Audrie Kiko Daniel (born October 15, 1990), known professionally as , is an American-born

model A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a measure. Models c ...

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

and

designer A designer is a person who plans the form or structure of something before it is made, by preparing drawings or plans. In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, products, processes, laws, games, graphics, services, or exp ...

who has lived in Japan since childhood. Kiko Mizuhara started her modeling career at the age of twelve when she entered an audition contest for '' Seventeen'' magazine in which readers selected their favorite new face for the magazine. Later, she signed as a model under '' ViVi'' and ''MAQUIA'' magazine. Mizuhara had her acting debut in 2010 in '' Norwegian Wood'' and from that year on, she has been continuously appearing in the big screen and has been part of Japanese dramas and films. In 2011 and 2013 respectively, she was featured as a singer in

Towa Tei is a Japanese artist, record producer, and DJ. Born in Yokohama, Japan, Towa debuted as a member of Deee-Lite, from the US label Elektra Records in 1990 and shot to fame via their international hit single, "Groove Is In the Heart". He made his s ...

's "The Burning Plain" and in

M-Flo is a Japanese hip hop group consisting of record producer DJ Taku Takahashi, Verbal and Lisa. Lisa left the group in 2002 to pursue a solo career and the remaining members then started the M-Flo Loves... project working different vocalists ...

's "No Way" track from their '' Neven'' album. Mizuhara has collaborated with Opening Ceremony, and singers Rihanna and Beyoncé have worn her designs for the brand. In 2014, Mizuhara was listed among the ''Business of Fashion'' 500: The People Shaping the Global Fashion Industry.

Early life

Mizuhara was born Audrie Kiko Daniel in

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, United States. She is the oldest of the two daughters of Song Pal-choong (better known by her Japanese alias Yae Toyama, née Mizuhara), a

Zainichi Korean comprise ethnic Koreans who have permanent residency status in Japan or who have become Japanese citizens, and whose immigration to Japan originated before 1945, or who are descendants of those immigrants. They are a group distinct from South ...

from

Nagasaki is the capital and the largest Cities of Japan, city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. It became the sole Nanban trade, port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries. The Hi ...

, Japan, and Todd Mason Daniel, an American from Texas. She has a sister named Ashley Yuka Daniel who is 4 years younger than her who also works in the modeling industry under the name Yuka Mizuhara. Mizuhara moved to

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

at age 2 and then to Kobe, Japan, at age 3 with her family. When she was 13 years old, her parents divorced and her father moved back to the United States.

Career

Modeling

In 2002, Mizuhara participated in a contest and won an audition for fashion magazine '' Seventeen''. At the audition, she was picked as Miss Seventeen and became an exclusive model for ''Seventeen'' for the next 3 years. At age 16, she moved to

alone, living separately from her mother and sister in Kobe to advance her career in modeling. In July 2007, Kiko Mizuhara became an exclusive model for fashion magazine '' ViVi''. Starting 2008 Kiko Mizuhara has been a regular runway model at the

Tokyo Girls Collection The , sometimes abbreviated as TGC, is a semiannual fashion festival launched in 2005. It is mainly held near Tokyo area and some local cities such as Kitakyushu, Nagoya and Okinawa. The fashion event showcases the seasons fashionable streetwear by ...

. Her international runway debut was at ''The Paris Collections'' in ''Olympia Le Tan's'' Spring/Summer 2014 Show. In the same year, Mizuhara was invited by British Fashion Designer

Nasir Mazhar Nasir Mazhar is a British fashion designer. He is best recognised for his inventive approaches to sports caps and headwear. Lady Gaga has worn a few of Nasir Mazhar's hats. Biography Mazhar was born in East London and brought up in Leytonstone, L ...

to walk for his S/S 2014 Collection at

London Fashion Week London Fashion Week (LFW) is a clothing trade show that takes place in London twice a year, in February and September. Showcasing over 250 designers to a global audience of influential media and retailers, it is one of the 'Big Four' fashion wee ...

and at Fashion Designer Jeremy Scott debut show for '' Moschino'' in

Milan Fashion Week Milan Fashion Week ( it, Settimana della moda) is a clothing trade show held semi-annually in Milan, Italy. The autumn/winter event is held in February/March of each year, and the spring/summer event is held in September/October of each year. It ...

