ModeStar Sam Cui | Fashion Stylist for the World’s Elite

He talked about Gossip Girl’s Chuck Bass, that bad-boy from the Upper East Side where the planet’s rich and powerful congregate, the flamboyant and womanizing heir of Bass Industries. Chuck may be vengeful and manipulative, but his love for Blair Waldorf is unwavering. Looking at Sam Cui’s own photos, you immediately sense the Chunk Bass influence on his style – exquisite, suave, charismatic – the aura of high society. As an experienced fashion stylist, Sam’s ultimate desire is to design the best looks for the world’s elite.

YOHJI YAMAMOTO 

Every year Sam spends a lot of time traveling, attending exhibits, parties and fashion shows. He loves the lifestyle. Understandably, the lifestyle has given him great fodder for creating show-stopping styles. If one were to stay put, one would never have learned so much. These rich experiences of different people, places, and cultures became the best nutrients for his mind and soul. Looking back, soaking up the globe was a dream-building process.

Q&A for ModeStar @ SamCui 

ModeSens： When did you fall in love with fashion? What has fashion brought to your life?

SumCui：Right around the time I started high school, I started having a pretty big interest in fashion. One of my best friends and her mother would often make their own dresses at home, and around that time we also started watching Gossip Girl together, where I learned of the character Chuck Bass. Seeing the way he was styled in the show completely changed my conception of fashion, since at the time, living in the suburbs of Sacramento, I was surrounded by Abercrombie and Hollister as being “fashionable”(Around 2004). Initially, I was determined to dress as stylish and chic as Chuck Bass, as I learned more about fashion, realized my real dream wasn’t to dress like Chuck Bass, but to be the one dressing the Chuck’s of the world, which is where I started my pursuit of being a fashion stylist. Without fashion, I have no clue what kind of direction my life would be in right now, but definitely nowhere near as fulfilling. 

RICK OWENS

ATTACHMENT

ModeSens：What is your ideal lifestyle? 

SamCui： I feel like I’ve been on the road my whole life. Since about the age of 13, I’ve spent at least 100 hours on planes every year, with 2016 breaking 300 hours. I love the idea of running from place to place, whether it be for a show, a photoshoot, a gala, or a sample sale. For me, the best lifestyle is one where I’m styling every day.

ModeSens： As a seasoned fashionista, what do you like to purchase for yourself?

SamCui：It depends on if I’m buying a piece for a style I’ve already developed or for a new style I want to get into. Basically, for each style I want to adopt, I try to ensure that each piece I buy has a legitimate purpose. I don’t buy clothing just because I like this piece or think I can rock that piece. Whether its $10 or $1000, one of the biggest factors I take into account is whether or not this piece can become a legit piece in my wardrobe, and if it doesn’t already have a way to fit in, then how many more similar styled pieces would be needed in order to create a place for it. Mostly, new styles I’ll try to find lower end items initially, and slowly work my way up to the grails, but for any style, cohesiveness is more important than price.

PAUL SMITH

PAUL SMITH

ModeSens：What does good fashion look like to you?

SamCui： Character. I remember on a fashion forum I frequent there was a new user asking whether or not he could rock a certain article of clothing, granted it was pretty demure, but he still felt it was out of his comfort zone. One user replied: “Long story short, don't wear anything that has more character than yourself. David Bowie (RIP) could quite literally walk around with a trash liner stapled to their nipples and still look cool.” For women’s fashion, there’s a plethora of fabrics, colors, prints, cuts, to wear for any occasion under the sun, but for men’s fashion, the choices are usually more limited, and the social acceptability even more so. So when trying to wear anything that is loud, you gotta be a loud person. Good fashion isn’t dependent on the price tag, on the newest trends, on what KOL or celebrity wore, but wearing the clothes that are not only in line with your own style and vibe, but elevate it to a whole new level.

ModeSens：What is your favorite brand? Who is your favorite designer?

SamCui：The anti-fashion divine savior, Yohji Yamamoto.

ModeSens：What is your favorite personal style? Do you like to chase the trends or create your own style?

SamCui：My personal favorite style would definitely have to be in line with an all-black and white pallet, where texture and silhouette reign supreme. I’m not huge into chasing trends, you won’t find me rocking the newest hypebeast articles or an all Vetements or OFF-WHITE outfit, but some of the hyped articles do have enough allure to where I may pick up a piece, and bring it into my own style. I know the new speed trainers have been blowing up in China since GD rocked them, and a friend got me a pair, but when I wear them it’s still not something I’d put up on a streetwear forum, because other than the shoes, nothing else in the fit is the same aesthetic.

RICK OWENS DRKSHDW 

ModeSens：What do you like to do in your spare time?

SamCui：Typically the girlfriend, Sonia, and I like to make dinner at home, go see a movie, maybe check out art galleries or work on different picture and videos for our cosmetics brand or styling projects. 

ModeSens：What fashion events are you interested in right now?

SamCui： I’m always on nowfashion and BOF looking at the events around the world, but the ones I’m most interested in are in China, since this is the market I want to develop in most. Shanghai just finished up their fashion week, and from the photos some friends took there, it looks like it has gotten better and better since my first time going back in 2015.

CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN 

ModeSens： What was your first impression of ModeSens? How is it different from other platforms?

SamCui：I’m a big fan of the aesthetic. I’ve used several similar platforms in China since I’ve moved here, but ModeSens has the best layout for seamlessly posting outfits and styling recommendations with the ability to view and purchase the articles directly in the app. The fact that ModeSens has also partnered with so many big retailers is also a big plus for the reliability of the platform.

Watch this space for more exciting content from @ SamCui

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