Scouted on Instagram at the age of 15, Nigerian-Korean model Han Hyun Min never dreamed a career in fashion would become his reality, despite being snapped up by an agency almost immediately. “When I first started out, I didn’t think I would ever be the face of a major brand or be on TV regularly – because of my skin colour,” he says.
Han broke new ground as the first Korean model of African descent to step out on the runway in South Korea when he opened the show for menswear label Heich Es Heich at Seoul Fashion Week AW16. Three years on, the 17-year-old has walked in more than 100 runway shows, starred in a campaign for Nike – though he’s yet to make his debut in any of the Eurpean fashion capitals.
Han Hyun Min’s talents extend beyond modelling; he MCs for hit K-Pop chart show M-Countdown and is planning to branch out into the world of acting. “Ultimately, I want to be a role model for anyone in Korea with multiple racial backgrounds,” he says. “I want to show that if you have a dream, you can achieve it.”
Hannah Tindle