LSA100: Suganya gets real about her journey from fresh-faced model to international cover star

100 Malaysians, 100 Milestones – LSA100 this year spotlights Suganya, the biomedical science student-turned-model who, by now, has already made waves in her career on an international level. From walking almost all of KL Fashion Week and being named Model of the Year at the KL Fashion Awards to gracing the cover of Vogue magazine, this year has definitely been Suganya’s year of milestones.

When Suganya gets to the studio, it has already gotten pretty chaotic. The heat outside is insufferable and as a result, everyone is sardined in the space. She gives us a wave hello and then says, like a balm to our souls, “Don’t worry about me, babe. I know how it is. You guys just do your thing.” She plops herself down on the nearest chair without complaint. Half an hour later, when I finally take her aside for our chat, she’s still got the same energy she’d sauntered in with (though her voice is raspy from partying too hard at the Next in Vogue Gala.)

“In the modelling industry, I feel like what it takes for anyone to get there is passion,” she tells me; a great opener to our chat about hard work. “You can’t do this for the ‘glam’ or the fame or the money. You need to want to do it. You need to want to work odd hours. You need to want to physically look after yourself 24-7. You have to be fit, yes, but more than anything it’s mentally too. Because honestly, if you’re gonna be touched and groomed by people, especially if you’re not used to that, you have to get used to that, you know? It’s not a lifestyle for everyone.”

It’s certainly been the lifestyle for Suganya in the last three years at least. These last few months have seen her popping up a lot editorially — the biggest of which, of course, is her cover for Vogue Singapore’s October anniversary issue — but she first caught public attention when she was seen in nearly every show at the Kuala Lumpur Fashion Week in August.

“I started off my first year with only two shows,” she shares. “And this year, out of the 27 shows, I think I was in 21 or 22 shows. And right after that, I carried a lot of their campaigns. So it was, you know, working back-to-back with local designers. It was something very patriotic for me.”

It was at KL Fashion Week where Suganya was first spotted by Vogue’s fashion writer who was so captivated by her walk that he’d persuaded his editor-in-chief to include her in the magazine’s October issue, aptly centring around the theme ‘Community’ through the faces of Southeast Asia. (Suganya would go on to appear on the cover alongside Aslesha of Singapore, Clarita of Indonesia, and Tu Anh of Vietnam.) That same patriotic feeling would also follow her to the Vogue Singapore shoot — the cover was shot by Malaysian photographer Nelson Chong. “I’ve worked with Nelson before,” she says, “so I felt very comfortable being there. I felt like I was with a Malaysian team. I felt very much at home.”

I’m not surprised that her career has grown so quickly in just a few years. Suganya has a face card her generation would call ‘lethal’. And despite having no modelling experience whatsoever three years ago (she pursued a degree in biomedical science), she’s a natural at what she does — so much so that she was already getting international offers pre-Vogue Singapore.

“It’s not something that people really know, but I got an offer last year from IMG Paris and Elite Paris,” Suganya says. (These agencies represent supermodels such as Gisele Bündchen, Heidi Klum, Cindy Crawford and the like.) “I had to put that aside because of my internship. That was a struggle. It was a hard time because I couldn’t say yes as much as I wanted to. And chances like that don’t come by often. I never spoke about it because it took me some time to get over it, but I know I had to do it. I couldn’t give up my degree. I was very close to finishing it.” But now, with her career flying high, she’s ready to chase that dream once again.

Congratulations on appearing on the cover of Vogue — and its ‘Community’ Anniversary Issue at that! Tell us a little bit more about the whole experience and how it came about for you.

Yeah, I think a lot of people have the question, like, how did I end up being on the Vogue cover? Why I mentioned KL Fashion Week as a highlight is because that was when I was spotted by one of the Vogue writers. Vogue Singapore in particular was invited to KL Fashion Week for all seven days. And this was so random — I think it was on the third night? — he messaged me on Instagram, “Hey, your walk was so great. I wanna say you’ve done such a great job.” And me being me, I was reposting all the IG Stories but I ignored these messages completely. And the next day when I opened up this message, I said, “Oh! This is a Vogue writer and I was not entertaining him at all!” (laughs) So we started talking, but we just never ended up meeting.

