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Born on April 16, 1977, Wek is a South Sudanese British model who first appeared on the catwalks at the age of 18 in 1995, sparking a career lasting to date. Coming from the Dinka ethnic group in Southern Sudan, she and her family fled in 1991 to Britain to escape the civil war in Sudan. A Models 1 scout discovered Wek at an outdoor market in London in 1995 in Crystal Palace in south London. She first received attention when she moved to the US that year, appearing in Tina Turner’s the music video, GoldenEye. Later, she entered the world of fashion as one of its top models. Wek was signed to Ford Models in 1996 and also seen in the Janet Jackson’s music video, Gone ‘Til It’s Gone, that year. MTV named Wek the Model of the Year in 1997. She was the first African model to appear on the cover of Elle.
Amongst other things, she has done advertisements for Issey Miyake, Moschino, Victoria’s Secret and make-up company Clinique as well as walked the runway for high-profile fashion designers Shiatzy Chen, John Galliano, Chanel, Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, Jasper Conran and Ermanno Scervino. In 2002, Wek made her acting debut in The Four Feathers as Sudanese princess Aquol. Wek has also been a guest on The Tyra Banks Show, America’s next top model and The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency.