Somalis abroad in public life
Ugbad Abdi (Ugbaad Cabdi)
Ugbad Abdi is a Somali-American fashion model. Born in Kismayo, she grew up in a Kenyan refugee camp and, from 2009, in Des Moines, Iowa. She debuted for Valentino haute couture, has opened New York shows for Marc Jacobs and Michael Kors, and in 2019 became the first model to walk for Fendi and Lanvin wearing a hijab.
Ugbad AbdiUgbaad Cabdi
- Known as one of
- Somalis abroad in public life
- Places
- Kismaayo and Lower Juba
- Era
- Rebuilding without a state, 1991 to 2012; Who holds power, 2012 to now
- Sources
- 1 sources
Who is she?
Ugbad Abdi is a Somali-American fashion model born in Kismayo (Wikipedia, Ugbad Abdi). Her family fled the civil war to a refugee camp in Kenya, and in 2009, when she was nine, moved to Des Moines, Iowa with help from UNICEF (same source). See Refugee camps.
Modelling
She was scouted on Instagram after finishing high school and signed with Next Management (Wikipedia). She made her runway debut in Valentino's 2018/2019 haute couture show and has opened New York Fashion Week shows for Marc Jacobs and Michael Kors (same source). She has also walked for Chanel, Miu Miu, Burberry, Fendi, Lanvin, Max Mara and others (same source).
In April 2019 she appeared in the British, American and Arabian editions of Vogue at the same time (same source). In 2019 she became the first model to walk for Fendi and Lanvin wearing a hijab, and in 2022 she appeared on the cover of Vogue France (same source).
In short
A Kismayo-born refugee who became a leading runway model and the first to wear a hijab for Fendi and Lanvin.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Ugbad Abdi · en.wikipedia.org
Ugbad AbdiUgbaad Cabdi
- Known as one of
- Somalis abroad in public life
- Places
- Kismaayo and Lower Juba
- Era
- Rebuilding without a state, 1991 to 2012; Who holds power, 2012 to now
- Sources
- 1 sources
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Where this matters
Same era
- Australia18,401 people of Somali ancestry and 8,101 born in Somalia lived in Australia at the 2021 Census, more than half in Victoria. History, work, issues.
- Birmingham (Somali diaspora)About 17,000 to 21,600 Somalis live in Birmingham (Census 2021), mostly in Nechells, Newtown, Small Heath and Alum Rock. History, work, health and ties home.
- Bristol (Somali diaspora)9,167 people in Bristol identified as Somali or Somalilander in Census 2021, the city's largest minority group. Where they live, work, housing, leaders and ties home.
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada2,845 people of Somali origin lived in Calgary at the 2021 Census, plus 890 in Brooks. How they came, who serves them and what they face.
- Denmark (Somali diaspora)21,885 people of Somali origin lived in Denmark in 2026, half born there. Numbers, history, work, permit reviews, and ties home.
- DjiboutiAbout 13,900 refugees from Somalia live in Djibouti (Aug 2026): numbers since 1990, Ali Addeh, Holl-Holl, the 2017 refugee law, Arta 2000 and 2025 returns.
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