The glowing star power of Fei Fei Sun
Ms. Fei Fei Sun was the first ever model of East Asian descent to grace a solo Vogue Italia cover. Click to enlarge.
Dear friends,
As you know, China has a very vast and deep history spanning thousands of years. This, in turn, developed into an incredibly rich culture; when Europe was still in the Middle Ages, China was already highly advanced in medicine, philosophy, science, engineering, astronomy, religion and architecture, to name a few. At the very top of society were, of course, the Chinese Emperors who lived in the Forbidden City. As grand as the European palaces may have been, there is no way they could have ever competed with the scale, grandeur and intricacies of the Forbidden City. Not only was daily life in the Forbidden City very sophisticated and luxurious, but it was also the seat of the government and thus the birthplace of laws governing the entire nation, mandated by powerful rulers like the Emperor Kangxi who was highly literate and promoted modern and progressive ideas like religious tolerance.
Ms. Sun on the April 2019 cover of Vogue China. Click to enlarge
Domestically, China was (and still is) extremely powerful but internationally, China has also been very influential. If you look at Japan and Korea, for example, you will see that China has influenced their language, their writing and script, their architecture, their food, their style of dress and all that. So China has had a huge, huge impact in the region and the vastness of her influence cannot be understated.
Due to misconceptions however, of Eastern lifestyles and cultures, it has taken many decades for the West to develop an appreciation of Oriental traditions. Most people’s understanding of China continues to come from perhaps biased reporting in Western media; even today, you don’t see many Chinese names appearing as leads in Hollywood blockbusters or being reported in a positive fashion. So to succeed as a Chinese internationally, there are still hurdles to overcome and therefore I definitely enjoy reading about people who break these barriers and pave the way for others, like the haute couture designer Guo Pei or the Hollywood legend Anna May Wong who started this trend many decades ago. Perhaps it was not their intention to become a role model in this way but the truth is every time an Asian person succeeds internationally, it becomes slightly easier for future generations to come because their success helps change society’s perceptions about what the East and Asians are capable of.
Ms. Sun posing in Vogue Italia. Click to enlarge
One such person I would like to introduce you to is a supermodel by the name of Fei Fei Sun, or Sun Feifei as she is known in China. It is wonderful to see Chinese excelling all over the world, not just in areas like business, food and commerce but now we can also see them excelling in the arts, music and even modelling. Ms. Sun is based in New York and as you can see from the photographs below, she’s really at the top and modelling at an international level for 10 years now, for brands like Alexander Wang, Prada, Christian Dior, Chanel and many more. To be honest, I’m not surprised and I can see why designers would like her because although she has a very striking look that is obviously Chinese, she is also versatile and has a quality that reminds me of a superstar like Elizabeth Taylor.
VOGUE ITALIA: Behind the Scenes
Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/FeiFeiSun-1.mp4
Personally, I have not much interest in the fashion industry. Fashion trends will change and definitely beauty will fade; we all grow old, we all become sick and we will all pass, those are universal truths that compelled Prince Siddhartha to seek a path out of suffering, ultimately leading to his enlightenment as the Buddha Shakyamuni. Instead of focusing on impermanent objects like beauty and fashion, what’s important is developing the mind and gaining attainments that we can take with us into our next lives. So why share Ms. Fei Fei Sun’s story? Because when we learn more about each other, when we recognise that talent and beauty exists in other communities, and we gain a deeper appreciation for other races and cultures, it helps us to become more tolerant of differences, which ultimately creates a more harmonious and peaceful society. I have often said that that’s the secret to Malaysia’s success in developing a peaceful society, which is exposure from a young age to other races, cultures, lifestyles and ways of worship. I hope more people will come to know about Ms. Sun, and I wish her the best of luck in her career. May she continue overcoming barriers and continue contributing to the normalising of Asian success and talent in the wider world.
Tsem Rinpoche
I recently wrote about another extremely talented Chinese lady by the name of Guo Pei, who is a widely-respected haute couture designer: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/?p=191239
There are many misconceptions about the Chinese, which the Western world is only just starting to find out about. Mr. Martin Jacques previously gave a short but very interesting talk about it here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/?p=83742
Fei Fei Sun, a Chinese supermodel based in New York.
INTRODUCTION
Sun Feifei (Chinese: 孙菲菲; born March 20, 1989), commonly known as Fei Fei Sun, is a Chinese supermodel based in New York City. She is ranked as the New Supers by models.com. Top casting director Ashley Brokaw proclaimed Fei Fei as “an exceptional beauty.” She is a spokesmodel of cosmetic giant Estée Lauder.
EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION
Sun was born in Weifang, Shandong, China. She was scouted and briefly trained to model as a teenager, but did not start modeling professionally until she graduated from high school. Sun attended Suzhou University, majoring in fashion design.
