08/07/2026
Modelling might not have been the obvious profession for our March 2026 cover star Ugbad Abdi (Ugbad) ; “never in a million years did I think that it could be a career option”. But fate had grand plans for the 25-year-old Somalian, who was raised in a Kenyan refugee camp before settling in an Iowa town. The girl who tentatively dipped her toe into the New York fashion scene was soon scooped up to star as the first hijab-wearing model to walk in high-profile shows like Fendi and Lanvin. “I didn’t realise the impact that I would have on the ongoing conversation about representation and diversity,” she admits. “Until I received so many messages from girls who told me what that meant for them. It was really special; something I hold close.”
Talent: Ugbad Society
Acting Group Editor in Chief & words: Natasha Faruque
Photographer: Petros Kouiouris
Art Director: Paul Solomons
Jewellery: Boucheron Fifty One East
Look: Christian Siriano
Stylist: Fani Polychroniou
Fashion & Market Editor: Charlotte Marsh Williams
Make-Up Artist: Keita Moore
Nail Artist: ☆ 𝓵𝓸𝓾𝓲𝓼𝓮 ☆
Executive Producer: Steff Hawker | Producer
Words: Natasha Faruque