MPHO RANTAO
ADUT Akech has become one of Estée Lauder’s newest global faces.
The South Sudanese-Australian model was named ahead of Estée Lauder’s new campaign launch for the summer. She joins the likes of Ana de Armas, Anok Yai, Bianca Brandolini D’Adda, Carolyn Murphy, Grace Elizabeth, Karlie Kloss and Yang Mi.
The supermodel captured the world’s attention when she debuted in the 2017 Saint Laurent S/S show, and now at the age of 21, she is living the dream as the face of a brand she didn’t think would be part of an iconic brand such as Estée Lauder.
“I resonated with Estée Lauder because not only is it an iconic brand, but I think just even the story of how it was created and run by a woman is so incredible,” Akech tells ESSENCE.
“I want to be a business woman and I am a business woman. That’s very inspiring. Women in general inspire me.”
Akech is also known for being one of the many mentored up -and- coming models who were under the wing of veteran supermodel Naomi Campbell after her debut on the runway. Akech, like her colleagues Anok Yai and Alton Mason, have the pleasure of calling Campbell their godmother.
Akech noted in her new role as ambassador that the world is becoming more welcoming to shifting perceptions on beauty, and on the beauty of dark skin. As someone who was raised in Australia, where their indigenous communities and traditional beauty were marginalised and ignored.
“There’s just more different types of beauty here in the United States,” she said. “Whereas in Australia, it’s not like that. There aren’t much options when it comes to beauty, especially for dark-skinned people.
She adds that entering a seemingly cutthroat beauty industry pushed to remember confidence and her natural beauty in an often critical space like fashion and beauty.
“When I entered the beauty industry I already had an idea of what beauty meant,” she says. “And I knew that it actually started with me, it’s about accepting yourself.”
“It’s about truly telling yourself that you’re beautiful and believing it,” she adds. “That means feeling beautiful in your most natural, raw state. I feel the same way with makeup on as I do without.”
