Spur Magazine July 2010 interview: Fei Fei Sun by Wayne Sterling

Wayne Sterling of Models.Com and TheImagist.com interviewed Fei Fei Sun for Spur Magazine on April 26, 2010.



It started as a glimmer when Fei Fei a 20 year old fashion student from China came ambling down the Jil Sander FW 10 runway . Because of her presence and her poise in that engagement, instantly the queries started to pour in as to who this sensational new find ,might be. Casting directors found themselves cross-comparing notes, a rare occurrence in a modeling world marked by an overflow of too many new faces at the same time. By the time the dust settled in Paris, Fei Fei had marched down the catwalk for the likes of luxury brands like Celine, Miu Miu and Hermes signaling just how unique a beauty she was. The feedback from the fittings and the go-sees was that Fei Fei was a rare proposition offering a new look that was so distinct and editorial you could sense that her success was not a fad but rather the first steps in what could be a truly breakthrough career. Spur caught with this fascinating newcomer in her first week in New York. We found that all the advance buzz about Fei Fei's intelligence, grace, humor and humility were all totally true. What we found most touching was her determination to share her wonderful new experiences with her classmates back in her Shanghai University. That is the mark of a truly sensitive spirit, the feature that will render Fei Fei a very memorable model for a long time to come.

Wayne Sterling: Where in China are you from Fei Fei?
Fei Fei Sun: I'm from a small town near to Shanghai. I model in Shanghai though.

WS Your agent tells me you studied fashion at your University.
FF. Yes I was studying clothing design and there was a little bit of modeling to that.At Suzhou University they allow you to study just about anything. Taking photographs…modeling…clothing design…or singing…playing the piano…You could study anything at my school.

WS: What did you use as your reference for learning about international modeling world from China?
FF: As you know I have many friends and they are starting out as clothing designers. We talk among each other about the Fashion Weeks in New York, London, Milan, Paris so everyday we would check models.com and style.com and look at the pictures of the shows and the backstage. We also would buy the magazines like Vogue and Elle in China. We'd buy foreign books too like ID and Pop. My school in Shanghai is a very good university . When you finish your high school and are trying to get into the university…my university..the entry requirement is very high. You have to study hard to get into that university so my friends…everyone there is very bright (laughs)

WS:Does China has a main fashion city?
FF: In China Shanghai and Bejing is like New York vs Paris. Shanghai is the New York and Beijing is more like Paris. It is very different. I chose Shanghai because my university is near Shanghai and for modeling every day I have castings and jobs there. So I told my school I wanted to give international modeling a try so I could travel and see everywhere. This is my first time ever in New York and so was London, Milan , Paris so everything to me is new.

WS: How does New York strike you as a first time experience?
FF: My friends told me that New York was going to be a lot like Shanghai but I think New York is better. I love my agency. Everyone here is friendly to me. Once I had some rest I started just walking everywhere in New York. I went to Times Square because my friends told me if you come to New York, you must go to Times Square.

WS: Are there lots of young girls in China deeply into fashion?
FF: It is different than the way it is in Europe. Girls are in school and the teachers don't like young girls in China to wear in make-up. Maybe Saturdays and Sundays. But Monday to Friday you wear your school clothes.

WS: Do you think you're going to be famous in China?
FF: In China the Market Directors always come to the shows in Milan and Paris.. When the fashion editors see me in the shows they stop me after the show to say congratulations. It is my first time in Europe. I'm a new face there. My friends and the fashion editors are very supportive because sometimes it is hard to get into those shows when you are a Chinese girl. Maybe 1 or 2 shows would be good.

WS: But not so many top shows in your first season was amazing! Are there Chinese designers becoming big stars at home?
FF: Shanghai and Bejing both have Fashion Weeks. The time is March to May. Do you know Qiu Hao? . Foreign people call him Hao Qui. He started in London at St Martins . In China the Fashion Week is not like Paris or New York. The Fashion Week has many clothing designers showing and many Chinese models.

