A BURNING PASSION

MALAYSIAN RUNWAY EXTRAORDINAIRE GWEN LU TELLS AUGUSTMAN MALAYSIA ABOUT THE CAREER SHE LOVES, AND THE WAY SHE DEALS WITH THE PARTS THAT SHE DOESN’T

- STUART DANKER

If Gwen Lu was a dance, she’d be ballet.

And if her chiselled features resembled anything, it’d be that of a gemstone. The black Balenciaga dress she’s wearing cuts at just the right angles on her shoulders and hips. At 175 centimetres tall, she towers over me but she moves with the grace of a gymnast.

Yet, with all this splendour, Lu confides in me one of her insecurities as a model: “I used to doubt that I was tall or skinny enough.” And thus begins our conversation on how we each have our devils to face. But before we delve deeper into Lu’s story, we have to first understand the beginnings of her journey.

FINDING HER PASSION EARLY 

With nearly 20 years of modelling experience under her belt, it’s easy to assume that the fastpaced life of lights and runways came knocking on her door. That assumption is partly true, as Lu found her calling in modelling not long after earning her college diploma. But it wasn’t her first career choice.

Because what many may not know about Lu is that she was once a quantity surveyor, a stint she’d held for more than a year. “I’ve landed many other odd jobs – like waiting tables, tutoring, and manning the cash register – but I only ever looked at them as part-time gigs. Quantity surveying was the one thing I did that vaguely resembled a career. But if you look back at my whole working life, then modelling would be the only real career I’ve ever had.”