Alek Wek
The shift in the perception of beauty in the fashion world, which happened due to Alek Wek’s work, was largely due to her. Wek was born in South Sudan and had to flee with her family when she was young; they settled in Europe. She didn’t have an easy youth, but it was all part of the process that led to where she is now.
Wek has always had a passion for fashion, and a modeling agent discovered her at the age of 18. Wek was one of the first people to break the beauty norms in the fashion industry and establish a new higher bar for what is considered attractive. The model was included on BBC’s 100 Women in 2015.