It Model Nicole Liew Gives Us A Peek Into Her Mind
Presenting Nicole Liew, Singapore’s It model of the moment and Prestige Singapore’s digital cover personality for April 2024. Here, she opens up about the realities of the industry, flying the Singaporean flag at Milan Fashion Week and staying true to herself.
On an early September autumn day at Milan Fashion Week in 2021, Nicole Liew, clad in an embellished zebra-print mini dress and knee-high boots, walked down the Dolce & Gabbana Spring/Summer 2022 show runway for the first time. Her walk lasted a little over a minute – as most runway show walks do – but at that moment, Singapore had found its next It model.
Nicole has chalked up an impressive repertoire since then. The model and her signature baby bangs – a surprise decision she made during a lull in the COVID-era that became the unexpected catalyst for her rise – went on to walk for three more Dolce & Gabbana shows and star in the brand’s DG x Persol 2022 collection campaign. She also appeared on the Milan Fashion Week runways for brands like Maryling, Annakiki and Palm Angels, and fronted Palm Angels’ Spring/Summer 2024 campaign. On home ground, Nicole has bagged numerous magazine covers, and was most recently the face of Raffles City Singapore’s Holiday 2023 campaign.
But the modelling industry can be fickle, and Nicole, who has been a model for over six years and often flies to Milan for overseas placement opportunities, is refreshingly honest and candid about it.
“It’s just very sad, because rejection is really based on your face. Can you imagine being rejected [just based on that]? I can’t offer my personality, my skills, or my experience. If I go for seven [modelling] castings a day, and I don’t get all seven of them, it’s really like a slap to the face,” she says with a small laugh.
For fashion week castings, Nicole shares that models can be queueing for hours, only to be turned down by casting directors who barely glance at them. She also recalls instances of getting cut even after being fitted and confirmed for a show. “Nothing matters until you walk down the runway.”
The uncertainty of booking jobs, the possibility of multiple rejections and having to be away from home, sometimes for months on end, and doing all of it on her dime has taught Nicole to prioritise her mental health. “The industry is cutthroat. You have to be very self-assured of who you are, whether [casting directors] like you or not. They can take it or leave it. You may not work for a certain client, but someone else may love you,” she says. “You have to keep reminding yourself that it’s nothing personal.”
Shapeshifter
So, why keep going, then? For Nicole, it comes down to passion. She gets to be a shapeshifter. “You have to be very quick to think how about you can make yourself look good in the clothing. What’s this brand’s look? How can I fit myself into that look? How can I fit my branding with theirs?”
“It’s very easy to forget that I love this job, because of the rejections. But I am grateful every single day. It’s something I never saw myself doing.”
Moulding herself with each modelling job has also helped Nicole find herself. “I didn’t know I was capable of doing so much until I stepped out of my comfort zone,” she reflects. “Growth is my favourite part of all of it.”
It also means learning how to set boundaries, which can be tough to do in the modelling industry, Nicole admits. “It’s very easy for people to cross the line. However, if I’m not comfortable with the type of shoot you’re doing or the clothes you want me to wear, I have to stand up for myself, and models have to stand up for themselves a lot, but then we would be thought of as rude. That’s the difficult part.”
Nicole is not one to back down, though. She knows what she wants, but she’s not giving up herself to get there. “Models aren’t just mannequins, we’re still humans. You’ve got to protect yourself.”
The New Guard
Nicole belongs to a rising group of Singaporean models who are making their mark on fashion’s biggest runways, alongside the likes of Layla Ong and Kaci Beh.
“I feel that all of us [Singaporean models] are constantly trying our best to go out there and put ourselves out in the market, especially for such a small country like Singapore. Compared to models from other countries, the chances of Singaporean models getting [big shows] is actually very rare,” she explains.
Having gone through the wringer herself, Nicole holds immense respect for her fellow models who have taken the leap to carve their journeys overseas. “I’m just glad that we tried. These models deserve recognition for going out there, not just to the big fashion capitals. When you leave home to pursue your passion, it’s something that is deserving of admiration.”
In an age of social media, models do more than just travel for work; platforms like Instagram and TikTok serve as their unofficial portfolios and can even be where they explore second careers as content creators, as Nicole is doing. Her approach, however, is careful and calculated. “Casting directors in Europe wouldn’t want to go onto your Instagram and find that you’re promoting too many things, yet social media work is where you’re also earning money from,” she explains. “I have to balance between what the Singaporean audience would like and what the European clients would like.”
Nicole enjoys using Instagram to give her 23K followers a peek into her career, often inviting them and aspiring young models to ask her questions about the modelling industry and her work, and being open about the realities of it that are not often talked about. Her concerns are the same as anyone who puts themselves in front of the eyes of the masses: the negative comments. “I do fear saying the wrong things or people misinterpreting me. I don’t want people to cancel me over stuff that I say.”
“But I’ve realised that it doesn’t matter how people view you. If someone sets their mind to view you in a certain way, no matter what you do or say, they will always find something to say about you,” says Nicole.
Well, they can indeed say what they want, because none of it has slowed Nicole’s rise. It’s clear that she has a good head on her shoulders, and she’s ready for more, setting her sights on taking on the modelling scene in New York City and maybe even the crème de la crème of the fashion capitals – Paris. And, after that? She already has a Plan B and a Plan C in mind. But for those, we’ll let Nicole reveal them on her terms when the time calls for it.
Art Direction: AUDREY CHAN
Videography: BELLE CHEW and HOYA
Fashion Styling: JACQUIE ANG
Hair: MICHAEL CHIEW/HAIRFORM using GOLDWELL AND KMS HAIR
Make-up: WEE MING using NARS
Fashion Assistance: ISABELLA TEO
Jewellery: TIFFANY & CO.
Outfits: LOUIS VUITTON, DOLCE & GABBANA and VERSACE
The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.
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