orking with
professional
models is
always great.
Why? Well,
as they say,
you already know what to do
and they also know what they
are expected to do on set. So,
all the prep work gets done
in no time and then, voilà ...
the entire job goes smoothly.
Needless to say, that is pretty
much how it went with
our latest photo shoot and
interview with multi-talented
model Ayu Gani.
While not exactly unknown
before, Gani really became a
household name when she
was crowned champion of
season three of the award-
winning reality modellingW
moved to London and called
the English capital her home
for almost three years before
moving back to Jakarta.
That, of course, was just
the short-recap. The one
thing that her fans, family
and friends didn’t see was
the struggle behind all of it.
Gani also mentioned how
she had to struggle with
the pressure and the hype
surrounding her victory,
especially as her departure to
London approached. When
she took first place, Gani won
a contract with one of the
largest modeling agencies
in London, Storm Model
Management. “Not many
people know about it, but
during my first three months
in London, I didn’t have aaim was to show everyone
that I deserved the title. I
aimed to book one of the
jobs and pass the casting for
either photoshoots or the
catwalks,” recalls Gani
Still, according to Gani,
these kinds of struggles was
just part of growing. And
ultimately, she was able to
overcome everything. “It
takes a while for me to digest
my setbacks. But I know I
have to move on. Because life
goes on. I brush it off. And I
have to remain authentic.
Luckily, I know myself. That’s
very important. I know my
strengths and weaknesses.
And I embrace all of it,” she
says with a glowing face
Speaking of embracing her
true self, she also notes how“AS LONG AS YOU HAVE PASSION
AND REALLY AIM FOR IT,
THE UNIVERSE WILL HELP YOU”
competition “Asia’s Next
Top Model” in 2015. The
Indonesian model secured
the top spot after she beat
Marlene Monika from the
Philippines and Aimee Rose
Cheng-Bradshaw from
Singapore in the final round.
And since then, Gani—the
spritely Indonesian beauty
with the heart of gold—hasjob,” says Gani, opening up
the conversation.
To say that international
modelling is fast-paced
would be an understatement.
Gani remembered how
she would read fashion
magazines from the U.K. to
find out what was considered
trendy and favorable in the
country’s fashion scene. “Myit’s actually very important for
her—or any aspiring model,
for that matter—to always
remain authentic in order
to keep growing each and
every day. “I think that they
have to be authentic. They
need to embrace themselves
wholeheartedly. Don’t try
to look like supermodels.
Instead, try to be yourself and