The legendary Lera Shermata: Supreme: PH: Paul Rowland

Up at the crack of dawn to make myself pretty for a play date with the fascinating Lera Sheremata at Supreme. Its a Spur Japan profile and I love that with Lera you never know what you're going to get. Will she be as meek and sweet as the newborn kitten she sometimes looks like, or will she give you that icy Medusa stare. I'd love a combination of both as that would give the video TI is shooting some drama. Boy do we need that from models these days. Will update you on the proceedings this afternoon...Speaking of Japan, yesterday while making my agency tour I started to have a really interesting conversation with a certain manager. He was speculating as to why Hyoni, the Korean beauty had won the Ford Supermodel contest this year and suggested it was because every agency in NY knew they had to reach out to the "Asian" market. Ah the mythical Asian market. It is said to be as celebrity driven as the American market but with its own specifics and peculiarities. For instance, Sienna Miller is in our manager's estimation is the most coveted celebrity in Korea. And also the market in models was said to be becoming more competitive. Gone were the days when the NY agencies could hustle off sub-par models to Japan or Korea. Now everybody wants the best of the best. Coco Rocha, for instance is in much demand as an ideal face, doing many a magazine covers I have been told. And going back to Hyoni, the Ford Supermodel franchise in Korea had launched a massive reality show about the search for a winner. When La Hyoni went on to take the whole cake, apparently whole new markets started to spin in shrewd minds (China! Thailand! The Phillipines) This is where his speculation converted into prime hiss. He's convinced that an "Asian media investment concern" had been one of the top bidders to buy into the Ford agency and that now IMG was revving up for a serious launch into this market as that was "where all the money was". How much of this is true, I certainly don't know. But it certainly was entertaining. I wonder if it will ever warrant a cover story on The Economist...Well, its off to ponder the mesmerizing perplexity that is Lera and to find out if its true that there is a blue chip agency about to send its cards out without stats . We keep it deep. no?