Round face plate, small eyes, thick lips... Lu Yan is far from the standard of beauty in the traditional sense.
But at the age of 20, she subverted beauty and became the first Chinese supermodel to go global, writing a legendary experience.
Today, at the age of 40, she stepped off the runway to run a personal clothing brand and began to shape beauty.
How is beauty defined?
Perhaps just like the famous saying, "A thousand people have a thousand Hamlets in their hearts", the beauty that belongs to Lu Yan is transmitted to the world by her own story.
01, a life of serendipity
Born in a small mountain village in Jiangxi, Lü Yan was treated as a treasure by her parents since she was a child, even if there were 5 people in the family who had difficulties.
But he still took good care of her, and he was full of happiness in his childhood.
"Back when I was young, when I was really not particularly unhappy, it was difficult to remember what I was forced to go to school, I was the kind of student who was more than inferior, and my parents didn't care much about me."
But as a child, Lu Yan always felt inferior because of her tall figure;
"You must bow your back to appear shorter to fit in with everyone", in the long run, her figure has become "like a big shrimp rice".
In order to correct the manners, Lu Yan signed up for a ballet class, "practicing form, standing straight, some ballet movements, legs, splitting a word."
During this period, she accidentally got an opportunity to go to Beijing to perform and compete.
"If someone gets a train ticket and has a place to live, why not go to Beijing?" With that in mind, she set off.
No one would have thought that a simple life would change dramatically as a result.
At the scene of the competition, Lu Yan met Meng Guangmei, because of a simple encouragement: "You should go abroad, you should stay in Beijing", she resolutely stayed and began to walk the catwalk for a living.
The turning point of fate was a catwalk in a café.
"At that time, I met an editor of Modern Costume, and he saw my performance and thought I was quite special. Say you can come to our magazine? I came to meet two people, and then I went and met Li Dongtian and Feng Hai. ”
"Li Dongtian was the first Chinese to praise me beautifully."
At that time, stylist Li Dongtian and photographer Feng Hai were already well-known in the fashion circle, and as soon as they saw Lu Yan as a treasure, Li Dongtian couldn't help but get started.
"Just touch my face, shoot on top of me, what am I going to do?"
The cooperation also began naturally, without prior discussion, Lu Yan's face was smeared with baby oil and many freckles.
"I didn't understand the fashion industry at the time. I said, shouldn't it be beautiful? But they also feel that they are the top people in China, and there must be their reason for doing so. ”
What she did not expect was that this group of "freckled lilies" shapes shocked the fashion industry.
02, the ugly duckling in reality, but the darling of the fashion circle
At that time, there was a huge billboard on Wangfujing Street, on which there was a set of posters of Lü Yan, many people could not understand, Beijingers said, "Is this the treatment of birds?" Freckles all over the face. ”
But when others are still obsessed with the question of whether she is beautiful or ugly, the French fashion circle and hollywood directors have successively thrown olive branches to her.
Walking on the streets of France for the first time, Lu Yan had a sense of dreamlikeness;
"Every day is full of hope. Because you can't understand what others say, others like you and don't like you, and you don't understand what you want. Anyway, the company gives you a dozen interviews every day, and you just go. ”
Carrying a pair of high heels every day, carrying a quick translation, a timetable and a model book of his own, he walked back and forth in the subway.
"Maybe 100 interviews in two weeks, and you don't have any face, and that's a big blow to self-confidence." Because you're not just a model, the best models in the world are there.
You think you're good, but there are more people than you're good, and sometimes you have to overcome self-doubt. ”
Although it all started from scratch, she was lucky, or rather, did not hesitate to seize the opportunity when reaching out to her.
Because of her strong psychology and self-confidence, as well as her extremely oriental beauty, it attracted the attention of the fashion magazine VOGUE after a period of time;
This has entered the Parisian fashion circle, and I have to say that Lu Yan is a natural model.
In 2001, she was invited to appear on CCTV for interviews on several programs.
Since then, Lu Yan has stepped onto the stage of various countries, such as Milan, Japan, Paris and other model stages, all of which have her figure and gained a large number of fans.
Slowly, Lu Yan can also say some simple words, make a lot of friends, and emerge in the Paris fashion circle.
In addition to being a model, Lu Yan also made a cameo appearance as an actor and was addicted to being an actor.
On January 19, 2007, Lu Yan co-starred in the Sino-US co-production love movie "Veil" with Naomi Watts and Edward Norton, which received a good response.
