Role Model: Asian Models

This is just spectacular. New York Fashion Week, which is currently in full swing, is swarmed by Asian models. Whereas in the previous seasons you'd only see one or two Asian faces, i.e. Ai Tominaga and Du Juan, Spring-Summer 2008 has a good share of them strutting in the runway.

It's always encouraging to see fresh Asian faces and this might indicate a lot of things about where fashion is going.

First, the fashion industry's aesthetic may have become more open. The bronze bombshell (read: Brazilians) or the pale, wide eyed girls (read: Eastern Europeans) are regularly interspersed with the black-haired, fierce Asian faces.

Second, it might be all about economics after all. With the rise of China as a major market in the fashion industry, the fashion houses have to try tapping the burgeoning middle and upper Chinese classes by putting more Asian models on the catwalk.

Regardless of the reasons, it's about time that the fashion world notices the beauty of Asians. This might be a passing trend, but who cares. For now, Asian models are definitely enjoying their time under the spotlight.

Here's a line-up of the Asian faces in some of the more important collections in New York FW Spring-Summer 2008. (I might get the models' names wrong sometimes though.)

In Vera Wang -- Left (L): Eugenia M.; Right (R): Han Jin.

In Philip Lim -- L: Anne Watanabe; R: Han Jin.

In Philip Lim -- L: Du Juan; R: Daul Kim.

In Philip Lim -- Unnamed model.

In Narciso Rodriguez -- Hye Park. I fucking love Hye Park especially in fashion editorials.

In Max Azria -- L and R: Han Jin

In Lela Rose -- L and R: Han Jin

In Diane von Furstenberg -- L: Du Juan; R: Han Jin

In DKNY -- Unnamed model.

And the Queen of them All: Du Juan in BadgleyMischka.

There's still lots and lots of them on several other fashion shows, but it takes a lot time to do the research and putting these pictures together.

Do watch out for more Asian faces in the coming days. Style.com has the best and most comprehensive coverage (and I got most of these pics form them). You can also check Model Couture for summaries. For photospreads and editorials, check Asian Models Blog.

Let's hope that the Asian trend is carried over in the fashion weeks of Milan and Paris (taking place in the coming days).