Dujuan Is Fearless

One of the first few Asian faces to appear on the cover of an International magazine, front global advertising campaigns and dominate the catwalks in the pre-social media era, model-actress du juan has shown time and again that she is all grit, and no fear

- Andrea Sim

It is not uncommon to see an Asian face on fashion’s major runways today, nor in a brand campaign or on the cover of your favourite magazine. We live in a decade where Ju Xiao Wen’s Bulgari ad or Sui He’s i-D cover don’t gain attention by merit of the models’ ethnicities alone. Yet we all remember a time not too long ago — dominated by Sasha Pivovarova’s razor-sharp cheek bones, Natalia Vodianova’s sophisticated mien, and Freja Beha Erichsen’s boyish, brown shag — when models were overwhelmingly white, whether European or American.

Then in 2005, Chinese model Du Juan made her entrance walking the Marc Jacobs and Diane Von Furstenberg runways. This was an era when the number of Asian faces appearing in the world of high fashion could be counted on one hand. “As far as I can remember, there were only two other Asian faces: South Korean supermodel Hye Park, and Japanese model Ai Tominaga. There [was usually] only one Asian model walking each fashion show,” she recalls. “To get a chance to walk for the big international brands was tough.”

That same year, Du was picked to front Vogue China’s inaugural issue, the September issue, which led to another breakthrough. “After the shoot, I was asked to stay for the Vogue Paris cover shoot with [Australian model] Gemma Ward.” She muses, “Was it luck or destiny?” Probably both, as the first Asian model to land such a coveted cover quickly found her way onto more runways for the likes of Chanel, Oscar de la Renta and Versace, along with the advertising campaigns for Louis Vuitton and Yves Saint Laurent.