Rain Chan
Fashion Model, 2008
Professional Diploma in Hair Design
In the modeling industry, you have to be mentally prepared, every time. All you have is that single shot and you have to get it right, make it your best shot. For that to happen you have to understand the concept or the theme of the photo shoot and be able to express it with your body.
20 October 2008
Rain on the catwalk
Written by Christine Chan
Rain – that’s her professional name and it was inspired by her own name Shin Yee which sounds like Rain in Mandarin. She turns heads wherever she goes. Tall, lithe and graceful you feel as if this girl is somebody famous. You take a second look and note her classy features that possess a mysterious quality that also say she is very much a private person.
The familiarity that you feel when you see her is because she has appeared in numerous magazines in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. In April 2008 she was in a television commercial – the Hi Seoul version promoting Korean tourism.
Rain came to Limkokwing to learn about hair design. Naturally her good looks and tall frame – she’s 174 cm – made her a favourite choice whenever the University needed students to model the fashion faculty’s clothes for every semester. When she made her first public appearance at the Elite Model Search 2007 at Times Square she got hooked to the vibrancy, energy and the heady atmosphere of the fashion world.
Armed with a Professional Diploma in Hair Design Rain left Limkokwing in 2007 and immediately began a blossoming career as a catwalk and a photography model. The MODA Unity Fashion Show 2007, Loreal Hair Concert 2007, Malaysia International Fashion Week (MIFW) 2007, MIFA Launching 2008, Sungai Wang Spring and Summer Fashion Week 2008, Mid Valley Go Green Fashion Week 2008, Salabianca Fashion Show 2007 and 2008, The Curve Fashion Week Opening 2008, One Borneo Fashion Week 2008, Furlag Bag Launch 2008, Shiseido Make Up Show 2008, Loreal Colour Trophy Hair Show 2008 are some of the shows she participated in.
I really enjoy my career now because I get to meet a wide range of people from different backgrounds. And it’s great meeting top fashion designers and hair designers from around the world.
Magazines that have featured Rain include Citta Bella, Bella Bride, NuYou, Jasmine, Apple, Sisters Bride and Talent which are Malaysian-based publications. The magazines in Singapore where she has appeared include Her World, Women’s Weekly, NuYou and Wine & Dine. Indonesian magazines that liked her classy looks include AMICA, Swank Glossy and Soup.
“I really enjoy my career now because I get to meet a wide range of people from different backgrounds. And it’s great meeting top fashion designers and hair designers from around the world. Part of the fun in this line is you get to fly across the world to new cities and you get to experience new culture and see new takes on fashion,” said Rain.
Using her base – Mannequin Studio – in Singapore, Rain is hoping to break into big time modeling and is disciplined in keeping herself healthy and fit. Food is her biggest sacrifice as she has to keep her weight down and sustain it at 50kg. So it has to be mostly fresh vegetables and fruits, although she steers clear of high calorie fruits such as bananas.
After more than a year immersed in the world of fashion Rain has lots of advice for others who wish to take up a career in this line. She reckons that the ideal age to start modeling would be 16 or 17.
“In the modeling industry, you have to be mentally prepared, every time. All you have is that single shot and you have to get it right, make it your best shot. For that to happen you have to understand the concept or the theme of the photo shoot and be able to express it with your body.
To excel to become the top model is to have the patience for fashion.
“And also before any photo shoot or runway show you must get a good rest. Pamper yourself with a facial mask and feel rejuvenated and bring that energy and confidence to the runway or the shoot.”
Rain adds that patience is a valuable asset to have in this career because it takes time to know the industry and understand how designers work and their expectations. “To excel to become the top model is to have the patience for fashion. You have to have a clear understanding of the word fashion and how to bring out every concept or theme of designers into the photo shoot. Know how to bring out the best picture with the right feel and emotions.”
Rain who admires Du Juan, a supermodel from China, dreams of being spotted by IMG, a top model management and talent discovery agency so she can break into the world’s fashion capitals of New York, London, Paris, Milan and others.