. Mizuhara was chosen to open and close the Fall/Winter 2014 Show of ''Sretsis'', a Thai-brand clothing line, during the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Tokyo. She has also participated in

Nicola Formichetti Nicola Formichetti (; born 31 May 1977) is a fashion director and fashion editor. Born in Japan, he is most widely known as the artistic director of the Italian fashion label Diesel and for being a frequent collaborator with singer-songwriter Lad ...

's first full collection show for Diesel in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. In 2017, Kiko Mizuhara walked for

Alexander Wang (designer) Alexander Wang (born December 26, 1983) is an American fashion designer. Wang launched his Alexander Wang fashion brand in 2005 and came to prominence after being awarded the CFDA/''Vogue'' Fashion Fund in 2008. From November 2012 through July ...

S/S 2018 Ready-to-Wear collection at New York Fashion Week. Aside from her runway experiences, Mizuhara has graced numerous magazine covers and features not only in Japan but also in Asia and Europe. She has appeared in major ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

'' editorials for ''Vogue Japan'', ''

Vogue China ''Vogue China'' ( zh, ') is the Chinese edition of ''Vogue'' magazine. The magazine carries a mixture of local and foreign content. ''Vogue China'' became the sixteenth edition of ''Vogue'' when its first issue was released for September 2005;

'', ''Vogue Taiwan'', ''

Vogue Italia ''Vogue Italia'' is the Italian edition of ''Vogue'' magazine. Owned by Condé Nast International, it has been called the top fashion magazine in the world. It's been in publication since 1964. Name ''Vogue Italia'' was first published as ''No ...

'', ''American Vogue'', ''Vogue Girl Japan'' and ''L'Uomo Vogue''. She has done covers and spreads for ''

Nylon Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers composed of polyamides ( repeating units linked by amide links).The polyamides may be aliphatic or semi-aromatic. Nylon is a silk-like thermoplastic, generally made from pe ...

, Numero, Vivi, Seventeen, Grazia, GQ,

Elle ''Elle'' (stylized ''ELLE'') is a worldwide women's magazine of French origin that offers a mix of fashion and beauty content, together with culture, society and lifestyle. The title means "she" or "her" in French. ''Elle'' is considered the w ...

, Harper's Bazaar,

L'Officiel ''L'Officiel'' () is a French fashion magazine with a USA edition. It has been published in Paris since 1921 and targets upper-income, educated women aged from 25 to 49. In 2006, it had a circulation of 101,719. A men's edition of ''L'Officiel'', ' ...

, Maquia Gisele, V Magazine, Another Magazine, Dazed and Confused,

Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Food and drink * Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo" History * Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953 Hotels and resorts * Cosmopoli ...

, Dedicate Magazine,'' and ''Jalouse Magazine.'' Mizuhara has also shot ad campaigns for Diesel,

Phillip Lim Phillip Lim (born September 16, 1973, as Pheng Lim) is an American fashion designer of Chinese descent whose parents immigrated to America from Thailand during the Cambodian genocide. Lim co-founded and worked at the Los Angeles-based fashion lab ...

Vivienne Tam Vivienne Tam (, born 28 November 1957) is a fashion designer based in New York City. She was born in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, and moved to Hong Kong at the age of three. She attended the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Tam's fashion brand ...

Reebok Reebok International Limited () is an American fitness footwear and clothing manufacturer that is a part of Authentic Brands Group. It was established in England in 1958 as a companion company to J.W. Foster and Sons, a sporting goods company ...

, Kitsuné, Tiffany & Co., Shiseido, etc. She was appointed as a Chanel ambassador. In 2012, Mizuhara was photographed by

Karl Lagerfeld Karl Otto Lagerfeld (; 10 September 1933 – 19 February 2019) was a German fashion designer, creative director, artist and photographer. He was known as the creative director of the French fashion house Chanel, a position held from 1983 ...

for Chanel's ''The Little Black Jacket'' campaign. In December 2013, Mizuhara participated in the Chanel Metiers d'Art Show in Dallas, Texas. Mizuhara starred in the Marc Jacobs Eyewear 2017 ad campaign. In 2018, she was appointed as the first Asian ambassador for Dior. She was also welcomed into the Coach family in the same year.

Acting

Mizuhara co-starred in

Tran Anh Hung Trần Anh Hùng (born December 23, 1962) is a Vietnamese-born French film director and screenwriter. Early life Hùng was born in Mỹ Tho, South Vietnam. Following the fall of Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, he immigrated to Fr ...

