tooth smile, endless legs, and irrepressible sense of joy. In 2004, she made history as the first Black model or “bride” to close the Chanel haute couture show. “Usually it’s all go, go, go, but over the last six months I’ve had the chance to reflect on all that and appreciate it,” says Wek, 43, speaking over the phone from her brownstone in Brooklyn. Read More…
