Is AI a cool innovation or is it losing its appeal (hopefully)? Particularly in regards to creativity and the fashion industry. Is it a threat to the industry or can it help? This is what we will be discussing today. Disclaimer: I’d like to state for the most part I am heavily against AI. But majorly for AI use for ideation, concepts, and initial creative prospects. I think AI can be used positively to further ideas and to help with dull, admin type tasks but to use it as the basis for creative endeavours is borderline disrespectful of humanity. A good quote for AI within fashion I came across while reading an article: “We cannot fight it at the rate it is going, there are ways it can help us and ways we don’t have to let it infringe upon our creative vision.” - iNNOVATION insights. The importance of creativity for the soul Creativity to me, and many others, is the most important thing on planet earth. Point blank. Without it we are just bodies meaninglessly floating around on a rock. With our creativity we produce art and whether you are creatively gifted or not, whether you are a consumer or creator of art it is what gives soul to the human race. The joy from creating a garment you curated within your unique brain, the intellect and soul it takes to write a poem, sketch, draw, write, dance, act, sing, speak with authority and power… the list goes on and on. And every single one categorically cannot be done better by a pile of wires plugged into a box that we would call a, ‘robot’. One day these so-called ‘robots’ may well take over the earth, and while I won’t be here I will spiritually applaud them when they do because we as a human race will have brought it on ourselves. Without a doubt humans are the most destructive species to ever exist, we simply have to have control over anything and everything - and in doing so we are simultaneously destroying not only the earth but ourselves. A GOOD YOUTUBE VIDEO THAT EVALUATES THE IMPACT OF AI IN FASHION ChatGPT is by far the market leader with over 5.7 billion monthly visits!!!!! WHAT! That’s almost as many as the population of earth, and it’s something stupid like each search occupies a bottle of water to search the web and produce you an answer, so is it really necessary to ask it something you could easily just type into safari? My own mother the other day searched up via ChatGPT how much water to add to the gravy mixture... I had to put my foot down because why have we just utilised an entire bottle of water for it to tell you what the box probably also outlines! As you can probably tell I’m not a fan of AI in general, although I do have to admit it does have some minor advantages and can sometimes be used as a good research/ admin tool – however – asking it to generate a picture of you and the boy you have a crush on is not a good use of electricity or water. Let it go. Let him go in fact. AI generated imagery In relation to fashion I was absolutely gobsmacked when I opened my Vogue a few months ago and saw an AI generated advertisement in place of a real model, thankfully most of the fashion industry was also under the same opinion. As a member of the human race I was initially concerned because why are we using fake people, when there are over 8 billion options to choose from! That’s not good for anyone's self - esteem. Are we not good enough? But on top of that I was concerned as a model myself… I’m being put out of work - by people that don't even exist! These ‘old money’ fake women in Vogue look far too perfect to accurately represent any human, model or not. Cool innovation or a threat to the fashion industry? While I think it can be used for some good (in moderation) it gets to the point where people use AI so often they have become reliant on it in everyday life to answer every minor question they could alternatively google! This makes it so heavily unsustainable and is what is making it so much more difficult within the fashion industry to spot true genius design now because some of it is fake! If a designer created a gorgeous collection but behind-the-scenes they curated the entire ideology through Generative AI why should they be considered a genius and not the thousands of wires and batteries it took to actually create the collection. We cannot allow AI to consume our creativity and destroy our intellect. Create more and consume less. If you have a question just google it (no AI prompting!) Use AI in moderation and remember to use your own brain. What do you think about AI in fashion? Let me know - comment below (I'll always reply!) With love, Mimi x IG: @itswithlovemimi TIKTOK: @mimipiqua SUBSTACK: https://itswithlovemimi.substack.com

If you’re reading this then somehow 10 weeks have passed and I’m currently on the flight home from Seoul! I'm not thrilled for the journey but I am giddy and unexplainably excited to be reunited with my family. But before I am reunited let me debrief what occurred during my last week modelling in Seoul --> The week began with 7 hours of E-commerce on a Saturday, and to make things worse I’d just said goodbye to Parker who decided to leave her contract early to head home to Canada. So I was a bit solemn but the e-comm really added to that. Parker is such a lively character and one of the funniest people I’ve ever met so I’m sad to see her go, but thankfully me and Aoife aren’t left here without her for too long. The job itself was a rare two-parter which continued on Wednesday. One day for e-comm and one for campaign shots. So the website is going to be a whole load of me. Thankfully Saturday's e-comm portion was pretty speedy and the team were lovely - but they did put a Laneige Lip Mask in my hair to attempt to flatten it down? So they lost brownie points for that as it took forever to wash out! After thoroughly de-sticking my hair me and Aoife headed out to the cutest cocktail bar/ restaurant in our local area which had the cutest waiter ever - I’ll miss all the beautiful Korean men for sure. Then we were gluttonous and ordered an entire Baskin Robbins Ice-cream cake - which had to be immediately consumed as it didn’t fit in the freezer (poor planning on our part!) Saturday, Sunday, and Monday Sunday I had the world's longest job, it’s as if they knew it was my last full-day shoot because it ended up lasting 12 hours and being excruciationally cold, wet, and tiring. The brand and team themselves were sweet but there were 43 looks and by 1pm we had only done 9 looks… the pace was snail like. I did however learn something