Aweng Chuol
Model
The South Sudanese-Australian model, whose career spans walking for Maison Margiela to collaborating with Beyoncé, is a campaigner for mental health and social justice.
Aweng Chuol is a South Sudanese-Australian model, who stands out in the fashion industry for not only her unique facial features, including scars from climbing trees and an ever-changing eye colour, due to a genetic mutation, but also her outspoken advocacy for refugees and LGBTQ+ rights through charities and press interviews.
Chuol was born in a Kenyan refugee camp, after her parents fled from war-torn Sudan. The eldest of 12 children, Chuol grew up in Australia, making her Paris Fashion Week debut in 2018 for Vetements. She has since walked for MM6 Maison Margiela , Pyer Moss and ASAI; been in campaigns for Burberry, Jean Paul Gaultier and Savage x Fenty; and appeared in Vogue and Dazed, among other magazines. Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty campaign made headlines when a 2019 campaign launched without retouching photos of Chuol’s scars and skin texture. In 2020 Chuol featured in Beyoncé’s visual album “Black is King,” alongside Naomi Campbell and Lupita Nyong’o.
Chuol is continuing her studies in law while advocating publicly for refugee support and LGBTQ+ acceptance.
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The people shaping the global fashion industry, curated by the editors of The Business of Fashion, based on nominations and on-the-ground intelligence from around the world.
