In the not too distant past, fashion modeling as we know it in the western world did not even exist in China. China only held its first fashion show in 1979 when Pierre Cardin presented a dozen French models to a crowd of Maoists at the Cultural Palace of Minorities in Beijing. But since that time, and especially in the last decade, the fashion industry in China has grown exponentially.

1. Chinese Models Act As
‘Ambassadresses’ of Beauty
In the not too distant past, fashion
modeling as we know it in the western
world did not even exist in China. China
only held its first fashion show in 1979
when Pierre Cardin presented a dozen
French models to a crowd of Maoists at
the Cultural Palace of Minorities in
Beijing. But since that time, and
especially in the last decade, the fashion
industry in China has grown
exponentially.

2. As Style.com reports, the growth in the
fashion industry in the far East has
propelled a group of Chinese models to
fame and acclaim. Models such as Du
Juan, Liu Wen, Xiao Wen Ju, and Xi
Mengyao, to name a few, are
challenging standards of beauty both at
home in China and in the Western
world.

3. When Du Juan graced the covers of
Vogue China and Paris Vogue in 2005,
she opened the door for many to follow.
She remembers being the only Asian
model present at Chanel’s Spring 2006
Couture show, and that people there
could not place where she was from.

4. “So many backstage photographers
would ask me if I was from Japan or
Korea,” Du Juan said, adding that telling
people that she hailed from China made
her feel “so proud.”

5. According to Jezebel’s New York
Fashion Week racial diversity report, the
number of Asian models nearly doubled
from 2008 to 2013, jumping from 5.4%
to 10.1%. Givenchy showed its Spring
2011 Couture collection with an entirely
Asian cast of models. Clearly, the profile
of Asians has risen in the fashion
industry and models from China have
been instrumental in that shift.

6. This higher profile not only exposes the
world to more diverse conceptions of
beauty, but has also changed the way
some models view themselves. A wide
eye is highly valued in a go-see in
mainland China, forcing models like
Xiao Wen Ju to use double-sided tape
and make-up techniques to make her
eyes appear wider. Modeling outside of
China challenged her perception of her
appearance, and ultimately convinced
her to present herself as she is.
“Before I came [to New York],” Xiao
Wen Ju say, “I wanted to change who I
was, but now I really love it.”

7. And so does he world of fashion. Xiao
Wen Ju has gone on to world-wide
fame, walking for such industry
powerhouses as DKNY, Phillip Lim, and
Louis Vuitton. She is also the first model
of Chinese to descent to be the face of
Marc Jacobs when she landed the
spring campaign in 2012.
To read more about the increasing
prevalence of Chinese fashion
modeling, check out the original story at
Style.com.
Photo of Xiao Wen Ju by Christopher
Macsurak