SS17’s most-wanted accessories are anything but shrinking violets. Supermodel Sui He highlights the hero buys and tells Cat Tsang about her favorite fashion things.
As the first Chinese model to open a Ralph Lauren show or front a Shiseido campaign, and one of just four Chinese models to ever walk the coveted Victoria’s Secret runway, Sui He has more than earned her ‘super’ prefix – one of only a handful of East Asian models to have done so. Over the course of a decade, the 27-year-old has enjoyed a trailblazing rise to the top, gaining fame, wealth and global admiration of her cheekbones on the way – along with an insatiable love of shoes, bags and a serious skincare habit. Here, she shares a few of her favorite things…
“I Have Too Many Bags And Shoes, and I buy more every month. My last purchase was two days ago, a vintage Ferragamo bag. It was a special edition, it’s four decades old, and they don’t produce it anymore. I saw it four or five years ago and I asked my friend where I could buy it and she said you can’t, it’s vintage. Then I saw it a few days ago in Milan and I had to buy it straightaway; I couldn’t lose it again. Now I want to buy the Sacai bag from The Edit’s shoot [page 26] – I really love tassels on anything.”
“I’m A Sneaker And Sandal Girl – I love Gucci’s new gold sandals. I’m tall so I don’t like to walk in heels, I usually only wear them for red-carpet events. But this season, I also like the gold Prada shoes with the small heel… A little one is fine.”
“I Wear Simple, Casual Clothes Every Day. But Dolce & Gabbana’s pineapple earrings [page 28] are so cute – I’d wear them with a sweater and jeans. I also love the jade green Oscar de la Renta tassel earrings – that’s my favorite color. If I see a bag or shoes in any shade, I’ll ask if it also comes in green. A few years ago, everything I wore was black, white or gray, but now I’m getting more colorful.”
“There Was A Red Coat in Raf Simons’ last collection for Jil Sander, in February 2012. When I first saw that coat on the runway, I said, ‘That’s my coat.’ I was in New York for fashion week so I looked everywhere for it, and I found the very last one in the store. I still really love it, but I don’t wear it very often because it’s too beautiful – and I don’t want to make people jealous!”
“I Have Really High Standards about my bed sheets. I have lots of requirements for the quality and the feel, because they are the closest thing to my body every day. The best kind are silk. I travel so much that I don’t get to sleep in my own bed very often, so that makes me love my sheets even more.”
“Asian Women Take Skincare Very Seriously. I really care about keeping my skin out of the sun, so I use moisturizer with Spf, then I put suncare on top. I also have a two-step cleansing routine: cleansing oil first, then a toner. The brand I use is Clé de Peau Beauté, which is Japanese. I don’t usually try new beauty brands; I prefer older names that have built up their reputations.”
“My First Year Of Being A Model was 2007, and I walked in the Fendi show in China, at the Great Wall. Karl Lagerfeld was the designer, but I didn’t even know who he was. I only realized just before the show how important he was and how amazing the show was. Luckily, it didn’t make me nervous, because the stairs of the Great Wall are huge, so when they walked along the wall, many models fell.”
“One Of My Favorite Designers is Ralph Lauren; it’s a very elegant brand. I’ve walked for Ralph Lauren a few times; in my very first New York fashion week, I opened the show. I loved the brand before I walked in it, but I had no money to buy it. After that, my life and my career changed so much. It helped me a lot.”
“I Love Carine Roitfeld. I love her styling, for other people and for herself. I’ve worked with her a few times and I really like her personality, her work attitude and how professional she is on set. Her passion really influences everyone around her. When I shot with her, I felt more and more passionate about my own work. That kind of passion is infectious; it influences everyone. Carine is at the very top of her career, but at work she is very considerate about every detail and to each person on set. She’s a great leader.”
“My Favorite Place In The World is the beach – any beach I can get to. Anywhere with sunshine, actually; I really don’t like being cold. I went to Thailand in December, just after the Victoria’s Secret show. It was freezing in Paris [where the show was], and also freezing in China [Beijing, where He lives]. So, after the show, since I had some time to relax, I picked a place that was sunny. I went with a big group of girlfriends and stayed by the sea for five days. That was all I could take off work!”
“The Lead Up To The Victoria’s Secret Show is very intense. I’m not that strict with my diet, but I do cut out rice and noodles. No carbohydrates but lots of protein: beef and fish, seafood and vegetables. I don’t exercise every day; usually three to four times a week, with my personal trainer in Beijing. I love boxing but my wrists get too sore, so I can’t do too much.”
“I Have Three Pieces Of Advice for models who are just beginning their career: 1) be confident; 2) be professional; and 3) study. Each time you go on a shoot or a campaign or an event, you have to think about the style, the mood, your positions. A lot of the new models don’t know how to shoot; they'll just stand there and the photographer will say jump or put your hands up or something. Don’t take time learning on the job; take time before the job. You have to study at home and you have to be prepared.”
“I Read While I’M At Home and traveling on planes. When you’re flying is the most efficient way of reading: no messages, no phone calls; you can focus. Right now, I’m reading 100 Years of Solitude – even the name is long. Last month I had a dream that my friend gave me the book and told me I had to read it because there was a message in it they wanted to tell me, and that’s why I started reading it. I haven’t got the message yet, but I’m not finished.”
“I Travel So Much but I don’t care about what city I’m in, I only care about the people I’m with. I try to sightsee if I can, but I’m not a person who can plan for any trip. If I have time and if I’m near something [interesting to see], I’ll just go there. I do like to shop when I’m traveling, though; I buy souvenirs like keychains, candles and fragrance things for my home. And then I have a bit of that city as a memory.”
