Alek Wek
Alek Wek at FashionWeekLive in San Francisco, March 15, 2007. Photo by Jesse Gross.
Birth name	Alek Wek
Date of birth	April 16, 1977 (1977-04-16) (age 30)
Place of birth	Wau, Sudan
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)
Hair color	Black
Eye color	Brown

Alek Wek (born April 16, 1977) is a Sudanese supermodel who appeared on the catwalks at the age of 18 in 1995. She is from the Dinka ethnic group in the Sudan, but in 1991 her family fled to Britain to escape the civil war between the Muslim North and the Christian South of the Sudan. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 523 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1172 × 1344 pixel, file size: 346 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Alek Wek at FashionWeekLive in San Francisco, March 15, 2007. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... is the 74th day of the year (75th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 106th day of the year (107th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Sudan. ... Location of Wau within Sudan Wau (Arabic: واو Wāw; also Wow or Waw) is a town in southern Sudan on the western bank of the Jur River, and the capital of the West Bahr al Ghazal state. ... is the 106th day of the year (107th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... This article is about the ethnic group for the language see Dinka language The Dinka are a group of tribes of south Sudan, inhabiting the swamplands of the Bahr el Ghazal region of the Nile basin, Jonglei and parts of southern Kordufan and Upper Nile regions. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... There is also a collection of Hadith called Sahih Muslim A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Persian: Mosalman or Mosalmon Urdu: مسلمان, Turkish: Müslüman, Albanian: Mysliman, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of the religion of Islam. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      A Christian () is a person who...

She was born the seventh of nine children in Wau in Southern Sudan in 1977. The exact date is unknown. When she was preparing to emmigrate from Sudan, she and her mother picked the date April 16, which occurs in the rainy season during which she was born. She says her name means "Black Spotted Cow". Southern Sudan is a region of Sudan. ...

Alek was discovered at an outdoor market in London in 1995 in Crystal Palace, south London, by a Models 1 scout. She first got attention with the help of the music video for GoldenEye by Tina Turner, in 1995 and from there made it into the world of fashion as one of its top models. She was signed to Ford Models in 1996 and was also seen in the "Got 'Til It's Gone" music video by Janet Jackson that year. She was named "Model of the Year" in 1997 by MTV. This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... GoldenEye is a hit James Bond theme performed by Tina Turner used for the 1995 film, GoldenEye. ... Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock) November 26, 1939) is an 11 time Grammy Award-winning (sharing three), American Singer, Dancer, Record Producer, Executive Producer, Film Producer, Actress, Writer, Performer, Songwriter, Author and occasional Painter whose career has spanned from 1956 to present. ... The Ford Modeling Agency or as it is known today, Ford Models, was established in 1946 by Eileen and Jerry Ford. ... Got Til Its Gone is the first single from Janet Jacksons sixth studio album, The Velvet Rope. The song was released as the international first single for the album. ... Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, actress, and pop icon. ...

Amongst other things she has done ads for Issey Miyake, Moschino, Victoria's Secret and make-up company Clinique as well as walked the runway for high-profile fashion designers John Galliano, Donna Karan, Calvin Klein and Ermanno Scervino. In 2002 she made her acting debut in The Four Feathers as Sudanese princess Aquol. Issey Miyake was born in Japan in April of 1938. ... Moschino is a part of the Aeffe fashion group and a designer and manufacturer of womens and mens fashion. ... Victorias Secret is a retailer of lingerie and beauty products. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... John Galliano CBE (born January 28, 1960, in Gibraltar) is a British - Gibraltarian fashion designer. ... Donna Karan is a fashion designer and the creator of the DKNY (Donna Karan New York) clothing label. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require restructuring. ...

She also designs a range of designer handbags called "Wek 1933", which are available throughout selected Selfridges department stores. The year refers to the year her father was born. Selfridges in Birmingham. ...

She is a member of the U.S. Committee for Refugees' Advisory Council, and is helping to raise awareness about the situation in Sudan, as well as the plight of refugees worldwide.

In 2007, she released an autobiograpy entitled Alek, documenting her journey from a childhood of poverty in Sudan to the catwalks of Europe. Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ...

See Also

• John Galliano's Spring-Summer 2004 Haute Couture collection

John Gallianos Spring-Summer 2004 Haute Couture collection for Christian Dior was themed to his then recent travels to Egypt, clearly representative of the ethnic influences which often shine in his works. ...

External links

• Alek Wek in the Fashion Model Directory