Asia’s new male supermodel – Godfrey Gao

I first set eyes on Godfrey Gao (高以翔) on a Taiwanese variety show as an up-and-coming actor promoting a Taiwanese drama, MOMO LOVE in 2009. He was not even the lead actor in the show but when I saw him , I knew that someday this unusually tall(195cm, wow!)and extraordinary handsome actor is going to bigger than he will ever know.

Fast forward 2 years later and Godfrey is turning heads and gracing covers of many fashion magazines. But none of these as grand as the attention he is getting from being the first Asian male model to appear on a Louis Vuitton ad campaign in it’s Spring/Summer 2011 Ready-To-Wear campaign. The ad campagin shows Godfrey Gao with the Damier Graphite Elvis messenger bag (see gallery below) beautifully shot and a perfectly timed by the 157 years ago luxurious brand to target the Asian (and more importantly the China) market.

Godfrey in Louis Vuitton's S/S 2011 Campaign

In the recent years , the fashion industry is increasingly looking to China as its future. Furthermore, with recent reports suggesting that Chinese men now spend more on luxury goods than their female counterparts, the casting of Godfrey in the ad campaign couldn’t be better planned. If Chinese men are splashing out their yuan on designer bags, then modelling them is surely the next logical step.

Borned and raised in Vancouver, Godfey’s father is Taiwanese and his mother is Malaysian. He went to Argyle Secondary School, and studied at Capilano University. Towering at 195cm and weighing 88kg, he is naturally sporty and plays a range of sports including basketball, American football, volleyball, baseball, ice skating, track and field, Tae Kwon Do, DJ, and playing the drums. Godfrey currently resides in Taiwan and is having a very good career at his hometown. He has appeared in several Taiwanese dramas, and have been working closely with many fashion outlets and endorsement deals in China.

Even though this star is rising fast, Gao still remains a very humble, unassuming and soft-spoken guy known as ‘G’ among his closest friends.

I am definitely sold and will keep my eyes on Godfrey’s moves in the industry. Go get them!