Alek Wek Height, Weight, Age, Body Statistics

Alek Wek is a South Sudanese-British model and designer who started her career in 1995 at the age of 18 and has done modeling work for a variety of brands and designers such as Banana Republic, Clinique ‘Happy’ Fragrance, Ellus, Gap Jeans, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Kenzo, Nars, St. Emile, Saks Fifth Avenue, and XOXO jeans. She has been featured on the cover of numerous magazines such as Elle, i-D, Glamour, Forbes Magazine, Cosmopolitan, and Ebony. Alek has appeared in films and TV shows like America’s Next Top Model, The Four Feathers, and Suspiria and has also been featured in the music videos of songs such as GoldenEye and Got ‘Til It’s Gone.

Born Name

Alek Wek

Nick Name

Alek

Sun Sign

Aries

Born Place

Wau, Wau State, Sudan (now South Sudan)

Residence

Brooklyn, New York, United States

Nationality

Sudanese, British

Education

Alek Wek went to the Hackney Free & Parochial CofE Secondary School.

Later, she got enrolled at the London’s College of Fashion to study Fashion Business and Technology.

Occupation

Model and fashion designer

Family

• Father – Athian (Education Official)
• Mother – Akuol (Housewife)
• Siblings – She has 6 older and 2 younger siblings.
• Others – Ataui Deng (Niece) (Model)

Manager

Alek Wek is represented by

• Storm Models – London
• IMG Models – New York
• IMG Models – Paris
• IMG Models – Sydney
• Mega Model Agency – Hamburg / Berlin
• D’ Management Group – Milan

Build

Slim

Height

5 ft 11 in or 180 cm

Weight

56 kg or 123.5 lbs

Boyfriend / Spouse

Alek Wek has dated –

1. Riccardo Sala (2003-2013) – Alek started going out with Italian real estate magnate Riccardo Sala in 2003 after reportedly meeting at dinner. After dating for a while, they moved in together and had even bought a house together. The couple broke up in 2013.

Race / Ethnicity

Black

She has Dinka ethnicity, which is an ethnic group from South Sudan.

Hair Color

Dark Brown

Eye Color

Dark Brown

Sexual Orientation

Straight

Distinctive Features

• Long limbs
• Very short cropped hair

Measurements

34-23-35 in or 86-58.5-89 cm

Dress Size

4 (US) or 36 (EU)

Shoe Size

9.5 (US) or 40 (EU) or 7 (UK)

Brand Endorsements

In 2014, Alek was featured in the print ad for Marks and Spencer along with Rita Ora, Emma Thompson, Annie Lennox, and Rachel Khoo.

She has also done advertising for Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, Clinique ‘Happy’ Fragrance, Ellus, Eluxury, Fashion Breast Cancer Campaign, Gap Jeans, Issey Miyake, Jeanie, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Jones New York, Joop!, Kenzo, Kitsho, Michael Kors, Moschino, Nars, Ralph Lauren, Saks Fifth Avenue, St. Emile, and XOXO jeans.

Best Known For

Having served as one of the leading international models for two decades.

First Film

Alek debuted with the 2002 romantic drama film The Four Feathers for her role as Aquol.

First TV Show

In 2007, Alek appeared in a single episode of the talk show Tavis Smiley as herself.

Personal Trainer

Alek Wek doesn’t believe in crazy diets that are often followed by models. In fact, coming from a country with a widespread starvation problem, she was shocked by the calorie-cutting diets followed around. She likes to eat almost everything in moderation.

She lays special emphasis on eating rice, okra, and fish. Plus, she makes sure that she is working out regularly.

Alek Wek Favorite Things

• Her Photoshoot – Issey Miyake Spring 1997 campaign

Source – IMGModels.com

Alek Wek Facts

1. Being herself from a war-torn country, she is very sympathetic to the plight of the refugees and has worked as an advisor to the US Committee for Refugees and also with the UN Refugee Agency.
2. In 2007, she published her autobiography Alek: From Sudanese Refugee to International Supermodel, which focused on her journey from a poor childhood in Sudan to becoming a top model.
3. She has supported a number of AIDS charities including DIFFA (Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS).
4. She has worked as a missionary for World Vision, which is a Christian humanitarian aid and advocacy organization.
5. In 1997, she created history by becoming the first African model to grace the cover of Elle Magazine.
6. Alek was discovered at the age of 19 in 1995 at the market fair in Crystal Palace, London by a scout from Models 1 agency. However, her mother wasn’t initially keen as she thought it wasn’t a respectable work.
7. She has launched her range of designer handbags under the Wek 1933 label. The second part of the label name refers to the year her father was born in.
8. She has worked as an ambassador for the Doctors Without Borders organization, which is known for working in war-torn regions and developing countries battling endemic diseases.
9. As a child, she was diagnosed with psoriasis, which is an autoimmune disease that is characterized by abnormal skin patches that have a scaly texture and cause lots of itching. It was cured at the age of 14 after she moved to London.
10. She grew up in poverty and her childhood home back in Sudan didn’t even have electricity or running water.
11. In 1998, the i-D magazine named her model of the decade.
12. She almost left modeling on two occasions – at the very beginning and then after 5 years because she felt she didn’t belong to this industry and was taken only in exotic modeling projects.
13. She migrated to England at the age of 14 after the civil war tore apart her home country, Sudan. She got into an asylum in England through her older sister.