Current index status
#25 in the live index.
The rating reflects current verified work and prestige weighting. It is an editorial assessment, not a judgement of personal worth.
Index Rating · Medium confidence · evidence reviewed
86.3
- Runway · 40%
- 78
- Campaigns · 30%
- 91
- Editorial · 20%
- 92
- Cultural aura · 10%
- 94
01 / Why they matter
What Adut is known for.
Named Model of the Year at the 2019 Fashion Awards.
02 / Career record
Early life
Adut Akech Bior was born on 25 December 1999 in what is now South Sudan, and spent part of her childhood in the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya after her family fled conflict. At age 7 she and her mother resettled as refugees in Adelaide, Australia, where teachers, struggling with the pronunciation of "Adut," called her by her second name, "Mary." She has since become an outspoken advocate for refugees, including work with the UNHCR.
She was scouted several times from around age 13 but did not sign professionally until 16, when she joined Chadwick Models in Sydney; her runway debut came at a local show organised by her aunt, followed by Melbourne Fashion Week.
03 / Career record
International breakthrough, 2017–2019
Akech’s international breakthrough came in 2017, when she was cast as an exclusive model for Saint Laurent’s Spring/Summer show, later closing both the house’s Fall/Winter 2017 and Spring/Summer 2018 shows. She appeared in the Pirelli Calendar, photographed by Tim Walker, in 2018, and was named Models.com’s Model of the Year in both 2018 and 2019 — a back-to-back honour matched by few of her peers.
04 / Career record
Vogue and the British Fashion Awards, 2019
In September 2019, Akech appeared on the cover of British Vogue for the issue guest-edited by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and on 2 December 2019 she won Model of the Year at the British Fashion Awards.
05 / Career record
Recent record, 2020–2024
Akech appeared in Beyoncé’s "Black Is King" visual album in 2020, alongside an American Vogue cover the same year. Campaign and cover work continued through 2022 with Michael Kors, Victoria’s Secret and Hugo Boss, plus a spot among the 17 cover models for W Magazine’s 50th Anniversary Issue that September. In May 2023, she appeared on the cover of American Vogue for an issue paying tribute to Karl Lagerfeld, and in March 2024 she featured on a British Vogue "fashion icons" cover alongside a Valentino perfume campaign. She is represented by The Society Management in New York, Elite Model Management across Europe, and Chadwick Models in Sydney.
06 / At a glance
Quick facts.
- —Born 25 December 1999 in what is now South Sudan; raised in the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya before resettling in Adelaide, Australia, at age 7
- —Signed with Chadwick Models in Sydney at 16 after being scouted several times from age 13
- —International breakthrough as a Saint Laurent exclusive for its Spring/Summer 2017 show
- —Named Models.com’s Model of the Year in both 2018 and 2019
- —Won Model of the Year at the British Fashion Awards on 2 December 2019, having fronted the September 2019 British Vogue cover guest-edited by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex
- —Appeared in Beyoncé’s "Black Is King" visual album in 2020
07 / Current index evidence
Why is Adut Akech ranked #25?
- American Vogue and Valentino fragrance credits in 2026.
- Fashion Awards Model of the Year, 2019; historical achievements receive 10% decay in the current index.
Confidence: Medium confidence · evidence reviewed. Scores may change when a source is corrected or new work enters the current window.
Facts on this page are drawn from public work records and industry press, and summarised in our own words. This is an independent editorial profile — it is not endorsed by the subject, their agencies, or the brands named. Last reviewed 2026-07-14. Corrections: desk@thecastindex.com.