IN THE LOBBYof the Grand Hyatt hotel in Beijing, Du Juan looks completely unassuming. The young woman people are calling China's first and only supermodel is in Birkenstock sandals, wearing no make-up and clutching a cushion, but still the whole room is drawn to her. Pale and quietly spoken, Du is stunningly beautiful - as you'd expect - and possessed of the balanced proportions that have won her global kudos, whether she's doing catwalk shows for Roberto Cavalli, Bottega Veneta, Emanuel Ungaro and Dries van Noten, or campaigns for Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurent, Hermes and Kenzo.
There is a world of difference between what is bewitching to western eyes and what Chinese people consider beautiful, but Shanghai-born Du, now on the books at IMG, the world's number-one model agency, has bridged that divide, and her universal appeal has many in the fashion world predicting great things.
For evidence of Du's phenomenal success, take a look at her CV. She was the first Chinese model to adorn the cover of Vogue in France, she's done Italian and Chinese Vogue (she featured on the cover of the launch issue in September last year and has appeared in a major fashion editorial in every issue since) and the spring 2006 haute couture shows in Paris (she was the first Chinese to appear on the catwalk there, too).
Du has modelled for Chanel, Valentino, Givenchy and Jean Paul Gaultier, among others. Style.com named her one of its top 10 models of the season.
Models such as China's Lu Yan or Korea's Hye Park have successful international careers and are loved by European and American photographers, but to many consumers in the increasingly important Chinese market, these women seem plain.
'At Vogue I meet this every day. Western photographers look for character but with the Chinese it's different,' says Angelica Cheung, editorial director of China Vogue. 'The Chinese consider Du Juan pretty - not stunning, but pretty. The Chinese perception of beauty is based on thousands of years of cultural development and it can't be changed overnight.'