Then later, they released an issue about KL Fashion Week with, like, my pictures. I was like, ‘Oh my God, I should’ve met this dude. I should’ve made time.’ When I went for the shoot, I asked the editor-in-chief, “How did you choose me?” He was like, “Oh, do you know this guy that went to the show? He was like telling me about you. We felt you would be a good representative for Malaysia.” Apparently they were scouting for models from Asian countries, and the faces of those Asian countries at the moment. The whole thing was so random. (laughs) ‘Cause I was just like, ‘Who is this guy?’ I didn’t even bat an eye. I didn’t think a Vogue cover would be possible.

What was going through your mind at the shoot?

Honestly, I was excited the whole time. Because I feel like I’ve worked with magazines a lot. So I was not worried, I was not intimidated or anything. But because this is Vogue, I was like, ‘Okay, I gotta bring up my game, ten times more.’ And I was very excited to meet and work with these other models from these other countries. They have very different work styles I would say, so that was nice. We did end up all becoming friends. And during the whole shoot, I was very well taken care of. So I didn’t feel like it was a very challenging shoot. It was a very fun shoot. It was very enjoyable.

How was the initial response to the cover, especially from your family and peers in the community?

Oh my goodness! Coming from a brown family, they don’t really know how big the fashion industry is and how it could influence someone. So, my family, when they found out about Vogue, they were like, “Oh, okay, it’s just another work for her. What is this Vogue?” (laughs) But then I have friends who are not from the industry who understand the importance of even just being on a cover. I feel like I got much ‘louder’ support. And then of course, people from the industry.

I think when the Vogue cover came out, I was working so I was not updated. I came back home late at night and my Instagram blew up. It was like everyone was posting or sharing before I could, you know? It was a huge positive response from a lot of the people I’ve worked with in the industry. I think it felt like a win for them as well. They were probably like, “Oh my God, that’s my campaign girl.” It was like a shared pride and a shared happy moment for everyone in the industry. Because over the years I feel like I’ve had this connection with all of my clients. It was like a gift giving back as well, you know, for believing in me. Because honestly, without them I wouldn’t have had the amount of work, or the jobs or the shows. And if I didn’t have that, I wouldn’t have been noticed. KL Fashion Week probably wouldn’t have been the best moment for me. It’s because of them that I’m here. It’s like, “Hey, this is for you, for believing.”

Talking about representing Malaysia and everything, your presence in the fashion and beauty industry definitely promotes diversity and inclusivity. How important do you think it is to be a role model for other aspiring models, especially in Malaysia?

I feel like I’ve gotten something like this before. And I’m not gonna lie. I can’t sit here and say that I’m representing all Indians in the nation. Because if you were to ask them, they’d be like, “Are you sure you’re Indian?” That’s the first question I get. So I can’t sit here and say, “Oh, I feel like more Indians should be this or that.” I can’t speak in that sense. But I feel like as a Malaysian, as a tanner-skinned model, that I could speak for. ‘Cause a lot of ‘Asian’ faces do really well. I feel like we can thrive. We have what it takes to even grace international shows and covers. So in that sense, I feel like people should start believing in us even more. Our colours should be more of our strength than something that sets us back.

And how would you also encourage others, then, to pursue modelling?

People think being a model is so fun. And as much as it has its perks, I feel like the cons that come with it are also high. If you’re not well prepared — especially mentally, emotionally, physically — you’re gonna face a lot of rejections coming in. It was very slow for me when I first started. I was like, ‘One year in, I don’t think I’m gonna make it.’ But my first break came ten months later. I learned to take on every job. Anything that comes my way, I’m doing it. I don’t care if it’s big or small, I don’t look at that. Because I love this job. I love what I’m doing, so I say yes to everything. So, I feel like if you have a very hardworking mindset coming into this modelling industry, I think you should go for it. And you know, don’t get yourself in a… don’t go, “Oh, I don’t have the height. I don’t have the face.” It’s not like back then, you know, where you’ve only gotta be thin and fair. You would eventually find a category you belong in. But it’s that perseverance that you need to have more than anything. Rejections may come for years, but if you’re really passionate about it, you would keep moving. That’s what’s been driving me so far, to be honest. 

