Alek Wek: One of the Beautiful People
Alek Wek is many things, but positioned firmly among the multiple hyphenates that follow her name—supermodel–humanitarian–designer-painter-entrepreneur—is this one: Brooklynite. Wek moved to Fort Greene years ago when, after spending her weekends traveling back and forth from the East Village to Brooklyn, she became determined to make her home in Fort Greene. Wek loved the neighborhood for its “mom-and-pop shops, corner stores and diversity.” It wasn’t long before she found what she was looking for. Wek told us, “I walked into my place and I felt like, ‘This can be home.’” What followed is familiar to anyone who has tackled a big home-renovation project: first went the call to 1-800-MATTRESS, so she could at least have a place to sleep, and then, of course, came another six years of renovations that were designed to maintain the integrity—down to replicating the original flooring—of her Fort Greene Park-adjacent brownstone.