The Relevance

Sudanese model Alek Wek, 41, began her career at the age of 18 in 1995, changing the industry and the ambitions of millions of dark-skinned girls – Lupita Nyong’o included – around the world who finally saw themselves reflected on magazine covers and in high-fashion images. She has walked for everyone from Chanel and Dries Van Noten to Oscar de la Renta and Marc Jacobs over the past 24 years, appeared in music videos for Tina Turner and Janet Jackson, and hosted London’s Fashion Awards last year.

I’M VERY SURE OF MYSELF. I come from a family where we celebrated each other as women. But in fashion [in the ’90s], it was very foreign for [the industry] to see something out of the ordinary. For me, it was important that it wasn’t just about me and representing women of color, but saying that we need diversity. Fashion draws its inspiration from around the world, from all different cultures, so this is a collective. Now, with social media, we’re so connected you can’t not celebrate diversity. It was long overdue.

PEOPLE EMBRACED ME BECAUSE they knew I wanted to have fun with [fashion], wear these clothes and create the shapes and send a message out that my color is part of me – I’m not a gimmick and I’m not going to be sold short. I’m really glad that translated throughout the years. I was blessed to work with certain people in the business who are legendary, like Yves Saint Laurent and Irving Penn. I’m glad that I worked with people who nurtured me because if you’re not nurtured, you can’t grow from there. Now I see all the throwback [pictures], I can’t believe Alek at [age] 18, 20, 21… It’s really humbling, but it’s the same woman.

SOCIAL MEDIA SHEDS LIGHT ON IMPORTANT ISSUES, be that the bullying that goes on in the business or the #MeToo movement. People who misbehave don’t have to misbehave anymore and if they do there are consequences – in this industry, I felt for such a long time we didn’t really have that. When you’re putting something out, even when you talk, you have a social responsibility and you’ve got to respect that. There are younger generations coming up and if you do certain things that aren’t OK, they’re going to think it is. Being able to show faces and stories is very important, that’s how we strengthen each other. I always say we come from different backgrounds but a struggle is a struggle, family is family, values are values, morals are morals, and friendship is friendship. That’s a universal thing – whether you sleep on the floor or in a five-star hotel, you still cry, bleed, feel the same.

With her doe-eyed, doll-like beauty, Australian model Gemma Ward, 31, was a revelation when she hit the runway as an exclusive for Prada in 2003, aged just 16. She became a fixture for brands including Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Valentino, then made the leap to Hollywood, scoring parts in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and The Great Gatsby. She stepped away from the spotlight in 2008; six years and two children later, Ward made her return to the catwalk for Prada’s SS15 show.

WHEN YOU’RE YOUNG YOU THINK YOU’RE INVINCIBLE and don’t realize that [work] can take a toll on your mind and body. If I could go back, I would tell myself to slow down and take it easy. I probably placed too much importance on things, thinking that everything was going to go away in an instant and that I had to do it now. That’s not actually the right way to go, because careers last a long time and it’s just not worth putting your health on the line. I approach work differently [now]. I appreciate it more, but also I can recognize when I need to take a step back.

NATALIA VODIANOVA WAS THE FIRST MODEL WHOSE WORK I REALLY LOVED, especially with Calvin Klein. When I first started looking at fashion images, hers stood out for me. Lauren Hutton is another inspiration: her life advice and the way she approached the fashion industry.

I’M ONLY JUST LEARNING ABOUT HOW THE INDUSTRY HAS CHANGED because I took a break. I’ve been hearing the way careers are built is very different now there’s social media. Some of the things that I went through wouldn’t happen today, so I think it’s a safer and perhaps a more inclusive place. I think [the #MeToo movement] is very positive and was needed. When things go uncontrolled and unregulated for so long, people are allowed to have power over people who are helpless, or put them in positions where they think they have to do something in order to work. It makes me very happy that things are moving in a better direction, especially if you have an industry that has a lot of young girls. These are people that need to be protected.