Adut Akech
A refugee turned runway force, she became the first Black model to close a Chanel bridal show and a vocal advocate for diversity in fashion.
Born 1999 (age 27)·South Sudanese-Australian model·Birthday: December 25·Generation Z
Biography
Adut Akech's story begins not on a catwalk, but in flight. Born in what is now South Sudan, she spent her early childhood in a Kenyan refugee camp before her family was resettled in Adelaide, Australia. Her discovery at a local market at sixteen launched a meteoric rise. Within a year, she was an exclusive for Saint Laurent, her commanding walk and serene presence instantly marking her as a new kind of star. More than just a sought-after face, Akech used her platform to speak candidly about her past, challenging the fashion industry's narrow standards of beauty and representation. She became a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees supporter, ensuring her narrative of displacement and hope was heard in boardrooms and at international forums, transforming her personal history into a powerful tool for change.
Generation Z
1997–2012
Born into smartphones, social media, and school shootings. The most diverse generation in history. Pragmatic about money, fluid about identity, anxious about the climate. They do not remember a world before the internet.
Adut was born in 1999, placing them squarely in the Generation Z. The events that shaped this generation — social media, climate anxiety, and a pandemic — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Adut Was Born
The biggest hits of 1999
#1 Movie
Star Wars: Episode I
Best Picture
American Beauty
#1 TV Show
ER
Adut's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1999Born
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2004Started school
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2012Became a teenager
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2015Could drive
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2017Could vote
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2020Turned 21
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 27 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Named Model of the Year by models.com in both 2018 and 2019.
- Became the first Black model to close a Chanel haute couture bridal show in 2019.
- Featured on the cover of the September 2019 issue of British Vogue, guest-edited by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.
- Served as a fitting model for the late designer Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel.
Did You Know?
She is part of the Dinka ethnic group from South Sudan.
She has a twin brother.
She was discovered while shopping with her aunt in Adelaide.
Her middle name, Akech, is her mother's maiden name, which she uses professionally.
“I want to be remembered as more than just a model. I want to be remembered as a good person who stood up for what she believed in.”
