Enninful (who put Akech on the May
2018 cover) told CNN: “No one looks like
Adut. Not only is she extraordinarily
beautiful; she also has a sweetness that
comes through in her pictures. If Naomi
Campbell and Alek Wek had a love child,
it would be Adut.”
As captivating as Akech is in photos
(those eyes! that skin! those lips!) and on
the runway (those legs!), the depth and
humility she projects are as important to
her appeal as her looks. In February,
Akech had a chance to show a different
facet of her personality when she was
tapped as a guest editor for cnn.com’s
style section. She oversaw a series of
stories about the evolving definition of
family. The theme was inspired by the
close bond she shares with her mother
and five siblings as well as the familial-like
relationships she’s developed with the
staff at her modeling agency, supporters
in the industry, and her friends in New
York City.
Family is everything to Akech, who
speaks to her mother twice a day. “When
I wake up after I’ve only had one hour of
sleep and I have to go to a show, I remind
myself why I’m doing this, and that’s defi-
nitely to help my family. Everything I do is
mainly for their future,” she says. That’s a
lot of weight on the shoulders of a teen-
ager, but Akech always tries to get
through her crazy-busy schedule with a
big smile on her face.
It seemed as though this strategy was
working—until New Year’s Day, when she
revealed on her Instagram account that
she had been hiding depression and anx-
iety behind those smiles. Her followers
never would have suspected that she
spent most days in 2018 crying before
and after work. “It was so draining men-
tally, physically, emotionally, and spiritu-
ally. I don’t know how I’m still here today,”
she wrote. The somber caption cut
through Akech’s feed like a record
scratch because prior to that, her posts
conveyed nothing but gratitude and
excitement about all of her accomplish-
ments, with plenty of heart and fire emo-
jis mixed in. Although she says opening
up about her mental health was difficult,
she has no regrets. “After I [posted] that,
so many people messaged me saying
that I saved their lives,” she says. “Now I
have this open door where I feel like I’m
able to speak about anything.”
Another topic Akech is outspoken
about: diversity in beauty and fashion.
She is often compared to fellow South
Sudanese model Alek Wek, one of the
few dark-skinned women to rise to super-model status in the mid-1990s. Wek was
held up as a symbol of shifting percep-
tions of black beauty, which she was, but
it’s frustrating that two decades later,
we’re still talking about the need for
broader representation of black beauty,
with Akech as Wek’s heir apparent. Not
that things haven’t progressed at all.
Fenty Beauty’s 2017 launch of 40 founda-
tion shades deserves a lot of credit for
making women with the deepest skin
tones feel seen and valued. Rihanna’s
bold move, and the conversations that
followed, caused a ripple effect that has
made its way to the runway.
Last March, Akech told The New York
Times that she felt like “part of a great
moment” due to the “big increase in the
number of really dark-skinned girls being
cast.” And now? “I feel like the moment is
even better. I haven’t been modeling that
long, but a lot has changed, and I hope it
continues. There’s still a long way to go,”
she says.
Although the right makeup colors
and hair products are much easier to find
now, Akech says artists don’t always
come prepared. She often brings her
own foundation shades to set and has
had to deal with uncomfortable situa-
tions regarding her hair. “I have Afro hair,
and you can’t use the same products or
put the same amount of heat on my hair
as you would with a Caucasian girl’s hair,
but a lot of [hairstylists] fail to under-
stand that. Last season, I let [the hairstyl-
ists] do what they wanted to do, and my
hair got so heat-damaged. This season I
didn’t let anyone touch my hair with heat
at all, and a lot of people were offended,
but if a model is not feeling OK [with a
style], they should understand,” she says,
proving that she still stands up for herself
just like she did as a little girl.
So much has changed in Akech’s
life, but her core remains the same. She
knows who she is and what she wants.
Sleep and food are usually on that list,
alongside a few goals that have nothing
to do with modeling. Akech wants to
study business or journalism, she’d love
to do more work with the U.N. to help
refugees at her former camp, and one
day she wants to build a school, a hospi-
tal, or a modeling agency in South Sudan.
“I don’t want to just be known as Adut
Akech the model. I want to build a leg-
acy,” she says. “I don’t feel like I only rep-
resent black girls; I want to represent
anyone who started from nothing and
had to work their way up. I want to
inspire.” That’s one mission that she’s
already accomplished.Mani-pedi spot: “I go to Nail &
Spa 4U in Brooklyn near where
I live. It’s very simple, and
the ladies there are super nice.
During the holidays, I love to
get long acrylics.”LOW MAINTENANCE
BUT HIGH RETURN.
AKECH’S BEAUTY REGIMEN
MAKES SIMPLICITY
INSPIRATIONAL.
Her foundations: “I’m a really
dark-skinned girl, and it
was hard to find something
in Australia; the only brand
I could use was M.A.C. In
America, I can find my shade.
I like L’Oréal Paris True
Match, Maybelline New York
Fit Me, and Dior Backstage.”Her fragrance: “I love Daisy
by Marc Jacobs. It’s sweet,
flowery, and it smells like
daisies, so they got it right.
I wear it every day.”How she refreshes her skin
during frequent flights: “I just
started using a tea tree oil
face mist that I got from a
Korean beauty-supply store.”The skin-care line she swears
by: “111Skin. I started using the
products when I was in London
for the Fashion Awards last
December. The guy who did
my facial recommended them
to me, and I’ve decided to
stick with them because they
made my skin look really
good. No breakouts.”Easy beauty ritual: “At night,
I clean my face, put on a
sheet mask or eye patches,
and just hang out. A lot
of myfacemasks are under
$10, so I experiment with
different brands.”A MODEL OF
PERFECTION
sleep because I knew that there were kids who didn’t.”