--- title: Anok Yai Is on the 2026 TIME100 List description: Find out why Anok Yai is one of the 100 most influential people of 2026. canonical: https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people/2026/anok-yai/ article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-04-15T11:00:17.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-07-21T07:21:53.035Z article:section: TIME100 og:title: Anok Yai: The 100 Most Influential People of 2026 og:description: Find out why Anok Yai is on this year’s list og:url: https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people/2026/anok-yai/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltea689400be671c45/69d7cf5611788e7017ccc41f/T100-2026-Web-Anok-Yai.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9%2Coffset-x100.00%2Coffset-y0.00 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Anok Yai: The 100 Most Influential People of 2026 og:type: article twitter:card: summary twitter:title: Anok Yai: The 100 Most Influential People of 2026 twitter:description: Find out why Anok Yai is on this year’s list twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltea689400be671c45/69d7cf5611788e7017ccc41f/T100-2026-Web-Anok-Yai.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9%2Coffset-x100.00%2Coffset-y0.00 --- Apr 15, 2026 # Anok Yai by Chanel Iman  Mario Sorrenti—Art Partner/Trunk Archive I first became aware of Anok Yai—recently recognized as the [Fashion Awards’ Model of the Year](https://www.vogue.com/article/anok-yai-model-of-the-year-2025-fashion-awards "undefined")—during one of those breakout fashion moments where her presence felt instantly iconic. What stood out was her calm, striking confidence; it felt powerful without trying too hard. Her ability to seem both timeless and modern sets her apart as a model. She brings depth to images and doesn’t just model clothes—she elevates them. She follows in the footsteps of Naomi Campbell and Alek Wek, continuing their legacy while also redefining it for a new generation. The industry is more inclusive than before, but there’s still progress to be made. Anok is definitely part of that shift—her success has real impact, not just visibility. Her decision to step back to take care of her health was powerful. Her return feels grounded and intentional, which only adds to her strength and influence. _Iman is a model and the founder and creative director of Chasa_ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people/2026/anok-yai/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people/2026/anok-yai/"},"headline":"Anok Yai","datePublished":"2026-04-15T11:00:17.000Z","dateModified":"2026-07-21T07:21:53.035Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people/2026/anok-yai/","keywords":["TIME 100","list","franchise","Accolades"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltea689400be671c45/69d7cf5611788e7017ccc41f/T100-2026-Web-Anok-Yai.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675%2Coffset-x100.00%2Coffset-y0.00&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Chanel Iman"}],"creator":"Chanel Iman","articleSection":"TIME100","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltea689400be671c45/69d7cf5611788e7017ccc41f/T100-2026-Web-Anok-Yai.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675%2Coffset-x100.00%2Coffset-y0.00&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/time100/","name":"TIME100"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-100/","name":"TIME 100"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people/2026/anok-yai/","name":"Anok Yai"}}]}] ```