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BBC News
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
'Dem get perfect dark skin': Di African nation wey be home to favourite fashion models
She wear one chic outfit, wit flowing braids and her face no get make-up, Arop Akol look like your typical off-duty model. She sit down for chair for di office of her UK agency, First Model Management, she tok about her big career wey don make her waka for runways for luxury brands for London and Paris. "I bin dey watch modelling online since I be small pikin wey dey 11 years," Akol, wey dey in her early twenties now, tell BBC. For di last three years, dem dey stream her across di world wen she dey model, she don even share runway wit Naomi Campbell for one Off-White show. To travel for work dey lonely somtimes but Akol dey constantly bump into models from her birth kontri - South Sudan wey plenti kasala dey happun. "South Sudanese pipo don become very well known for dia beauty," Akol tok, she get high cheekbones, rich, dark skin and she be 5ft 10 inches tall. Look through a fashion magazine or scan footage of any runway show and you go see Akol point - models wey dem born and raise for South Sudan, or doz ones wey from di kontri wey dey stay abroad dey evriwia. Dem range from up-and-comers, like Akol, to supermodels like Anok Yai, Adut Akech and Alek Wek. Afta dem scout her for London car park in 1995, Wek na one of di veri first South Sudanese models to find global success . She don dey appear for plenti Vogue covers and she bin don model for di likes of Dior and Louis Vuitton. And di popularity of South Sudanese models dey show no signs of slowing - leading industry platform dey put togeda annual list of modelling top 50 "future stars" and for im latest selection, one in five models get South Sudanese heritage. Vogue also feature four South Sudanese models for im article about di "11 young models set to storm di catwalks for 2025". "Di expectation of wetin model suppose be - most of di South Sudanese models get am," Dawson Deng, wey dey run South Sudan Fashion Week for di country capital, Juba, with fellow ex-model Trisha Nyachak tok. "Dem get di perfect, dark skin. Dem get di melanin. Dem get di height." Lucia Janosova, one casting agent for First Model Management, tell BBC: "Of course dem dey beautiful... beautiful skin, di height." However, she say she no dey sure exactly why fashion brands dey find South Sudanese models over oda nationalities. "I no fit tell you because plenti girls dey wey also dey beautiful and dem from Mozambique, or Nigeria, or different countries, right?" Ms Janosova add. Akur Goi, South Sudanese model wey bin work wit designers like Givenchy and Armani, get one theory. She believe say South Sudanese models dey in high demand no be sake of dia physical beauty, but for dia "strength" too. Dem born Goi for Juba but as a child, she move to neighbouring Uganda, like Akol and hundreds of thousands of oda South Sudanese. Many pipo run comot for years afta 2011, wen South Sudan become independent from Sudan. High hopes bin dey for di world newest nation, but just two years later, civil war happun, wia around 400,000 pipo die and 2.5 million homes relocate to places like Uganda. Although di civil war bin end afta five years, further waves of violence, natural disasters and poverty make pipo to continue to comot from di kontri. Recently, fighting between goment and opposition forces don increase - wey dey cause fears say di kontri go return to civil war. Afta dem comot from South Sudan for Uganda, Goi "biggest dream" na to become a model. Fantasy become reality just last year, wen agents bin find her through Facebook. For her veri first job, she walk for Italian fashion giant Roberto Cavalli. "I bin dey super excited and ready for my first season... I bin really dey nervous and scared but I tell mysef: 'I fit make am' - becos na my dream," na wetin Goi tell BBC from Milan, afta she bin fly out for a job at di last minute. But some South Sudanese models bin don get veri terrible journeys. One investigation by British newspaper the Times bin find out say two refugees wey bin dey live for camp for Kenya bin fly to Europe, but dem tell dem say dem too dey malnourished to appear for di runway. Afta di modelling jobs don complete, dem go tell many oda models say dem dey owe dia agencies thousands of euros - as some contracts specify say dem go payback di money for visas and flights, dis dey usually happun wen di models start to earn money. Akol say she bin face a similar issue. Wen dem bin find her for 2019, di agency in question bin ask her to pay for different fees - fees wey she now know say agencies no dey normally request. "Dem bin ask me to pay money for registration, money for dis, for dat. I no fit manage all dat. I dey struggle, my family dey struggle, so I no fit manage all dat," she tok. Three years later, wen she bin dey live for Uganda, one ogbonge agency eventually scout her. Deng, wey dey help upcoming South Sudanese models produce portfolios, tell BBC say some of dem bin dey complain say dem dey pay dem for jobs wit clothes, instead of money. Many models also come up against anoda challenge - dia family perception of dia career choice. "Dem bin no want am and dem no want am now," Akol, wey dey live for London, now tok about her own relatives. "But we [models] bin manage to come up and say: 'We be young kontri. We need to go out and meet pipo. We need to do tins wey evribody dey do.'" Deng say di pipo wey dey live for urban areas don become more open-minded, but some South Sudanese dey see modelling as prostitution. Parents dey question di whole concept - dem dey wonder why dia daughters go dey "waka for pipo front ", im tok. Deng remember one young woman wey im bin dey assist wey bin dey about to fly out for her first international job. Di young woman family wey no happy say she be model, follow her to airport just to stop her make she no enta di plane. But, Deng say, di woman relatives eventually allow her and she don dey model for one top lingerie brand since. "Dis girl na actually di breadwinner of di family. She dey send all her siblings to school and nobody dey tok about am as bad tin again," im tok. Im dey "proud" to see dis model - and odas from South Sudan - on di global stage and although di industry dey cycle through trends, Deng no believe say South Sudanese models go go out of fashion. Goi agree, im say "increasing demand for diversity" in fashion dey. Akol too believe say South Sudan don come to stay, dem say: "Alek Wek don dey do am before dem born me and she still dey do am now. "South Sudanese models dey go a long way."
