fashion model
A model is a person with a role either to promote, display or advertise commercial products (notably fashion clothing in fashion shows) or to serve as a visual aid for people who are creating works of art or to pose for photography. Thoug ...
who has been active in both the professional and commercial modeling fields since the late 2000s. She is particularly known in the
gyaru
( ja, ギャル) , is a Japanese fashion subculture. The term ''gyaru'' is a Japanese transliteration of the English slang word .
The term for was introduced in Japan by the American jeans company ''Lee'', who introduced a new line of jea ...
scene, as a former major contributor to the ''
Popteen
''Popteen'' is a monthly teenage fashion magazine published by the ''Kadokawa Haruki Corporation'' in Japan. The first issue was published on 1 October 1980 by ''Kadokawa Shoten''. Later issues were published by ''Asuka Shinsha'' who bought the ...
'' magazine and an exclusive model for its sister magazine ''
Roman script
The Latin script, also known as Roman script, is an alphabetic writing system based on the letters of the classical Latin alphabet, derived from a form of the Greek alphabet which was in use in the ancient Greek city of Cumae, in southern Ital ...
, including ''Ii Son'', ''Wei Sun'', and ''Wei Son''.
Early life
According to her official profile, Son was born in Saitama, Japan with Chinese nationality,"That Mysterious Popular Singer Was In Fact, 'Wei Son'" December 26, 2008, ''
Barks Barks may refer to:
* Carl Barks (1901 – 2000) was an American cartoonist, author, and painter
* Coleman Barks (b. 1937), an American poet, and former literature faculty at the University of Georgia
* Samantha Barks (b. 1990), a Manx actress an ...
'' however she herself has stated on multiple occasions that she was born in Dalian, China and lived there until she was 5 years old before immigrating to Niigata and growing up in Saitama. She became a full-time model at the age of 17.
Modeling
She first appeared in the ''
Popteen
''Popteen'' is a monthly teenage fashion magazine published by the ''Kadokawa Haruki Corporation'' in Japan. The first issue was published on 1 October 1980 by ''Kadokawa Shoten''. Later issues were published by ''Asuka Shinsha'' who bought the ...
'' magazine in May 2007 and was first on its cover in March 2008.
In April 2010 when ''Popteens "older sister" magazine ''
PopSister
''PopSister'' was a Japanese monthly gal-shibuya-kei-oriented fashion magazine published by Kadokawa Publishing & Co.Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...
to attend the
Shanghai World Expo
Expo 2010, officially the Expo 2010 Shanghai China, was held on both banks of the Huangpu River in Shanghai, China, from 1 May to 31 October 2010. It was a major World Expo registered by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), in the tr ...
, specifically its event promoting the
gyaru
( ja, ギャル) , is a Japanese fashion subculture. The term ''gyaru'' is a Japanese transliteration of the English slang word .
The term for was introduced in Japan by the American jeans company ''Lee'', who introduced a new line of jea ...
culture and various gyaru-brands, as a representative of the gyaru scene along with eight other Japanese models related to the ''Popteen'' magazine.
Being very active in the
runway
According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft". Runways may be a man-made surface (often asphalt, concre ...
scene, she has endorsed numerous fashion brands, cosmetic products, and several non-fashion / non-cosmetic products including printclub machines. She also starred in the music video for Rake's 2010 song "All I Need Is...".
''PopSister'' ceased publication in September 2011. She had since appeared on various fashion magazines including the 250,000-selling ''Blenda'' magazine, and she began appearing regularly on ''Blenda'' as the youngest one of its faces in April 2012.
On TV
Son has been appearing regularly on
TV Tokyo
JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as and known colloquially as , is a television station headquartered in the Sumitomo Fudosan Roppongi Grand Tower in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, owned and operated by the subsidiary of listed certifie ...
's street dance themed program ''Dance@TV'' since April 2010 as its only female host. She also began appearing on
MTV Japan
MTV Japan (Music Television Japan) is the Japanese version of the cable television network based in Japan. It is a subsidiary of Paramount Networks Japan K.K., and was launched on November 15, 1993. It can be viewed on cable television, SKY Perf ...
's ''
Shibuhara Girls
Shibuhara Girls is a MTV Japan/MTV Asia reality mini-series that centers on the lives of a group of young aspiring Japanese women as they seek stardom in the popular pop culture and fashion districts of Tokyo, Japan; Shibuya and Harajuku.
All t ...
'' in January 2011 as one of its four regulars. A
reality TV series
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
, ''Shibuhara Girls'' has reported some daily aspects of her modeling life such as her visits to
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...
where she was featured in the ''Maps''
street fashion
Street fashion is fashion that is considered to have emerged not from studios, but from the grassroots streetwear. Street fashion is generally associated with youth culture, and is most often seen in major urban centers. Magazines and Newspapers ...
magazine, the ''
Men's Health
''Men's Health'' (''MH''), published by Hearst, is the world's largest men's magazine brand, with 35 editions in 59 countries. It is also the best-selling men's magazine on U.S. newsstands.
Started as a men's health magazine by Rodale, Inc. ...
'' magazine's "Hot Icon of the Month" monthly special editorial, and several newspapers."Wei Son's magazine collaboration in South Korea!" April 7, 2011, ''
Shibuhara Girls
Shibuhara Girls is a MTV Japan/MTV Asia reality mini-series that centers on the lives of a group of young aspiring Japanese women as they seek stardom in the popular pop culture and fashion districts of Tokyo, Japan; Shibuya and Harajuku.
All t ...
,
MTV Japan
MTV Japan (Music Television Japan) is the Japanese version of the cable television network based in Japan. It is a subsidiary of Paramount Networks Japan K.K., and was launched on November 15, 1993. It can be viewed on cable television, SKY Perf ...
'' In addition to MTV, she contributed to the 2011 large music event "
MTV Video Music Awards Japan
The MTV Video Music Awards Japan (MTV VMAJ for short) are the Japanese version of the MTV Video Music Awards.
Like the MTV Video Music Awards in the United States, in this event artists are awarded for their songs and videos through online votin ...
" as its main host, in which her episodic friendship with the US diva
Lady Gaga
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...
was later reported.
Music
She made her singing debut in early 2009 when she released her first single " Sweet Song" with Lady Bird, as "Lady Bird feat. Son'i (from Popteen)" on
BMG Japan
Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG) was a division of a German media company Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Sony Corporation of America on 1 October 2008. Although it was established in 1987, the music co ...
. Officially released on February 25, 2009, "Sweet Song" hit the top spots of several singles and club charts such as the ''Dwango'' chart and ''Club Atom'' chart. It appeared on the
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in ...
singles chart 3 times, peaking at #47.
Family
Wei has a fraternal twin sister named Kyo, i.e. . Kyo, who became a mother of a boy in October 2009, is also a model best known for appearing in popular
gyaru
( ja, ギャル) , is a Japanese fashion subculture. The term ''gyaru'' is a Japanese transliteration of the English slang word .
The term for was introduced in Japan by the American jeans company ''Lee'', who introduced a new line of jea ...