Liu Wen came to Singapore for the Chanel 2025/26 Cruise Collection and she was one of the guests at the fashion show. She was invited to appear on the cover of Pin Prestige. The shoot was scheduled for 3pm and she arrived promptly at 2:59pm.
Upon entering the studio, she smiled, bowed, and greeted each staff member. She wore her signature casual outfit: a T-shirt and jeans, simple and clean.
Her aura isn’t flamboyant nor does she rely on stunning beauty to win people over. If you brushed past her in a crowd, you might not recognize her immediately, but you’d probably turn around for a second look. The reason might be her nearly 1.8 meter height, or it might be her unpretentious composure—understated yet impactful.
Having debuted for 20 years Liu Wen has maintained her popularity for a long time. In the noisy fashion world, she has always been a contrasting presence: cool and assertive on stage, and warm and gentle in real life. She doesn’t rely on social media to gain attention, nor does she resort to gimmicks to grab eyeballs.
She’s a natural clothes hanger and knows how to let go of herself. For her, life is simple: two states—working or not working.
I suddenly realized why everyone like to call her “cousin.” It’s a friendly, down-to-earth nickname that doesn’t sound like something an international supermodel would use, but it perfectly suits her. The essence remains unchanged: the style may change, but the underlying confidence remains constant.
Xiaoqiang’s Spirit: Many years ago, Liu Wen gave herself the nickname “Liu Xiaoqiang,” meaning to be strong and indomitable.
She was born in Yongzhou, Hunan Province in 1988, a small city with little concept of fashion. Her dream at the time was simple: to become a tour guide and take people to see the world. However, fate led her down a different path.
In 2005, a modeling competition changed her life. After signing with a company, she went north to pursue her dreams. In her early days in Beijing, she spent countless audition sessions and was rejected countless times. It wasn’t until she was discovered by the late French fashion editor Joseph Carle that she truly stepped onto the international stage.
She walked in 74 shows in a single season. Sometimes 6 or 7 shows a day. She didn’t even have time to wash her hair, so she’d just rinse it off with ice-cold mineral water backstage. Back then, she was young fueled by sheer willpower and resilience. “I may lose, but I will not give up,” she once said with a smile. This sentence later became her source of confidence. She only knew some basic spoken English. When she first arrived in New York, she carried a map and audition book wandering alone through the subway and streets. There were no shortcuts, only hard work, and she made it through one step at a time.
Her professionalism is quietly ruthless. On set, she reacts quickly, maintains a steady pace, and is astonishingly precise. Even after several hours of shooting, she remains consistently on point. This speed, ruthlessness, and precision are her way of approaching work.
It’s not easy to stay at the top for 20 years and maintain popularity and passion. Her secret? “I still love modeling.” The woman before me has a radiant complexion, even without makeup as if she had her own spotlight. When we talked about work, an even brighter light shone in her eyes. Some say she relies on perseverance, but I think work is her source of energy. That light cannot be faked.
Supermodel Liu Wen was practically working non-stop from late September to early November this year. She walked in eight shows over eight days at PFW, then flew to New York, then London, and back to New York again. After attending an event in Beijing, she immediately flew to Singapore and then back to London.
With her current international status, she doesn’t actually need to work this hard anymore, but she has never let up. In just over a month, this series of days and nights across time zones was an extreme challenge. While others would be exhausted by jet lag after just one trip, she circled the earth nearly seven times, still looking energetic and showing no signs of fatigue; even jet lag couldn’t keep up with her.
One netizen aptly summarized it: Such an intense schedule is impossible to endure without passion. Supermodels are more like tireless workaholics. “Many people experience job burnout, but I love this job and am grateful to be able to stay in a field I love,” she said.
Of course, she also understands the importance of selfcare. “Like a spring, it can’t be stretched forever. You have to learn to relax in order to maintain its elasticity.” Her tone was calm but with an unwavering certainty. Talent and luck can get you on the field, but only strength can make you stand firm and last long.
In this industry, youth is a valuable asset, but not a lasting one. Age, appearance, and physique are all subject to the relentless passage of time. Being a model is especially brutal; the camera is unforgiving, and the higher you climb, the more easily anxiety can overwhelm you.
Therefore, when Liu Wen brought up her age, I felt she was genuine. Most people avoid this topic, but she frankly and directly addressed it. “The biggest challenge this year may be the issue of age, as well as the change of mindset.” The next second, thunder rumbled outside the window. She paused for a moment, then softly exclaimed, “Oh dear, it’s thundering,” like a child who had accidentally let something slip—her reaction was rather adorable.
In her twenties, she relied on hard work; in her thirties, she learned to negotiate with her body. “We often say that age isn’t scary, but it does bring physical limits. In your twenties, you always give it your all; in your thirties, the pace naturally slows down. This year, I’ve also been adjusting my physical condition, so I’ve reduced the number of runway shows. Pilates and fitness have made me better able to handle the work ahead.”
“Modeling work doesn’t have fixed hours like a typical office job. The hardest part is constantly being at your best. Also, you have to follow the industry’s pace. I can’t decide when to work and when to rest. But that’s what makes it interesting. Because every uncertainty is like a surprise, keeping me constantly trying and exploring.”
She added with a laugh, “If it’s too planned, I’ll lose motivation.”
