Devon Aoki
Devon Aoki | |
|---|---|
 Aoki in 2008 | |
| Born | Devon Edwenna Aoki August 10, 1982 New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation |
|
| Years active | 1997–2009 |
| Spouse(s) | James Bailey (m. 2011) |
| Children | 4 |
| Parent(s) | Hiroaki Aoki (father) |
| Relatives | Steve Aoki (half-brother) |
Devon Edwenna Aoki (born August 10, 1982)[1] is a former American actress and fashion model.[2] Aoki's film roles include supporting roles in 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003) and Sin City (2005) and lead roles in DOA: Dead or Alive (2006) and Mutant Chronicles (2008).
Early life[]
Aoki was born in 1982 in New York City. She grew up in Malibu, California and attended high school at The American School in London.[3]
Her father was former Olympic wrestler and Benihana restaurant magnate Hiroaki Aoki and her mother is Pamela Hilburger, a jewelry designer. Her father was Japanese and her mother is of German and English ancestry. She started modeling when she was 13, the same year her godmother introduced her to Kate Moss. She has an older sister and a younger brother, as well as four half-siblings including Steve Aoki.[4]
Career[]
Following her runway debut in 1997, Aoki walked for brands including Balenciaga, Comme des Garçons and Chanel. In 1998, at the age of 16, Aoki replaced Naomi Campbell as the face of Versace.[5] She has also been featured in advertising campaigns for Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Kenzo, Hugo Boss, L'Oreal, Lancome and Tiffany & Co., and walked for designers including Versace, Chanel, Oscar de la Renta, Diane von Furstenberg, Jean Paul Gaultier, Celine, Baby Phat, and Marc Jacobs.[6]
Aoki has graced the covers of numerous international fashion magazines, including US' Ocean Drive, Vegas,[7] Nylon, i-D, Interview, Elle Girl and UK's Wonderland;[8] Korea's Cosmo Girl; France's Jalouse; Australia's Russh and 10 Magazine; Japan's Voce and Harper's Bazaar; and Malaysia's Her World.[9] Additionally, Aoki has appeared on the covers of Vogue (Germany, Russia, Japan, Korea) and Numéro (Tokyo).[6] In 2006, she posed for Singaporean photographer Leslie Kee for the charity photo-book Super Stars, which was dedicated to the victims of the 2004 Asian tsunami disaster.[7]
In September 2007, she designed a capsule collection for Levi's Asian market called Levi's +D.[10][11] Aoki described the collaboration by saying: "It's called Levi's + D, the D is for Devon. We're doing everything from denim to swimwear – you name it! I get inspired by vintage pieces you can't really get anymore."[12] In 2017, she returned to the runway for Moschino's fashion show and appeared in advertising campaigns for "Sephora x Moschino" and Hugo Boss.[4][13] In 2018, Aoki walked the runway for Jeremy Scott's eponymous brand, starred in an editorial for American Vogue and appeared in advertising campaigns for Moschino Fragrance, Nordstrom and Swarovski.[6][14] In September 2019, she appeared in Harper's Bazaar's "Bazaar Icons 2019" issue, photographed by Mario Sorrenti.[15][16]
As an actress she has appeared in the films 2 Fast 2 Furious,[17] D.E.B.S., Sin City, Dead or Alive, War, Mutant Chronicles and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Undead.[18] She was cast as Tatsu Yamashiro in Arrow season 3,[19] but was replaced by Rila Fukushima due to a scheduling conflict.[20][21] She appeared briefly in the documentary films I'll Sleep When I'm Dead and Jeremy Scott: The People's Designer, the former being a documentary about her brother Steve.