embarrassing about myself from the shoot. I visibly blush when I listen to Justin Bieber. So the Bieber fever is clearly still alive and well. They heard me listening to a song of his through my broken wired headphones and ended up playing JB on loop for 6 hours once the makeup artist and her minion realised I blush as they then turned this into a game of which song would make me blush the most. Love to be humiliated at work. Although it did keep me going because the K-Pop beforehand was getting a bit repetitive. Especially towards the end because the 43 looks turned into 47! Monday was a necessary day of unemployment, especially as I needed to begin packing desperately. Which I did slightly (half of one suitcase) before getting too overwhelmed and heading out to Seong-su to try and find a backpack to be able to hike Bukhansan - which I secured successfully! As well as a few more unnecessary bits that I let myself splurge on purely because it’s my last week. Then came the day of all days. Tuesday… I hiked up Bukhansan, and couldn’t feel my legs for 2 days afterwards! Some of my fave pictures It was on my to-do list the entirety of my trip but suddenly it got to my final week so it was either Tuesday or never. Naturally, I chose the longest, highest trail of the bunch because… why not suffer properly? So alarm set for 5:30am, I made my way across the city and arrived at the base around 7:30am, immediately investing in hiking gloves which saved my entire existence - genuinely may not be here without them as I almost slipped many times. On the way up I was conned into thinking I’d begun the hike when I was in fact walking to the entrance, so after twenty minutes I did reach the fork between the ‘Easy’ and ‘Difficult’ trails to Baegundae Peak. I chose the “easy” route (best decision) and the first couple of km it was stairs, temples, Buddha statues, very serene. Then suddenly my legs started burning, my face became a tomato, and I accepted my fate. Somewhere along the way up I was quietly adopted by a Korean couple who kept waiting for me in a non-obvious way as I was flying solo and I think they were concerned. Unfortunately I lost them as I was stopping every 3 seconds to take photos because the views were genuinely unreal. Then came the final stretch towards the top after what felt never ending. Full rock scrambling, wire ropes, and a near-vertical human traffic jam that felt very much like it could be a 2006-2026 situation - thankfully I'm here to tell the tale. However, after a risky bit of climbing I reached the top of Baegundae Peak, the highest point in Seoul, and the view was as ridiculous as you’d imagine. Nothing but mountains for the eye to see, and Seoul very distantly in the background. I sat, journaled, avoided the outrageous flag queue, and had a very “life is very big and I am very small” moment before reluctantly descending. For balance, I tried the “difficult” route down so I could compare the two trails and it was easier than expected, but my legs had fully checked out by then so I was still shaking like crazy. If you’re going, here’s a few helpful tips: Bring more water than you think you need Use the toilets at the information centre - last civilized stop No plastic containers (wind = your lunch becomes pollution) MUST wear proper trainers or hiking shoes The humidity is not your friend - dress appropriately! Go early on weekends/holidays unless you enjoy queues on cliffs with trembling legs Wednesday my legs felt like jelly but it was time for the campaign portion of Saturday's job so after a trek to the studio through the beautiful countryside I got to work. Executing what I'd studied from the moodboard... but they didn't seem to like me as much. Nothing I seemed to do was pleasing anyone and my translator was borderline incompetent for the day so mixed signals were being fired everywhere. Thankfully we persevered and finished on time before another 1 ½ hour drive home. Once home me and Aoife had to film an exciting self tape for a super cool project and then we devoured a large chunk of ice-cream cake and crashed out. Thursday was bittersweet as it was my final shoot in Seoul! For a large brand called Marithe Francois Girbaud but specifically for their Korean website and Korea storefronts - which is annoying as I won’t be here when the store fronts get decorated with my face. We shot at such a rogue time due to studio logistics so I had the morning to pack and the worked from 4-8pm. It was just e-comm so it wasn’t super fun but it was a very chilled way to end my shoots here in Seoul. Jessica (translator) even behaved herself today and translated which was a real treat so all around a brilliant way to leave things. The taxi ride home had me feeling all nostalgic just thinking about how scarily fast these past 10 weeks have gone and how much I'll miss Seoul! Goodbye Seoul! Once I got back I had to really do some packing and it was then that I realised I in fact do have too much stuff so I’ve had to expand into Aoife’s suitcases as well. Which is ridiculous because how much stuff could I possibly have? Friday was my final day in Seoul so I was feeling understandably bittersweet but I had a really wonderful day to say goodbye to the city. I spent more money than I thought in Olive Young picking up my fave skincare bits. Then headed straight to 45ID - a photography studio near the apartment which shoots polaroid photos to "capture the youngest you that will ever exist" so I now have a very sweet memory of my last day in Seoul as well as me in my last week of teen-hood! (I'm going to cry) And then we had the MOST emotional evening ever. Everytime me and Aoife even glanced at eachother we began to tear up. We were generously taken for Korean BBQ with all the agency team and it ended up not only being insanely good but also insanely fun! Only took 10 weeks but they finally showed their funny side tonight. We even celebrated my birthday early which was beyond unexpected and had me on the verge of tears, it was so special. But even worse was after this yummy cake we had to say goodbye and me and Aoife lost it, we just started to cry. (all of us below) Before graciously turning away and pacing it to Banpo Bridge to see the light show - which we missed but still enjoyed overlooking Seoul over the Han River one last time. I'm on the verge of tears just thinking about it. As I write this it is 1am Saturday 9th May and we are hanging around waiting for the taxi after I just rejigged the suitcases 15 times due