Sofia Wakabayashi is a perfect representative of the new breed of model, strong, gorgeous and blessed with that ‘something special’ factor, which has gained her much favor in this highly competitive, cut-throat industry.
With her incredible presence in front & off camera, her tireless work ethic, and super-glamorous fashion imagery, the exotic half-Samurai (Japanese), half-Viking (Swedish) sweetheart first gained a throng of fans from being on the TV show Asia’s Next Top Model in cycle One, representing Japan.
In an exclusive Q&A complete with a sultry photo series shot from a lade-back home setting by photographer Victor Yaw, and hair styled by Blow+Bar, Sofia, (Now Model Management) gives us a little peek into the charming young lady behind all the glitz and glamor.
What i love most about modeling…..
I love that every single day on my job is new, exciting, and fun! Each job is different from the next… new location, new team, new challenges.
I also get to work with so many amazing, creative, talented people that it is impossible not to have enjoy every minute on the job.
I see myself in 3 years…….
I hope to finally be settled in one place that I can call a “base” and my home. I love traveling and I am so blessed that my job allows me to do that.
However, I can’t deny a sort of loneliness that comes with moving around every 2-3 months and having to start over each time in a new place.
The top 5 things on my bucket list are…...
Hot air balloon, sky dive, a roller-blade marathon in Cairo, Egypt and visit the pyramids while I am there, a Euro-trip, master a jump on the snowboard.
My favorite……
Book is The Alchemist. My copy is all kinds of beat up because I bring it with me everywhere. I read it whenever I feel lost, confused, lonely, or discouraged.
Fashion is…….
about being comfortable with who you are and feeling good. Whether that is dressing up in a dress or suit, or dressing down in sweats.
When i was……
Kuala Lumpur the other weekend for a music festival I got a severe allergic reaction to a poisonous hairy black caterpillar.
Been suffering from it the last couple weeks and just felt like sharing because it is the weirdest allergic reaction I have ever heard of. Who gets poisoned by a caterpillar!? Well of course me!
What i could do all day and all night long……
Eat French fries and sleep. Wait…I can’t do those at the same time haha.
What turns me on the most…..
Is it weird that I find it endearing when a guy eats messy? I’m talking sauce spilled on his tie or a bread crumb on his face so I can help wipe it off!
Maybe because usually it is that sweet, dorky, goofy guy who does that…
I hope for…….
Unicorns to be real. And a magical pill that can make my dog live as long as I do.
Nothing inspires me like…….
Laughing so much that I cry and my stomach hurts! It puts a reality check on things… that being purely happy is the best feeling in the world and to not lose sight of that while I’m chasing my dreams. To be happy is the point of it all.
Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know about you….
Being a model comes with a whole list of stereotypes that people automatically slap on to you before bothering to ask any questions.
For the people who do, they are always surprised to know that I am quite the nerd. I completed my bachelor’s degree in political science.
My Vices are…
Everything related to a potato. Yep, everything. That includes potatoes that are mashed, roasted, fried, truffled, buttered, hashed…not the best obsession to have in my line of work.
I try to go for sweet potato as a healthier alternative when I can. Must.have.potato.
I can’t live without…..
Laughter, my stuff animals, my friends, and my mini tubes of aquaphor for chapped lips!
