Awar Odhiang

Awar Odhiang
Born2000 (age 25–26)
Pugnido Refugee Camp, Ethiopia
OccupationModel
Modelling information
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) [1]
Hair colourBlack
Eye colourBrown
Agencies
  • Mode Models International (Calgary, mother agency)[2]
  • Traffic Models (Barcelona)[2]
  • Models 1 (London)[2]
  • Fabbrica Milano (Milan)[2]
  • Ford Models (New York, Paris)[2]

Awar Odhiang (born 2000)[3] is a Canadian-South Sudanese model. Odhiang is known for enthusiastically closing the Spring/Summer 2026 collection of Chanel. Vogue Italia deemed her as "the topmodel of the moment" in February 2026.[4]

Early life

Odhiang was born in 2000 in a refugee camp in Ethiopa's Pugnido (Pinyudo) Refugee Camp.[5] Her parents are Anyuak and fled South Sudan due to civil war prior to Odhiang's birth.[5] In 2002, her family was sponsored by a church and settled in Moose Jaw, Canada.[5][6] At 16 she would move to Calgary with her family.[5]

Growing up Odhiang was bullied, saying “I was the odd one out in my class and society in general. Growing up in Moose Jaw, there weren’t very many Black families there or Black people in general. I really felt like an outcast. I didn’t really see myself as beautiful, I guess.”[5]

Career

Odhiang was scouted at 16 by Canadian model-turned agent Lisa Kauffmann. A year later when working working at an Old Navy in Market Mall, Kelly Streit scouted Odhiang and with the blessing of Kauffmann (who intended to close her agency) signed to Mode Models International.[5] Before becoming a model Odhiang intended to become a doctor.[5]

Odhiang worked for SSENSE before signing to an Italian modelling agency and going to Italy in January 2020.[5] Odhiang was featured on the cover of Le Monde d'Hermès in September 2021.[7] Since then on the covers of AnOther,[8] Harper's Bazaar France,[9] Harper's Bazaar Italia,[10] i-D,[11] M Le Magazine du Monde,[12] Pop,[13] and more.

In February 2024, Odhiang walked 34 shows, including Balenciaga, Chanel, Fendi, Gucci, Hermès, Isabel Marant, Louis Vuitton, Prada, and Versace.[5] At the time she had also starred in six advertising campaigns for Saint Laurent.[5] In October 2024, Odhiang made her Victoria's Secret Fashion Show debut on the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2024 runway.

In October 2025, Odhiang closed the show of the debut Chanel collection of Matthieu Blazy, spinning, clapping, and smiling down the runway, even embracing Blazy in a hug. The moment went viral. Russh commended her for "breaking tradition" and the South China Morning Post described it as "a triumphant celebration", "[Odhiang] was radiating with joy as she glided on the ramp, clapping in honour of the flawless finale...".[14][15] Odhiang later told Vogue, “[Blazy] had told me, ‘This is your moment, this is a chance for you to just enjoy it, do what you do, and do you,’ and so that's exactly what I did.”.[16]

In February 2026, Odhiang was featured on the cover of Vogue Italia.[4]

References

  1. ^ "Ford Models (Paris) - Awar". Ford Models. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Model Profile: Awar Odhiang". models.com. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  3. ^ Birrell, Alice (6 April 2024). "Angelina Kendall is on top of the world". Vogue Australia. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  4. ^ a b Larouci, Samira (25 January 2026). "Intervista ad Awar Odhiang la top model del momento sulla cover di Vogue Italia di Febbraio 2026: «Essere una donna Black è una benedizione»". Vogue Italia (in Italian). Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Volmers, Eric (20 June 2024). "Calgarian has become one of the top models in the world; now she wants to give back". Calgary Herald. Archived from the original on 20 June 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  6. ^ "Awar Odhiang on Joy, Inclusion and Her Viral Chanel Moment | The BoF Podcast". The Business of Fashion. 19 December 2025. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  7. ^ "Monde d'Hermès issue 79 cover (Hermès)". MODELS.com. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  8. ^ "AnOther Magazine Autumn/Winter 2024 Covers (AnOther Magazine)". MODELS.com. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  9. ^ "Harper's Bazaar France June/July 2023 Summer Covers (Harper's Bazaar France)". MODELS.com. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  10. ^ "Harper's Bazaar Italia #21 2025 Covers (Harper's Bazaar Italia)". MODELS.com. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  11. ^ "i-D Magazine Fall 2022 Covers: The Ultra! Issue (i-D Magazine)". MODELS.com. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  12. ^ "M Le magazine du Monde 10/28/2023 Cover (M Le magazine du Monde)". MODELS.com. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  13. ^ "Pop Magazine #52 Spring/Summer 2025 Covers (Pop Magazine)". MODELS.com. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  14. ^ Thatcher, Kirsty (9 October 2025). "Awar Odhiang is the model who stole the show at CHANEL SS26". Russh. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  15. ^ "Meet Awar Odhiang, the model who just went viral after a Chanel show". South China Morning Post. 9 October 2025. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  16. ^ Criales-Unzueta, José (8 October 2025). ""I Was Floating on Top of the Moon!" Awar Odhiang on Her Fully Unscripted Moment at Matthieu Blazy's Chanel Debut". Vogue. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.