Ayor Makur has been in the modelling industry for 8 years and is one of Western Australia’s household names when it comes to catwalk diversity. She discovered her talent on the runway at the age of 19.

Modelling has proved beyond doubt for Ayor, that anything can be possible if you have the determination. Making it as a model of colour in Australia is not easy, and Ayor’s journey to her achievements was a bittersweet success story – the best kind there is.

Originally from South Sudan, Ayor was born in Ethiopia when Sudan was still in turmoil. She was raised in South Sudan and Kenya. In 2005, Ayor was moved from Kakuma Refugee Camp to Australia with her mother and siblings where her career took off and helped pave the way for others in her community.

After gaining popularity and recognition both locally and internationally, not only did Ayor become Face of Perth 2010 and win Miss South Sudan Australia 2010. She has also achieved international stardom working in New York, London, South Africa, New Zealand, Cayman Island, and all around Australia. Ayor has been invited to various events as a special guest including as a judge at Miss Africa Perth and Miss Malaika in Juba South Sudan.

In 2012, Ayor created a show called Face of South Sudan, which allowed her to share her experiences with young South Sudanese models, encourage them and prepare them for the challenges within in the fashion industry.

The highlights of Ayor’s career include walking at New York Fashion Week, London Fashion, South African Fashion Week, Cape Town Fashion Week, Cayman Island Fashion Week, Australia Fashion and Perth Fashion Festival. She’s appeared in editorial photoshoots for the world’s best magazines including Marie Claire, Vogue, Women’s Health, Elle, Box, Grazia and Scoop.

Reflecting back to her starting point here in Perth, Ayor has experienced being the only dark skinned model at most jobs. “There has since been a great change in the diversity of models and I feel that my experience has influenced and contributed to some of these changes, especially in the South Sudanese community” she said. Modelling has sometimes been portrayed negatively, but as a role model there has

been a transformation of perception opening doors for many young girls. Ayor has assisted some local models to get signed.

Ayor is currently running her own agency, “Ayor Model Management”. The main objective of the agency is to “train and manage models” from different backgrounds. Their goal is to collaborate with other national and international agencies. Aside from modelling, Ayor is also a Graduate Accountant and a loving mum to her 10 year old son.

AYOR MODEL MANAGEMENT www.ayormodels.com.au