Anok Yai - Soudanaise - 1m78 - 75/54/84
Agences
Next
Dazed & Confused Uk
Printemps/Eté 2018
Brianna Capozzi
Another Magazine
Printemps/Eté 2018
Jackie Nickerson
"This Is Bigger Than Me" - Anok Yai On Being The First Black Model To Open Prada In 20 Years by Naomi Pike - Monday 26 February 2018 ANOK YAI recently made fashion history by becoming the first black model to open a Prada show since Vogue contributing editor Naomi Campbell in 1997. Her second turn on the catwalk for Prada - she made her first at the menswear show in January - the 19-year-old knows the important message her casting projected to the industry. "It was an honour and I'm proud that I was the one chosen to open, but this is bigger than me. Me opening for one of the top fashion houses is a statement to the world - especially for black women - that their beauty is something that deserves to be celebrated," she told Vogue of the moment. With Vogue contributing casting director Ashley Brokaw heading up the model booking for the Italian house, the brand has built a reputation for quickly tapping fashion's rising stars with a Prada global exclusive (where a model will only walk for one brand in a season) becoming a rite of passage for many.With Vogue contributing casting director Ashley Brokaw heading up the model booking for the Italian house, the brand has built a reputation for quickly tapping fashion's rising stars with a Prada global exclusive (where a model will only walk for one brand in a season) becoming a rite of passage for many. "The Prada campaign was my first ever job in fashion - I was booked by the incredible Ashley Brokaw and flew to LA to shoot with Willy Vanderperre," Yai explains of her entry into the fold. "Casting for Prada this season was so quick and simple. I had a few digitals taken and then I walked. It only lasted a few minutes, but it was nerve racking since there was such a short amount of time to make a good impression." "I will remember the experience of opening the show as my breakthrough moment. Just modelling for Prada alone is a huge opportunity and the fact that Miuccia and Ashley put me front and centre sets the tone for my career." Yai currently has two Prada shows and three campaigns sitting pretty on her CV. "I am just so excited about where this will take me, and I couldn't be happier." Being confirmed to walk, let alone open, is not decided by Miuccia Prada, who she calls “sweet-yet-strong”, until the last minute. As Yai explained: "I only found out I was going to be opening about an hour before it started. When I was backstage, I noticed that the production team was really going crazy about making sure my hair and make-up was done, but I didn't really think anything of it. Before we all changed into our looks, the production team had me do a walk-through of the runway for a third time. I asked her why I was the only one doing it and that's when I was told I was opening. I was pretty anxious before walking but the second I got on the catwalk all the nerves went away." Scouted at Howard University during homecoming celebrations in Washington DC, the Egypt-born, Sudanese teen who grew up in the US was soon snapped up by Next Models and her long-time dream became a reality. "I had always wanted to be model, but I was very hesitant. I wasn't sure how well I would do in the industry because it's always changing. Now, I want to become the best model I can be and take my career as far as possible," she added. "However, I'm also passionate about making an impact in the world whether it be through art and fashion, social media, or science." Yai opening for Prada will not only be a landmark in her own career, but for the industry too. Previously, Prada has been called out for its lack of diversity with no models of colour taking to the catwalk between Naomi Campbell (1997) and Jourdan Dunn (2008).
When it comes to great discovery stories, it’s hard to compete with Anok Yai. In a matter of weeks, the Sudanese newcomer has moved from an unknown face to becoming one of the Internet’s darlings, all thanks to a viral image. Busy studying biochemistry at Plymouth State University, Yai headed out to enjoy the famed homecoming weekend at Howard University in Washington D.C. only to be snapped for a street style image by the photographer Steven Hall, who shared it on his popular Instagram account, @thesunk. Quickly racking up more than 19,000 likes and garnering Yai thousands of new followers in the process, the image made an impression—one that Yai never considered when she posed for it. “I first saw the photo after my phone started getting the notifications,” she said. Yai was curious about modeling but had no idea of how to to get her foot in the door. “I always was inclined to do art and fashion, but I didn't know how to get into the industry,” says Yai who can remember watching shows like America’s Next Top Model as a child and following fashion growing up. It seems appropriate, then, that her viral snap piqued the interest of one of modeling’s most influential, Kyle Hagler, the president of Next Management. In town to visit his own alma mater, the fellow historically black college Morehouse, Hagler received a fateful message from a friend. “What’s funny is when I was a teen in college, I would go to Howard’s homecoming a lot because they had a better football team and a cooler scene. We always drove up to D.C., so I was kind of watching Howard’s homecoming virtually,” says Hagler, who was struck by Yai’s runway-ready look and her book smarts. “Anok has something very special. She’s not only beautiful, but she’s intelligent and has a real understanding of community.” Speaking to Yai gives a sense of her priorities. Initially working toward her biochemistry degree with the hope of becoming a doctor, she wants little girls to feel empowered to pursue STEM fields. “I knew that I’d be able to help people and that’s my overall goal in life,” says Yai, who feels gendered cultural expectations often prevent young women from entering the field. “I definitely want girls to be looking into those [STEM] programs. Women aren’t always raised to be as great as they can possibly be. They’re told to care about more how they look and be extremely feminine. [As a result,] science, math, and technology are still considered male jobs.” The importance Yai places on helping others comes from her upbringing. Coming to the United States in the year 2000 as a refugee, she and her family fled the Sudanese genocide. They made it first to Egypt and then to New Hampshire, where Yai and her siblings spent five years in government housing. “My parents worked very hard to put my siblings and I [through school] to be able to be set up for success,” says Yai. “They put in up to 16 hour days in order to save enough money, so we could move to [Manchester] and we have been living there ever since.” Now that she's a signed model, Yai hopes for more than campaigns and covers. What she’s looking for is the chance to change perceptions—especially those pertaining to beauty. As a dark-skinned black woman, she feels a responsibility to speak up about the negative effects of the colorism that remains prevalent in fashion imagery. “When I was younger, I was insecure about my skin because I looked up to people in the media and, though I looked up to the black women, I never saw black women that were as dark as me.” Stressing the importance of representation, she hopes her presence will help to bring about change. “I definitely want to be a role model for young dark-skinned girls and girls in general—I want to bring to light ideas of self-love and self-confidence,” says Yai. “I am so excited about where this will take me and I'm happy because I can do what I am passionate about.”