One Man Show

From his humble beginnings as a contestant on Korea’s Next Top Model, Tae Eun Bang has very quickly become one of the most sought-after men on the runway.

- Ian Lee

The La La Land soundtrack has been on a seemingly endless loop at the obscured, vintage-style café that we’re shooting at in Seoul – but that doesn’t deter our cover star, South Korean model Tae Eun Bang, even as it approaches midnight. The spritely tracks set him at ease and get him in the mood for these almost-cinematic shots. It doesn’t hurt that Tae is shooting with a familiar face: one of South Korea’s top photographers, Choi Yong Bin, who incidentally, was behind the lens for Tae’s challenge-winning photograph on Korea’s Next Top Model Cycle 5.

Although Tae eventually finished eighth in the 2014 competition, he might just be having the last laugh. Last year, the 25-year-old began to storm the runways in Milan and Paris – walking in Dolce & Gabbana, Balmain, Tom Ford, and Bottega Veneta shows. For the Spring/Summer 2017 season, he had Fendi and Ermenegildo Zegna shows, and a Harrolds campaign under his belt. And no one seems more surprised at his success than Tae himself.