On February 11, 2010, he co-starred in the love movie "Love in the City" with Jing Bairan and Angelababy.
On November 5, he co-starred with Liu Ye and Yao Chen in the workplace romantic comedy "Love Outstanding".
On April 17, 2011, he served as the final judge of the "T-GIRL Fashion Star Program Model Selection Competition".
On September 29, 2012, together with Sun Li and Chen Shu, he was invited to attend the show of Dior at the Paris Spring/Summer Fashion Week. On October 4, he and Shang Wenjie attended the MASHAMA show.
A series of experiences have proved to everyone that she, Lu Yan, is a real powerful "swan".
Even though the controversy over her appearance has always been there, "Foreigners are ugly Asians looking for such ugly models!" ”
"She's really ugly, I can't understand the foreign aesthetic!"
She can still look at the controversies with a smile.
"In fact, for foreigners, whether you are Chinese, Japanese or Korean, they can't tell at all." They like me because of my personality and I'm very good at blending in with them. ”
More valuable than beauty is personality, and unique beauty is irreplaceable!
Her way of dealing with love is also very personal, Lu Yan is love at first sight for her husband, she did not hesitate for a moment, and immediately began to pursue.
Such a brave and attractive oriental woman, who can refuse?
So I successfully harvested love. After marriage, they gave birth to a lovely mixed-race son, and the family of three has settled in China for many years.
Although the couple also has cultural and customary differences, they basically tolerate and humble each other.
For example, at dinner time, the husband used to eat at nine o'clock in the evening, and the two took care of their sons to wash and sleep, and then went out to eat together, "This habit has been maintained for more than ten years." ”
When I met Lu Yan's friends at six or seven o'clock dinner, although her husband was not adaptable, he would also accompany him intimately.
As for the education of her children, Lu Yan said that she listened to her husband, "Dad's interests and hobbies are also more than mine, and I hope that my son will be like his father, but I will teach him in life." ”
03, jump out of the comfort zone to engage in design
In 2010, Lu Yan, who was in her tenth year in the industry, chose to create another battlefield - to return to China as a designer, "I wonder if I can do something that I like and can control." ”
With her experience as a magazine editor, stylist, and planning events, she feels that creating her own brand, "how to do shows, modeling, collocation, filming, all of which I know very well;
But I don't know anything about design, retail, supply chain. I think there is a part that I understand, and I can learn some new things, and maybe this is the best choice."
But when Lu Yan proposed this idea, all the relatives and friends around her unanimously opposed it.
"They all advised me not to jump into this fire pit." But I have a belief in my heart that I must do it, and I must do it well. Even if I don't succeed, I'll make a splash. ”
With the spirit of ignorance and fearlessness, three years later Lu Yan founded her own brand, Comme Moi.
Translated as like me: "like me" or "like me".
At the beginning of the business, there were only three people in the studio, and everything had to be done by Lu Yan herself, going to the fabric factory and mediating with the workers, driving to the buyer's shop to deliver...
At first, it was physically tired, and then gradually evolved into mental fatigue.
"After two years of doing it, the accounts were not clear, and the loss was a mess; in two years, I found that legal affairs were very important, Fought lawsuits with people, learned to register patents well, and protected my trademarks; until today, I found that management is the most difficult."
Different periods have different difficulties, although the outside world seems that Lu Yan has been smooth sailing, only she herself knows how anxious and lost the process is, and wants to give up countless times.
"I feel that my company is not doing well, my clothes look ugly, my ability is not good, I have reached the ceiling, and I can't take the team down."
But as long as you rush through the bottleneck period and look back, it seems that it is not so difficult.
In fact, this stage of stagnation is self-learning and self-renewal. Because your ignorance and fearlessness come at a price, you can only learn things and take a step forward on your own in the process of falling down and doing the wrong thing. ”
04, the life of your own helm
Emerson said that self-confidence is the first secret of success.
In fact, everyone has his unique advantages and disadvantages, Lu Yan can do to play to his strengths and avoid his weaknesses, plus some opportunities and good luck bonuses, it is difficult to succeed!
In April, Lu Yan held her own personal brand "Autumn and Winter" in Shanghai, and many friends in the circle came to the scene, such as: Li Zonghan, Ma Yili, Liu Tao and other well-known actors.
In this special year, it is not easy to do such a grand costume show.
At one point, Lu Yan decided to give up.
But the more difficult the time, the more hopeful she is for life, and she hopes to inspire everyone to restart a better life.
Just like her legendary life, she is always going against the current, and always riding the wind and waves in one challenge after another.