By Ugbad Abdi
— As told by Manal Moazzam
Having spent her formative years in a refugee camp to evade the Somali civil war, Ugbad moved to the United States at the age of 9. In a statement that speaks to her resilient nature, she has stated that whilst residing in the refugee camp, she never felt like she was missing anything from her life, reminiscing about playing traditional games with relatives and other children in the camp.
“We had friends, family, food, and a shelter and that was all to be grateful for,” she recalls in an interview with Vogue.
After finishing high school and being signed by an agency right away, Ugbad has modeled for brands such as Valentino, Michael Kors, and Chanel, and was named “one of Fall’s 2019 breakout models.” It’s easy to see why!
At a time when women in France, and around the world, were being stripped of their right to cover in public, it was no less than an act of open defiance and rebellion for this hijab-wearing model to strut down a catwalk for a French fashion house.
The statuesque model wasted no time in making her mark in the world of fashion whilst remaining authentically herself. Ugbad became the first headscarf-donning model to walk the runways for fashion giants, Fendi and Lanvin. At a time when women in France, and around the world, were being stripped of their right to cover in public, it was no less than an act of open defiance and rebellion for this hijab-wearing model to strut down a catwalk for a French fashion house, and for that, I will always be a fan.
In 2019, Ugbad told Vogue that wearing her hijab gave her a voice and that she can “only hope to change the narrative and the ignorance that Muslim women face daily.”
She continued, “This gives me a chance to educate people— it makes me feel like I can achieve anything, all while staying true to who I really am.” I, for one, truly can’t wait to see Ugbad continue to live her dream and shatter stereotypes along the way!