Meet Mia Felicia

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mia Felicia.

Mia, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’ve been officially modeling since I was 16, I actually never wanted to model. I was at a car show with my family when I got scouted and decided to audition for a modeling school just to see how far I could go. And then, when I got in, I didn’t plan to do it because I never thought I was good enough to be a model. But my family challenged me to do something outside my comfort zone. When I started, I was honestly embarrassed to tell my friends that I was trying modeling. I was scared they’d judge me and to be honest I kind of judged myself for it.

Then as I started to do photoshoots and runway, I found that I actually really loved it and this was what I needed to really find who I was and who I wanted to be. I found a way to not only love what I did but love who I am. Since then, I’ve walked in NYFW, been published in British and China Vogue along with many other international publications and last year, I walked my seventh season of Denver Fashion Week and my 50th runway show.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I like to think it has been a smooth road, but it has definitely not been. I’m fortunate enough to be one of the handfuls of Asian models in Denver, which has been a huge advantage for me. But with that being said, it has required me to be more than just that. Genetics can only get you so far, you have to be ready to give it everything you got. I had to learn this one the hard way; when I first started modeling, I thought that my agency would do everything for me, but after sitting around waiting for months, I realized that I had to do something. Modeling is something that you get what you put into it. You have to go and get your name out there, you’re your best advocate and I cannot emphasize this enough.

We’d love to hear more about your work.
The dictionary offers dozens of definitions of a “model”; you more or less are a glorified coat hangar, but the requirements to be one are so much more. You ARE your own boss and you run your own business. It’s not just playing dress-up and looking pretty. Fashion is art, and when a designer asks you to model for them, they are including you in their vision. You have to understand their art, your job is to make their art a living and breathing entity. You are your own boss and you have to learn to manage yourself, agencies are great for booking things, but ultimately they are the middlemen that connect you with the people. You have to represent yourself and know what you want and what you’re good at.

For me, specifically, I am a runway and editorial model for the most part, but recently I have been dabbling in commercial work. Because of my height and my heritage, I tend to get picked for runway and high fashion work, but I love to do commercials. High fashion is incredible; it’s one of a kind and its all about art, but commercial speaks to many and it’s more lucrative. Art is subjective, and because of that so is fashion. Fashion is a way for people to speak when they do not wish to, and for me that’s the only reason I need to model. I’m honored that so many designers have given me the chance to carry their voices across runways, magazines, and around the world.

Coming from a place where I struggled to share my own voice, being able to carry not only my voice but the voice of others, means the world to me. I like to think that I’m like any other person and I am no different than the next person. But in reality, what sets me apart is my physical image. I’m a Japanese American girl that is six feet tall. You don’t see that often and I have yet to meet someone that is like me. In a crowd, I feel lonely but in fashion, I feel empowered. Originality is everything in fashion.

What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was a pretty quiet kid. I just wanted to grow up and I had hard time connecting with kids my age. I was so determined to be “mature” to the point that it was arrogance. But that pretty much stopped once my parents divorced and step-siblings quickly came into my life. I went from being one of two to one of five and suddenly, I was forced to be a kid and I found out it wasn’t so bad. My siblings helped me learn that it’s ok to be a kid sometimes. From there, I started to open up, I even went to a twilight midnight premier and sat in line for almost two hours. Once I started letting myself be a kid again, I found that I was missing out on so much good. And then one day at a car show, I got a chance to do something even crazier than just letting myself enjoy being a kid. I got the chance to submit for an agency and it took a lot for me to take that leap.

Even though I was starting to loosen up, there were still a lot of things I refused to do. I refused to wear anything that wasn’t jeans and a large hoodie, and I was scared of wearing makeup or heels. I hated drawing attention to myself and I was extremely self-conscious and being a model was the exact opposite of what I wanted. But eventually, my family convinced me to just audition and see what happens. Turns out, my agency loved me and my agent took me under his wing and helped me find my own confidence. From there the rest is history, I fell in love with fashion, I fell in love with the people, and most importantly, I fell in love with myself.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://miafelicia.weebly.com/
• Instagram: _mia_felicia
• Facebook: Mia Felicia

Image Credit:
Henry Yates
Alain Camporiva
Ayvin Arthur
David Rossa

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