Australian supermodel Ajak Deng has announced her retirement from the fashion industry, saying she could no longer deal with "the fakes and the lies".
The 26-year-old, who has walked the runway for such high-profile fashion houses as Louis Vuitton, Valentino and Calvin Klein, posted on her Instagram account that she would be returning to Australia to live the life she "fully deserved". 
"My life is too short for this dramatic life. I am thankful and grateful for every sweet souls that I have crossed path with," she wrote.
Deng's retirement comes days after her manager, Stephen Bucknall, of FRM Model Management, said he struggled to book Australian jobs for the Sudanese-born, Melbourne-raised model.
 "Ajak has said to me many times it saddens her there isn't more work for dark skinned girls in Australia, as she would like to book more work here," Bucknall told the Herald Sun in Melbourne.
"The budgets probably aren't big enough for [Deng], because she's a big money earner, but they will spend the money on a Miranda Kerr or a Jess Hart.
"They'll book the big Caucasian girls, spend the big dollars, and fly them in from LA, but I'm yet to see them book a dark-skinned girl in that way."
Deng made no reference to racism in her Instagram post, but wrote about putting her "best foot forward", and said she was "good and very happy with my decision".
Put your best foot forward. I am happy to announce that I am officially done with the fashion industry, I will be moving back to Australia In order to live the life that I fully deserved. Which is real life. I can no longer deal with the fakes and the lies. My life is too short for this dramatic life. I am thankful and grateful for every sweet souls that I have crossed path with. ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
A photo posted by AJAK DENG (@ajak_deng) on Feb 23, 2016 at 7:25am PST
Fairfax Media