Supermodel Anok Yai is warning the British Fashion Council to never nominate her for model of the year again after they picked a man identifying as a woman over her in this year’s award ceremony.
Immediately after losing the top award for the second year in a row, Yai jumped to her X account and posted the infamous photo of Kanye West interrupting Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV VMAs, which was taken by many as a sign of Yai’s dissatisfaction after losing the award to transgender model Alex Consani, who was the first transgender model to walk the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in October.
Alex Consani on the runway at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show held at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on October 15, 2024 in New York, New York. (Masato Onoda/WWD via Getty Images)
But the Sudanese model raised in America soon had more to say. The Egypt-born Yai again took to her X account to tell the British Fashion Council never to nominate her for an award again and added that she is “exhausted” by the whole ordeal.
Instagram/Anok Yai
Yai hedged her bets by claiming that she still loves and supports Consani, yet added, “But Alex can be proud and I can be exhausted at the same time. It doesn’t take away how much love we have for each other.”
Ultimately, though, Yai says she wants out of the running from now on: “Alex, I love you and I’m proud of you. British Fashion Council, thank you but I don’t want it anymore.”
The 26-year-old model later deleted her posts.
Past winners of the British Fashion Award include Kate Moss, Georgia May Jagger and Cara Delevingne.
Yai is not without accomplishment. Since her debut in 2017, she has appeared in a long list of runway shows, starred in a music video for singer Travis Scott, was chosen as the face of Mugler perfume Alien Hypersence, and wowed the fashion world with her Met Gala look in May, which saw her don 98,000 Swarovski crystals. Yai is only the second black model to open a Prada show, and she was also one of the most talked-about models from this year’s Paris Fashion Week when she starred as Veterments’ “runaway bride.”
Others up for this year’s award included Alva Claire, Amelia Gray, Liu Wen, and Mona Tougaard.
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