Backstage Sunshine

Liu Wen

Born: January 27, 1988
From: Yongzhou, Hunan province, China
Stands: 5'10.5" ; 179cm
Size: 31.5-23.5-34.5
1st Season: F/W 2008 New York

"Like any new grad setting out into the world, money was tight after high school, Liu Wen wanted a laptop, and to get the money she made a decision that would change her life forever.

A friend suggested she try the 2005 New Silk Road World Model Contest, whose first-place prize money would more than pay for her computer. She had no experience, just a tall, lean frame and phenomenal bone structure. Liu lost but caught the eye of model scouts.

Liu Wen soon started appearing in the Chinese editions of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, garnering her first cover just months after beginning her career (almost unheard of in that credential-obsessed industry).

Big time Parisian modeling agency Marilyn took notice and signed the budding star in 2008. Karl Lagerfeld, Louis Vuitton, Chanel -- the titans of the fashion industry all employed Liu Wen to wear their 2008 collections. And while she toured global runways, she became a superstar in her native China.
She continues to work a hectic schedule, with magazine spreads, fashion shows and a burgeoning collection of endorsements from bottled water to perfume. She’s defied the odds her entire career, and is now reaping the rewards." - AskMen.com (can you believe it?!)

photos: style.com