Drum Magazine Issue 4 | Page 53

little bit different, and she talks about her bags
with an ardour and enthusiasm that seems
entirely genuine.
“It’s really about evolving and following where
my passion is, instead of just throwing myself
into something because I think It’s cool –
cool doesn’t last. It’s just the beginning, I’m
moving production to Italy now–distribution is
growing –Asia is really huge, Japan, China,
Korea…”
Her designs are refreshingly utilitarian and
unfussy, with a strong unisex appeal. This is
absolutely intentional on Alek’s part.
“I love simplicity and function. I think men
are so lucky – you guys can just get a shirt
and a pair of pants and have just five outfits
and mix and match. Women, we’ve got to
deal with shoes, beads, dresses, jewels…”
The serious business head, the career, the
apparent mistrust of frippery, the continual
references back to ‘learning’ and ‘growth’.
How old are you again Alek?
“I love the old, but I’m young too – I’m not
like some young, boring girl! I have to enjoy
my youth now, you only have it once!”
While for most of us ‘enjoying my youth’
means sitting indoors playing X-Box with the
curtains drawn, or bellowing at acquaintances
in an uncomfortably-full nightclub, for Alek
Wek it means conquering the modelling world
and bringing a dazzling new notion of beauty
to the forefront of international fashion, building
a business empire, and finding time for the
kind of humanitarian work that has seen her
earn a place as a member of the US Committee
for Refugees Advisory Council.
Like I said, a woman in a hurry.

Alek Wek attends the American
Foundation for AIDS Research 13th
Annual Rocks Benefit at Tavern On
The Green in New York City. © Thos
Robinson/Getty Images.