Sudanese
supermodel and former refugee Alek Wek is to share her
views on fashion, entrepreneurism, education,
AIDS humanitarianism, role models, brain drain and her love of Nigerian culture in
the third episode of the new season of MTV Base Meets…with MTN.
MTV Base Meets Alek Wek with MTN premieres on MTV
Base (DStv Channel 322) on Wednesday 15 August 2012 and
terrestrial stations across the continent, including STV (Nigeria), Spectrum TV
(Cameroon), Viasat (Ghana), Rwanda TV (Rwanda), Swazi TV (Swaziland), Muvi TV
(Zambia) and NTV (Uganda).
US style bible Elle magazine took a leap of
faith when they first featured a dark-skinned, Sudanese model on the cover of
their November 1997 issue. However, the result was a phenomenon with thousands
of readers writing letters of support, thrilled to see different standards of
beauty in the fashion industry. US talk show host Oprah Winfrey
later commented to Alek on her show, “If you’d been on the cover of a magazine
when I was growing up, I would have had a different concept of who I was.”
Born in Wau, in southern Sudan, Alek was raised as a part of the Dinka
tribe. At fourteen, she was forced to flee to London to escape the civil war.
By chance, Alek was discovered by a top model agent on a London street, and she
quickly rose to the top of the modelling industry. She was named “Model
of the Decade” by i-D magazine; one of People magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful
People” and as one of the “50 Most Influential Faces in Fashion”. New York
magazine also named her one of the “50 Most Beautiful New Yorkers”.
Alek’s influence transcends the world of fashion
and challenges the traditional concepts of beauty. She has spoken at the
International Black Caucus Foreign Affairs as a member of a panel, which
included Hilary Clinton, Congressman Daniel Payne, Danny Glover and many other
distinguished speakers. She also serves on the advisory board for the UNHCR,
the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. She speaks at schools in NY to
bring attention to the famine in Southern Sudan and to educate children on the importance
of nourishment. She has also launched the Bracelet of Life campaign
in conjunction with Medicins Sans Frontiers/Doctors Without Borders. Alek also
works closely with AIDS awareness benefits, children’s charities, and breast
cancer research.
Alek has worked with the most talented photographers including Steven
Meisel, Mario Testino, Bruce Weber, Herb Ritts, Annie Liebovitz, Arthur Elgort,
Michael Thompson, Ellen Von Unwerth, and Steven Klein, and she has appeared on
numerous prestigious magazine covers including i-D, Elle, Essence, L’Officiel,
London Style, Deutsch and New York Magazine’s Fashions of the Times, as well as
the Sunday New York Times Style issue.
Alek has featured in numerous high profile advertising
campaigns including, Clinique Happy, Ralph Lauren, Jean Paul Gautier, Banana
Republic, Joop, Nars, Issey Miyake, Moschino, the Gap, Ann Taylor, Michael Kors
and MAC Cosmetics. Alek also appeared in Coach’s “Most Influential People”
campaign and worked with De Beers to promote the company's new ethical diamond
brand.
Alek remains one of the most iconic catwalk faces and regularly models
for Calvin Klein, Michael Kors, Christian Dior, Gucci, Fendi, Jean Paul
Gautier, Vivienne Westwood, Chanel, John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, Ralph
Lauren, Donna Karan and Helmut Lang.
Among the youth panellists meeting Alek Wek in
New York’s iconic 5th Avenue fashion district are:
· Nigerian gender
rights activist and visual artist Akwaeke Emezi (24). Akwaeke runs the
blog www.soginaija.com and is finishing her
Masters degree at NYU in International Public Policy and Non-Profit Management.
She would like to eradicate the stigma that exists in Africa around sexual
orientation.
· Ghanaian student
Kwamena (Kwam) Brew-Hammond (22) lives in Queens, New York City. He is studying
Economics and International Trade, as well as Marketing, Advertising and
Communications. Kwam is passionate about exploring creativity through one’s
cultural roots and feels that improving the education system in his country
would be vital to fostering Ghana’s growth.
· South African
fashion trend forecaster Jacqueline (Jacqui) Molotsane (24) studied in
Italy and now works for a French company in NYC. She is passionate about her
country of birth and would like to return to South Africa to plough her talents
into the fashion industry there. Jacqui’s other passion is children and
she works with youth NGOs.
