AsiaNews Magazine Jan10-16,2014 ( Jan 1-7,2014) | Page 49

January 10-16, 2014

T

hey defy the common prejudice that
Asian men are short, less fit and less
fashionable than Asian women.
With faces smaller than the size of a
palm and incredibly long legs on top of good
communication skills and strong English
language abilities, Korean male fashion
models are the newest darlings of the
global fashion scene. The new breed
of clotheshorses sashay down the
catwalks of internationally acclaimed fashion houses, pose for
globally circulated magazines, and
are featured in advertisements for
powerhouses, breaking the prejudice and establishing the brand
image of Korean male models.
The outcome has been impressive. Jae Yoo became the first
Asian male model to run for
Calvin Klein Men and starred
in advertisements for Dolce &
Gabbana, Tiffany & Co, Hugo
Boss and others. Park Sung-jin
was ranked 27th on the influential www.Models.com website for
his appearances in Calvin Klein,

LIFESTYLE

Korean male models are the latest
darlings of the fashion industry
Uniqlo and Iceberg ads; and Kim Han-su
walked for shows by Vivienne Westwood,
Missoni and Dirk Bikkembergs.
"It is true that there is still a sense
of unfamiliarity and unfriendliness
toward Asian male models, compared to female models. Some
shows do not even audition Asian
male models at the beginning,"
says Kim Tae-hwan. "But it is getting better."
The 21-year-old has strutted
for Diesel, Neil Barrett, Dries
van Noten, Phillip Lim, John
Galliano and Kenzo's 2014
Spring/Summer collections this
summer, his debut season. The
187-centimetre-tall model's very
different images—with his hair
combed back boasts of masculinity but when he lets his bangs
down, he turns into an ethereal
JAE YOO