It goes without saying that each of the winners at the 2025 Fashion Awards is truly deserving, but there was one recipient–announced early on in the run-up to the biggest night in British fashion–who feels especially so: Anok Yai, the South Sudanese-American Model of the Year.
The story of Yai’s discovery is one of the most widely told in recent fashion lore–which is fitting, since it harks back to when a picture of the then-biochemistry student at the Howard University Homecoming in 2017 went viral on Twitter. “I think I must have manifested this for myself since, like, elementary school,” she reminisces over the phone from a suite at The Peninsula, hours before stepping onto the carpet at the Royal Albert Hall. “I always told my mom that something was going to happen to me by the time I was 20.”
She was right. Months after that single image set the internet alight, she was opening for Prada in 2018. Since then, she has risen to become one of her generation’s most emblematic faces–both in fashion and in culture at large. That’s, of course, in part due to her radiant, almost otherworldly looks, but also for the effortless fearlessness, grace and composure that she emanates—whether on runways, red carpets, magazine pages or over the phone when we speak.
That’s before we even get to her wardrobe. “Anok really has her own sense of style, and a very unique and personal way that she likes to put herself together,” says Carlos Nazario, the New York-based stylist and creative director, who’s known and worked with Yai since her breakout. “She has a set of references that really differ from mine; it’s always a pleasure to work with someone who has a vision and is a true collaborator. She’s never just a clothes hanger.”
A snapshot of her personal moodboard? “She loves Afrofuturism, sci-fi, a very specific era of hip-hop and R&B in the early ’00s, glamour, the ’30s, corsetry, Victoriana,” continues Nazario. “Anok will put on a corset over a tank top with a pair of cut-off denim jeans and Vivienne Westwood sex heels, or a weird, cropped leather jacket with super futuristic shoulders over tracksuit pants. It’s always a bit of this and a bit of that. She never likes it to be so overtly referenced that you know exactly what it is.”
“I actually have notes for what I wanted my style to be for 2025,” Yai says, opening up the Notes app on her phone. “Effortlessly high effort; extremely feminine, but sexy; vampire; sheer fabrics; vintage. A girl who’s undeniably cool, dark and mysterious. She has her life together, but she’ll still take tequila shots and fight men in the club.”
The look that Yai wore on tonight’s carpet was essentially the above in a nutshell: an exquisite white and cream corseted custom Dilara Findikoğlu gown decorated with swathes of lace, crushed velvet and satin, with a dramatic train.
“Both Anok and I love to champion emerging talent–and it’s really important to both of us, not only to champion people who feel fresh, but also for her to do things that she hasn’t done before, and to wear things that perhaps aren’t expected,” Nazario says. “We’re both big fans of Dilara, how she celebrates the female form, and her particular brand of deconstructed glamour. Since it’s such a big night for Anok, we wanted to do something that felt iconic–that wasn’t too cool and that we knew would stand the test of time.”
“Whenever you see a Dilara piece, you know that it’s her work right away,” Yai concurs. “I love the romance of her pieces—there’s this raw, edgy darkness to it that I’ve been obsessed with. And when Carlos and I decided that we wanted to work with a London designer, hers was the first name that we shouted out!”
Last year’s Model of the Year Alex Consani has something to say about her friend ahead of the big night: “Anok always keeps an eye out for the underdog. When we first met, she would always hype me up and still to this day, whenever someone in our space is feeling down, I see her do exactly the same,” she says. “It’s a quality that’s truly rare in an industry made for competition. She has stood solid in her ability to make others feel worthy.”
Paloma Elsesser, another of Yai’s industry sisters, adds: “Anok has a beauty that feels singular, almost overwhelming, but what makes her most deserving and what makes me love her most is her mind, her wit, and her deeply creative spirit. For those lucky enough to know her up close, she is hungry to learn, endlessly curious, tender and brave.”
The feeling is mutual. “I was so excited when I found out that they were going to be the ones presenting me with the award,” Yai beams. “We have a very close relationship; we’ve gone through so many ups and downs in our careers and personal lives, and we’ve always been there for each other. It’s such a tight sisterhood that goes past modelling.”
The spirit of family carries further than that. When she steps onto the stage to accept her award, she’ll do so beneath the gaze of her parents. “I don’t think my parents ever dreamed that this would happen, especially being immigrants, whose main focus has always been on getting me the best education, rather than the luxuries. Being on that stage in front of them will be a real ‘made-it’ moment for me.”
That may sound odd from a model who has walked pretty much every major runway and fronted every major campaign you could think of, but Yai is the first to profess her own imposter syndrome. “I’ve always struggled with that,” she concedes. “And I’m very, very ambitious. Whenever I meet a goal or hit a checkpoint, I celebrate for maybe five minutes, and then my next thought is, like, ‘Okay, what do I want to achieve next?’”
More than an achievement for herself, Yai’s victory is a testament to seismic shifts in fashion–both in terms of the versatility expected of today’s model, but also concerning who fashion’s institution deems worthy of recognition.
“Historically, there just haven’t been many insanely beautiful, very dark-skinned girls on the carpet,” Nazario observes. “With Anok, we have a real opportunity to create images that will stand the test of time, and that black and brown girls can always look back on. As much as this is about the moment and the look, it’s about creating an image and the lasting power of that image.”
“She undoubtedly deserves this award,” Elsesser adds, “but truly, she deserves the world.”
