Anok Yai facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Anok Yai
Yai in 2019 at Paco Rabanne fashion show
Born	(1997-12-20) December 20, 1997 (age 27) Cairo, Egypt
Nationality	American
Modeling information
Height	1.79 m (5 ft 10+1⁄2 in)
Hair color	Brown
Eye color	Brown
Agency	No smoking (New York) SAFE Management (Paris)

Anok Yai (born December 20, 1997) is a famous American fashion model. She made history as the second Black supermodel to open a Prada fashion show. This is a very important moment in the fashion world.

Anok has been on the covers of many international magazines. These include i-D and different editions of Vogue. She has even been on the American Vogue cover three times. Models.com, a top website for models, calls her one of the "New Supers." In 2023, she was voted "Model of the Year" by both fashion experts and fans.

Early Life

Anok Yai was born in Cairo, Egypt. Her family had to leave Sudan because of difficult times there. When she was three years old, her family moved to Manchester, New Hampshire in the United States.

Her mother works as a nurse. Her father works for an organization called Easterseals. Anok's sister, Alim, is her manager and a financial expert. Anok went to Manchester High School West. After high school, she studied biochemistry at Plymouth State University. She planned to become a doctor.

Career

Becoming a Model

Anok Yai was discovered in October 2017. She was at Howard University's homecoming week. A professional photographer named Steve Hall saw her and asked to take her picture. He posted the photo on Instagram. It quickly got over 20,000 likes!

Many modeling agencies wanted to sign her. She chose to sign with Next Model Management. They had called her every day for several weeks.

Opening the Prada Show

Within just four months, Anok made a huge step in her career. She became the first Sudanese model to open a Prada fashion show. Opening a Prada show is considered one of the biggest achievements for a model. It often helps launch their careers.

Anok also appeared in Prada's Spring/Summer 2018 advertisements. She was also part of a Nike campaign. This campaign was designed by Givenchy's Riccardo Tisci.

Anok told Vogue how important this moment was:

"It was an honor and I'm proud that I was the one chosen to open, but this is bigger than me. Me opening for one of the top fashion houses is a statement to the world - especially for black women - that their beauty is something that deserves to be celebrated."

Walking the Runways

Anok has walked on runways for many famous brands. These include Versace, Max Mara, Fendi, Burberry, and Louis Vuitton. She has also appeared in ads for Tiffany & Co., Nike, Hood by Air, and Ambush.

She has been on the covers of many magazines. These include Vogue, W, CR Fashion Book, Harper's Bazaar, i-D, and Elle.

Important Campaigns and Covers

In 2018, Anok was in a Nike and Riccardo Tisci ad campaign. In July 2018, she became a spokesperson for Estée Lauder. She was also in a campaign for Alexander Wang's "Collection 1" Drop 2. That year, she was on the covers of Dazed, i-D, and Purple Fashion.

In 2019, Anok appeared in a short film for the Chanel-Pharrell Collection. She was on the covers of AnOther, CR Fashion Book, W, and several international Vogue magazines.

In 2020, Anok modeled for the Versace Resort campaign. She also appeared in the Alexander McQueen Fall/Winter 2020 campaign. She was on the cover of Vogue again, including the American edition.

In 2021, Anok starred in the Ambush Spring/Summer 2021 campaign. She also led Hood by Air's "02 PROLOGUE" campaign. She was photographed by Juergen Teller for a Yves Saint Laurent advertisement. In September 2021, she was on the cover of Vogue with other famous models.

Becoming a Supermodel

In 2022, Anok Yai appeared in two Spring/Summer campaigns. These were for Max Mara and Alexander McQueen. She also modeled for Loro Piana. Anok later worked with photographer Steven Meisel again for a Tiffany & Co. perfume campaign.

In February 2022, she was on the cover of British Vogue. This cover featured an all-Black group of models. Anok was officially called a supermodel in September 2022. This was on a W magazine cover celebrating its 50th anniversary.

In 2023, Anok was featured on a Vogue tribute cover for Karl Lagerfeld. She also covered Vogue Spain, Vogue Italy, and i-D. Anok appeared in the music video for "Say Something" by rapper Lil Yachty. During Paris Fashion Week, she opened her first Mugler runway show.

Anok attended the 2023 Met Gala in a special dress by Prabal Gurung. Vogue Australia called her one of the "best dressed supermodels." W magazine said, "Yai could not be missed in her look." Anok finished the year as "Model of the Year" by Models.com.

In 2024, Anok started the year by walking for the Louis Vuitton Men's Fall/Winter show. She then appeared in the music video for Travis Scott's song "I KNOW?". In February, she became the face of Alien Hypersense, a new perfume by Mugler. Later in 2024, Anok was in the music video for Offset's song "Swing My Way".

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Anok Yai para niños