"The Independent" special issue cover
CHINA SPECIAL
The Hot List:China's cultural movers and shakers
By Michael White
Saturday, 10 May 2008
The model
Du Juan
In the recent rumpus about supposed prejudice among fashion labels against black models, there was little mention of those hailing from China. When did a Chinese model last grace the cover of, say, French Vogue? Well, it was back in October 2005 but even then it was to front a Shanghai special (and the model played second-fiddle to the Australian Gemma Ward). Still, if you were going to bet on one Chinese model cutting through the "silk curtain", it would be Ward's co-poser, Du Juan. The willowy, Shanghai-born former ballerina first walked down a catwalk five years ago, when her towering height – she's 5ft 11ins – lead her from the barre to the runway as friends persuaded her to enter a national modelling contest. She won, and by 2006, Style.com (the online home of Vogue) had declared her one of the Top 10 models to watch. Du's CV now reads like a fashionista's Most Wanted list, boasting shoots with the likes of Mario Testino and Juergen Teller, and runway appearances for Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurent, Roberto Cavalli and Hermès. Du Juan, now 25, also fronts international campaigns for the likes of Gap and Benetton.
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