Eileen Gu: Sports and fashion are not so different for the Chinese-American skier and model

If Eileen Gu’s account of last Saturday’s Freestyle Skiing World Cup event in Calgary is anything to go by, a day in the life of an Olympian is as varied as it is busy: She took first place in morning qualifications, wrote two essays, read some René Descartes and George Berkeley for a philosophy class, and then “did some physics” before heading back to the slopes for finals.

This time last year, American-born Gu was less than two weeks away from making her Olympic debut in Beijing, representing her mother’s native China. As one of the most sponsored athletes of the Games, she was already a familiar face. But few people outside the skiing world had seen it in action. Any suggestion that her skills were overrated were quickly dispelled as she took home three medals, including gold in the halfpipe and big air events.

“People always think that fashion and skiing are these two completely different entities … when in reality, the core aspects are actually very similar,” she said, speaking to sports anchor and CNN correspondent Coy Wire ahead of the Games. This weekend’s Winter X in Aspen, Colorado.

“Both are rooted in a sense of self-expression and creativity. Both require a lot of confidence, being able to perform under pressure and being able to be unapologetically yourself. And I think those qualities with really go on.”

Not only do sports, school and fashion overlap, they contribute to each other, Gu said, describing the act of cheating as a matter of symbiosis, not compromise. What she learns in psychology applies to skiing, which in turn sparks the creativity she carries into fashion; Meanwhile, modeling offers lessons in resilience and confidence, which she then applies to her college work — “so it all comes full circle,” she said.

Losing a halfpipe may have little in common with walking a track, but “it’s all connected,” the 19-year-old said. Drawn to action sports for the feeling that she’s “constantly pushing” her limits, Gu said skiing leaves her feeling “like I’m capable of anything.”

“Because if I can push my body to do a double cork, who says I can’t add another 180 (degree rotation)? Or if you want to turn it into another area of ​​my life, who says I can’t get a better score on the next test, or shoot my dream magazine?”

“Beauty is power,” she added later. “And beauty is being able to be strong, not just in what your body looks like, but in what your body can do.”

Style ‘characterized by balance’

“Just seeing the way art can really be placed on the body and how expressive it can be in a show. (It’s not just about the people wearing the clothes and how they look … but also about the atmosphere. , the music, the band — there’s a lot that goes into it.”

She describes her personal style, like many things in her life, as “characterized by balance” – “between masculine and feminine, between elegant and sporty, between playful and mature.

“These are all really different aspects of my life, and depending on the day, I think fashion is a great way for me to express how I feel… I look different every day, even in a little bit hours. But that’s what’s fun about it.”

Gu is signed to IMG Models, the agency behind Kate Moss, Bella Hadid and more of fashion’s biggest names. She has worked with Victoria’s Secret, Tiffany & Co., Swiss watchmaker IWC and cosmetics giant Estée Lauder (as well as a variety of brands in China, including cafe chain Luckin Coffee, telecom firm China Mobile and Inner Mongolia’s Mengniu Dairy ).

Gu attends the 2022 Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Credit: Theo Wargo/WireImage/Getty Images

“For me, growing up, there weren’t that many girls in the ski industry,” she said, adding, “I’m young and I’m trying to do my best, and I just want to be the person that a girl in home can see on TV or on her phone and say, “Hey, you know, if she can do it, then I want to try it too. She looks like she’s having fun. When can I try it?”