Woman Of The Year

Australian Teen Adut Akech Is The Breakout Model Of Paris Fashion Week

The 17-year-old Australian model just closed Saint Laurent's show between her HSC studies.

By Natasha Harding
Earlier this week Saint Laurent raised the bar at Paris fashion week with a breathtaking runway set against the backdrop of the twinkling Eiffel Tower. The model selected to close the unforgettable show? 17-year-old Australian refugee-turned-model Adut Akech.

If you think the teen looks familiar, there’s a reason. This season marks the third time Adut walked for the acclaimed French house (her first two seasons she attended exclusively), adding Lanvin to her growing runway CV overnight.

The youngster is a fresh face in the industry, starting modelling just over a year ago and quickly becoming the 'one to watch' at MBFWA, walking in a whopping 16 shows one month after signing her first contract.
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Runway props aside, Adut also starred alongside model royalty Naomi Campbell and actress Lupita Nyong’o in the 2018 Pirelli Calendar earlier this year and has since been named the face of David Jones’ spring campaign.

Originally from South Sudan, the talented youngster moved to Adelaide at six years old and adopted the name ‘Mary’ “because teachers couldn’t pronounce [her] name,” she told Daily Telegraph, but has since proudly reclaimed her birth name stating “I want to be Adut; Adut is unique.”
That she is. Commit her name to memory.