BBC News
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
South Sudan - the African country producing fashion's favourite models
Wearing an understated but chic outfit, flowing braids and a dewy, make-up free face, Arop Akol looks like your typical off-duty sinks into the sofa at the offices of her UK agency, First Model Management, and details the burgeoning career that has seen her walk runways for luxury brands in London and Paris."I had been watching modelling online since I was a child at the age of 11," Akol, now in her early twenties, tells the the last three years, she has been streamed across the world while modelling, even sharing a runway with Naomi Campbell at an Off-White for work can get lonely, but Akol is constantly bumping into models from her birth country - the lush, but troubled South Sudan."South Sudanese people have become very well known for their beauty," says Akol, who has high cheekbones, rich, dark skin and stands 5ft 10in through a fashion magazine or scan footage of a runway show and you will see Akol's point - models born and raised in South Sudan, or those from the country's sizable diaspora, are range from up-and-comers, like Akol, to supermodels like Anok Yai, Adut Akech and Alek Wek. After being scouted in a London car park in 1995, Wek was one of the very first South Sudanese models to find global success . She has since appeared on numerous Vogue covers and modelled for the likes of Dior and Louis Vuitton. And the popularity of South Sudanese models shows no signs of waning - leading industry platform compiles an annual list of modelling's top 50 "future stars" and in its latest selection, one in five models have South Sudanese heritage. Elsewhere, Vogue featured four South Sudanese models in its article about the "11 young models set to storm the catwalks in 2025"."The expectation of what a model should be - most of the South Sudanese models have it," says Dawson Deng, who runs South Sudan Fashion Week in the country's capital, Juba, with fellow ex-model Trisha Nyachak."They have the perfect, dark skin. They have the melanin. They have the height."Lucia Janosova, a casting agent at First Model Management, tells the BBC: "Of course they are beautiful... beautiful skin, the height." However, she says she is unsure exactly why fashion brands seek out South Sudanese models over other nationalities."I'm not able to tell you because there are lots of girls who are also beautiful and they are from Mozambique, or Nigeria, or different countries, right?" Ms Janosova adds. Akur Goi, a South Sudanese model who has worked with designers like Givenchy and Armani, has a theory. She believes South Sudanese models are in demand not just for their physical beauty, but for their "resilience" was born in Juba but as a child she moved to neighbouring Uganda, like Akol and hundreds of thousands of other South fled in the years after 2011, when South Sudan became independent from were high hopes for the world's newest nation, but just two years later a civil war erupted, during which 400,000 people were killed and 2.5 million fled their homes for places like the civil war ended after five years, further waves of violence, natural disasters and poverty mean people continue to fighting between government and opposition forces has escalated - sparking fears the country will return to civil leaving a war-weary South Sudan for Uganda, Goi's "biggest dream" was to become a model. Fantasy became reality just last year, when she was scouted by agents via Facebook. For her very first job, she walked for Italian fashion giant Roberto Cavalli."I was super excited and ready for my first season... I was really nervous and scared but I said to myself: 'I can make it' - because it was a dream," Goi says, speaking to the BBC from Milan, having flown out for a job at the last some South Sudanese models have had more tumultuous journeys. An investigation by British newspaper the Times found that two refugees living in a camp in Kenya were flown to Europe only to be told they were too malnourished to appear on the runway. After completing modelling jobs, several others were informed that they owed their agencies thousands of euros - as some contracts specify that visas and flights are to be repaid, usually once the models start earning says she encountered a similar issue. When she was scouted in 2019, the agency in question asked her to fork out for numerous fees - fees which she now knows agencies do not normally request."I was asked for money for registration, money for this, for that. I couldn't manage all that. I'm struggling, my family is struggling, so I can't manage all that," she says. Three years later, while living in Uganda, she was eventually scouted by a more reputable who helps fledgling South Sudanese models produce portfolios, tells the BBC that some have complained about being paid for jobs in clothes, rather than models also come up against another challenge - their family's perception of their career choice."They didn't want it and they don't want it now," Akol, who now lives in London, says of her own relatives."But we [models] managed to come up and say: 'We are [a] young country. We need to go out there and meet people. We need to do things that everyone else is doing.'"Deng says those living in urban areas have become more open-minded, but some South Sudanese liken modelling to question the whole concept - wondering why their daughters would be "walking in front of people", he recalls a young woman he was assisting who was about to fly out for her first international job. Unhappy that she would be modelling, the woman's family followed her to the airport and prevented her from getting on the plane. But, Deng says, the woman's relatives eventually came around and she has since modelled for a top lingerie brand."This girl is actually the breadwinner of the family. She's taking all her siblings to school and nobody talks about it as a bad thing any more," he is "proud" to see this model - and others from South Sudan - on the global stage and although the industry cycles through trends, Deng does not believe South Sudanese models will go out of agrees, saying there is an "increasing demand for diversity" in too believes South Sudan is here to stay, stating: "Alek Wek has been doing it before I was born and she is still doing it now."South Sudanese models are going to go a long way." You may also be interested in: How luxury African fashion has wowed Europe's catwalksNo wigs please - the new rules shaking up beauty pageantsInside the beauty pageant in one of the world's worst places to be a womanThe 'peacock of Savile Row' on dressing stars for the Met GalaWATCH: Model Alek Wek on her unique career Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
