Adut Akech is the cover girl for yet another Vogue issue! For Vogue Australia‘s September 2020 cover, the South Sudanese model stuns wearing a bold Burberry look accessorised with Tiffany & Co jewellery. Inside the issue, she addresses diversity and representation in the fashion industry as well as how she wants to use her platform to make changes.
Read excerpts from the cover interview below
On using her platform for change
If you’d told me when I started modelling that I’d go on to achieve all that I have and be given all the amazing opportunities I’ve been blessed with, I wouldn’t have believed half of it. It’s important then that I use my position and my platform to speak about the things that need to be discussed in the fashion industry and address what needs to be changed.
On representation in the fashion industry
Last year an article was published, which featured an interview with me about how people view refugees and people of colour. But the accompanying image – captioned as me – was of another Black girl and not me at all. This was an unacceptable error and it made me upset and angry. It hurt because not only did I feel personally insulted, but I felt like my entire race had been disrespected, too.
Being misrepresented in that way defeated the entire purpose of what I was standing for and speaking out about in the interview. It showed an underlying issue remains if people think every Black girl or all African people look the same. I don’t feel this ever would have happened to a white model.
Read the full cover feature on www.vogue.com.au
Watch the BTS video below
View this post on Instagram
Credits
Photographed and styled by @christinecentenera
Video by @filmsbysomerset