A n ok Ya i ,
South Sudan, Egypt,
United States
Yai’s discovery story reads like a
modern-day modeling fairy tale: Two
and a half years ago, a street-style
photo of her at Yardfest, the annual
homecoming concert at Howard
University in Washington, D.C., went
viral on Instagram. “I woke up the
next morning to find my phone buzzing
with 30,000 notifications,” says Yai,
who was studying biochemistry in
New Hampshire at the time. Calls from
modeling agents began pouring in,
and a story about the phenomenon
made the cover of her local paper
in Manchester. She found herself at
the center of the fashion universe
some months later when she was cast
to open the Prada show in Milan.
“I know I represent so many women,
though I think it’s important to
acknowledge that the spectrum of
black beauty is so broad that there’s
no one type,” says Yai, now 22,
who was born in Egypt to South
Sudanese parents. “And that’s
something well worth celebrating.”
Alberta Ferretti jacket and jeans.
Prada sandals.
singke
(singke)
#1