In 1997 i-D Magazine[IG] named Alek Wek “model of the decade while putting her on the cover” in 1998, lensed by Mark Mattock. Her second cover, shot by Richard Burbridge in 2000 and styled by Edward Enninful, “acknowledged the coming of age of the many aspects of the fashion industry and design,” signaling just how much Wek, and the industry, had transformed each other.

Fast forward to late 2024, where Alek Wek black-beauty dazzled the pages of Brothers’ Keeper, a special edition of i-D by Gabriel Moses [IG] and Slawn [IG], the ambitious Nigerian street artist from Lagos. Wek is styled by Gerry O’Kane in Aaron Esh, Acne Studios, Givenchy, LNWLS, Mugler, Supriya Lele and more.

The SS25 Brothers’ Keeper special issue is sold out. Wek reflects on her boundary-breaking journey from South Sudan to “decades of runway domination” in the words of her interviewer Jason Okundaye.

“It’s another coming of age moment and a celebration of the arts and the creative industries. Everybody loves Gabriel’s work. It was such a huge moment and I have added more iconic i-D memories to my career. Alek Wek – i-D – third time – the best is yet to come!” says the beloved superwoman.

As Okundaye explains “Black supermodels like Naomi Campbell, Grace Jones, and Iman had long established a pretext for Black women’s presence on catwalks, but as an African model with Dinka features, Wek established her own iconography.”

Oscar-winning actor Lupita Nyong’o has said she was “conditioned to reject” her complexion but felt permission to value it thanks to the Sudanese-British model Alek Wek. “When I saw Alek, I inadvertently saw a reflection of myself that I could not deny".

Lupita has expressed this sentiment over and over again for years now, calling Alek Wek’s very existence in the public eye “radical”.

Photographer Gabriel Moses, who grew up seeing images of Black models on his fashion student sister’s bedroom walls, felt the gravity of being in her very presence on the day of the photoshoot. “Oh my goodness, I’m really shooting the reference!’” he reflects about a well-deserved moment for all parties.