The only choice is to consider the era when Liu Wen debuted, when the Chinese supermodel industry was beaming with talent. More than a decade later, many models who debuted around the same time as her have gradually faded from the scene, while she remains firmly in the top tier, never experiencing a slow season.
Since her debut in 2005, she has continuously set new records in her modeling career. In 2014, she became the first Chinese model to enter the MDC “New Supers” list; in 2017, she was selected for the Forbes “30 Under 30” Asia list; and in 2023, Liu Wen returned to the international fashion week stage and was successfully shortlisted for the British Fashion Awards “Model of the Year”.
I asked her if she could imagine herself 20 years from now. “Many people joke that I’m still the same as when I first debuted as if I haven’t changed at all. I hope that I’ll still be the same 20 years from now, full of expectation of life and maintaining curiosity and courage towards the unknown.”
Trends come and go, but she never follows the crowd or rushes to redefine herself. “One of the questions in your outline was: If I weren’t a model, what would I be doing? I think I would still be a model. Actually, I’ve never seriously thought about anything else because I really love this job. Even though the job is often repetitive, I can still find a new version of myself in it.”
My lovely cousin has always been well-liked with zero negative reviews and no scandals. This is not luck but the truth.
Before the interview began, Liu Wen noticed that the sound engineer was standing and asked softly, “Would you like to find a chair to sit down?”
She would personally introduce the makeup and hair team, and then remind them, “Please keep your voice down, don’t disrupt the recording.” She would read the interview outline in advance and prepare thoroughly. Although she lacked the spontaneity of an impromptu interview, she gained more sincerity and thoughtfulness.
She had just gotten off the plane the day of the shoot, and her voice was slightly hoarse, and she was coughing a little from days of flying. I originally wanted her to rest first, but she sat up straight , laughed heartily, and said, “It’s okay, it’s okay, let’s do the interview now!”
That kind of thoughtfulness is not an act, but a cultivation ingrained in one’s very being.
More than ten years ago, on the Beijing subway, she was called “cousin” for the first time. “Someone whispered, ‘are you Liu Wen?’ I was too shy, so I said, ‘I am her (Liu Wen’s) cousin.’” A joke that became her nickname. “I find this title very endearing and it helps to connect with everyone. Whether it’s someone I’m meeting for the first time, a long-time friend, or a complete stranger online, hearing ‘cousin’ makes everyone feel like family, and the atmosphere immediately becomes relaxed. I also truly feel that my job carries a lot of love from everyone.”
After saying that, she waved her hand dismissively, displaying a cute and genuine older cousin-like quality: “No one is born a model, really!”
“This job requires constant learning and pushing boundaries. Aside from work, I’m still that shy and reserved girl. I used to be terrified of interviews, but now I can talk nonstop. It’s all a process of accumulation. When you reach a certain stage, you naturally learn how to express yourself. It’s not that I’ve become more talkative, but that I’ve learned how to speak effectively. That’s the skill I’ve honed over many years.”
What is beauty? Liu Wen first stepped onto the PFW runway in 2008; it was also the year that she encountered Chanel. That show became a turning point in Liu Wen’s career. More than a decade later, she still described this relationship as family. “Chanel made me rediscover elegance. Elegance is not a posture, but a choice. Coco Chanel dared to break with tradition and be herself. That innovation and fearlessness have always influenced me.” This long-term collaboration has given her a deeper understanding of the essence of allure. “That kind of beauty is not imitation, but rather a unique self-expression for each individual.”
She originally studied tourism and wanted to show others the world but ended up seeing the world herself first. “If I had to describe myself with a landscape, I would choose nature. I feel most authentic when I’m in nature. I love the uneven trees and the flowers of different shapes. Being in such an environment makes me feel peaceful and at ease.” Freedom, being undefined, and finding balance in imperfection—that is her state of being.
“Since I started modeling, the catwalk has become more and more diverse, and the aesthetics have become more open. Beauty and fashion are actually quite similar; they both change in cycles, and we should learn to embrace them. A person’s choices and mindset change as they grow. Many people ask me what I like to wear most, and I always say a simple shirt or T-shirt with jeans. These timeless items are a classic, comfortable, and will never go out of style. Everyone pursues beauty in different ways, but the most important thing is to be yourself.”
She lives a simple and clear-headed life even in the most glamourous industry.
The brilliance of Liu Wen’s smile lies not in her sharpness but in her composure. This isn’t a story about reaching the pinnacle, but about a long-distance race. She has been doing what she loves for 20 years, and she’s still doing it, getting more and more stable and going further and further. In an era where everyone wants to be “fast,” she chooses to be “slow.” It’s the kind of slowness that knows how to control the rhythm, knowing when to exert effort and when to stop.
Sharp and cold, that’s a knife she wields on the runway, but I prefer her smiling face. Her eyes were clear and bright, and her dimples deepened when she smiled, making her whole person radiant. That pure and relaxed smile was very healing.
The last question I asked her was to summarize her feelings at this moment in one sentence. A smile played on her lips as she replied without hesitation, “I hope I will stay true to my original aspirations, remain grounded, and continue to be myself.” For someone else, it might sound like a slogan, but for her, it’s like the steps she takes on a runway, always naturally and effortlessly in rhythm.
On the runway, she changes styles as easily as breathing. Off the runway, without heavy makeup and glamour clothes, she is Liu Wen—the girl next door.
Think she’s there for a SS26 campaign (or SM cover story – we can wish for it!).
