Alek Wek

I think beauty is not just about what we put on our heads or on our faces or what we wear: it's deeper than that, and if we can celebrate that, celebrate the women, not just the superficiality... I think it would be really gorgeous. ”

I could never understand why other kids wanted to truant - my education here gave me everything. It's the place where I really got to flourish. ”

I feel, in 2015, when we see human beings and children dying to cross the ocean, trying to find safety, something more must be done to help them because refugees are just like me and you. ”

There are people who can look out for other human beings; there are people who can speak up when something is not right and say, 'This is wrong, and something should be done.' ”

Whenever I feel I am going through my own 'little' challenging moment, I just think about my mom. ”

I was working part-time as a cleaner while I was going to college and then babysitting after school. ”

I had jobs from the age of 14, when I arrived in London as a refugee. Aged 17, I'd get up at 4 A.M. to work as a cleaner before school. It wasn't pleasant. ”

When I was working, there was no digital. We actually worked; we used Polaroids. ”

It's sometimes tiring to get off a long-haul flight and go straight to the studio for a shoot, but if you really plan everything well, you can get so much out of combining travel with work. ”

My commitment to refugees comes from a very personal place. ”