to severe overpacking issues. Now I am waiting for my 15 hours of Gossip Girl to download while I reflect on Seoul a little bit below... Seoul wasn’t entirely what I expected, but then again I don’t know what I did expect. It was difficult in some ways, ecstasy inducing at some stages and all around fun for the majority. I’m sad to be leaving but I’ve made a lot of friends and I'm sure I’ll be back at some point or another. It’s been an absolute blast reporting on all the goings on and this unique side of the modelling industry that doesn’t often get talked about, and for anyone who has been loyally reading along these past 10 weeks I’m very grateful and hope it’s been somewhat entertaining to hear of my utmost failures, my occasional successes and the hilarity in between. Now please pray for me as while you may be leisurely reading this I’m trapped in a metal tube gliding through the sky - with an intense fear of flying. Pray for Aoife, maybe more so! With love (from Seoul), Mimi x SUBSTACK: @mimipiqua IG: @itswithlovemimi TIKTOK: @mimipiqua

The day has arrived… Am I or aren’t I on the cover of the magazine? If I have any loyal readers hanging around you’ll know what I’m talking about, but for those who are new I’ll give some context. About 3 weeks ago I shot my first editorial here in Korea. It was a really exciting shoot in collaboration with Van Cleef… and it was the cover story! Meaning of course that an image from the shoot would be on the cover. I wouldn’t say I waited anxiously as that’s a tad dramatic, but I definitely debated if the BTS shots I had seen of myself were enough to put me on the cover. Or if they’d choose a shot of the other model. There was one photo in particular of the other girl that I saw and immediately felt threatened because they had captured her laughing naturally and I thought in my head at that exact moment - “this is very Korean”. So… what did end up on the cover? You must be wondering. I could describe it but I’d rather just show you for more comedic value —> A twig. A branch. A tree. Whatever you want to call it - it’s humbling. Although maybe I should have done some research because seemingly they don’t put faces on the covers very often! Big mistake I think because who wants to look at a twig with some jewellery on it. I know I’d rather look at my face. Of course the twig is decorated with about £100k worth of diamonds and gold and the focus is Van Cleef but I’d like to hope I wear it better than a very skinny tree branch, and a few performative berries. My images are obviously within the magazine - and I did make it to front cover of the website! However the cover would have been nice, but granted the tree is funny. The full editorial - mine and the other models looks - shown below: Obviously I need a copy in print to use as a coffee table book for when I have my own house and can obnoxiously bring up how I used to model full-time in my youth. However it proved remarkably difficult to order one myself as I don’t have a Korean phone number. Not to fret, as I asked my agent on Monday to order me a copy and it has since arrived. To round up: I’m obviously disappointed to not be on the cover, however it’s still the cover story so it’s first page. AND arguably a lot better than if they had put one of us on the cover and it wasn’t me. That would have been an ego hit, so I’m at least thankful they used the twig instead of that. Still think I would have been a better fit though… and sold more copies probably ;) With love, Mimi x

Learning some Korean history was at the top of the list for my penultimate week here in Korea. So I began my weekend at the National Museum of Korea where I learned a RIDICULOUS amount. As someone who reads the text religiously I can say I was not bored once - which is quite the achievement! Especially as I was there for 5 hours. I'd really recommend adding it to your itinerary if you are coming to Seoul. You can learn so much about Korean history because the majority of the galleries focus on Korean heritage - which is what I came to learn about so I’m glad! Piccies from the museum. I carried my notebook and jotted down some of my favourite facts, which ended up being 5 pages long but I've narrowed it down to my 5 favourite learnings below: There are 4 guardians of Korea. The red phoenix, the white tiger, the blue dragon, the black tortoise - all of which have different roles. The Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897) lasted approximately 500 years and was founded in 3 principles: To suppress Buddhism in favour of Neo-Confucianism To give allegiance to the Ming Dynasty To abide by the theory of physiocracy. Dragons were used to symbolise royalty due to their auspicious, powerful, and spiritual symbolism. Buddhism originally came to Korea from China during the 3 Kingdoms period. I learnt the 5 most common Mundrās (symbolic gestures made by Buddha or Bodhisattvas with hands or fingers!) Which I learnt all have specific meanings and some can only be done by certain Buddhas. Then I raided the gift shop on the way out, and took a picture from the INSANE viewpoint above the museum which overlooked Namsan Tower, and Bukhansan mountain. (above) Who wouldn’t want a Saturday filled with history and culture? Followed by a Sunday filled with shopping and gluttony… We finally got a chance to go to Mangwon, an area notoriously full of niche vintage shops! So we of course had to add it in and spent about 4 hours walking around the area where we went into a variety of vintage shops, of which I have listed the best below: Chemical Sisters - cool, hip, reasonably priced. Rody Vintage - Curated, Well priced, Designer. Non-Non - Cool & Curated, Funky Music, Fashion gals everywhere, SUCH good pieces!!! AD House - Vibey, Intense Incense smell, Good ratio of mens to womens MartSuri - Small, niche, tad expensive Then we somehow ended up walking into Hongdae without realising it, and I managed to find a birthday present for my brother (who I’m so excited to see!) Monday was back to the working week - however as we are now T-minus 2 weeks till home time we no longer have castings and so unless I’ve booked a job I am free! Meaning Monday was packed to the brim, starting with a visit to Dongdaemunn Design Plaza which was breathtakingly designed by Zaha Hadid. However the inside felt very dystopian, it was completely empty, no exhibitions in sight, it was just a vast space of white laminated floors and white painted walls. Then I headed to Dongdaemunn fashion market, known