Anok Yai has Become the first Black Model to Open Prada Runway Show

Anok Yai has become the first black model to open a runway show for Prada since Naomi Campbell did so more than two decades ago in 1997. The 19-year-old only discovered that she had been chosen to open the show for the Italian fashion house at Milan Fashion Week about an hour before she was due to grace the catwalk.

Anok Yai is an Egyptian-born American fashion model of South Sudanese descent. She is the second black model to open a Prada show after Naomi Campbell, and the first South Sudanese model to do so. Yai currently ranks as one of the “Top 50” models by models.com

Anok Yai at Prada Show 2018

She showcased pieces from Prada’s autumn/winter 2018 collection, only a few months after being scouted for her modelling potential at a college party.

“It was an honour and I’m proud that I was the one chosen to open, but this is bigger than me,” Yai told Vogue.
“Me opening for one of the top fashion houses is a statement to the world – especially for black women – that their beauty is something that deserves to be celebrated.”

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