Star Power
Meet model of the moment Adut Akech in Sydney
“Closing the Chanel couture show, closing for Valentino, shooting a Versace campaign, going to the Met Gala . . . ” Model of the moment Adut Akech is reeling off some of her career highlights like it ain’t no thing. The 18-yearold has walked the runway for everyone from Tom Ford to Prada and appeared in American
Vogue, on the cover of i-D and fronted numerous campaigns in quick sucession.
Adut may sound like a typically blase teenager, but she made history in the Chanel couture show as only the second black model chosen by Karl Lagerfeld to appear as a “bride” — wearing a mint green tweed suit. For Valentino, Pierpaolo Piccioli dressed her in a marigold gown and headpiece so dazzling the crowd was on their feet. As Piccioli’s guest at the Met Gala in May she gave starlets a run for their money in a pink Valentino dress.
It’s been a rapid rise for the South Sudanese model, who was born in a Kenyan refugee camp and moved to Adelaide at age 7. “I’ve always loved dressing up. Even as a kid in Kenya I had this pink dress that I refused to take off. I wore it to church every Sunday,” says Adut, who first modelled at age 12 in an aunt’s fashion show. She hit the international stage after her casting digitals were spotted by Saint Laurent, for whom she made her European catwalk debut in 2017.
How does she keep her feet on the ground? “My mum. She’s been my number one supporter from day one, even when she didn’t know anything about the industry. We’re learning as we go. My own family can’t believe this journey at times.”
Now based in New York, Adut was back on home soil for David Jones’ springsummer 2018 collection launch in Sydney. She appeared alongside Karolina Kourkova, Anwar Hadid, and David Jones’ ambassadors Victoria Lee and Jessica Gomes at the runway show, a highlight of the Australian fashion calendar. The seasonal showcase presents looks from the department store’s star Australian and New Zealand designers, including Kate Sylvester, Trelise Cooper, Karen Walker, Dion Lee, Camilla & Marc and Zimmermann. And, you guessed it, Adut stole the show.
— • Kate Sylvester Summer dress $599, and Summer Balloon scarf, $119, from David Jones Wellington, (04) 912 0700, Davidjones.com