for selling fabrics, trims, buttons, and anything a seamstress may ever need - and it didn't disappoint! I was overwhelmed with choice and language barriers, so google translate became my best-friend. But I still managed to spend two hours in and amongst a jungle of lace, fabrics, and SO many patterns. Sadly the suitcase room is not cooperating with me so I had to be restrained in my purchases, but I did get a few things to hopefully make something cool with when I get home! Then I headed to Gwangjang food market as it was only a 15 minute walk. Which was so overwhelmingly busy, but had such a comforting aura to it. The food was a fat culture shock, but the energy was friendly and you could tell a lot of the older Koreans had come straight from work to hang out with friends. It was wholesome! I had some dumplings and some noodles obviously, and I think I may have eaten a chicken foot but that’s still a mystery… Tuesday I failed to make a plan until I had actually stepped outside the house, but ended up at the Mok-in Museum which was beyond beautiful and, as it requires about 1000 steps walking completely 90 degrees it was completely unpopulated by tourists! The museum is basically just a load of open space that is populated (thoroughly) with over 12,000 Mok-in stone and wooden statues - all originating from the Joseon Dynasty. It was seriously ethereal, with almost a heaven like aura. I brought Betsy with me (my teddy bear) and showed her all the blooming flowers, and the overlooking mountains. It was probably the most picturesque place I’ve been in Seoul - even narrowly overtaking my beloved Palace! Pics from the museum - featuring Betsy. After wandering, sitting, and thinking profusely for about two hours I got the bus to Jongmyo shrine which was much larger than anticipated, but also nothing amazing. One to tick off but definitely not a bucket list event. Aoife joined me after this and we walked to Insadong cultural street so we could bulk buy a load of souvenirs! I ended up buying about 200 Norigae’s for everyone I’ve ever met. Uber home was also worth mentioning as he started blasting his own music & gave a live performance - hilarious. Wednesday I was trapped in a box with Parker… for work, obviously. We had a job together which was so cool! But also probably one of the strangest modelling experiences I’ve ever had. The concept for the job was inspired by the film “Being John Malkovich” which involved us being placed inside a glass box that was a hybrid between an art exhibit, a cage, and a fishbowl. It made the day feel even more animalistic than usual, as modelling can often make you feel like an animal pressured to perform for an audience, however today it was more than a metaphorical, we actually were animals having to perform. The creative direction was quite vague, so me and Parker invented our own storyline to entertain ourselves: two girls visit a museum, get drugged and trapped in a museum display, desperately try to escape, and then grow eerily accepting of their fate. This resulted in a lot of pressing our faces against the glass, banging on the roof, and looking generally distressed (which wasn’t difficult after hours inside a glorified shoebox). Me and Parkers day in the box Weirdly though, by the end of the day we’d become fond of the box - outside of these characters - and even sat inside it voluntarily on our lunch break because it was oddly cosy without cameras pointed at us. Sadly, minutes after wrapping the team took hammers to the box and smashed it in front of us. Talk about an animalistic experience! Humans destroying a home for no valid reason. Thursday I woke up exhausted - the long days evidently got to me. So I didn’t force myself to do anything, other than one last impromptu casting, and beginning to pack! Before then prepping and trying to get rid of my sudden onset acne before another exciting magazine shoot on Friday… Friday entailed me being dressed in head-to-toe couture for a cool conceptual magazine editorial - which unfortunately comes out after I leave! However the shoot itself was such an experience. For starters I got my hair and makeup done in the changing room of a tennis club… which involved seeing a lot of naked Korean women. Aside from that unnecessary nakedness the shoot itself was SO COOL. The moodboard was all shots of elegantly dressed chic women who just happened to be on a tennis court. So I was dressed in Balenciaga SS26 (a show I remember live streaming last October - very full circle) and was running back and forth for the perfect candid shot of me with a tennis racket as if I were casually playing while dressed in thousands. Some BTS from the tennis shoot on Friday. I was also dressed in Celine, Miu Miu, Sander, Jacquemus, Louis Vuitton, Ferragamo, Lacoste, and even a few more. All of which were from SS26 shows, and almost all of which I remembered from seeing them while reviewing the collections. The shots should come out so sick, and although I won’t be here to get a physical copy I will get access to the digital files so you will be sure to see them! It was a lovely end to a crazy week of sightseeing and working, and both of my jobs this week have been strangely creative for Korean modelling standards! So I definitely got lucky with that. Now we are (crazily) moving into my tenth and final week here in Seoul which I know is populated with at least 3 jobs, and will be populated with as many last minute sights as I can fit in! You’ll of course hear about it all. With love, Mimi x Follow us on Substack for shorter form blog content: @itswithlovemimi IG: @itswithlovemimi TikTok: @mimipiqua

