Muse: Bao Ziyi. Photographer: Tom Marvel. Dress: Simone Rocha. Gloves: C’est Jeanne. Earrings: Erickson Beamon from Showroom Seven. Hat: Isabelle Leourier for Monvieve.
Most people first notice Bao Ziyi because of her height. Fashion notices her because she can become almost anyone. But spend a little time talking to her and another side quietly appears. She gets excited about grocery shopping. She collects everyday moments with a camera. She believes beauty exists when people forget they’re being watched. Behind the polished runway images is someone surprisingly observant, curious, and grounded; an artist who seems just as happy creating pictures as starring in them. As Harper’s Bazaar Vietnam discovered during this conversation, the woman behind the fashion is every bit as interesting as the images she creates.
Dress: Simone Rocha. Gloves: C’est Jeanne. Earrings: Erickson Beamon from Showroom Seven.
HBZVN: You stand at 178 cm today, but growing up you were probably the tallest girl in school. How did that make you feel as a child? Did you ever wish you were shorter, or did you secretly enjoy standing out?
BAO ZIYI: Honestly, growing up, I definitely wished I was shorter. I was always the tallest girl in school, and I just wanted to fit in like everyone else. But when I got to college, where I studied performance, everyone around me was tall too. I gradually became comfortable with my height—and eventually, I started to enjoy it.
Dress: Simone Rocha. Gloves: C’est Jeanne. Shoes: Sarah Palmer. Earrings: Erickson Beamon from Showroom Seven.
HBZVN: At what moment did you realize that the thing that once made you feel different could become your greatest strength?
BAO ZIYI: I think it’s less about my height and more about learning to notice the little things that make me happy. I love finding beauty in everyday life and capturing those moments, whether with a camera or simply while I’m walking through the city.
Dress: Bibhu Mohapatra. Mask: Isabelle Leourier for Monvieve. Shoes: Jimmy Choo.
HBZVN: You’ve walked for houses including Loewe, Lemaire, and J.W. Anderson. After so many seasons, what still gives you butterflies before stepping onto a runway?
BAO ZIYI: It’s no longer really nerves. It’s excitement and gratitude. Every show represents an enormous amount of work from so many people, and I always feel incredibly lucky to play a small part in bringing that vision to the audience.
Dress: Marco Hall. Gloves: C’est Jeanne. Earrings: LNB Jewelry from Flying Solo. Shoes: Sarah Palmer.
HBZVN: In this Harper’s Bazaar editorial, it feels as though you’re portraying different women rather than simply wearing different clothes. Do you create a character before each shot, or does the fashion lead the performance?
BAO ZIYI: I don’t usually arrive with a character already in mind. The clothes, the hair and makeup, the lighting, even the music on set—they all shape how I move and express myself. I simply respond to the atmosphere that’s created around me.
Dress: Marco Hall. Gloves: C’est Jeanne. Earrings: LNB Jewelry from Flying Solo. Shoes: Sarah Palmer.
HBZVN: Photographer Tom Marvel is known for cinematic visual storytelling, while stylist Cannon created a wardrobe full of dramatic silhouettes and unexpected details. What was the atmosphere like behind the scenes?
BAO ZIYI: Everyone knew exactly what they wanted, so everything flowed very naturally. I remember that every time I changed into a new look, I felt like I was discovering another version of myself.
Top: Haleia from The Confessional Showroom. Skirt: NYC 831 Minhle from Showroom Seven. Hat: Isabelle Leourier for Monvieve.
HBZVN: Some of the looks were wonderfully theatrical, from oversized flowers to sculptural gowns and dramatic masks. Was there one outfit that made you wonder, “How am I going to make this work?”
BAO ZIYI: Yes, the look with the mask. At first I wasn’t sure how to express myself while wearing it, but together we found a really interesting solution. It ended up becoming one of my favorite looks from the shoot.
Top: Haleia from The Confessional Showroom. Skirt: NYC 831 Minhle from Showroom Seven. Hat: Isabelle Leourier for Monvieve.
HBZVN: You hold a Master’s degree in Arts Management, you’ve published your own photo zine, and you founded Sober Hour. Has creating images yourself changed the way you experience being photographed?
BAO ZIYI: Definitely. It helps me better understand what photographers, stylists, and the creative team are trying to achieve. I don’t think my role as a model is to express myself above everything else. My job is to help bring someone else’s vision to life as beautifully as possible.