's '' Norwegian Wood'' (2010) with

Kenichi Matsuyama is a Japanese actor. He is known for his affinity for strange character roles, and he is best known internationally for playing L in the 2006 films ''Death Note'', '' Death Note 2: The Last Name'' and '' L: Change the World'' in 2008, as well a ...

and

Rinko Kikuchi (born ; January 6, 1981) is a Japanese actress. She was the first Japanese actress to be nominated for an Academy Award in 50 years, for her work in ''Babel'' (2006). Kikuchi's other notable films include '' Norwegian Wood'' (2010), which s ...

. She played a supporting role in

Mika Ninagawa is a Japanese photographer and Film director, director, known for her brightly colored photographs of flowers, goldfish, and landscapes. Biography Daughter of acclaimed theatre director Yukio Ninagawa, she first came to prominence in the late 1 ...

's '' Helter Skelter'' (2012), which is based on the award-winning manga of the same name by Kyoko Okazaki. She has also played a supporting role in

Toshiaki Toyoda is a Japanese film director and screenwriter. Career Born in Osaka Prefecture, Toyoda was first a prodigy in the game of shogi or Japanese chess. He attended the Japan Shogi Association's apprenticeship (Shōreikai) from age 9 with the aim of be ...

's ''I'm Flash!'' (2012), and co-starred in Keishi Otomo's ''Platinum Data'' with

Kazunari Ninomiya , often called , is a Japanese singer, songwriter, actor, voice actor, presenter and radio host. He is a member of the Japanese idol group Arashi. His career began in the entertainment industry after joining the Japanese talent agency Johnny & As ...

. In addition to her films, Mizuhara played as a witch doctor in '' Trick The Movie: Last Stage'' (2014) where she spoke Bahasa as the movie was filmed in Kuching,

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

. In 2015, Mizuhara portrayed

Mikasa Ackerman The ''Attack on Titan'' manga and anime series feature an extensive cast of fictional characters created by Hajime Isayama. The story is set in a world where humanity lives in cities surrounded by enormous walls; a defense against the Titans, gig ...

in the live action adaptation of '' Attack on Titan''. In 2021, Mizuhara co-starred in the film ''Aristocrats'', adapted from the novel ''Ano Ko wa Kizoku'' by Mariko Yamauchi. Mizuhara has made her first small screen appearance in Japanese television series ''

Yae no Sakura is a 2013 Japanese historical drama television series and the 52nd NHK taiga drama. Written by Mutsumi Yamamoto, the drama focuses on Niijima Yae, who is portrayed by Haruka Ayase. Yae is a strong believer in women's rights and the story follow ...

''. In 2014, she starred in the drama '' Shitsuren Chocolatier''. She was part of the main cast of the Japanese drama ''Kokoro ga Pokitto ne'' (''Crazy For Me'') in 2015.

Designing

Mizuhara started her collaboration with Opening Ceremony during Spring 2013 in celebration of the Opening Ceremony flagship store in Japan. The collection was inspired by 1920s Paris creating a collection of très jolies blouses, lingerie, and frilled short-shorts. In the same year, she entitled her fashionwear collection "Bad Girl of the 90s"'','' which included the famous pizza outfit worn by Beyoncé and other items she designed worn by Rihanna and other celebrities. Mizuhara has also produced a collection of headgear that blends

Harajuku is a district in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Harajuku is the common name given to a geographic area spreading from Harajuku Station to Omotesando, corresponding on official maps of Shibuya ward as Jingūmae 1 chōme to 4 chōme. In popular refere ...

style with '90s streetwear in collaboration with Opening Ceremony Japan and Harlem-based label

Gypsy Sport The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sign ...

. In 2014, Mizuhara launched her Spring/Summer "Girlfriend of the Rockstar" collection and the 1980s-inspired "Disco Bowling" collection was released for Fall/Winter. For Opening Ceremony Japan, Mizuhara collaborated with photographer

Nobuyoshi Araki is a Japanese photographer and contemporary artist professionally known by the mononym . Known primarily for photography that blends eroticism and bondage in a fine art context, he has published over 500 books.The number depends on such things ...

and designer Yoshikasu Yamagata for the opening of the brand's first branch in

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...

, Japan. Mizuhara teamed up with LA-based label UNIF in 2017 to launch a spring collection inspired by Mizuhara’s love of retro clothing, featuring a line-up of 90s pieces. Some items from this collection were worn by members of the KPOP group

Blackpink Blackpink (, commonly stylized in all caps or as BLɅϽKPIИK) is a South Korean girl group formed by YG Entertainment, consisting of members Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa. The group debuted in August 2016 with their single album '' Square ...

in their music video for " As If It's Your Last". Other celebrities who have worn her items from this collection include Brown Eyed Girls members Ga-In and

Sunmi Lee Sun-mi (born Sun Mi on May 2, 1992), known mononymously as Sunmi (stylized as SUNMI), is a South Korean singer, dancer, songwriter and record producer. She debuted in 2007 as a member of South Korean girl group Wonder Girls and left the gr ...