CAREER AND SUCCESS
Sun started her modeling career in 2008 when she represented China in Elite Model Look, one of the world’s most influential modeling contests. She won the championship in China and eventually won the third prize internationally. She made her international runway debut during London Fashion Week in February 2010, walking for Christopher Kane. In December 2009, she was handpicked by Karl Lagerfeld to walk Chanel’s Paris-Shanghai fashion show. Since then, Sun has appeared on the runway of Jil Sander, Dries Van Noten, Céline, Hermès, Miu Miu, Prada, Valentino, Christian Dior and many others.
Ms. Sun in a campaign for Prada. Click to enlarge.
In January 2011, Sun appeared in the Vogue Italia editorial, The Power of Glamour, shot by Steven Meisel. Later, Meisel also enlisted her for editorials in other major magazines, including Vogue US, V, W and others. In January 2013, Sun became the first model of East Asian descent to grace a solo Vogue Italia cover. In 2014, she was featured alongside 8 other models on the cover of the September issue of American Vogue, becoming the first East Asian model on the fold cover of American Vogue. She has also been the cover girl of Vogue China, Vogue Japan and i-D and has appeared in editorials of Vogue Paris, British Vogue, Vogue (USA) among others.
Sun’s first major campaign was Dsquared2 Spring/Summer 2011. Since then, she has also been the face of Prada, Louis Vuitton, Lane Crawford, Calvin Klein’s cK one, Chanel Beauty, Giorgio Armani Beauty (3 seasons continuously), CK Calvin Klein beauty, Barneys New York, Diesel, DKNY Be Delicious fragrance, H&M, Prada and most recently Christian Dior and Chanel Watches. In spring 2012, Sun became the first Asian face of Italian brand Valentino.
As of September 12, 2014, Sun is ranked on the Top 50 Models Women List by models.com.
Click to enlarge
She made a second appearance on the cover of Vogue Italia September 2014 edition and also made history as the first East Asian model to appear on the fold cover of American Vogue for the September issue 2014. She continues to appear regularly on some of the most highly selective runways in the industry: Alexander Wang, Prada, Valentino, Jil Sander, Christian Dior, Balenciaga, Givenchy, Chanel and many more.
In June 2015, Fei Fei made a third appearance on the cover of Vogue Italia.
Fei Fei Sun on the cover of Vogue Nippon (Japan). Click to enlarge
In 2016, Models.com moved out of the top 50 Models ranking and became Industry Icon – a status reserves only for models with high impact and longevity in the industry.
She once again fronted Valentino spring 2017 advertising campaign in addition to campaigns by Theory, Tory Burch and Massimo Dutti.
In 2017, Models.com took Fei Fei out of the Industry Icons List and put her on the New Supers and Money Girl List, solidifying her as one of the top faces in modeling.
In June 2018, Fei Fei graced the cover of Allure magazine, along with Fernanda Ly and Soo Joo Park.
In 2019, Fei Fei made her appearance on the debut cover of Vogue Hong Kong.
ACHIEVEMENTS
She was selected as the face for Chanel Beauty, Calvin Klein cosmetics, Giorgio Armani beauty and Dolce and Gabbana skincare.
In 2013 she became the first Asian model to front a solo cover for Vogue Italia’s January issue.
She was the first Asian model to front Valentino campaign.
In 2017 she became the face of cosmetic giant Estée Lauder.
Achieved The New Super status per Models.com
PERSONAL LIFE
In 2007 Sun started dating Liang Zi (亮子), a photographer. In 2017, Sun married Liang Zi.
Sun is a close friend of Xiao Wen Ju, Liu Wen and Vanessa Axente.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fei_Fei_Sun
More videos and photos
of the stunning Ms. Fei Fei Sun
VOGUE CHINA: Behind the Scenes
Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/FeiFeiSun-2.mp4
Fei Fei Sun on the runway
Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/FeiFeiSun-3.mp4
Ms. Sun poses for Vogue Italia. Click to enlarge
Ms. Sun poses for Vogue Italia. Click to enlarge
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The movie Crazy Rich Asians, was also a turning point for Western based Chinese actors and actresses, who used to play secondary roles in movies. Many of the US based actors and actresses felt strongly that movie was a major turning point.
Fei Fei Sun a talented Chinese supermodel made China proud. She has outstanding looks and with hardwork and effort that makes her a successful top model. Very inspiring write up about Fei Fei Sun .Thank you very much Rinpoche and blog team for this inspiring sharing! Love her beautiful pictures.????????
Wow…..Fei Fei Sun a talented Chinese supermodel made China proud. For a Chinese model standing tall among the western model is hard to find. Based in New York City, she is ranked as the New Supers by models.com. She is a spokesmodel of cosmetic giant Estée, Alexander Wang, Prada, Christian Dior, Chanel and many more. She also made history as the first East Asian model to appear on the fold cover of American Vogue for the September issue 2014.
Chinese supermodel Sun Feifei poses for the fashion magazine. Chinese supermodel Sun Feifei walks the runway at the Salvatore Ferragamo show during Milan Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2019 o Chinese model Fei Fei Sun has fronted international campaigns for a host of high profile luxury labels such as Louis Vuitton , Chanel Watches, . She’s the latest face of Estée Lauder, joining the ranks of brand spokesmodels
Thank you Rinpoche for this sharing.