The youngest Olympic champion in freestyle skiing Eileen Gu takes the cover story of Vogue Hong Kong‘s January 2023 edition lensed by fashion photographer Paola Kudacki. In charge of styling was Anya Ziourova, with fashion direction from Sean Kunjambu, casting direction by Jill Demling, and production by Ryan Fahey & Alexey Galetskiy. Beauty is work of hair stylist Evanie Frausto, makeup artist Grace Ahn, and manicurist Dawn Sterling.
More than anything, being a woman in sports is about confidence and resilience, hearing the negativity and choosing to turn it into positive motivation for yourself, and uplifting other women around you. Seeing the incredible proliferation of freeskiing worldwide following the Winter Olympics brings me such happiness and pride. I love seeing such a tangible cultural shift toward confidence, dialogue, and personal growth through participation in sports, especially among young people and girls.
Fashion has played a role in helping me connect with my femininity, find beauty in strength, and cultivate my own creativity. It is creative, it is raw, it is expressive.
Keep doing what you love, keep getting better, and never be afraid to try something new. Everything we take for granted now was once done for the first time by a pioneer who laid the path for others to follow. Impossible is a temporary state of being. If not you, who? – Eileen Gu
Photography © Paola Kudacki for Vogue Hong Kong, read more at voguehk.com