What would you say is something that you struggled with when you first started that you’ve kind of mastered now?

Oh, that’s nice! Okay, so I’ve never done any form of modelling before I got signed and started. So that means I was fresh. I had zero experience.

Oh yeah, I read the Vogue piece — you did biomedical science. How was that shift for you?

Honestly, I think my degree was mainly for my parents. It’s a form of me giving back to them. You know, coming from a brown or any Asian family, when I first told them that I was really gonna pursue modelling, they were like (deadpan) “Yeah, I’m sure it’s gonna make you money.” So I was like, “But I will do this first. I will definitely give you my degree in hand. I’m not just gonna blow it all away.” And I was very determined to do it. As long as I got this [modelling] going as well eventually. So I kind of found like a midpoint. Struggles — well, you know, people like me probably would’ve struggled way more. I can’t sit here and lie and say, “Oh, I had such a difficult time!” Because I started with a very good agency, Models Lab. My boss has been pushing me from the very beginning.

I mean, sure, you had it good. But at the same time, I feel like the people who struggled back then were also what paved the way for you guys to have it a lot easier and better and have more opportunities.

Yes, exactly. They fought the battles, and they brought in more inclusivity. So when I came in, I felt like I was already ‘included’. I didn’t feel like I was the odd one out, you know? Yes, being much more tanner-skinned, I’d say I struggled as much as the models five, six years ago. But being part of a good agency also helped. I had really good opportunities, my agency provided me with the best of the best from my first year onwards. So, struggle-wise, I would say from not having any shoot experience to having tons of shoot experience. So I was like, how does a camera work? How does the lens work? How do people pose like this or like that?

Were you someone who was not super comfortable in front of the camera?

I never had that feeling, so I can’t compare. I was always comfortable being around people, but you know, to work on your face, like learning the ways. I was very much self-taught. But that’s also, I think, you know, when you have the passion, you put in effort to learn. So I really did all of the self-learning before any job, any work. I was like studying the shoot, studying the mood, and practising my poses. I think that’s something that I didn’t know back then, but now I could pull off.

As a Malaysian model, how has your cultural heritage and background influenced your modelling career?

I come from a very traditional background — very traditional family, very pious. You know, ‘we go to temples on Sundays’ kind of family. This is like a 180 degree shift. It’s the complete opposite. But it did shape me to believe that you can do good. You know, just because you have all those beliefs, it doesn’t have to stop you from doing what you wanna do. But at the same time, I don’t think it has hindered me in my career. I wouldn’t say it supported me fully — I did have my doubts — but it wasn’t a hindrance. It was very easy to adapt. Maybe it’s the kind of person I am, too. I can mould myself to fit into wherever I want to. I feel like that was a trait I was blessed with. So from the start I was like, ‘Okay, I got this, I can do this.’

Just to wrap up, what’s next for you in the upcoming year? Do you have any big plans?

I think it would be any serious model’s dream to go international… you know, anything. Any international shows, campaigns.

Do you have a dream brand you want to work with?

Probably a dream agency. I’ve gotten my degree… so I have the time now to chase after my goals. (laughs) Probably that would be my ‘something next’. Get signed, and hopefully represent Malaysia internationally. That is the dream.

editor-in-chief & creative direction MARTIN TEO | interview PUTERI YASMIN SURAYA | assisted by MALLIE MARAN | intern MIA MARLISA | photography AZIM MAHAYUDIN | videography JACKIE MAH & SIMON TAN | hair CODY CHUA | makeup SHENG SAW | styled by AZZA ARIF | jewellery TIFFANY & CO | wardrobe LOUIS VUITTON, MSGM 

Check out LSA100 Class of 2024 HERE.