Soo Joo Park’s style evolution (and how she’s helping to usher in a new era of individuality)

by Nicole Livey March 8, 2016

Chances are, if you’re a fan of high fashion, you’re a fan of Soo Joo Park. Appearances in publications like CR Fashion Book and Vogue Korea, along with runway stints for heavy hitters such as Tom Ford, Just Cavalli, and Chanel (where she memorably opened the 2016 Cruise Show) have made her a household name in the industry. Her signature platinum blonde locks allow her to stand out wherever she goes, but it is her ability to oscillate between sweet and street that truly sets her apart from the rest of the off-duty model troupe (and why we are uber-pumped to have her as our April cover star!).

Born in Seoul, Park’s family moved to California when she was 10, accounting for her laid-back, skater-girl steeze. She was scouted at the age of 24 while perusing a vintage shop in San Francisco’s famed Haight-Ashbury neighbourhood (cue those boho vibes), with her resulting modelling career jetting her out all over the world.

Park’s affinity for other creative arts, such as music and literature, also inform her eclectic sartorial sensibility. She counts some of the biggest idols on the k-pop circuit among her crew of besties, borrowing elements of their maximalist style and re-working them with a distinctive West Coast edge. Designers like Jeremy Scott are a natural fit for this kind of idiosyncratic approach to fashion, and Park is often spotted out rocking his outlandish ensembles. Snapbacks, circle skirts, and chokers are other staples of the model’s wardrobe, and provide a perfect complement to her kaleidoscopic spectrum of highly pigmented hair hues.

Although she’s breaking major ground—she’s the first Asian-American to front two global beauty brands (that would be L’Oreal Paris and Redken)—what’s most compelling about Park is that she represents a seismic shift in top models retaining their individuality and refusing to be put into cookie-cutter boxes. Now that’s something we can all agree is pretty rad.