By Molly Guerin
Her Second Time Stealing the Show
Anok Yai (closed) vetementswebsite.com
High fashion model Anok Yai stuns many as she closes for Vetements’ SS26 Black Widow show on October 3rd, 2025 while devastatingly sobbing as she walks down the runway. This shocking piece of performance art left the audience speechless as her sorrow felt incredibly palpable; she embodied the show’s theme to the fullest by taking on the character of the grieving widow.
This closure of the event may have created a bigger fuss if it weren’t for her equally unforgettable Runaway Bride moment last year. Again, for the Vetements SS25 show in September 2024, Yai was dressed in a large and voluminous bridal gown. As she turns to walk back up the runway, she begins to run frantically, emulating the infamous concept of the runaway bride. This act left the audience stunned for the first time by Yai and her presence on the runway.
Anok Yai, Vetements SS25 Photo: X/HE4VENZONE
Anok Yai in motion, Vetements SS25
“No longer a bride, Yai [becomes] a ‘sad, emotional widow.’” – B. Kadijat Towolawi, TheRoot.com, @shewantstrends
While some believe her first stunt was due to a wardrobe malfunction and the other was merely a public emotional break, it’s clear that these two events were performance pieces. Vetements creators, Demna and Guram Gvasalia, and Yai herself wanted to highlight the parallels between the two shows and how they depict the relationship between life and death. Yai’s initial moment conveys a naive and timid bride, overcome with nerves as she flees the altar. However, her second stunt could potentially be the same character, now a sorrowful, grieving widow after the loss of her partner.
We are now left wanting more from Anok Yai and her compelling acting skills. Her ability to convey such strong and complex emotions while simply walking down the runway is inspiring for future fashion exhibitions.
