Kiko Mizuhara—Tokyo’s Biggest Model and Style Icon—On Becoming Dior’s New Girl and Bringing #MeToo to Japan

It’s hard to stand out during Tokyo Fashion Week. Between the street style kids, designer-clad front row denizens, and other professional style aficionados, the fight for attention can be intense, but Kiko Mizuhara doesn’t have to worry about any of that. At Ambush’s starstudded Tokyo Tower show, Mizuhara quietly commanded attention simply by being herself. Lithe and gamine, with an easygoing demeanor, she is one of Japan’s most recognizable faces. With a career in magazines and advertising dating back to childhood, the now-27-year-old has become an essential part of the nation’s fashion scene—visible for her clothing collaborations, campaigns, and thousands of billboards plastered around Shibuya. There are blogs dedicated to charting her every outfit, and sold-out collaborations with Opening Ceremony that have been worn by the likes of Rihanna and Beyoncé.

Though she may be as high-profile an ambassador for Japanese style as it gets, the star has flown under the radar stateside—until now. As the newly named ambassador for Dior Beauty, Mizuhara joins the ranks of Bella Hadid, Natalie Portman, and Jennifer Lawrence. “I feel proud to have been chosen,” says Mizuhara during a visit to the Vogue offices. “Especially being the first Asian ambassador.” The coup continues the trajectory she’s been on since signing with Creative Artists Agency in 2017. In that time, she’s walked her first New York Fashion Week, appeared in a music video with The Weeknd, and filmed a movie. She also has a line of affordable housewares called OK launching at the end of the month. But if world domination seems imminent, Mizuhara remains humble about the prospect. “I don’t know what’s going happen this year, but I’m very excited,” she says. “Right now I’m doing lots of things, but [I’m also] just enjoying my life, traveling, chilling. I’m going to try my best, even if nothing happens.”

Her New York Fashion Week adventures started with a DM.
Though she’s spent the past decade becoming a household name in Japan, Mizuhara isn’t adverse to an impromptu opportunity like the one that presented itself this past Fashion Week. When designer Adam Selman DM’d her about walking his Fall show, she jumped at the chance. “I was just a fangirl backstage—he was the sweetest person,” says Mizuhara. “All the models, they were so happy to be in the show, and the energy was very nice.” It’s hard to imagine someone with Mizuhara’s level of success—4.9 million followers on Instagram, roles in critically acclaimed films, and a thriving personal brand, Office Kiko—dropping everything to walk a show, but as a cool girl without airs, Mizuhara is all about the experience.

But she won’t walk in just any show.
Aside from the occasional spontaneous booking, Mizuhara chooses her runway appearances carefully, opting for the truly special—like Opening Ceremony’s epic Disneyland takeover, Jeremy Scott’s Barbie-themed Moschino extravaganza, or riding with Kaia Gerber on the Alexander Wang party bus. Of the latter experience, she says: “We had to stand the whole time when we were moving because we couldn’t mess up our dresses—it was pretty crazy, but I had so much fun.”

Her introduction to the world of modeling came early.
Born in Dallas, Mizuhara lived in Texas until age 2, when she and her family relocated to Japan. She was encouraged by her mother to enter a contest run by the Japanese edition of Seventeen magazine. Though she didn’t win, she was one of six finalists and landed an exclusive contract with the publication, soon becoming one of the magazine’s most popular stars. She spent her teenage years balancing school with editorial work, dealing with adult concerns like fame and living independently. “My mother was helping me out with making contacts, but I was living in Kobe, which is pretty far from Tokyo. Every weekend I’d have to go two and a half hours by myself, and I was 13,” says Mizuhara, who decided to move to the capital three years later. “In Japan, I guess, it’s a pretty common thing for younger people to live by themselves, so I started doing that.”

Style-wise, she sticks to tried-and-true silhouettes—but mixes up the materials.

The hallmarks of Mizuhara’s look are recognizable—miniskirts, turtlenecks, and high boots are all in heavy rotation—but she puts a distinctive spin on things. “I think I have lots of stuff that is the same shape, but I always find different colors or different materials,” she says, noting her love of sparkle and glitter. A typical outfit might involve a star-covered Marc Jacobs baby doll dress and Spice Girls–worthy platform heels, or a holographic mini worn with a cheeky logo-covered halter top. She scours eBay and Harajuku’s vintage shops for ’90s favorites like Betsey Johnson, Azzedine Alaïa, Hysteric Glamour, and X-Girl—much like her personal fashion inspiration, Chloë Sevigny. “She has amazing style and is an amazing actress,” says Mizuhara. “I have so much respect for her; she’s special. You can’t find many people who do fashion, acting, and everything so well.”

She is parlaying her fame to promote empowerment for girls.
Mizuhara is eager to use her visibility to do even more. “I was inspired by the #MeToo movement and the Women’s March happening in the U.S., because in Asia, especially in Japan, lots of people [feel they] can’t really raise their voice,” she says. “[Now] it feels like everyone is getting inspired. I’m looking forward to the younger generation raising their voice, becoming confident, and saying what they want to say. I’d like to be the person who can help a little bit—make young girls feel proud of themselves and be able to be fearless!”