Idris & Tony Capture the “Rise of the Asian Male Supermodel”

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Alex Manning, Andrew Moore, Dae Na, Daisuk Ueda, Danie Liu, Hao Yun Xiang, Jae Yoo, Krit McClean, Noma Han, Philip Huang, Ryohei Yamada, Satoshi Toda, Scott Neslage, Sung Jin Park, and Tony Chung for "Rise of the Asian Male Supermodel" by Idris & Tony

Alex Manning, Andrew Moore, Dae Na, Daisuk Ueda, Daniel Liu, Hao Yun Xiang, Jae Yoo, Krit McClean, Noma Han, Philip Huang, Ryohei Yamada, Satoshi Toda, Scott Neslage, Sung Jin Park, and Tony Chung for “Rise of the Asian Male Supermodel” by Idris & Tony

As the discussion of diversity in fashion (or lack thereof) continues, Models.com has profiled the “ Rise of the Asian Male Supermodel ” with an editorial lensed by African- and Asian-American photography duo Idris & Tony .

With hopes of challenging the way Asian men are perceived and depicted in Western culture, the pair also shared personal experiences with facing discrimination while, masculinity, their favorite new and established faces and much more.

Daniel Liu for "Rise of the Asian Male Supermodel" by Idris & Tony

Daniel Liu for “Rise of the Asian Male Supermodel” by Idris & Tony

“Although there has recently been a greater visibility of Asians in Western advertising, we are still mostly typecast as the sidekick,” says Tony , “but when will we be the leading man, the object of desire?So we approached the project from a Western perspective photographing Asian male models in various denim pieces because you can’t get much more American than t-shirts and jeans.”

“We wanted to draw on their masculinity without completely removing them from their personal demeanor,” says Idris. “We didn’t want them too polished or to create a false illusion, but rather capture them from the perspective that they are naturally handsome men.”

Krit McClean for "Rise of the Asian Male Supermodel" by Idris & Tony

Krit McClean for “Rise of the Asian Male Supermodel” by Idris & Tony

Tony continues: “Our hope is that this series of portraits within this project inspires society to re-consider the way they view Asian males, specifically in America. That our industry colleagues use their ‘persuASIAN’ to give young Asian males around the world an array of role models whom they share the same features and demeanor with. I wonder at times where my confidence would have taken me if I had these role models.”

Scott Neslage for "Rise of the Asian Male Supermodel" by Idris & Tony

Scott Neslage for “Rise of the Asian Male Supermodel” by Idris & Tony

As just the beginning of an on-going project, the photo shoot features 15 models: Alex Manning , Andrew Moore , Dae Na , Daisuk Ueda , Daniel Liu , Hao Yun Xiang , Jae Yoo , Krit McClean , Noma Han , Philip Huang , Ryohei Yamada , Satoshi Toda , Scott Neslage , Sung Jin Park , and Tony Chung .

The photographers plan to build on the series with faces such as Zhao Lei, Paolo Roldan, Godfrey Gao , and Kevin Louie .

Alex Manning for "Rise of the Asian Male Supermodel" by Idris & Tony

Alex Manning for “Rise of the Asian Male Supermodel” by Idris & Tony

Andrew Moore for "Rise of the Asian Male Supermodel" by Idris & Tony

Andrew Moore for “Rise of the Asian Male Supermodel” by Idris & Tony

Dae Na for "Rise of the Asian Male Supermodel" by Idris & Tony

Dae Na for “Rise of the Asian Male Supermodel” by Idris & Tony

Daisuk Ueda for "Rise of the Asian Male Supermodel" by Idris & Tony

Daisuk Ueda for “Rise of the Asian Male Supermodel” by Idris & Tony

Hao Yun Xiang for "Rise of the Asian Male Supermodel" by Idris & Tony

Hao Yun Xiang for “Rise of the Asian Male Supermodel” by Idris & Tony

Jae Yoo for "Rise of the Asian Male Supermodel" by Idris & Tony

Jae Yoo for “Rise of the Asian Male Supermodel” by Idris & Tony

Noma Han for "Rise of the Asian Male Supermodel" by Idris & Tony

Noma Han for “Rise of the Asian Male Supermodel” by Idris & Tony

Philip Huang for "Rise of the Asian Male Supermodel" by Idris & Tony

Philip Huang for “Rise of the Asian Male Supermodel” by Idris & Tony

Ryohei Yamada for "Rise of the Asian Male Supermodel" by Idris & Tony

Ryohei Yamada for “Rise of the Asian Male Supermodel” by Idris & Tony

Satoshi Toda for "Rise of the Asian Male Supermodel" by Idris & Tony

Satoshi Toda for “Rise of the Asian Male Supermodel” by Idris & Tony

Tony Chung for "Rise of the Asian Male Supermodel" by Idris & Tony

Tony Chung for “Rise of the Asian Male Supermodel” by Idris & Tony

Sung Jin Park for "Rise of the Asian Male Supermodel" by Idris & Tony

Sung Jin Park for “Rise of the Asian Male Supermodel” by Idris & Tony

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