Two years ago, Sara Duku received a telephone call that would change the way she saw herself both personally and professionally. An annual conference called South Sudan Unite, run by the Luol Deng Foundation, needed South Sudanese fashion designers to display their creations for the event's fashion show. Organizers wanted to feature Duku's clothing at the event, which was held in Dallas, Texas, in 2017. The now-22-year-old seamstress who "dabbled in sewing" hesitated. "They called me a fashion designer and I didn't see myself as a fashion designer.