Alek Wek - Sudanese Celebrity, Model

Alek Wek was born in 1977 in the Dinka tribe of southern Sudan, where it was called "the black and white cow", nickname which alluded to a symbol of good luck to its people. 

 

His life soon became troubled when he had to emigrate due to the outbreak of the civil war in 1982. Soon after, his house was raided by a group of guerrillas, forcing the large family Wek -composed of ten members, to flee. Upon returning, after three months, they found everything destroyed. There was no food, no people, no space.  

Again, the flight was the only solution. Alek managed to march on the capital, Khartoum, where his family would receive three months later.But, to the great misfortune, his father became ill and had to undergo surgery. During the intervention, which was going to implant a prosthesis, has died. Whilst all this was happening, her older sister had settled in London, where he asked to be granted political asylum to his family.In 1991, this request was granted to Alek and his little sister, but had to wait two years to be reunited with his mother.  

The remaining members of the family took refuge in Australia and Canada. While living with his sister in England, Alek had to work to earn some money to get by while studying. She quickly learned English and studied technology and business in a prestigious fashion design school. Little did this African beauty that their future would not be as fashion entrepreneur, but as a model. Their discovery, given its physical qualities, did not wait long. While strolling through a flea market in London in 1995 a modeling agent,Fionna Ellis, noticed her and proposed to sign a contract with the agency Model One . Soon her face began appearing on camera and on the catwalk. Music Video Star Tina Turner Golden Eye, his first snapshots were for magazines Vibeand iD . 

This mannequin of more than 1.80 meters high quickly became a regular face of the most important gateways. Its class and elegance made ​​received several awards: The Venus of Paris Fashion , MTV Model of the Year in 1997 andmodel year by the magazine iD . Outside the world of fashion, Alek, who has been the face of campaigns for Clarins , Clinique and Moschino, among other firms, an activist of the American Committee for Refugee Support ( U.S. Committee For Refugees' Advisory Council ).