With the grand opening of Park Hyatt and the completion of Central Embassy, we spoke to rising star and international model Kiko Mizuhara, the girl behind the campaign "This Brings Me Here."
With the grand opening of Park Hyatt and the completion of Central Embassy, we spoke to rising star and international model Kiko Mizuhara, the girl behind the campaign "This Brings Me Here."
How did you begin your career in the entertainment business?
When I was around 13, my mother thought that I would be a good model so she sent my profile to Seventeen Magazine Japan, and somehow I passed the audition for modelling. I was living in Kobe at the time and I was also going to school, so every weekend I had to go to Tokyo by myself to shoot before I decided to move to Tokyo when I turned 17.
Then, there was a half French-Vietnamese director who was looking for a girl to play the character Midori for [the film adaptation of] Norwegian Wood. They had been looking for someone with acting experience but they couldn’t find anyone. One day, he came across my photo in a magazine and he thought that I really looked like her and matched with the character well. At the time, I didn’t know if I was going to be able to act in such a big movie, but when I went in for casting and the director really liked me. He said that I looked like Midori both on the outside and the inside. That was how I started my acting career.
Have you ever considered working internationally?
For sure. When I was 17, I went to Paris for two weeks to check out the agencies there. But unfortunately at the time, all the models had to be super tall. It would’ve been difficult for me to be successful working in Paris and I was so young, not making that much money. It was about the same time that the Norwegian Wood crew contacted me to do an audition, which was a great opportunity to start.
But of course, because of Instagram and the internet now—I don’t really know what’s international anymore. Maybe I’m already working internationally. But yes, I’ve always wanted to.
The most stressful moment as a model?
I did a Moschino runway once when Jeremy Scott did his first show. I don’t usually do runways because I’m really short, so I was very glad that he called me. But the rest of the models—their hips are like way up here—they didn’t even see me! But, in a weird way, the pressure doesn’t really get to me. I don’t really ever get negative or anything. Feeling pressure is a good way to push you forward. These days it doesn’t matter if you’re super tall or not—I think if you have your personality and style, you can do something more interesting, even beyond modelling. And that’s sort of my position now.
What’s the real Kiko like?
People think I’m a "cool" person. But I don’t know what cool means… People tell me that they didn’t think I’d laugh, smile and talk this way. They think I have a strong personality because of the modelling image. I’m actually a fun person. I love vintage—I’m such a vintage fanatic, so I’m always looking for vintage clothes. I like music, dancing and I’m always working hard but also trying to be happy. I don’t want to be stressed out all the time.
I appreciate the fact that I have a lot of different cultures inside me, even if I never grew up in Korea. My mother was born and grew up in Japan so she is pretty much Japanese. I know the real Japan, but I got to learn a lot about Korean culture—how to read, write and now I can speak a little bit of Korean too. Currently I’m living in L.A. I'd never lived in America before because I grew up in Japan. So this is me embracing and discovering the American side of me too.
Do you think your style makes you unique?
I can’t really put my style into words… I’m like a chameleon. I like to dress comfortably and in different styles every day. Most of the time, I’ll just wear a mini skirt, skinny jeans and t-shirts—really casual stuff. But I always wear a choker as that’s like my signature look and it matches with all my outfits. I also wear a lot of Unif, an L.A. brand that belongs to my friend and with whom I recently did a collaboration.
I can say that I don’t follow trendy stuff. I try to be as original as I can. I wear whatever that I like and I don’t really care about the price tags. I shop vintage a lot. They have a lot of vintage stuff here, too, at Central Embassy. There is a shop called “The Vintage Store,” selling vintage Chanel bags, which is amazing.
What was it like working with Canadian singer, songwriter, and record producer The Weeknd?
I was really happy and excited when I got the offer. I was shooting a TV series at the time so it was really tight. I only stayed there for less than 24 hours. The set was really amazing. They have these rock formations and huge screens. The Weeknd himself was really sweet and nice, thanking me for being there despite my busy schedule. But he looked really tired. I saw him at the Met Gala and he said that he had to leave pretty much straight away, and that he had another music video shoot the next day. We think that Asian people work really hard, but actually superstars also work hard—everybody works super hard in this industry.
What is most memorable thing about your trips to Bangkok?
I’ve been here four times now, but this Central Embassy campaign was obviously very memorable because it was so hot! You will never get something like this in Japan! It was a really fun shoot though with all the cast and the big crew. I also shot the opening scene for a Japanese TV drama here. I was really nervous because I’d just started shooting for the first time for that drama, so I was nervous for a lot of different reasons.
But honestly, I’m always working so I couldn’t really explore the city as much as I wanted to. I wanted to buy junk stuff on the street and check out record shops. But I have a list of the “must-visit” places that my friends gave me, so next time I come back I’ll definitely check them out. I also like the people because everyone is so nice and polite. Thais are similar to Japanese, always feeling like they have to be nice and kind. Everyone is very caring.
Are you excited about Central Embassy’s completion celebration?
This place has completely changed compared to the last time I was here. The sixth floor is amazing. There’s tons of books, bars and restaurants. It’s such a beautiful mall and I’m really honoured and happy to be selected as the campaign girl for this.
Upcoming projects?
There are a few things that are coming out soon. I can’t tell you guys yet but I think you’ll be really excited about it. I have a movie coming up that’s going to be out this summer in Japan. I’m playing this girl who’s really cute; and all the guys want to marry her because of her style, cute bangs and super Japanese cute vibe. But she’s secretly a badass. I really like the concept of my character because every guy is falling in love with her because they think they know what she’s like because of her physical appearance and her vibe, but those guys weren’t really looking at her as a person on the inside. So she’s using that to get what she wants, which I think is kinda cool.
And final words for your Thai fans?
Girl power! Thank you for being so supportive and for believing in me. I’m really thankful. I don’t know what to say. I’ll try my best to be inspiring and inspired, and I hope that you guys will continue to follow me. Be confident as a woman and believe in yourselves, and in girls power too!
