Who is Alek Wek?
Alek Wek is a fashion model best known for being one of the first mainstream dark-skinned African models to appear on fashion magazine covers and work both campaigns and fashion shows in mid 1990’s.
Was Alek Wek the first black model?
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.
What happened to Alek Wek?
Eventually, Alek was sent to the capital, Khartoum, where she was joined three months later by the rest of the family. Here, her father, an education administrator, underwent a hip replacement procedure, but as a result of complications following the operation, he died.
How did Alek Wek become model?
She enrolled in the London College of Fashion and studied Fashion Business and Technology. Alek was discovered at an outdoor market in 1995 in Crystal Palace, London by a Models 1 scout. She appeared in the music video for “GoldenEye” by Tina Turner that year, and shortly thereafter began fashion modeling.
Where was Alek born?
Wau, South SudanAlek Wek / Place of birthWau is a city in northwestern South Sudan, on the western bank of the Jur River, that serves as capital for Western Bahr el Ghazal. It lies approximately 650 kilometres northwest of the capital Juba. Wikipedia
Why did Alek leave Sudan?
Editor’s Note: Alek Wek is a Sudanese-born supermodel. She was forced to leave the country because of civil war and went to Britain as a child refugee. She continues to campaign to draw attention to the ongoing suffering in her country.
Why was Alek Wek a refugee?
Refugee crisis – in pictures Wek fled what is now South Sudan in 1991 when she was nine-years-old. She said her “life changed overnight” when her family fled to the UK. “I knew that there was a conflict but I was very saddened that we had to leave. It was like someone chucked you out of your home….
Where did Alek Wek go to school?
London College of FashionAlek Wek / Education
How many siblings did Alek Wek have?
Born in Southern Sudan, Alek Wek was raised as part of the Dinka tribe. At fourteen the civil war forced her to flee to London with her younger sister, where they were later joined by their mother and three more of their eight siblings.
Why is Alek Wek a refugee?
In 1985, the conflict forced the Weks to leave Wau on foot. As they trudged across the country, an old hip injury of her father’s became infected. Shortly after, he died at a relative’s house in Khartoum. An older sister of Wek’s who had moved to the UK applied for refugee status for the family.
Is Alek Wek a refugee?
Supermodel Alek Wek has actively supported UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency since 2011 and was appointed UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador in 2013. As a former refugee from what is now South Sudan, Alek knows what it is like to be forced to flee her home.
How old is Alek Wek?
Jump to navigation Jump to search. Alek Wek (born 16 April 1977) is a South Sudanese-British model and designer who began her fashion career at the age of 18 in 1995.
Who is Sarah Wek and why is she famous?
As a humanitarian activist in Southern Sudan, Wek currently serves as a Good Will Ambassador to The United Nations High Commission for Refugees. In 2012, she travelled back to her hometown to celebrate the South Sudan Independence Referendum and the first anniversary of her nation’s freedom.
Who is Sarah Alek and where is she from?
She is from the Dinka ethnic group in South Sudan, but fled to Britain in 1991 to escape the civil war in Sudan. In 2015, she was listed as one of BBC’s 100 Women. Alek was born in Wau in Sudan (now South Sudan ), in a two-bedroom house without electricity or running water, and is the seventh of nine children.
Who is Alek Krakow and why is he famous?
Alek was “the first black model who didn’t conform to a Caucasian aesthetic, the first with an uncompromising, sub-Saharan beauty… her industry saw her as new and exotic – a savage beauty.” As a result, Alek’s mainstream success was celebrated by black women all over the world.