The Asian Model Phenomena in Magazines

[benjikan]

The Asian Model Phenomena in Magazines

Those of you interested in the Fashion Industry may find this article a real eye opener. The whole industry has been turned upside down and what was considered the standard, has been adjusted in to a totally new paradigm.

How do economics play a major role in what is and isn't in fashion and how that affects the concept of beauty. What are impressions about the changing looks and castings being done for the major Fashion Icons like VOGUE, Harper's Bazaar, Elle, L'Officiel, Marie Claire etc? Your impression would be interesting.

I was one of the first Fashion Photographers who shot Asian models for L'Officiel back in 1987 with that of Terry Preece. Sample below of Terry in B&W.

source: benjaminkanarekblog.com

 

[Fontenrose]

What the cosmetics and fashion industry actually excels at is making women unhappy with their own look. Non-Asian and part-Asian models continue to be useful in Asia for that purpose. I would be happy if there IS a paradigm shift, but is this just about western brands attempting to appeal to the China market by merely including a few Asian and part-Asian faces?

It would be interesting to examine what the elite china market considers aspirational in Asian faces, as opposed to what the western brands and casting directors admire.

 

[Zazie]

Great cover!

 

[benjikan]

What the cosmetics and fashion industry actually excels at is making women unhappy with their own look. Non-Asian and part-Asian models continue to be useful in Asia for that purpose. I would be happy if there IS a paradigm shift, but is this just about western brands attempting to appeal to the China market by merely including a few Asian and part-Asian faces?

It would be interesting to examine what the elite china market considers aspirational in Asian faces, as opposed to what the western brands and casting directors admire.

In almost all cases, it is the magazine in the Asian countries that do the castings for their editorials. On occasion however, they do syndications and purchase editorials shot by other Elle's, Vogue's, Bazaar's etc. to be used for content. But that has always been their practice for ions. It is their own internal syndication image bank.