INTERVIEW SERIES: A CONVERSATION WITH SOO JOO PARK - DIVERSITY IN FASHION

Disclaimer: Unless clearly quoted or indicated, this blogpost reflects my personal opinion. Attribution should be fully mine.

SOO JOO PARK FOR CHANEL CAMPAIGN

Although a great deal of progress has been made on many fronts, diversity has been and still is fashion's Achilles Heel. When Asian models grace the cover of a major fashion magazine, it is touted as a special issue. (Okay, it's still better than nothing!) Thanks to those who are advocating the diversity issue and implementing proactive measures to address it, there is now a record number of Asian models on Models.com's Top 50 list. (If my memory serves me right, there were only Fei Fei Sun, Liu Wen, and Chiharu Okunugi when Soo Joo made it to Top 50.) Plus, fashion brands and magazines now routinely book Asian models for campaigns and editorials. So it sounds like it's not a bad time to be an Asian model in the industry. Can this positive trend continue and what would be a visible mark of that next wave of progress?

Last week, Soo Joo and Yu Tsai held an Instagram Live as part of Harper's Bazaar Singapore's conversation series, and diversity was definitely one of the topics percolating in the conversation. "No one knew what to do with me," said Soo Joo Park reminiscing the early days in her career. Even though the fashion industry was sensing and gearing up for the rise of China and its business implications for fashion, the world of modeling agencies was lagging behind. She also added that she felt like she did not fit with the "traditional beauty that was cemented at that time" when she was told she was "not Asian enough". Her career took off when she embraced her uniqueness thanks to those who believed in her. Then came the late Karl Lagerfeld who catapulted her career to stardom. She also became the first Asian global ambassador of L'Oréal. Things definitely changed for better in the industry over the last few years when it comes to diversity.

After listening to the live, I asked Soo Joo a couple of follow-up questions to which she provided her thoughtful, unadorned opinions. I thank her tremendously for taking the time to do so. Also, I am so grateful to her for supporting my dream.

Hongjun (HJ): Having worked in the industry for many years now, do you "feel" the change for diversity?

Soo Joo (SJ): Yes. When I started my career, there wasn't much diversity at all. Now, diversity is visible a lot more on the runway, especially in campaigns. Brands also need the reputation of diversity nowadays in order to have a deeper connection with the audience.

HJ: Fashion as we know it has grounded to a halt. But we see other creative directions taking place with at-home shootings becoming a "new normal". Your featured article with American Vogue is a nice example. As you said in the Live, you miss being surrounded by photographers. How do you see your job affected in this difficult time?

SJ: Yes, my job and the fashion industry have been heavily impacted due to this global pandemic. Post-COVID 19, I can't imagine that the industry would move the same ways as it once had. It's no longer a unilateral trajectory. Everyone is, or at least, is trying to be conscious and conscientious - "woke" - and brands and magazines will have to reflect this shift as well. To be honest, I've been extremely busy working on projects during quarantine. I might have had one week where it was slow, but that's about it. There has been a lot of room for artistic freedom, which is definitely a new element for most models. Very liberating. Since everything is done alone, I feel like I'm multitasking more than ever, acting as a one-woman show. It's apparent that the language and ways of communication have changed, but it's been really rewarding to learn and grow. I think others feel the same way. Creativity always comes through.

HJ: What would be the next step forward in making the industry more diverse and inclusive?

SJ: Not making diversity a fad that comes and goes. Lately, the industry has been diversifying in terms of people of all skin colors more. Not just in fashion, but also in music and cinema as well, all of which I find inspiring. At the same time, I don't want diversity to be inadvertently turned into an exclusivity thing, implying the wrong message that an all-Black or all-Asian cast is what true diversity signifies. That's good and meaningful every now and then, given where we are now as a society. But for diversity to be real, I want to see a multitude of ethnicity and skin colors all represented, seen and heard. In a nutshell, everyone should have a chance to be a part of something for who they are as a human being.

HJ: I still remember the days when there were few Asian models in the industry. Not to flatter you, but you and other Asian models at that time indeed paved the way so that the next generation can enter the market on a better footing. How did you feel when you saw a Korean model closing the Chanel show (of course, I'm referring to that major moment when Hyun Ji, Gigi, and Mona walked in locked arms) as Chanel's global ambassador?

SJ: I wish I were there. I would have been really happy to see that moment happening right before my eyes. I wanted to attend the show, but I couldn't make it. I wish someone tipped me off in advance. (laughter) Speaking of diversity at Chanel, Kim Young-Seong, the director of textile, has made a tremendous contribution. She worked with Karl and now works for Virginie. She is in charge of Ready-To-Wear and Métiers d'Art collections, coming up with everything from mood boards to textile samples in consultation with the creative director. She has been a major component of our career, "our" meaning Asian models who have worked with Chanel. In fact, it was Kim who inspired the idea of the Chanel Cruise collection in Seoul.
(Learn more about Kim, "Karl's secret weapon in his creative arsenal", in her interview with Suzy Menkes for British Vogue.)

THE FINALE OF CHANEL-SEOUL COLLECTION

HJ: Ideally, I want to see a society where people are valued for who they are. The same goes true for the modeling industry. For example, you are walking a Chanel runway, not because you are Asian, but because you are who you are. So what would be one piece of advice for would-be models?

SJ: I agree that you should be valued for who you are. To make that happen, knowing who you are inside and outside is very important. You will feel discouraged along the way because of expected and unexpected hardships. I have been there myself, too. Looking back how far I've come, one piece of advice I'd give to would-be models is: Don't let anyone or anything, besides yourself, decide for you what to do with your life. You have to cultivate your own identities, beliefs and visions of who you are and who you want to be.

Some skeptics attribute the rise of a new generation of Asian models to the outsized influence the Asian markets have come to wield recently. Yes, China alone accounts for more than one-thirds of the global luxury sales, according to the 2019 McKinsey report. However, I find such comment not only disrespectful but also simplistic. Asian models worked really hard to earn their place in the industry. Although Asian models' market appeal surely is a factor but that alone can't explain what we are witnessing in the present moment. However, one thing is clear: the modern audience does not tolerate discriminatory biases and the idea of inclusivity is the value they hold dear. Whatever the motivation behind driving the current trend is, it is our job to build a more inclusive society, and it is reassuring to hear voices in unison in inching towards that noble goal.