It’s Fall-Winter Couture Week in Paris, which means designers are showcasing their most elaborate custom-made looks for the clamoring fashion crowd. And for legendary French fashion house Chanel, the annual runway event always ends the same way: with a bride.
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This year, that bride was Sudanese (by way of Australia) model Adut Akech Bior, handpicked by creative director Karl Lagerfeld to close the show, wearing a sequin-embellished mint-colored tweed skirt suit and matching veiled cap.
But what was truly remarkable is that Bior is only the second black bride in the show’s history to close the show; the first being fellow Sudanese model Alek Wek in 2004. While we are not at all impressed by those numbers, it’s worth noting that it was both a thrill and a career milestone for Bior, who impressively also opened Chanel’s cruise show in May. As the model wrote on Instagram:
“There is no amount of words that can express what this moment means to me. The beauty of having a dream, is watching it come to life.”
To understand the importance of a moment like this in a model’s career, consider that the models chosen to open and close a fashion show are often considered muses of the designer and, as the New York Times reported, “[t]he tradition of runway shows is to open and close with the strongest looks—worn by the best models.”
To top off her groundbreaking success at Chanel, Bior, who is represented by Elite Model Management, also closed the show at Valentino looking like a glorious marigold, as well as walking haute couture for Fendi, Givenchy, Dior and Miu Miu’s cruise collection.
For this reason, we’re enthusiastically applauding Bior’s achievement, because as we know all too well, #blackgirlmagic moments are few and far between in the fashion industry. Besides, her joy and pride are pretty contagious:
Cannot believe I just made history by being Chanel’s second black couture bride, this is one of my most proudest achievement!!! ... It was a life time honor being the chosen bride to close your beautiful show in the MOST breathtaking dress I have ever seen in my life. This was just a special moment that I will always remember and cherish for as long as I live.
The Glow Up tip: Stay tuned for a runway wrap-up on Paris Couture Week 2018, featuring all of our favorite black models who were featured this year!
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