Adut Akech | Success story of the South Sudanese Model

Adut Akech Bior is a South Sudanese-Australian model. She made her debut during Paris Fashion Week as an exclusive in the Saint Laurent S/S 17 show. Later, Adut closed both their F/W 17 and S/S 18 shows. In 2018, she was chosen “Model of the Year” by models.com.

Early Life

Akech was born in South Sudan but raised in Kakuma, Kenya. She moved away from Kenya with her mother to Australia as a refugee when she was seven years old because of the wars. Akech has five siblings, and her teachers called her “Mary” in Australia; they found it difficult to pronounce her name.

The career of Adut Akech

Akech was introduced to the fashion industry by her family. She got scouted multiple times by local modeling agencies at 13 or 14. But she started her modeling career at 16. She signed with Chadwick Models in Sydney at the age of 16. Within the fashion industry, Akech prefers using her birth name Adut instead of Akech.

Akech first made her debut on the runway in a local fashion show. She then went on to do Melbourne Fashion Week, where she got digital shots for Saint Laurent’s casting in Paris Fashion Week and eventually walked their entire S/S 17 show. Akech signed with Elite Model Management shortly after making her major career breakthrough at Saint Laurent’s S/S 17 show.

Adut has walked for Alexander McQueen, Givenchy, Kenzo, Prada, Lanvin, Loewe, Miu Miu, Acne Studios, Tom Ford, Tory Burch, Jason Wu, Bottega Veneta, Anna Sui, Calvin Klein, JW Anderson, Simone Rocha, Burberry, Off-White, Ellery, Jil Sander, Giambattista Valli, Proenza Schouler, and Versace. She has shot for several high-profile magazines, including American Vogue, British Vogue, and Australian Vogue. She has landed magazine covers for I-D Magazine and 10 Magazine Australia, among other publications. The latest of these additions is the 2018 Pirelli Calendar, in which Akech will be starring alongside some big names like RuPaul and Naomi Campbell.

Later in 2019, her modeling career saw a significant boost after becoming her Melbourne Spring Fashion Week ambassador. Later that year, Who magazine ran a feature about Akech but printed a picture of another model instead. Akech said this was “unacceptable and inexcusable.” She felt that the error had disrespected the entire race. The editor apologized to her for publishing this mistake in their article.

Honors

Adut was one of fifteen women selected to appear on the cover of September 2019’s British Vogue by guest editor Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. On 2 December 2019, she won “Model Of The Year” at the British Fashion Awards in London.

Recent Update:

In June 2022, Adut Akech’s Vogue Australia look created a worldwide buzz. She looked breathtakingly stunning in the look inspired by the New Elvis Movie by Baz Luhrman. Adut has always been the celeb to look out for at any stage due to her sensational dressing style. Although, this look is said to be one of her best looks until now. 

Recently, Adut Akech joined Beyoncé’s new Adidas x Ivy Park summer collection IVYTOPIA. The collection has gained massive recognition in the fashion world, and Adut’s look in the campaign is the talk of the town. After becoming a part of the iconic campaign, Adut said that there are many pieces from the collection that she adores. But her favorite from the IVYTOPIA collection is a khaki floral bodysuit. She loved the designs and color schemes used in the bodysuit. During an interview, when asked about the meaning of true freedom, Adut said that she feels freedom is being fearless and unapologetic. Adut believes in working toward dreams without bothering about the outside noise. For her, freedom is listening to the heart and mind. She also mentioned body positivity and that kindness is essential to leading a great life.

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