Who is the Chinese woman who leads the ranking of models who most model for luxury brands

There is one model who has walked in more fashion shows than anyone else in 2023: Yilan Hua from China. She is 6 feet tall, with shoulder-length black hair, full lips and a pointed nose, and appeared on a whopping 89 catwalks last year, according to fashion search engine Tagwalk, outperforming her closest competitors , América González, from Venezuela, and Victoria Fawole, from Nigeria.

Hua has been chosen to walk for some of the biggest names in the industry, including Chanel, Fendi, Michael Kors, Stella McCartney and Christian Dior. She was photographed on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival and appeared in fashion editorials and advertising campaigns in Vogue and other fashion magazines.

At 24, she is the leading face of a new generation of popular Chinese models that includes He Cong, Chu Wong and Ying Ouyang — despite a death in the family this season that kept her off the runway for much of Fashion Week from Paris. So why is the industry so enamored with her, and what does her rise reflect about China’s importance to luxury fashion?

According to Margaret Zhang, editor-in-chief of Vogue China, Hua is part of a group of models who do not have the classic Han features that have defined beauty standards in China for centuries. “Yilan does not necessarily embody the traditional beauty standards revered by the Chinese public,” Zhang wrote in an email.

“What sets her apart is that she is a true chameleon”, he defines. “Any photographer or stylist can see in her a version of the woman they are seeking to convey in her work, and as a result she has not been boxed into a single aesthetic or catwalk category.”

Julia Lange, a casting director who has hired Hua since 2019 for clients including Simone Rocha and Mugler, highlighted her instincts and formidable work ethic. “You can place Yilan in the worlds of Simone Rocha and Mugler, which couldn’t be more opposite, and she fits perfectly into both because she knows exactly how to shape her face or walk while still maintaining her distinct personality and sense of humor,” she said. .

Hua was born in Hangzhou, a city of more than 10 million people known for being the home of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba. As a teenager, she was an athlete in high school with a tall, muscular build. She had never considered modeling, she said, until she attended a Victoria’s Secret fashion show in 2015.

She also wanted to travel. After moving to Shanghai in 2018 for college, she began applying to local modeling agencies. She was quickly discovered by Western companies who asked her to travel to Paris.

“It was just supposed to be a quick trip to fashion weeks during college break,” Hua said in London last month. “My first show was a Schiaparelli couture show in 2019.” She quickly became a rising face at a time when the Western luxury market’s reliance on China for sales was greater than ever.

Bundled up in a gigantic pastel puffer coat, she was smiling and funny. She said she got the behind-the-scenes nickname “Television” because she was “always talking, always on.”

“I thought I would go back to China,” she said. “But I ended up getting an exclusive global deal with Bottega Veneta and before I knew it, I had moved to Paris full time.” She still lives there with twin roommates who are also models.

“I was learning so much so quickly,” she said, “and working with so many big names, so after the pandemic hit in 2020, I stayed in Europe, even though it prevented me from being able to return home to my family and friends. .”

The onset of Covid-19 sent many Chinese models rushing back to China, where severe lockdowns and travel restrictions meant many could not travel internationally for work for several years. And today Chinese models face increasingly prohibitive travel visa restrictions. As one of the few who remained in the West — and with a better command of English than many of her peers — Hua remained accessible to Western fashion houses as the world opened up again.

“Now, I am focused on my international career, but whether Chinese models can increase their value and attractiveness at home depends on their profile on the catwalks in Milan and Paris,” she said. Fortunately, she added, despite the incessant travel, exhaustion and scooter rides between shows that give her goosebumps, she loves modeling and still feels a thrill every time she steps onto a catwalk.

Recently, she and her management team have become more selective in the brands they work with as she evaluates her next steps. The age ranges may have widened a bit in recent years, but being a catwalk model is still a short-term job. Those who resist, like Liu Wen, China’s first legitimate supermodel, are few.

“It’s about a shift from quantity to quality,” said John Bruce, Hua’s agent in London. “We might have done the inside pages, but we really need a Vogue cover. I know her team in Paris has ideas for her to work on acting.”

This season, Hua’s father passed away suddenly at the height of the show schedule. After showing at Fendi in Milan, she missed 10 days of shows to be home with her family. Upon her return to Paris, she modeled for Hermès, Stella McCartney, Mugler and Chanel.

Speaking in London days before her father’s death, Hua, an only child, recalled her parents’ support. “My mom, she saw it as an opportunity to experience life in different countries and observe different cultures, almost like studying abroad,” she said. “But my dad? My dad never really understood the fashion industry or what I do. He’s just so removed from his world.”

“But I know they’re both proud,” she said. “Being able to give that to them, especially when I’m often away, is a gift.”