Anok Yai for Vetements: A True Model’s Model
By: Adyant Patnaik
10 / 15 / 2024
At this year’s Vetements S/S 25 show on September 28th, even in the corner of an unassuming mall in Paris’s Montparnasse district, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Guram Gvsalia brought more of what he and his brother over at Balenciaga have made impossible to misrecognize: large, oversized pieces with edgy and avant-garde motifs, worn by the biggest stars in every industry known to man. Travis Scott, Gigi Hadid, Destroy Lonely, and Alton Mason were just some of the names that walked down the runway in Paris, with more unmistakable personalities lining the front-row seats.
Another big name to walk the runway was none other than Anok Yai, a star who has been crowned “Model of the Year” by numerous publications and lauded by models and celebrities alike. After Travis Scott, she debuted the second look of the night, clad in a tight black latex dress finished with classic pointed heels. This wouldn’t be the last time attendees saw her walk. She was also selected by Gvsalia to wear the 60th and final look. A look in which she would be dazzling in a layered white wedding gown with a train that would make any Vogue-subscribed bride-to-be jealous. As she came down the runway once more, Yai’s slight discomfort was apparent to any eagle-eyed attendee, but you wouldn’t be able to tell by looking at her composed face. As she stopped at the end of the runway for a few seconds more than most models, it was impossible for her to continue walking in traditional fashion back down the runway. Her heels seemed to be getting caught in the excess of the dress, a situation that isn’t new to those who have been following shows for a while.
Whenever mishaps like a heel catch occur, it usually ends in disaster. Examples include this season’s L’Oreal show in Paris as well, in which Spanish singer and actress Belinda fell and bruised herself, as well as Naomi Campbell’s infamous fall in her 12-inch heels at Vivienne Westwood’s F/W 1993 show. Anok Yai, however, was determined not to let herself fall to the same fate, and so she did what came to mind first: run.
And run she did, picking up her skirt and jogging all the way out of sight from the cameras and confused eyes of the attendees. Although perplexing at first, Yai’s artistic choice earned her a new title for this show: ‘The Runaway Bride’.
After Yai had finished Look 60 in haste, she took to her Instagram to write: “I ran backstage in tears looking for Guram so I could explain myself & beg for his forgiveness for ruining the show. Thankfully, he yelled, ‘How did you think of that?!’ Guram, you truly are the artist’s artist.”
This display of outward humility shows us yet again why Anok Yai deserves to be in the conversation for the world’s premier supermodel, as she time and time again executes her catwalks, or in this case her impromptu jog, perfectly. It also tells us something else: not only is Guram Gvsalia an artist’s artist like Yai said, but she is herself a true model’s model.
Courtesy of Instagram, Hola!, and Footwear News