WS: It means it is a growing market.How was experiencing Europe for the first time?
FF: I liked it . During the day you had many to things to do and you had very little free time. I got to see many famous models. Many super girls and Top Models.

WS: And now you're one of them (laughs)
FF: It was very interesting the Fashion Week. When I first came to London, I thought…wow ..this is really different. I didn't know where to go…where to buy clothes…what area I was in. But the people in London were very friendly and when you were standing there and you don't know where to go , maybe some people would say "Do you need some help?" .The city of Paris is very beautiful. Fashion Week in Paris is very busy. Everyday it was fittings till very late , maybe until midnight. But my driver was so friendly and he would tell me what the name of the famous buildings were. He cared for me especially at lunch time and dinner time. After Fashion Week I went back to Shanghai and told my friends that the people were really kind and I didn't feel lonely.

WS: Were there any specific shows where you thought "Wow..these clothes are so beautiful"
FF: Every fashion show I go to is a new one for me. For me all the clothes were a surprise. I enjoyed all the designers. They were different. Different people had a different style. You could see their personality in the clothes they made.

WS: You said it so perfectly. Are you going back to university soon?
FF: Modeling is the first thing now but school will always be important too. In school you can learn a lot of different things. Your friends and you are all growing together. When I am finished modeling I will go back to school to study to be a clothing designer.

WS: What if the modeling is for a long time like 10 years?
FF: I hope I can do this for a long time. I love shooting and the shows and meeting different people. I'm trying my best to do it for a long time.

WS: The longer you work in New York and Europe the more famous you'll become in China.
FF: That would be fun but I was not modeling just to be famous. I was doing it just because I like it. I don't know how to say…I like modeling not because I want people to know me but because I enjoy it and it helps to learn so many new things.

WS: Well I adored speaking with you Fei Fei . I think you are so beautiful and you have the spirit to match it. Thank you for talking time out for Spur.
FF: Thank you it was very nice to meet you!

Spur Magazine Interview: Rianne ten Haken + Wayne Sterling

Wayne Sterling of The Imagist & Models.Com interviewed Rianne ten Haken for Spur Magazine at Women NYC on November 17,2009 :



Rianne Ten Haken, the 23 year old Dutch beauty currently igniting a major buzz in the fashion industry is the interesting case of a girl whose career started immediately from the top. In her very first season in September of 2003 Rianne opened the SS 2004 Marc Jacobs show on the recommendation of the show's power stylist Venecia Scott. Immediately there was a bidding war with Versace quickly nabbing the fresh faced newcomer to be the face of the label for Spring 2004. Italian Vogue and Numero covers followed quickly as well as assignments for Chanel. All seemed aligned to assure that the luscious beauty of Rianne was to follow the path of the traditional supermodel. But suddenly work slowed to a trickle even though her perfect proportions kept earning Rianne sporadic runway gigs like a cameo on the Vuitton Spring 2008 "Nurse" intro where she walked in the section of the show reserved for icons like Naomi Campbell and Claudia Schiffer. It was interesting then when Miss Ten Haken re-entered the Steven Meisel orbit in 2009 with back to back covers of Vogue Italia (Oct and Nov) proving that this powerfully glamorous girl has serious staying power with some of the most demanding photographers and designers in the business. Already the leverage of those two covers have earned Rianne a massive Only Girl story in Self-Service magazine as well as an interesting conversation about the return of image of strong women in magazine editorials. In her first post-comeback interview, Rianne sat down with Spur to explain what she had been doing in her "off duty" years, her views on femininity and sexuality in fashion and her thoughts on the increasingly fast turn over on new models. This was her strong perspective.

WS: Two Italian Vogue covers later everybody 's buzzing about you Rianne. You took a little time off. Tell us what you were doing during that off duty phase
RTH:
I was still working. I was doing some commercial work. I was living in Europe having a nice life…finishing my school and you know just enjoying the moment …not anything major but just going on with my life

WS: What were you studying in school?
RTH: It was business school which was a little bit boring but I had to get it out of the way. I'm done with school. I graduated in July . I'm enjoying the moment right now of not doing anything. I'm finally having the time to read the books that I want to read. And not always having that weight on your shoulders of having to do assignments

WS: What made you decide to come back to NY and plunge back into the industry?
RTH: I was living in Paris for 3 years. it was beautiful city and a beautiful life but at certain point you had done everything you can in Europe and you're ready for a change again. Because I used to live here in New York so I was kind of missing New York so I decided to give it another shot. It is such an easy city to live and the energy and the people make you feel like everything is possible.

