Ugbad Abdi

Ugbad Abdi is a Somali and American fashion model. Born in Somalia and raised in a Kenyan refugee camp and Des Moines, Iowa, she debuted as a Valentino haute couture model, then opened shows for Marc Jacobs and Michael Kors at New York Fashion Week. She is the first model to walk shows for Fendi and Lanvin while wearing hijab.

Ugbad Abdi
Born1999 or 2000 (age 23–24)
Kismayo, Somalia
OccupationModel
Years active2019–present
Modeling information
Height1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1]
Hair colorBrown
Eye colorBrown
AgencyNext Management (worldwide)[2]

Early life

Abdi was born in Kismayo, Somalia.[3] Her family fled the Somali Civil War, first to a refugee camp in Kenya, then in 2009, when Abdi was nine years old, to Des Moines, Iowa with the help of UNICEF.[4][5] Shortly after graduating from high school in Des Moines, Abdi was scouted on Instagram.[6] She visited New York for the first time to meet with agency representatives, and signed with Next Management.[7]

Career

Abdi made her runway debut in the 2018/2019 Valentino haute couture show.[8] She has opened New York Fashion Week shows for Marc Jacobs and Michael Kors.[7] Abdi has also walked in shows for Chanel, Miu Miu, Simone Rocha, Burberry, Fendi, Lanvin, Max Mara, and Dries van Noten.[9][7] In April 2019, she appeared in British, American, and Arabian editions of Vogue simultaneously.[6] Abdi has been called "one of Fall 2019's breakout models".[10] In 2022, she appeared on the cover of Vogue France with Danish model Mona Tougaard.[11]

Personal life

Abdi is Muslim, and began wearing hijab at the age of fourteen. She wears head coverings while modeling, and in 2019 became Fendi and Lanvin's first runway model to wear hijab.[4] She has five siblings, two of whom were born after the family moved to the United States. She speaks Somali and English.[6]

References
  1. "New York: Ugbad". Next Management. Archived from the original on October 1, 2019. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  2. "Ugbad - Model". Models.com. Archived from the original on October 12, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  3. van Deemter, Christine (October 13, 2019). "Ugbad Abdi on Joining the New Generation of Modest Models Changing the Runways". Vogue Arabia. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  4. Cole, Jess (April 29, 2019). "Ugbad: A New Face, A New Story, A New Era". i-D. Archived from the original on October 1, 2019. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  5. Gush, Charlotte (May 3, 2019). "Dazed 100: Ugbad, model". Dazed. Archived from the original on October 1, 2019. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  6. Combe, Rachael (April 14, 2019). "Ugbad Abdi Interview: The Inspiring Journey of a Game-changing Supermodel". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on October 1, 2019. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  7. Smith, Ray A. (September 29, 2019). "The Iowa Teen Opening New Doors in Fashion". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on September 30, 2019. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  8. Manno, James (April 25, 2019). "Model to Watch in V119: Ugbad Abdi". V Magazine. Archived from the original on October 1, 2019. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  9. Sargent, Tally (March 5, 2019). "5 Things To Know About Rising Hijabi Model Ugbad Abdi". Harper's Bazaar Arabia. Archived from the original on October 1, 2019. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  10. Okwodu, Janelle (February 28, 2019). "Meet the Somali Model Breaking Boundaries in Paris". Vogue. Archived from the original on August 22, 2019. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  11. Trochu, Eugénie (July 21, 2022). "Mona Tougaard and Ugbad Abdi: The model revolution on the cover of the August 2022 edition of Vogue France". Vogue France.
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