Impact[]
She is considered as an icon in the fashion industry by models.com.[22] In 2017, Dominic Cadogan of Dazed called Aoki a "cult model" and "one of the most recognizable alternative faces of the 90s".[4] Cadogan continued by saying, "by the time she was 16, she was one of the most in-demand girls of the moment, with some of the industry's top photographers (including Juergen Teller, Ellen von Unwerth and Nick Knight) all transforming her in their images."[4] In April 2019, Marie Claire listed her as one of the 15 supermodels of the 2000s who changed the face of fashion.[23]
In February 2019, Wonderland magazine reported that singer Rihanna channeled Aoki's look from the action film 2 Fast 2 Furious for her Fenty Beauty campaign.[24][25] In the film, Aoki's character Suki drives her custom pink Honda S2000 wearing a white top and pink jeans.[25]
Personal life[]
Devon Aoki is married to James Bailey, and they have one son and three daughters. She retired from full-time film acting in 2009 to focus on motherhood.[26][27][28] Her daughter Alessandra appeared in Guess Kids' spring 2018 advertising campaign.[29][30]
She modeled during the third annual charity fashion show presented by General Motors on February 24, 2004. Aoki and her brother Steve co-chaired the 2018 Red Cross Gala in San Francisco in March 2018.[31][32]
Filmography[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Death of a Dynasty | Picasso | |
| 2003 | 2 Fast 2 Furious | Suki | |
| 2004 | D.E.B.S. | Dominique | |
| 2005 | Sin City | Miho | Nominated—Critics' Choice Award for Best Acting Ensemble[33] |
| 2006 | Sean Lennon's Friendly Fire | Mermaid ("Wait for Me") | |
| 2006 | DOA: Dead or Alive | Kasumi | |
| 2006 | Zoom | Daravia | |
| 2007 | War | Kira Yanagawa | |
| 2008 | Mutant Chronicles | Valerie Duval | |
| 2009 | Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Undead | Anna | |
| 2015 | Jeremy Scott: The People's Designer | Herself | |
| 2016 | I'll Sleep When I'm Dead | ||
| 2017 | Double Dutchess: Seeing Double |
Music videos[]
| Year | Title | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | "Electric Barbarella" | Duran Duran |
| "Kowalski" | Primal Scream | |
| 2003 | "Act a Fool" | Ludacris |
| "In Those Jeans" | Ginuwine | |
| 2006 | "Dead Meat" | Sean Lennon |
| "Bones" | The Killers | |
| 2013 | "Just Another Girl" | |
| 2016 | "M.I.L.F. $" | Fergie |
| 2018 | "Waste It On Me" | Steve Aoki feat. BTS |
References[]
- ^ Goldstein, Margaret (December 10, 2005). Japanese in America. Lerner Publications. p. 62. ISBN 0822539527. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
- ^ "The comeback of the year: Devon Aoki models for Jeremy Scott". Vogue Paris. September 9, 2017. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
- ^ Team, i-D. (February 12, 2014). "devon aoki was born with the face of a goddess!". Retrieved September 5, 2019.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d Dazed (September 10, 2017). "Cult model Devon Aoki's most memorable moments". Dazed. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ "Devon Aoki gives birth to baby boy (Vogue.com UK)". Vogue UK.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c FashionModelDirectory.com, The FMD-. "Devon Aoki - Fashion Model | Models | Photos, Editorials & Latest News | The FMD". The FMD - FashionModelDirectory.com. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Devon Aoki". IMDb. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
- ^ "Devon Aoki Has Us Seeing Double in Jeremy Scott for Wonderland Magazine". Fashion Gone Rogue. October 5, 2016. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
- ^ "Devolution - Devon Aoki". devonaoki.free.fr. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
- ^ "Devon Aoki Designs For Levi's - Denimology". May 29, 2007.
- ^ Mcinnes, Paul; Janette, Misha (October 9, 2007). "Actress Devon Aoki in Tokyo with Levi's, Toga in the parking lot and more". The Japan Times Online. ISSN 0447-5763. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
- ^ "Devon Aoki + Levis". Pedestrian TV. June 22, 2008. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
- ^ "Devon Aoki for Sephora x Moschino | ONE MANAGEMENT BLOG". www.onemanagement.com. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
- ^ "Memories of Devon Aoki's Modeling Days". CR Fashion Book. August 10, 2018. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
- ^ "Bazaar Icons 2019: The independents". Harper's BAZAAR. August 1, 2019. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
- ^ "Devon Aoki on Instagram: "@mario_sorrenti