Well it's about damn time. Louis Vuitton has signed Godfrey Gao, the first male Asian supermodel, to appear in their ads, which will run well into 2012. It's no secret that Asians have been largely underrepresented in the modeling world and only recently have they started making waves, most notably with Chinese model Liu Wen, also the face of Estee Lauder, who is the 10th highest paid model in the world. Male Asian models, however, are few and far between, especially when we're talking supermodel status. It's quite a strategic move on Louis Vuitton's part; reaching out to Asian models, especially since much of its revenue is generated in Asian markets. Asians love their Louis Vuitton. It's more than just luxury goods to them, it's a status symbol. Asian women save up their wages and extra pocket money for months just to be able to carry one of those bags. It's a cultural phenomenon, and Vuitton is fully aware. Someone in the marketing department has their thinking cap on.Gao is a 26 year old Canadian born Taiwanese TV star turned into model. With his face hitting ad campaigns this year, I'm sure revenue in men's accessories will be going up tenfold.
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