. In 2016, Mizuhara established Kiko Co.,Ltd. (commonly referred to as “Office Kiko”). The following year, she launched her own designer brand called “OK”. In its first year of operation, “OK” already landed several high-profile collaborations, creating fashion, art, and lifestyle products. In 2018, Office Kiko announced a new line of boots and shoes in collaboration with the Esperanza, a Japanese footwear company catering to young women.

Personal life

Mizuhara stated in an interview with

NBC News NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, a division of NBCUniversal, which is, in turn, a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's var ...

that she has previously dated women, something that influenced her portrayal of Rei in '' Ride or Die''.

Filmography

Film

* '' Norwegian Wood'' (2010) * '' Helter Skelter'' (2012) * ''I'm Flash!'' (2012) * ''Platina Data'' (2013) * '' Trick The Movie: Last Stage'' (2014) * '' Attack on Titan: End of the World'' (2015),

* '' The Kodai Family'' (2016), Shigeko Kōdai * ''

Nobunaga Concerto is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Ayumi Ishii. It has been serialized in Shogakukan's ''Monthly Shōnen Sunday'' since May 2009, with its chapters collected in twenty-two ''tankōbon'' volumes as of February 2022. A t ...

'' (2016),

Oichi was a female historical figure in the late Sengoku period. She is known primarily as the mother of three daughters who became prominent figures in their own right – Yodo-dono, Ohatsu Nagamasa had no hope of winning, and chose to commit sepp ...

* ''Tornado Girl'' (2017), Akari Amami * ''The Blue Hearts'' (2017) * ''Malu'' (2020) * ''Aristocrats'' (2021), Miki * '' Ride or Die'' (2021), Rei

Television

* ''

'' (2013), Yamakawa Sutematsu * '' Shitsuren Chocolatier'' (2014), Erena Katō * ''

'' (2014) * ''Kokoro ga Pokitto ne (english title: Crazy for me)'' (2015) * ''

Kazoku no Katachi is a 2016 Japanese television drama created by Noriko Goto, starring Shingo Katori, Juri Ueno, Kiko Mizuhara, Jun Fubuki and Toshiyuki Nishida. It premiered on TBS on Sundays at 21:00 ( JST) from January 17, 2016 to March 20, 2016. Cast * S ...

'' (2016), Haruka * ''The Good Wife'' (Japanese TV series) (2016) * ''Uso no Sensou'' (2017) * '' Queer Eye: We're in Japan!'' (2019)

Animation

* '' One Piece: Heart of Gold'' (2016), Naomi Drunk

Discography

Guest appearances

– "The Burning Plain" from '' Sunny'' (2011) *

– "No Way" from '' Neven'' (2013) * Mademoiselle Yulia - "Harajuku Wander" from ''Whatever Harajuku'' (2013) *

The Weeknd Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. Known for his sonic versatility and dark lyricism, his music explores escapism, romance, and ...

– "I Feel It Coming ft. Daft Punk" from '' Starboy'' (2016) *

The Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...

- "La Di Da" from '' Hive Mind'' (2018)

Awards and recognition

* 54th Fashion Editors Club of Japan Awards: Model of the Year * 2012 Japan Fashion Leader Awards * 2014 SOHU Fashion Awards: Asian Fashion Icon of the Year

Bibliography

* ''Kiko'' (2010) * ''Girl'' (2012) * ''Kiko Mizuhara Model and Actress'' Fashionable Selby by Todd Selby, Abrams, New York, (2014) * ''A Winter Diary'' by Julien Levy, New York, (2014)

References

External links

Official Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mizuhara, Kiko 1990 births Living people Actors from Hyōgo Prefecture Actresses from Dallas American actresses of Korean descent American film actresses American expatriates in Japan Expatriate television personalities in Japan Japanese actresses of Korean descent Models from Hyōgo Prefecture Female models from Texas Naturalized citizens of Japan People from Hyōgo Prefecture People from Kobe 21st-century Japanese actresses Japanese female models LGBT actresses American LGBT actors LGBT models Japanese LGBT actors LGBT people from Texas American LGBT people of Asian descent 21st-century American women