Anok Yai’s Road to Model of the Year

Anok Yai’s story has always felt like destiny in motion. The 27-year-old model, whose life changed after a photographer captured her glowing at Howard University’s Homecoming in 2017, has now officially been crowned Model of the Year at the upcoming British Fashion Awards. The announcement, made Wednesday morning via the event’s Instagram, is a long-overdue coronation.

“A defining force in today’s fashion landscape, Anok’s impact transcends the runway - from redefining beauty standards to championing artistry and representation on a global stage. Her influence continues to shape culture and inspire the next generation,” the British Fashion Council wrote in a post.

For those who’ve been paying attention, this moment’s been a long time coming. The Model of the Year award is fashion’s most coveted title, typically given to the person who’s made the biggest impact both on and off the runway in the past 12 months. And this year, Anok’s résumé speaks for itself. She’s walked or fronted campaigns for Ferragamo, Coperni, Hugo Boss; closed out shows for Ralph Lauren, Fendi, Vetements, and Messika; and walked in shows for the debuts of designers at Saint Laurent, Mugler, Tom Ford, and Calvin Klein.

The award was decided by a panel of industry insiders including BFC’s CEO Laura Weir, stylist Carlos Nazario, casting director Emma Matell, former Dazed editorial director Kacion Mayers. Past Model of the Year winners include Bella Hadid, Paloma Elsesser, and Kate Moss, who holds the record with three wins.

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Still, the win follows a year of debate and controversy. When Alex Consani won the award last year, some fans felt that Anok had been snubbed for a second year in a row. Social media did what it always does and spun the moment into a “rivalry.”

“Alex, I love you and I’m so proud of you. British Fashion Council, thank you, but I don’t want it anymore,” Anok tweeted (and later deleted) after the frenzy.

“If you have seen the effort that I’ve seen Alex put in; you would understand how proud I am of her," she followed up with another post. "But Alex can be proud and I can be exhausted at the same time. It doesn’t take away how much love we have for each other.”

“The whole thing has actually brought us closer,” Anok told Allure in her shared cover story with Consani. “The more I work in fashion, the more I value humanity and individual people. It’s an interesting juxtaposition to what people online talk about. They're always fantasizing about the lives of these low-key boring bitches that never experienced anything. I'm like, ‘Babe, why aren't we talking about the girls who worked hard for it, have an actual story, have a history, have a message?’”

And Anok’s story does have a message. She became the second Black model ever to open a Prada show after Naomi Campbell, and has graced the cover of American Vogue three times. She’s helped reimagine the visibility of dark-skinned Black women in pop culture, starring in music videos for Lil Yachty and Ice Spice, and dominated the runway at this year’s Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.

“Within the next 24 hours, I got 30,000 followers; it was crazy,” Anok once recalled about the fateful Homecoming weekend that ultimately changed her life. “I got flown out to New York by Next. They signed me that same day. Five minutes of being signed with them, my agent was like, ‘Do you want to go to a casting?’ I was like, ‘Let’s go. It’ll be a cute little casting.’ Tell me why this man said, ‘It’s Saint Laurent.’ They ended up loving me.”

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