Anok Yai Calls for Peace in Sudan at The Fashion Awards 2025

South Sudanese-American model Anok Yai accepted the Model of the Year honor at The Fashion Awards 2025 in London. She used this opportunity to turn the spotlight towards home.

Yai was born in Cairo to parents who fled the Sudanese civil war. Her family later moved to the United States, where she grew up building a life far removed from the the conflict her people left behind. Even so, her connection to home stayed strong.

At London’s Royal Albert Hall, where she accepted her award, Yai used her acceptance speech to address the ongoing crisis in Sudan. She described the violence in Sudan as a massacre and asked the international community to stop looking away. She urged governments to respond and called for immediate steps to protect civilians.

Then came a message meant for Black girls everywhere. Instead of allowing the industry to define their worth, she encouraged them to own their power. Color is never a curse. Worthiness is not up for debate. There is strength in Blackness, and it deserves the same celebration placed on runways and magazine covers.

The other part of her speech was no less inspiring. She had a message for little black girls everywhere in the world. She addressed them plainly: your color is not a curse. You are worthy and capable. She framed her own rise as proof that possibility exists.

Her career proves what happens when someone finally gets seen. A single photo from Howard University’s homecoming event went viral in 2017, launching her into the fashion spotlight almost overnight. Within months, Yai made history as the first Sudanese model, and only the second Black woman since Naomi Campbell, to open a Prada runway show.

On the night of The Fashion Awards 2025, Anok Yai walked away with one of fashion’s biggest honors. She walked away having used her platform with purpose. Her message spoke to her roots and to her global reach. Peace for Sudan. Pride for Black girls everywhere.