Mediacorp Actress Ye Jia Yun, 21, Just Walked Her First Runway Show At Milan Fashion Week; Says Modelling Can Be "Quite Brutal”

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When we first saw Mediacorp actress Ye Jia Yun in 2019, she was only 17 and a Star Search finalist. And we were immediately wowed by how supermodel-esque the 1.8m-tall Nanyang Poly hospitality and tourism management student was.

Fast forward four years later, and guess who just walked her first runway show… and at Milan Fashion Week to boot? 

The 21-year-old was chosen as one the models for Italian luxury brand Anteprima’s Spring/Summer 2024 fashion show yesterday (Sep 21).

8days.sg got on a call with the Star Search 2019 second runner-up, right after the show to find out how she's feeling after her first international modelling gig. 

"I was very nervous but also very excited leading up to the show because it's my first runway experience and it's on such an international level," says Jia Yun. "I just told myself: "It's okay, there's no need to worry so much. What's most important is that you've prepared so much and you should just exude that confidence and do your walk strong."

She says she was only confirmed for the job the night before.

"One day before the show, they called me back in for a final fitting for the outfit and at night they gave me the good news that I was confirmed for the job," she shares.

"I was quite shocked because I didn’t know it was such a last minute thing, but I asked around and some of the models told me it’s common to get confirmed just one night before the actual show because they’re looking at so many models and have to go through so many castings."

Thankfully, Jia Yun, who went for a three-month modelling crash course in Taipei earlier this year, went well-prepared.

"My preparation started in May. We worked together with my agency in Taipei, LSI Model Management, to train my catwalk, how to control my facial expressions, and everything else related to modelling," says Jia Yun.

"When I came to Milan in September, I did some research on the brands that I was hoping to get booked for. I watched their past shows to see the vibe of the brand and what type of models they like. I tried to follow a bit of that and add in my own style before I went for the castings."

Did you know each casting session lasts just 60 seconds? Well, neither did Jiayun.

"What surprised me was that there were so many models going for the castings and we queued up for 30 minutes to an hour, but the actual casting was probably less than a minute. So it's quite brutal I would say."

She now has newfound respect for models.

"What you see doesn't reflect the hard work they've put in. It’s really not easy. For instance, waiting for the confirmation of the shows is really hard mentally. Even if we go for fittings, it doesn't mean we're confirmed for the show, so we have to be very strong mentally," she explains.

Watch Jia Yun walk the Anteprima fashion show below:

Lucky for Jia Yun, she and three fellow rookie models, who are all living in an apartment arranged by her Italian agency, Fashion Model Management, have been very supportive of one another. 

"My roommates and I cheer each other on. One roommate, who's from India but lives in Germany, is very happy that I got my first show in Milan. Every night we'll ask each other: "How was casting today?" and we would share what the process was like and things we can improve on.”

So how did Jia Yun go from acting to modelling? 

It started in April when her manager asked her what she felt about modeling and going to Taipei for training.

"I am very thankful that they gave me this opportunity because modelling has always been a dream of mine, even before I joined Star Search. I told the company about this and luckily they gave me this opportunity to try it out," she says. 

She definitely put in the hard work.

"At the start when I was in Taiwan, it was quite brutal 'cos I had to get used to it. Every day I had to go into the office to practise my walking and do brand study. I also had to send a collage of nine different expressions that I can portray every week," she shares. 

There, Jia Yun also started having to control her diet.

“For Paris and Milan Fashion Week, they have certain measurements that they hope models can meet. I had to cut carbs, and it was very hard 'cos I'm a foodie. So yeah I went through a really dark time to change my diet and even up till now I still have to manage it," she chuckles.

Some of the jobs Jia Yun got in Taipei include a shoot for a fashion catalogue as well as an editorial spread for Marie Claire Taiwan.

It looks she still needs a bit of time getting used to living abroad alone.

Sharing that she will be in Milan until December, Jia Yun admitted that it's been "quite difficult" for her to get used to the food there.

"You hardly see any Asian cuisine around," she laments.

It's why she's really starting to miss home. 

"In Taipei I did miss home but maybe because the distance wasn't that huge, I dealt with it quite well. But after coming to Milan, I really miss home. The surprising thing is, what I miss the most is the food, like laksa, hokkien mee," she laughs. 

Guess she’s not just a model but a model Singaporean. 

Scroll down to see more behind-the-scenes of Jia Yun at Milan Fashion Week:

Jia Yun getting her make-up done backstage: