# Halima Aden (Xaliimo Aadan)

> Halima Aden, born 1997 in Kakuma: hijab-wearing model, UNICEF ambassador and BBC 100 Women honoree.

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/people/halima-aden/
Last checked: 2026-11-12
Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com)

## Who is she?

Halima Aden is a Somali-American fashion model. She was the first model to wear a hijab on international runways and to be signed by a major agency ([Wikipedia, Halima Aden](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halima_Aden)). In 2021 the BBC named her one of its 100 Women (same source).

## Born in a refugee camp

She was born on 19 September 1997 in the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, to a Somali family ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halima_Aden)). At six or seven she moved with her family to the United States and settled in [St. Cloud](/en/diaspora/st-cloud/), Minnesota (same source). Her classmates at Apollo High School voted her homecoming queen. She studied at St. Cloud State University. See [refugee camps](/en/diaspora/refugee-camps/).

## From pageant to Vogue

In 2016 she entered the Miss Minnesota USA pageant. She was the first contestant to wear a hijab and a burkini, and reached the semi-finals ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halima_Aden)). The pageant brought her national attention, and in 2017 she signed with IMG Models (same source).

Her firsts include:
- first hijab-wearing model on the covers of *Vogue Arabia*, *Allure* and British *Vogue* (2017)
- first model to wear a hijab and burkini in the *Sports Illustrated* Swimsuit issue (2019)
- first black woman in a hijab on the cover of *Essence* (2020)

(all from [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halima_Aden)). She walked for designers such as Max Mara and Alberta Ferretti, and at fashion weeks in New York, Milan and [London](/en/diaspora/london/) (same source).

## UNICEF

In 2018 she became a UNICEF ambassador for children's rights ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halima_Aden)). In that role she went back to Kakuma, where she was born ([CNN, 20 June 2018](https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2018/06/20/africa/halima-aden-world-refugee-day-intl)).

## Stepping back

In November 2020 she announced that she had left runway modelling because it compromised her religious beliefs. She has since said she would model again only on her own terms ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halima_Aden)). She spoke about the decision on American public radio in 2021 ([GPB / NPR, 16 February 2021](https://www.gpb.org/news/2021/02/16/im-not-cover-girl-halima-aden-on-why-she-decided-leave-modeling-career)).

## In short

A model born in Kakuma refugee camp who was the first to wear a hijab in several major fashion settings. See [Somalis in Minneapolis and St Paul](/en/diaspora/minneapolis-st-paul/).

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