Week 8 was a bloody whirlwind, and I’m semi-happy to report I maintained my employment status and was booked and busy. Some of said jobs were lovely and clients were sweet… but one in particular was the WORST job I’ve done here, if not the worst job I’ve ever done. (Scroll to Thursday to jump straight to the drama.) Let’s begin with Saturday's job, which requires some backstory… There’s a creative director in Seoul who is SO lovely, but also very overbearing. I worked with her at my first job here in Seoul, and she’s since turned into my most loyal IG story liker. So when I rocked up at the casting last week she hugged me big time and I knew I had it. The job came and the clothes were Gen-Z in a nutshell, and they essentially wanted me to pretend I lived in this beautifully decorated apartment and had me do ‘natural’ tasks such as wash an entire celery plant, eat an apple, sit in ‘my’ G-Wagon (the directors), pose with oranges over my boobs, and they even tried to get me to pretend to smoke - which was a firm no. The rest of my Saturday was spent bar hopping in Sinsa (our local area) with Aoife, and who knew that all the hotties would come out on a Saturday evening! It was rammed with tall Korean men - hard to find. We will be doing that again before we leave for sure. Can’t blame a girl. Sunday was spent with an old friend from Tokyo which was super random as I was unsure I’d see her again, but that’s the beauty about modelling - it’s so spontaneous. She actually left Tokyo early due to lack of work and I didn’t get to say goodbye so when I saw via IG she was in Seoul it was inevitable for us to meet up! We did a touch of shopping at Coex Mall, home to Starfield library, lots of restaurants, and even the Gangnam Style golden statue. So I of course snapped a photo of all of the above (including me overwhelmed in Zara) which is below… Saturday and Sunday piccies! The shopping was a mild success but we swiftly moved on and I took Nikita to Bongeunsa Temple which was right across the road, so I put on my tourist guide hat and showed her around one of my favourite places in Seoul. It was far too hot to hang around for long so we left and headed to the park for a picnic with some of the girls from her agency, who we got along great with and ended up going out for dinner with later this week! Monday was back to being unemployed. We didn’t even have any castings. Instead we made a plan to lock in the AM and hike in the PM. Really trying to make the most of these final eighteen days! So we did some admin and work activities at our local favourite coffee shop called Milestone, and then made a brief pitstop to change at the apartment before heading to the bus stop to go to Namsan Tower. It’s one of the shorter hikes here in Seoul and only took us 45 minutes to get to the top. Although within about 10 minutes of starting I was huffing and puffing, but the regular stops to look at the viewpoints, and the many pretty flowers was my saving grace. It was beyond beautiful and was home to so much greenery which was overwhelming as usually Seoul is beyond grey! When we reached the top it was rammed, so the peace was disrupted slightly but we managed to see the tower of course, but what captured my attention more was when the sky cleared up and the mountains came into view across the other side of the viewpoint. It was stunning! Namsan Tower, Deoksugung Palace, and the discovery of a 'Croffle' at dinner Thursday. We got some 7-11 ramen noodles and took in the view before cheating with the gondola on the way back down. It was a good way to occupy a day off though, especially as it wasn’t too hot. Tuesday was almost equal in unemployment. I had one singular casting so I occupied the rest of my day by solo visiting the smaller palace in Seoul - Deoksugung. It was less impressive than the main Palace but definitely something worth ticking off. The grounds were stunning, and after having a wander I sat under the pergola and sketched. I cannot draw in the slightest but it is wonderful for clearing the mind so I always give it a go. Clearly it didn’t look too awful because a kind Korean man came over and handed me a printed photo of me sitting on the bench doing my sketch. I’ve never had anything like that happen to me! All 7 of us! Wednesday I was quite popular at castings, and even bumped into one of the girls from the picnic at one - which was so odd because you never bump into other models here! Which was random because that was the day we ended up going out for dinner with them! The dinner itself was lovely. We went to a local pizza place and it definitely wasn’t Italian but it was as close as you’ll get in Korea! As we were all sitting there I began to realise how many circumstances from all seven of our lives that had led us here with each other. Belly laughing, an excessive amount of pizza eating and the discovery of a croffle later we were wiped out - but not before a photobooth session! Had to capture all of us together because you never know if you’ll see these people again. Thursday was a swift change in emotions as I had the WORST experience with a shoot, perhaps ever? I spent 10 hours shooting E-commerce, repeating the same poses on loop while being constantly poked and pushed around like a barbie. My hair was yanked and my eyes were quickly filling with tears. I was consistently being told my posing was inadequate so I was being moved, adjusted and corrected in ways that slowly wore me down. Hour by hour I could feel my patience slipping and by the end I had my fists clenched. The environment was like an asylum - white walls, flashing lights, endless rails of clothing, and by the end of it I felt completely drained both mentally and physically. What made it harder wasn’t just the length of the day, but the lack of communication and understanding on set. There were moments where I felt uncomfortable and SO unheard, which shouldn’t be the case as I had a translator but she actually was joining in with the borderline bullying that was occuring. She even ratted me out to the agents, saying how I was angry and upset the entire day. I then had to explain to everyone that I was just irritated and tired of being treated inhumanely! Images from my much lovelier job Friday! Friday… shockingly my leg of employment continued. So I was up at the crack of dawn and forced to work alongside the same translator, but we cleared the air and the day was actually fabulous. The team were beyond lovely… and it was entirely female. What a win! The casting was literally three days ago so it was a very tight turnaround but the content was stunning and they even managed to put my hair up in a way I didn’t entirely hate - a near impossible task. Twas a lovely way to end the week, along with the fact I’m working with Parker next week, and 4 other times. I’m so uber employed at the moment it must be to do with my upcoming departure (get me home). Anyway can’t wait to fill you in when it gets to it because I have now got until said job (Wednesday) to explore Seoul and tick off as much on my to-see list as possible!!! With love, Mimi x (side note - we have a substack now - @itswithlovemimi)

