Lezlie Chan and Anisha Thai on representation in fashion and championing diversity

Anisha Thai, model, dancer and one of Hong Kong Asia’s Most Stylish Honourees of 2022, and Lezlie Chan, plus-size model and body positivity advocate, discuss what representation and style means to them, standing out in the fashion world, and how they’re championing diversity in their own unique way

With her fierce looks and fluid dance moves, you might never guess that Anisha Thai was originally a civil engineer. “I moved to Hong Kong five years ago and was thinking of climbing the corporate ladder, but then I realised that I was missing out on my passion for dance,” says the half-African and half-Vietnamese model, dancer and influencer from Paris.

When the pandemic hit, Thai went through “a period of self reflection” before entering a dance competition on TVB that she eventually won – calling that the “trigger” she needed to quit her job and pursue her dream of becoming an artist full-time.

“There weren’t many Black models in Hong Kong back then,” recalls Thai, nor much diversity in fashion. Facing multiple rejections from different agencies for not being “Asian” enough – or at all, despite being half-Asian – it became clear that Hong Kong had a very narrow definition of what “Asian” actually meant.

“I realised that we needed to change the local mentality of Asian representation, because Hong Kong is a very big city with a lot of diverse Asians, including Indians, Indonesians, Filipinos and also, Blasians – people who have Asian and Black heritage,” she explained. “As a model and artist, I wanted to put myself out there, open up a path for more diversity, and hopefully encourage more people that look like me to gain a bit more confidence and representation.”

Representation is also an important topic for Hong Kong plus-size model and singer-songwriter, Lezlie Chan. “As a kid, I never identified as a beautiful person because in Hong Kong, beauty standards [meant having] big eyes, a tall nose and the perfect, tall and thin body shape,” she says. “Because I was fat, I never imagined that I could be considered beautiful.”

Having battled years of yo-yo dieting, body-image issues and depression after high school, Chan decided to embrace body positivity during Covid by hosting events and talks on the topic. “I wanted to encourage people around me not to take their weight or looks too seriously, and to love themselves more,” she says.

Chan’s big break came when she was asked to model for her friend’s plus-size swimwear line, which she admits was intimidating at first. “I’d never worn anything that revealing before, but I trusted [my friend] and the photos turned out really well,” she says.

Spurred on by supportive and loving comments from friends, as well as a few “vomit emojis” from haters (of which Chan says “didn’t stop me anyway”), she did a few more fashion shoots and joined Harmony, Hong Kong’s first diverse and inclusive modeling agency. In 2021, Chan landed a spot on Viu TV’s beauty pageant show for plus-size women (the requirement being a body mass index of over 25) called Extra Beauty, propelling her into the public eye as a plus-size model, singer-songwriter and rising star.

When asked to describe her unique sense of style, Chan says, “I love things that are colourful, glamorous and gorgeous. It really depends on my mood – I can be a glam queen even when I’m just doing my grocery shopping.”

“Yaas!” exclaims Thai, who was named one of Hong Kong Asia’s Most Stylish honourees in 2022. Citing Rihanna as one of her role models (not to mention, doppelganger), she describes her style as “daring, warm, unapologetic, cute, but also smart. It’s a mix of everything. We’re constantly navigating through different moods, feelings and personalities, so our style is also constantly evolving.”

Chan adds that it’s important to find a style that you’re actually comfortable with. “Sometimes, what's trending might be cool, but you have to think, does it actually fit me? It’s a trial and error process so don’t be afraid to try things out and mix and match.”

“Trends may come and go, but being stylish is more about being in harmony and at peace with yourself,” says Thai. “My style is a reflection of who I am and what I’m feeling. If I’m feeling super confident, I’ll go with a short skirt and something crazy in terms of colours. But if it’s a rainy day, you’ll see me in black, for sure,” she laughs.

“Ultimately, you don’t have to be anything you’re not,” says Chan. “Just be yourself, because being stylish is most of all, being confident.”