Dress: Quine Li. Gloves: C’est Jeanne. Shoes: Nicholas Kirkwood.
HBZVN: As a photographer and visual storyteller yourself, what do you notice about people that most of us never see?
BAO ZIYI: People are most beautiful when they’re simply being themselves—when they’re fully present instead of thinking about how they look. You can always sense when someone feels comfortable, and that’s what I love capturing.
Full look: Jason Wu Collection. Gloves: C’est Jeanne. Shoes: Manolo Blahnik. Necklace: Avalon Jewelry from Flying Solo.
HBZVN: Fashion constantly asks models to transform into someone else. After becoming so many different women in front of the camera, how do you make sure you never lose sight of the real Bao Ziyi?
BAO ZIYI: Laughs. I actually don’t feel like I’m becoming someone else. Modeling is simply my job. Just because I look serious doesn’t mean I’m unhappy—it just means I’m working. I’m always myself, simply helping express a different creative vision.
Dress: Beaute Comme Toi from The Confessional Showroom NYC. Hat: Binata Millinery. Shoes: Manolo Blahnik.
HBZVN: Ten years from now, would you rather be remembered as a successful model, a creative director, an artist – or someone who proved those labels never needed to be separate?
BAO ZIYI: I don’t think I need to choose just one. All of those roles inspire one another and together they make me who I am. More importantly, I don’t really want to be remembered for a title. I simply hope I spend my life doing work I genuinely love and continuing to create.
Dress: Giorgio Armani. Mask: Isabelle Leourier for Monvieve. Gloves: C’est Jeanne.
 Dress: Beaute Comme Toi from The Confessional Showroom NYC. Hat: Binata Millinery. Shoes: Manolo Blahnik. HBZVN Quick Takes:1. The strangest thing you’ve ever been asked to do in front of a camera? Probably being asked to act angry. I actually find it really hard to switch into that emotion. 2. Which is scarier: a live runway or a first date? First date for sure. 3. The most embarrassing thing you’ve done while modeling? – Probably walking the wrong way during a runway show.  Dress: Giorgio Armani. Mask: Isabelle Leourier for Monvieve. Gloves: C’est Jeanne. Shoes: Manolo Blahnik. 4. What’s something people assume about models that’s completely wrong? That we’re hard to approach. 5. What song instantly puts you in a good mood before a shoot? Chaise longue. 6. If someone gave you a month with no castings, no emails, and no deadlines, how would you spend it? Definitely travel.  Top: Jason Wu Collection. Gloves: C’est Jeanne. Necklace: Avalon Jewelry from Flying Solo. 7. Which fashion accessory best describes your personality? Phone cases. 8. What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received? Thank you for being you. 9. What small everyday moment makes you happiest? Grocery shopping. 11. Complete this sentence: Beauty is… Beauty is whatever feels beautiful to you. |
Photographer: Tom Marvel @tommarvelphotography.
Creative Director: Cannon @thecannonmediagroup at Atelier Management @ateliermgmt.
Talent: Bao @bao00ziyi at New York Model Management @newyorkmodels.
Hair: Casey Geren @caseygeren at Atelier Management @ateliermgmt using Bumble And Bumble @bumbleandbumble.
Makeup: Angela Davis Deacon @theauthenticface at Atelier Management @ateliermgmt using Charlotte Tilbury @charlottetilbury.
Nails: Casey @caseynails using Chill House @chillhouse.
Set Designer: Stockton Hall @stocktonhall at Atelier Management @ateliermgmt.
Production: Winnie Noan @winnie_noan.
Set Producer: Kathleen Tighe @kathleentig.
Lighting Director: Murat Ozdemir @1muratozdemir1.
Director of Video: Michael Fadeev @phadeevs.
Digital Tech: David Gannon @davidgannonphotography.
Digital Artist: Marilynn Faherty | retouchingbymarilynn@gmail.com.
Photographer’s Team: Michele Swain @michelewihelminaphotography & Eric Wallace @polymathicwallace.
Grip: George Pepe @gspepe.
Fashion Team Lead: Max Reid @lu3alo.
Fashion Assistants: Drithi Abbineni @drithiabbineni | Sarina Hingorani @sarina_hingorani | Alex Bliss @alexb11ss.
Shot at Untitled NYC @un_nyc.
Special Thanks to Stephen Lee ad Kelsey Gabriel at New York Model Management.
Special Thanks to Jason and everyone at Untitled NYC
Harper’s Bazaar Vietnam