Models are always on one end of a completely opposite spectrum. Either earning enough in a month to last a year, or being so unemployed you’re borderline homeless. When you’re on placement I’ve discovered there’s a happy medium. Where you may work 2-3 times a week, which doesn’t exhaust you but also allows for a healthy lifestyle. I’ve been everywhere in-between across this placement. I’ve gone from having two weeks of nothing, to then working back to back the following week and struggling to have enough time to even shower. Last week was bleak, empty, and quite degrading. This week has been jam packed. To be quite honest I’m exhausted, but here are a few highlights to show how wildly different even the jobs can be. (Side note: My tiredness is also directly linked to an onset of Bieber Fever. I've watched enough JB edits this week to sustain me for the rest of the year. The crush is back, and it’s stronger than ever. Hailey Bieber I love and hate you.) Monday’s job: the clients kept telling me to relax or cheer up - classic me and Aoife issue thanks to a chronic resting bitch face. I promise I’m happy, my face just never seems to get the memo. RBF in action The new translator (who I love) occasionally drifts from translating into creative directing. I’m surprised she didn’t just grab the camera herself. But she is a fashion student so I get it. Visionary, honestly. Job itself was quick, but I saw the mood board on the way out… and it was filled with girls with massive eye bags. Felt VERY targeted. Thursday was for a well-known client everyone complains about - but I actually didn’t mind it. It was for their SS26 Campaign so it was defo more exicitng than regular e-comm which is what they had been complaining about. The concept was basically “creative director in prep mode” So I was utilising a lot of props. Taking calls, flipping through folders, planning collections. Very Intern x Creative Director x Office Siren. My new LinkedIn photo is 100% in there somewhere. Trust I will find it! On a more derogatory note, the translator told me afterwards that everyone had been using non-honorific Korean when speaking to me... likely with racist intent! So that was great, I can get you good pictures but you still want to be racist. Ok guys. A few shots from my camera roll this week Thankfully Friday’s team were lovely, and not racist - bare minimum you’d think. But they lost brownie points as they had me get up at the crack of dawn to be on set by 7am… What was the need? Side note for context: The Koreans style of posing isn’t even deserving of the name. They literally wanted me to serve nothing. I’d put my hand in my pocket and the photographer would go, “Simpler poses”. How much simpler could it get? Eventually I was just standing, arms glued to my sides, slowly rotating for five hours. Easy, but not exactly thrilling. At one point the on-set dog started sitting on my foot - fully convinced it was mocking me. The only thing was it became slightly overwhelming during the iPhone content portion of the shoot as a swarm of assistants with iPhones would rush in taking hundreds of photos. With the shutter sound on, it was just constant clicking. I dread to think how many photos exist of me this week - and how many of them are mugs! Fun day, if slightly overwhelming. When everyone pulls out their phones, I feel somewhat like an animal at the zoo - as if I must perform, even if I don’t want to. (Exactly how I felt at today’s job… but that’s for next week.) Onto what I did last weekend: It was a fun one! This weeks Extra-Curriculars: Sat 11th & Sun 12th April Prior to all those jobs we actually had a lovely weekend exploring Seoul. It was heavily interactive, no shoots in sight, so we filled it with a packed itinerary. A few photos from the weekend! The coolest thing we did? Turning a memory into a perfume… using brainwaves. It sounds made up, but that’s Seoul for you, or Asia in general, everything is so innovative! Even better, it was technically my first PR experience, which was strange, considering I’m not an influencer.  They gave us the experience for free, so long as I provided a lovely video to all you lot! Which I of course did, but for those that haven't seen it I'll describe the process. You have to choose a photo that means something to you. So I picked one of me and my mum when I was younger, then we had to write down a few keywords of what we feel when we see the picture.   I came up with: warm, nostalgic, comfort, love, family, spring, and for scent keynotes I went for: grass, vanilla, jasmine, cotton, dew, and crisp air.  Then came the brainwave innovation. They put a headband on me, sat me in front of the photo, and tracked my brain's activity while I smelled 7 different scents - based on the keywords I’d given.  Which meant my actual, subconscious emotional responses were shaping the perfume, not just what I thought it should smell like. It was beyond cool. The result seemed slightly strange on paper: vanilla, tuberose, jasmine, greenleaf, white cotton, cypress, and neroli. But the scent they created when merged together was exactly like my mums regular perfume, which I didn't consciously try to recreate. It didn’t just smell nice. It smelled like THE memory. I’m still so baffled.  The whole experience was just such a perfect mix of emotional and innovative. It wasn’t just fun, it was immersive, personal, and so engaging. Seoul really is on another level. You can read about it in more detail on our Substack: @itswithlovemimi Location below:  📍RETTRE, Yeonmujang 13-gil, seongdong-gu, Seoul, South Korea Sunday was equally lovely, in fact it was borderline life-changing - or at least perspective-shifting. We went back to 📍 Gyeongbokgung Palace, journalled, raided the gift shop, and caught the guard-changing ceremony on the way out. Then we went to 📍 Nuldam Space, where I wrote a letter to my future self, and while in the mood to create we headed to 📍 Leesle to make our own Norigae, which took far too long but turned out perfectly. By then we were exhausted and ready to Uber home… until I spotted a temple. So, naturally, plans cancelled and we had to go in! It was the only unplanned portion of the day, yet it turned out to be the best part.  