Anok Yai is a South Sudanese-American model. Born in Cairo, Egypt, her family moved to the United States, where Yai grew up in Manchester, New Hampshire, since she was three years old. After graduating from high school, Yai was discovered by professional photographer Steve Hall, who took her photo for homecoming week at Howard University. The photo was posted on Instagram and garnered interest from a variety of modeling agencies.

Yai eventually signed on with Next Model Management and debuted in a Prada fashion show, becoming the first Sudanese model to open for that brand. Since then, Yai has walked for other notable brands including Versace, Max Mara, Fendi, Burberry, and Louis Vuitton. Additionally, Yai has appeared on popular editorials including Vogue, W magazine, CR Fashion Book, AnOther, Dust, Purple, Harper’s Bazaar, i-D, Self Service, V Magazine, Elle, Garage, Document Journal, Dazed, and Pop.