Ugbad Abdi, 18, was the talk of the last fashion season, lauded by Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar as the breakout star of AW19.
She was first scouted by Next Models on Instagram in August 2018, and has since walked in 14 shows for fashion houses including Marc Jacobs, Valentino, Anna Sui, Simone Rocha, Victoria Beckham, Max Mara, Roberto Cavalli, Moncler, and Off-White. Born in Somalia during the civil war, Abdi was raised in a refugee camp in Kenya until her family moved to Iowa when she was nine, and is now sharing the catwalk with her fashion idols, including Naomi Campbell, Gigi and Bella Hadid, and Alek Wek. She’s also won praise for being part of a ‘new generation’ of Muslim models, like Halima Aden and Mariah Idrissi, who are making strides towards representation and inclusivity in the industry, and was the first ever hijabi model to walk for Fendi and Lanvin at their autumn 2019 shows.