Anok Yai will be honored as Model of the Year at the upcoming British Fashion Council (BFC) Fashion Awards 2025. The awards, which will be held on December 1 at London’s Royal Albert Hall, will be presented by Pandora and serve as a fundraiser for the British Fashion Council Foundation.
Besides raising funds for the foundation, the Fashion Awards is held every year by the British Fashion Council to celebrate global fashion excellence. A part of the award is Model of the Year, which highlights the global impact of a model who has dominated the industry over the last 12 months.
Indeed, South Sudanese-American model Yai has been busy this past year, appearing on the cover of Vogue France, working for Versace, Alaïa and Saint Laurent campaigns, and being the face of Mugler’s Alien fragrance.
Yai was born in Egypt and is of South Sudanese descent. She and her family emigrated to the United States when she was two years old. While studying at Plymouth State University in New Hampshire for a degree in biochemistry, a decision to go to Howard University’s homecoming weekend gave her the opportunity of a lifetime.
Steve Hall – a professional photographer and alumnus of Howard University — was just indulging in his passion for snapping black culture and fashion when he took an image of 19-year-old Yai.
Hall planned to shoot as many images of beauty as he could lay his eyes on. He noticed Yai having her photo taken by someone else and asked if he could do the same. He did and asked for Yai’s name and Instagram handle. He also posted her pictures on his IG page – @thesunk. He told The Washington Post: “I told her ‘I don’t know what you’ve been doing, but you should definitely be photographed and you should be modeling.’”
Turns out, Yai’s following on IG grew from 300 to 50,000 in a few short days. The picture of her at Howard received 22,218 likes. Soon, she started receiving calls. Yai got an e-mail from a modeling agency; she was sent on various interviews and as they say, the rest is history.
Speaking on the British Fashion Council honor, Yai said: “Being named Model of the Year is such an honour. My journey – from Egypt to South Sudan to the U.S. is one of resilience and community.
“This recognition is for everyone who’s ever seen their story in mine. Thank you for celebrating us.”
In the past, five models were nominated for the category, but this year, industry experts assembled to crown the winner, with no nominations announced beforehand.
This year’s industry experts who chose Yai included Emma Matell, Julia Sarr-Jamois, Kacion Mayers, Pat Boguslawski, Rosie Vogel, Sophia Neophitou-Apostolou, Anita Bitton, Aston Em, Campbell Addy, and Carlos Nazario.
