Arop Akol, a rising South Sudanese model, shares her journey from watching fashion shows as a child to walking runways for luxury brands in London and Paris. Despite the loneliness of traveling for work, she finds camaraderie with fellow South Sudanese models, who are gaining prominence in the industry, with one in five models on Models.com’s “future stars” list having South Sudanese heritage. While Akol’s career took off after being scouted in 2019, she highlights the challenges faced by models from her background, including exploitation and unexpected fees from agencies.