WS:As opposed to Paris…
RTH: Paris is a little bit more mellow . It is definitely a better quality of life in some ways but if you want to work and make the most of your career you definitely have to come back to New York.

WS: Upon coming back did you find things different or essentially the same
RTH: I think you grow up and you look at it in a different way. Whereas when you were younger you just don't really know what's going on you just run around and people tell you to go here and go there and you just do it. I guess now that I have more life experience ..you form your own personality.. so you look at it in different way and you're not the youngest one anymore. That is what has really changed. People are not any more like "Oh you're a baby!" But you appreciate it more. You realize how lucky you are. You know who people are . The first season I came here I was like…Marc who? You have no idea who people are ..you don't understand the politics of the game . Now is better

WS: Do you feel like things in fashion are moving faster?
RTH: Well definitely. If I only look model-wise, I think in the last 3 or 4 years so many models pass through it . After 1 or 2 seasons of fame you never hear from them again. Whereas when I started I felt like there were more girls who were around for a longer period of time. Today you're big for one or two or three seasons and also I find the look of the models to be very different. Before it was more of a classic beauty whereas today it is like the girls look alike. Longish hair, pale skin. They work together on the runway. If you look at the fashion shows there is not much individuality.

WS: Speaking of individuality…your hair...
RTH: I know..I'm standing out. You couldn't miss me. After the Italian Vogue cover came out I thought let me just wait and see what the response is. We can always go back to a different color.

WS: Off duty from modeling what's fun for you?
RTH: I' m very much a homebody. I have very really beautiful house in Holland so I like to do some work on it in Holland. I like to read. I like to be in nature. I grew up no farm so I like to be outside. I like going out to dinners and to the movies. Music wise I like tacky 80's music.

WS: What would you say your career goals right now are
RTH: My goal is just about sticking around as long as I can. It is hard now to set certain goals to tell yourself like… I want to be on the cover of Vogue Paris. It is not up to you no matter how beautiful you are or how great a personality you have. I just take it as it comes and I hope I can do some great work still.

WS: There's a big surge of girls from Holland right now...
RTH: There is! There's Mirte… Patricia…I don't know all of them because they're really young girls . I think there's always a trend going on. There was the Russians for a while…the same thing for the Brazilians. There was a time when the Belgian girls were really hot.

WS:What quality would you say best describes a cool Dutch girl?
RTH: I think that if you look at Holland as a country you find that life is good there so models from Holland tend to be more laid back and relaxed because they know they can always go back to a stable life. So girls take modeling as something to enjoy as opposed to coming from a really poor country. There's a tradition of putting things in perspective. In Holland no-one asks me if I'm a model or what labels I'm wearing.

WS: There's something to be said also for a woman looking like woman in fashion shoot. How do you feel about this?
RTH: I also think it is different from what I remember from the past. I think it is different from the past three years in that the girls are very child-like. If you really look a woman then fashion is not so interested. People are very afraid of sexuality in the fashion industry. French magazines like Self-Service don't mind a very beautiful woman. But I think some people feel like it takes the focus off the clothes. Which is why people like the girls who are more like anonymous clothes hangers as opposed to attracting attention in and of themselves.

WS: Could you see yourself as being a star in the supermodel mould?
RTH:I don't think you can choose to be that . If it happens it happens but it is difficult to be in that position because nobody tells you the truth anymore. People just want to be your friend at any cost. Being a public figure is very difficult because you live under a microscope. Everything you say or do is being judged a million different ways. I love being able to go back to Holland and having my two feet on the ground.

WS: Well thank you so much Rianne for sharing your interesting perspective on the industry.
RTH: Thank you so much Wayne!