Draped in faux fur and dripping with diamonds, the Angels of the Victoria’s Secret once again heated up the runway in their annual holiday fashion show. But this show marked a first for the lingerie empire, which flaunted its first Asian model on this year’s runway.
The newest addition to the Victoria’s Secret dynasty, Liu Wen, was chosen by Victoria’s Secret at a regular model casting call. The 21-one-year old Chinese beauty first entered the modeling world on a whim, when she submitted her photos for a modeling contest in the hope of winning the prize of a laptop computer.
While fellow Victoria’s Secret model Jarah Mariano, who is of Chinese, Hawaiian, and Korean descent, became the first Asian model featured in the catalogue, Wen had the honors of being the first to strut her stuff on the runway. The annual show, which was taped in November, was broadcasted on December 1 on CBS.
“I was surprised when my agent told me,” Wen told CNN International. “I asked my agent if she was joking. I didn’t think an Asian girl would get this job.”
Wen, who was born in China’s Hunan province, graced the covers of Chinese editions of popular magazines such as FHM, Marie Claire, and Elle. Following her success in China, she branched out to runway work in shows by Anna Sui, Dolce & Gabbana, Alexander McQueen, Chloe, and Lanvin.
While fashion shows have featured more non-white models lately, many still lack a good amount of diversity. According to Now Public, only 18 percent of the models at New York Fashion Week are non-white.
If you missed Tuesday’s broadcast of the Angels, you can catch it on the CW on December 9. But first, hear what Wen has to say about the show here!
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Show/hide comment form