Anok Yai "doesn't want" the Model of the Year title.
Anok Yai doesn't want Model of the Year
The 26-year-old beauty lost out to Alex Consani at the prestigious Fashion Awards in London on Monday (02.12.24), a year after she was shortlisted but pipped to the prize by Paloma Elsesser, and though she has congratulated her friend on her win, she admitted she is "exhausted" and told the British Fashion Council, which organises the events, she doesn't want to be considered again.
Anok took to X and posted: "Alex, I love you and I’m so proud of you. British Fashion Council, thank you but I don’t want it anymore.
"If you have seen the effort that I’ve seen Alex put in; you would understand how proud I am of her. 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."
The shortlist for the award - which recognises the "global impact" of a model over the course of a year, their "influence that transcends the catwalk", and their "outstanding contribution to the industry" - also included Alva Claire, Amelia Gray, Liu Wen and Mona Tougaard.
Alex became the first transwoman to win the coveted prize and used her acceptance speech to call for "change" in the industry.
In a poignant acceptance speech, Alex said: “Now, more than ever, it’s an important conversation that should be had about how to truly support and uplift one another within this industry, especially those who have been made to feel insignificant.
“Because change is more than possible — it’s needed.”
Alex recently became the first transgender model to walk in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show along with Valentina Sampaio.
The 21-year-old star - who became popular on TikTok amid the COVID-19 pandemic - described it as a "really impactful moment", she hadn't appreciated just how significance her presence was until afterwards.
She told Teen Vogue magazine: “That was a really impactful moment. It’s crazy, though, because I didn’t even realize I was the first to walk until after I walked the show.
"I thought that Valentina had already walked a while ago, so having that in my mind took the pressure away.
“At this level, [there] haven’t been any references.
“It’s really impactful to be [among] the first [to walk for Victoria's Secret] because I’m able to take the hate. If I get called out for something, but it’s something that I truly and morally believe in, I have absolutely no problem with it.”