07/06/2026
SUPERMODEL: ADUT AKECH
Adut Akech is a prominent South Sudanese-Australian supermodel and former refugee who has become one of the most recognized faces in high fashion.
Born in South Sudan, Akech spent her early childhood in a Kenyan refugee camp before immigrating to Adelaide, Australia, at the age of seven.
• She made her global runway debut as a Saint Laurent exclusive in 2016. Since then, she has walked for major luxury houses including Chanel, Valentino, Givenchy, and Versace.
• She was named "Model of the Year" by Models.com (2018, 2019) and the British Fashion Awards (2019).
Advocacy and Influence
• Refugee Representation: Having experienced life as a refugee, Akech works actively with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to advocate for displaced communities.
• She was among the 15 women selected by Meghan Markle to appear on the cover of the September 2019 "Forces for Change" issue of British Vogue.
• Akech and her partner, Samuel Elkhier, welcomed their first child, a daughter named Kiki. I believe they now have their second child.
Akech's runway debut was in a local fashion show, put together by her aunt. She then went on to walk in Melbourne Fashion Week, where she took digitals for a Saint Laurent casting in Paris Fashion Week.
After Melbourne Fashion Week, back home in Adelaide, she got a call from her agent confirming her for the Saint Laurent show, and took a flight to Paris a day after, making her major Fashion Week debut at Saint Laurent's S/S 17 show and signing to Elite Model Management in Paris.
Since then, Akech has done campaigns and shows for Saint Laurent, Valentino, Zara, and Moschino,
She grace walked for Alexander McQueen, Givenchy, Kenzo, Prada, Lanvin, Loewe, Miu Miu, Acne Studios, Tom Ford, Tory Burch, Jason Wu, Bottega Veneta, Anna Sui, Calvin Klein, JW Anderson, Simone Rocha, Burberry, Off-White, Ellery, Jil Sander, Giambattista Valli, Proenza Schouler and Versace.
She has graced the covers of tons of magazines the likes of the American Vogue, British Vogue, Vogue Italia, Vogue Paris, I-D Magazine, Le Monde M Magazine, Modern Matter, Numéro, The Gentlewoman, WSJ., T Magazine and Vogue Australia.