Model Alek Wek believes people mustn't be victims in life.
The successful model fled Sudan in 1991 to escape the civil war, and has since forged a celebrated fashion career.
Wek doesn't have time for people who feel sorry for themselves and constantly dwell on their difficult pasts.
"I leftSouth Sudan at 12 and sought refuge in London at 14. I was really displaced before that, but my parents always said, 'Go to school, because once you have an education, they can't take that away,"' she told British newspaper The Sunday Times.
"African women are very strong. You cannot be a victim. You mustn't be a victim."
Check out Wek in the recent Pirelli calendar 50th anniversary photoshoot:
Image 1 of 4: The 50th anniversary Pirelli calendar features (from left) Alessandra Ambrosio, Helena Christensen, Karolina Kurkova, Alek Wek, Miranda Kerr and Isabeli Fontana.Photo / Peter Lindbergh
Wek now lives in New York City. The stunning star always looks camera-ready, and looks to designer Osman Yousefzada when choosing an outfit.
"It's important when you are wearing something that it looks gorgeous, but that you can carry on with daily life and not worry about a dress being so tight, you can't eat in it. I do love to eat," she said.
"I find (Osman Yousefzada's) designs liberating. His clothes speak of confidence, but they are not obnoxious. It is such a delight to come across a designer who doesn't just make clothes - he truly is a person that celebrates women."
Wek is a member of the US Committee for Refugees' Advisory Council and regularly wears the designer's clothes to UN events worldwide.
Yousefzada has the same awe for the model.
"She's amazing. She came from a place of displacement and she built something and became something. There's an element of adversity in her life, but she has overcome it. Fundamentally, women are more resilient than men, and I am very attracted to that," he gushed.
Yousefzada's collections have also been worn by Florence Welch and Gwyneth Paltrow, and the designer has revealed what he thinks the secret to his success is.
"My designs have a femininity, but still have that drama without becoming frilly," he said.
