Modeling Journey

Chinese model Sui He is fast becoming one of the most coveted newcomers following a succession of sensational editorial appearances in V, Love and W magazine. In addition to that editorial trifecta, is Sui's limelight stealing cover appearance on Vogue China's 6th Anniversary issue lensed by Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, and her star turn as the current face of Ralph Lauren's Fall/Winter 2011 campaign.

Born in Wenzhou, Sui has been modelling for four years and received her first major breakthrough at the Fall/Winter 2011 shows when she was selected by casting director Jennifer Starr to open for Ralph Lauren, making her the first model of Asian descent to do so. What followed was a Dries Van Noten exclusive in Paris and select runway appearances in Milan for  D&G, D'Squared, Costume National and Anteprima.

Sui has a face that is distinctly Eurasian in appearance and is blessed with the most sublime angular bone structure. What is fascinating about Sui is that she is able to morph from a delicate and elegant beauty to that of a harder-edged unconventional gothic type as evidenced in her most recent editorial appearances for Love and V magazine. It is this versatility along with Sui's undeniable exceptional beauty which will ensure her longevity in the fickle world of modelling.

Russh Magazine's August/September issue features a treasure trove of editorial goodies. Golden girl Nyasha Matonhodze stars in an Alex Franco lensed editorial entitled "On a Wing." Matonhodze looks simply sublime wearing an assortment of creations embellished with ostrich feathers, plastic scales and fur by Gareth Pugh, Prada and Haider Ackermann. Gillian Wilkins clever styling is perfectly suited to Matonhodze's unembellished natural beauty which is further enhanced by the surrounding landscape, and flora and fauna. At only sixteen years, Matonhodze seems poised for an incredible future having already landed a Louis Vuitton campaign shot by Steven Meisel, as well as editorials for Teen Vogue, Harpers Bazaar and V Magazine, and a stunning cover debut for the issue 6 of Love Magazine. 

Every season as I scan through the various modelling agencies show packages, there are only a handful of new models who qualify for a second look. DNA Model's Josilyn Williams is one such candidate. Williams has a perfectly symmetrical face, framed by exquisite high cheekbones and beautiful crescent shaped eyes. Hailing from Birmingham Alabama, Williams recently arrived in New York for a round of go-sees and test shoots, and has since been slated for an editorial booking for V Magazine's September issue. Standing at 178 cm, Williams possesses incredibly elongated limbs and elegant refined features. I will be waiting with bated breath to see the kind of reception Williams receives at the upcoming shows in September. If the following test shots are anything to go by, Williams could well be the next big thing. 

I love this editorial shot by Inez Van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin for V magazine's issue no. 48. The editorial, centred around the theme of before and after shots, features a cast of thirty models in their natural state and then with complete makeup, hair and styling. The juxtaposition between the before and after shots is startling and in most cases, I prefer the models pre-makeup and hair. Out of the thirty  beauties, Christy Turlington, Shalom Harlow, Lara Stone, Daria Werbowry, Raquel Zimmerman, Isabeli Fontana, Natasha Poly, Malgosia Bela and Natasa Vojnovic made my final cut.

Lakshmi Menon is one of the few South Asian models to have achieved international modelling success. Bangalore-native Menon began modelling in 2006 at the ripe old age of 25, purely as a means to finance her University studies in developmental economics and sociology. Menon is an intelligent and insightful woman whose beauty lies more than skin deep. Menon's beauty is mesmerising. The quality that I find most striking about Menon is her eyes which emote a rare combination of fragility, strength and sense of knowing. 

Menon was fast tracked to the upper echelons of the modelling pyramid when she was championed by Jean Paul Gaulthier and Givenchy's Riccardo Tisci. In an interview with American Vogue, Tisci says of Menon "When we saw her, we said 'Wow! She is so strong. She has this elegance that is rare to find these days." Tisci swiftly cast Menon in Givenchy's Fall/Winter 2008 campaign alongside Lara Stone, Natasha Poly, Kristen Owen and Maria Carla Boscono. Tisci reveals in a press release statement for the campaign that "I chose these five women that represent elegance, femininity and masculinity with character. The new Givenchy star for the Fall/Winter 2008 season is the Indian model Lakshmi Menon." In an interview with Vogue.it, Menon also acknowledges Gaulthier's instrumental role in her entry into the international modelling circuit when he cast her for his Spring/Summer 2007 show exalting that "Jean Paul Gaulthier has an eye for women as such. If you come across as a striking woman, he will cast you."

Menon has since fronted campaigns for Max Mara, Hermes, H&M and multiple Givenchy campaigns and has posed for Mario Testino, Patrick Demarchelier, Terry Richardson, Mikael Jansson and Craig McDean for American Vogue, V Magazine, Allure, Paris Vogue and Dazed & Confused. In 2008 American Vogue went as far naming Menon model of the year. Menon was also selected as part of the illustrious line-up for Pirelli's 2011 calendar lensed by Karl Lagerfeld. This is far cry from her early days of modelling in 2006 when Menon recalls in an interview with the Independent that "When I first signed with agencies in Europe and the US I barely did anything; it was one show here another there. At that time it was completely dominated by Caucasian girls, particularly Russians." 

London stylist Nicola Formichetti, who cast Menon for the cover of Dazed and Confused in April 2009,  cites fear as the motive for under-representation of Asian models in the modelling industry speaking with the Independent, "It's a shame; there are even fewer Asian girls then black girls, which is why it's so exciting when you find a girl like Lakshmi. I think people are just scared of taking risks. They won't start doing it until everyone else does." Lakshmi adds in the same interview that "If there aren't many South Asian girls modelling, that's because the agencies haven't looked. I don't think anyone has really come to India to scout for girls, or at least not in the same way they go to South America or Eastern Europe. In a country of more than 1.2 billion, there are bound to be beautiful women - I mean, come on, who are we kidding."