My life was filled with family in South Sudan. I am the seventh of nine children, and we grew up in what would be considered a middle-class family. We did not have a lot, but we did have more than… — Alek Wek Copy Share Image
I was working part-time as a cleaner while I was going to college and then babysitting after school. — Alek Wek Copy Share Image
I wore hot pants and cowboy boots and I thought, 'What have I gotten myself into?' — Alek Wek Copy Share Image
I've seen mothers and children really being vulnerable in the refugee camps; it's supposed to be temporary, but they end up having children who… — Alek Wek Copy Share Image
I used to have nightmares about the civil war when I got to England at ages 14 to 15. It took me some years… — Alek Wek Copy Share Image
My experience as a refugee had made me strong; I could survive anything, even the world of fashion. — Alek Wek Copy Share Image
Leaving southern Sudan as a child was terrifying. It was 1985, and my family and I were trying to escape to Khartoum, the capital… — Alek Wek Copy Share Image
Starting modeling in the '90s, it was quite surreal. They were like, 'You're so different! So weird! So bizarre!' And I'm like, 'I'm so… — Alek Wek Copy Share Image
There's one thing we all share: We eat to nurture ourselves, to feel stronger. — Alek Wek Copy Share Image
Don't focus on negative things; focus on the positive, and you will flourish. — Alek Wek Copy Share Image
London is like my second home. I've still got friends there from school and from when I first started in the modelling business -… — Alek Wek Copy Share Image
I don't even know where to start in terms of people having such an issue about color, especially being dark. I just think on… — Alek Wek Copy Share Image
There are mothers who sew for six months to make a fashion collection - someone's grandmother, someone's sister. We come in and get paid… — Alek Wek Copy Share Image
Beauty is deeper than just what you look at in a picture. You could fancy what you like, but as a woman my mother… — Alek Wek Copy Share Image
We need to do everything we can to protect the health and welfare of children around the world, but fortunately, it's getting easier to… — Alek Wek Copy Share Image
