Fashion: How South Sudanese Skin Captivated Global Fashion Houses
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Fashion: How South Sudanese Skin Captivated Global Fashion Houses

If you follow the global fashion industry, you surely know famous models like Alek Wek, who has spent 30 years in the field, Nykhor Paul, Akon Changkou, Duckie Thot, and Adut Akech, who are currently popular on social media. All of them, and many others, come from South Sudan!

They are known for their dark skin, which attracts many international fashion houses. Experts say their skin matches perfectly with runway shows, and combined with their height and body shape, it makes them stand out even more.

A BBC report highlighted South Sudan as one of the countries producing top models who are sought after by many fashion brands and magazines. According to the report, one of the reasons these models are loved is because they often do not use heavy makeup, showing the natural beauty of their skin, which fascinates fans of dark-skinned beauty.

Every year, a well-known fashion website, Models, releases a list of 50 promising models. In its latest list, one out of five featured models had South Sudanese roots. Last year, Vogue magazine named four South Sudanese models among its “11 young models to watch in 2025.”

Dawson Deng, who works with former model Trisha Nyachak to organize “South Sudan Fashion Week” in Juba, said that the qualities people expect from models are fully found in South Sudanese models. He explained, “What people look for in models, most South Sudanese have it. They have beautiful, dark skin and the right height.”

These young women work very hard to achieve their dreams!

However, The Times in the UK revealed sad realities some of them face. It reported that two refugees from a camp in Kenya were sent to Europe but were told they were too starved-looking to appear on stage. Others have been trapped in contracts that left them with thousands of euros in debt, as they had to cover visas, flight tickets, and other costs before earning money.

Arop Akol, another South Sudanese model now living in the UK, told the BBC he experienced the same issue. In 2019, when agencies scouted him, they asked for a lot of money, though he says those companies never actually received such fees. Deng, who helps young South Sudanese models with professional photos, also said some of them told him they were once paid with clothes instead of money.

Another big challenge is family rejection. Arop Akol, now in London, said: “My family didn’t want me to do this, and they still don’t. But as models, we thought, ‘We are a young and small country. We must go out and show what we can do. We must do what others are doing.’”

Deng added that while people in cities are becoming more open-minded, some still compare modeling to prostitution. Many parents question why a girl would walk in front of people to show clothes.

Arop Akol is one of the new-generation South Sudanese models making waves in the UK, but he first had to overcome many challenges

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