In an article in Vogue, 'The new guard', we're told a story about Li Ai who found it impossible to break into the international fashion world back in the early 2000's.
"At most places casting said, we don't want an Asian, or we just want one and we have her", Li Ai told Vogue.
After being repeatedly rejected, Li gave up and went home - she is now the celebrity host of China's next top model.
But times have changed in the last decade, just look at the Givenchy couture show of spring/summer 2011 in which only Asian models were used.
Models: Shu Pei Qin, Ming Xi, Tao Okamoto, Hye Rim Park, Fei Fei Sun, Liu Wen, Jiag Xiao Yi, Ai Tominaga, So Young Kang, Du Juan
China, now the world's second largest economy, is predicted to become the biggest market for luxury goods by 2020. "It's only natural that Chinese models are having more of a presence now", said Angelica Cheung, editor-in-chief of Chinese Vogue during an interview with British Vogue.
As models such as Liu Wen and Fei Fei Sun excel in their careers, we can only hope that the Asian trend is here to stay, bringing diversity and culture to our Western runways.
Liu Wen at Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2011
Fei Fei Sun for Lanvin Fall 2011
(Images taken from Style.com)
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