For Fall 2023, South-Sudan heritage model Grace Bol graced the pages of T Magazine’s [IG] August issue. Marcus Cuffie styled Bol in sumptuous, modern, voluminous luxury from Alexander McQueen, Burberry, Herno, Isabel Marant, Loewe, Louis Vuitton, Loro Piana, Marni, Proenza Schouler, Renaissance Renaissance, Sacai, Tod’s and more.

Photographer Valeria Herklotz [IG] was behind the lens and will appear again today [as AOC plays “what did we miss?”] with Grace Bol in Harper’s Bazaar France’s October 2023 issue.

According to Models.com, this was the second time Grace Bol appeared in T Magazine. The first was in 2013 — and AOC has it. It’s the first Grace Bol post on AOC and now heads for Renewed, to upsize the images.

AOC must check our facts here — and we’re not ignoring models like Alek Wek, who preceded Bol. But what was a stream in 2013 became a major river for South Sudanese models today — a decade later. I see no backing away from the embrace of models of color in the fashion industry.

Acknowledging the need for better representation of Latina models — and I say a more diverse geography out of Africa — the fashion industry has done a good job here. And we shouldn’t beat ourselves up all the time on this topic.

The progress for models of color is real — astounding, frankly — and it should be celebrated. It will never be good enough for some people — and that reality should not define us. ~ Anne