📍 Jogyesa Temple It was covered in thousands of lanterns for Buddha’s birthday, lighting everything up in neon shades. At the front stood a large gong, which you’re meant to strike three times while making a wish. I initially did this wrong (one hand - amateur mistake) before being gently corrected by a passerby. That quiet instinct to help, without expectation, is something I love about Buddhism, helping for the sake of helping! Upon arrival we could already hear their chants coming through distantly, and I could see no “monks only” sign so I took off my shoes, put on my emergency mismatched socks, and headed into the temple which was filled with locals, all focused, all familiar with what to do. I wasn’t. I hesitated, briefly. I’d had moments earlier in the trip fuelled by racism where I’d felt out of place, and I wasn’t sure how this would be received. But no one cared. So I stayed. Then two monks entered. I was unsure what would be more inappropriate. For me to stay even though I don’t understand Korean, or to leave. I decided as I was already in the temple that I may as well experience it!  I didn’t understand a word, but I followed along: bowing, kneeling, repeating. It was far more physical than expected, but also incredibly calming. Twenty minutes later, I walked out beaming. Feeling properly serene. It’s a feeling I’ve only really found in Buddhist spaces - and one I’m now determined to bring into my everyday life. What a note to end on! Can't wait to fill you in next week as I'm 99% sure the magazine cover comes out... so we can see if I made it! Eeek. With love, Mimi x

Moving into the second half of my stay I’m only now creating a wish-list of things I want to do before I leave, and as I've done hardly anything thus far... the list is large, however I ABSOLUTELY must tick these 5 off: Hike Bukhansan Mountain  Get an acorn caricature drawn Make my own custom norigae - Korean good luck charm.  Go to Namsan tower and overlook Seoul  Walk around the National Museum of Korea to learn more about Korean history! (Honourable mention - visit the palace again) Thankfully I ticked off getting the acorn caricature drawn just a few hours ago in Hongdae! SO worth it, and so cute. It was the equivelant of £7 and took 10 minutes and the outcome was so much more recogniable than I thought. You could 100% tell who was who... evidence below: I'm on the right, Aoife on the left! As for the rest of the list we attempted to tick off Bukhansan this past Sunday, but opted for a more chilled hike after finding out I was working Monday... and not just any job, a COVER SHOOT!!! (more on this below) The weekend began however on Saturday with making the most of the week long cherry blossom season, so we headed to Seoul Forest to see the blossoms at their peak, and they were beyond beautiful.  Unfortunately the rest of the day wasn’t as warmhearted as it was Minna's departure day. So we had to bid her farewell - which was actually a lot harder than I thought!  All four of us went out for coffee near the apartment and got some cute photo-booth pictures to commemorate our little quartet before it turned into a trio once more.  As with most placements the people you meet are amazing, they turn into your temporary family, and eventually when you part ways there's a chance you will never see each other again.  I’m hoping that isn’t the case for Minna, because she's a lovely girl, but if it is, at least we had Seoul. Sunday: Hiking Inwangsan Mountain in Seoul Sunday we headed on our minimally planned hike up Inwangsan mountain, which overlooks the entirety of Seoul! It was supposedly supposed to be 1-2 hours each way, so we thought it would be perfect for our first outdoorsy event.  As far as exercise goes, hiking is one of the only forms I can appreciate because it’s equally as impactful but you get a scenic reward at the end which almost always makes it worth it. Today was no different because my god did it burn… but also my god was it worth it!  Inwangsan is located near Gyeongbokgung Palace (my fave attraction) and overlooks the entirety of Seoul so as you can imagine it was beyond beautiful. It ended up taking us longer than expected to reach the summit - but mainly because we detoured to get to a temple which was SO far off the beaten track I’m surprised we came back with all four ankles.  What a banging photo - thanks Aoife! Whilst walking this detour we stumbled upon a 2metre tall golden Buddha statue and I audibly gasped when I saw it. Aoife keeps saying I must have been a monk in a previous life, and I’m starting to agree with her because the joy I feel whenever I see a Buddha statue is incomparable.  We left a little sentiment at his feet, made a wish, and continued on to the temple, and as we neared it we saw so many beautiful, extraordinary rock formations - some of which had been carved into with such intricacy me and aoife were mind blown!  But it just kept on going, we saw rock climbers dangling off the side of the mountain, caves which looked to have been inhabited at one point or another, a natural mineral stream, blossoming florals, and when we finally got back to the set pathway we were met with the steepest stairs I have ever seen in my entire life. I was huffing and puffing getting to the top, and by the time we did reach what we thought to be the top, I turned to my left and saw that there was still more to climb! But we were both knackered we sat on a rock and journalled for a while.   A brilliant day for a hike - bonus points because it was a Sunday. After about an hour of reflecting we decided we finally recovered enough to head to the actual summit another 200 metres up. We hiked through “Ozempic alley” as Aoife labelled it because the path was very narrow; it could only fit 1-2 people at a time! Once we were through we were met with THE most ethereal view that overlooked the entirety of Seoul and made the entire hike SO worth it!  The summit, the company, the serenity… It was a perfect Sunday and although the hike itself was more difficult than anticipated because of the unpaved, off the grid pathway (can’t tell if I underestimated the hike, or overestimated my fitness!) I’m very glad I’ve experienced it.  Monday: First ever Cover Shoot As if that wasn’t enough wholesomeness for one week, the working week began amazingly as well. That is of course because my cover shoot was on Monday!  It was a Van Cleef & Arpels editorial for the biggest independent magazine in South Korea!!!! I immediately turned into the most chalant person to ever exist. I had to snap out of it rapidly when they swapped me and the other models’ roles, making me serve elegant, moody, and chic instead of the smiley, bubbly persona I was listed as in the reference.  fingers and toes crossed for me please xx Hair and makeup alone was an event. I had my whole head curled to the point it was borderline architectural and miraculously, they colour-matched my foundation so perfectly my eye bags ceased to exist. Confidence was up, elegance was oozing and then came the main event…  Being dressed in head to toe diamonds. Each look had a designated briefcase of jewels that roughly equated to over £100k. So I had my own bodyguard which was a first. I loved it.  