· Nigeria stylist and
image consultant Ugo Mozie (21). A former-model and contributor to three
fashion publications, Ugo’s celebrity clients have included the likes of
Beyoncé, Larry King and Nicki Minaj. Ugo is passionate about eradicating
poverty and providing accessible public health care to young Africans.
· Zambian fashion intern and blogger
Mazuba Kapambe (23) and works for the trendy on-line African fashion companywww.heritage1960.com (named
in honour of the year in which several African countries gained their
independence). Mazuba writes her own blog, African Pride, and is also a blogger
and radio correspondent for Radio Afro Australia. She is passionate about
providing accessible quality education for all Africans.
· Ghanaian MBA student and part-time
model Rhodaline (Rhoda) Wright (22), who would like to return to Accra to
improve public health care in her home city. She feels that Accra offers a
vibrant and dynamic culture that cannot be matched in the States.
First initiated in 2011, MTV Base Meets…with MTN connects
African youth with the thought leaders, opinion formers, decision makers and
role models who shape their world. Further influencers still to feature in the
current series include former Nigerian head of state Chief Olusegun
Obasanjo (22 August), Togolese international footballer Emmanuel
Adebayor (29 August) and South African politician and activist Winnie
Madikizela-Mandela (5 September).
To learn more about MTV Base Meets Alek Wek with MTN,
or to view clips from the series, please go to www.mtvmeets.com orwww.mtvmeets.mobi.
Connect with the campaign on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/MTVMEETS or join the
conversation on Twitter at #MTVMEETS.
Alek remains one of the most iconic catwalk faces and regularly models
for Calvin Klein, Michael Kors, Christian Dior, Gucci, Fendi, Jean Paul
Gautier, Vivienne Westwood, Chanel, John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, Ralph
Lauren, Donna Karan and Helmut Lang.
Among the youth panellists meeting Alek Wek in New York’s iconic 5th Avenue fashion district are:
· Nigerian gender rights activist and visual artist Akwaeke Emezi
(24). Akwaeke runs the blog www.soginaija.com and is finishing her Masters degree at NYU in International Public
Policy and Non-Profit Management. She would like to eradicate the stigma that
exists in Africa around sexual orientation.
· Ghanaian student Kwamena (Kwam) Brew-Hammond (22) lives in Queens, New
York City. He is studying Economics and International Trade, as well as
Marketing, Advertising and Communications. Kwam is passionate about exploring
creativity through one’s cultural roots and feels that improving the education
system in his country would be vital to fostering Ghana’s growth.
· South African fashion trend forecaster Jacqueline (Jacqui) Molotsane (24) studied in Italy and now works for a French company in NYC. She is
passionate about her country of birth and would like to return to South Africa
to plough her talents into the fashion industry there. Jacqui’s other
passion is children and she works with youth NGOs.
· Nigeria stylist and image consultant Ugo Mozie (21). A
former-model and contributor to three fashion publications, Ugo’s celebrity
clients have included the likes of Beyoncé, Larry King and Nicki Minaj. Ugo is
passionate about eradicating poverty and providing accessible public health
care to young Africans.
· Zambian fashion
intern and blogger Mazuba Kapambe (23) and works for the trendy on-line African
fashion companywww.heritage1960.com (named in honour of the year in which several African countries gained
their independence). Mazuba writes her own blog, African Pride, and is also a
blogger and radio correspondent for Radio Afro Australia. She is
passionate about providing accessible quality education for all Africans.
· Ghanaian MBA
student and part-time model Rhodaline (Rhoda) Wright (22), who would like to
return to Accra to improve public health care in her home city. She feels that
Accra offers a vibrant and dynamic culture that cannot be matched in the
States.
First initiated in 2011, MTV Base Meets…with MTN connects African youth with the thought leaders, opinion formers,
decision makers and role models who shape their world. Further influencers
still to feature in the current series include former Nigerian head of state Chief Olusegun Obasanjo (22 August),
Togolese international footballer Emmanuel Adebayor (29 August) and South African politician and activist Winnie Madikizela-Mandela (5 September).
To learn more about MTV Base Meets Alek Wek with MTN, or to view clips from the series,
please go to www.mtvmeets.com orwww.mtvmeets.mobi.
Connect with the campaign on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/MTVMEETS or join the conversation on Twitter at #MTVMEETS.
0 comments :
Post a Comment