I also had my own personal dresser - stylist as per usual, but a separate dresser purely for the jewellery because although it was on my body I was unable to touch it! Crazy how a jewellery shoot works. I had four people holding q-tips between bracelets at one point as I hobbled over, to ensure none of them touched or got scratched.  I felt like a barbie doll, unable to move for myself but having a lovely time nonetheless. Dripping in diamonds is a feeling I could get used to for sure. I felt so expensive. But naturally, I was also being watched like a hawk. I’d been warned: drop something, scratch something, even breathe too aggressively near it… and it could be a problem. So my posing became very delicate. With stacks of bracelets all on one wrist I could barely move without risking a collision! So everything was slow, controlled, and very micro-managed. Because of this it started slightly stiff, but then I found a safe rhythm. Including some sculptural hand posing, and slightly unnatural face-touching - all in the name of showcasing the STUNNING pieces. They must have grown to trust me because for the final look they had me hold one of the brooches, a small jade frog, over my eye! Which was cool in theory, terrifying in practice! I felt a near heart attack incoming, and so did the rest of the team – a woman was lying down underneath me just in case I dropped it, and after seeing the invoice (₩800 million… about £400k) I don’t blame her.  Despite the mild panic, it was such a fun day. It didn’t feel like work because I got to wear pieces I’ll probably never touch again, experiment creatively, and for once… I actually loved the photos. Now it’s just the waiting game. The other model was incredible (slightly annoyingly so), so it really could go either way. But still - I may or may not end up on the cover… but I will be on the inside no matter what!   It’s either me, or her on that cover. You’ll be the first to know.  As for the rest of the week it was beyond mellow, not much to discuss really other than the fact my casting success rate has noticeably increased since Aoife started working so much she was unable to come! Back to being a fan favourite - for now. In other news, the 14 year old Russian girl arrived – and although she seems lovely, she is a literal child. It seems bizarre she’s even here, but she's been having the time of her life so at least she's unbothered!  (Was about to press publish but just wanted to add for any loyal readers... I went back to Hongdae today and bought the KILLER leather jacket with the rip in it from a few weeks ago! Which I only bought because I know I can fix it - and I haggled my way to 50% off #hagglingqueen) Onto the next... With love, Mimi x

Modelling can be a pain in the ass sometimes. Now that I’ve officially hit the midpoint of my placement, it feels like the right time to reflect so I can look back at Week 10 and see whether I’ve evolved, spiralled, or simply become immune. One thing that’s impossible to ignore in this industry is the constant, underlying competition. It’s built into the job which becomes particularly strange when you live in a model apartment, because your “competition” is usually people you genuinely like and who are your roommates, your friends, and often turned family.  It’s not like we’re actively battling each other. No one’s sabotaging castings, but when someone is working more, it’s noticed. And, as you can imagine, it doesn’t feel amazing. Coming into this placement, I knew the biggest adjustment wouldn’t be the work as I’ve already worked within Asia, it would be the living situation. In Tokyo I had my own place, my own routine, my own space to exist. Here, everything is shared. Including, unfortunately, opinions. I’ve been lucky though. I genuinely like the girls I’m living with. But the environment itself is… intense. There’s a constant stream of conversation about calories, energy levels, iron deficiencies, weight, measurements, etc. The fridge is perpetually empty, the kitchen barely used, and the shower is sadly always running. Eating three balanced meals a day feels like a rebellious act, and although it may not be conscious you get odd looks for it - like you’ve missed a memo. As someone who’s always had a relatively relaxed relationship with food, it’s a lot to consume. Or, more accurately, not consume.  When Aoife arrived, things shifted. Suddenly I wasn’t the lone resident in the kitchen. We cook together, which has genuinely been soul saving because it was getting a bit lonely there. Beyond that, she’s just a little piece of home that's been dropped into Seoul.  Although this week, I’ve felt less like a roommate and more like a stay-at-home mother. Because Aoife is booked. And I mean booked. Without exaggeration, she has become a micro-celebrity here. Korea LOVES her. If you open a website - she’s there. Walk into a shop - she’s there. It’s INSANITY!  Before she arrived, some of the girls were already worrying about how her presence might impact their bookings. I didn’t really buy into that mindset. If a client wants Aoife, they were never going to book me so she’s not “taking” anything - she’s just being chosen. And rightly so. That being said… I’m not immune to comparison. Of course I’m a little jealous. It would be weird if I wasn’t. We were both told we’d be booked and busy, and now one of us is working six days a week (borderline inhumane), and the other is working once… maybe twice per week. It does knock your ego slightly. Not in a catastrophic way, just enough to notice. The best way to describe it is: I’m not worried, but I am comparing… and I don’t particularly like what I’m seeing. Still, I’m trying to keep perspective. Modelling is notoriously unpredictable. It can be silent for weeks and then suddenly explode overnight. For all I know, I could be the Bella Hadid of next week. Stranger things have happened. The saving grace of all of this is the guarantee. On placement, most agencies (or good ones atleast) give you a fixed amount of money just for being there. So technically, I could do absolutely nothing for three months and still get paid. Which, when you think about it, is quite a luxury. Yes, I might not earn as much as Aoife if she keeps working at this pace - but worst case scenario, I’m being paid to explore Seoul, drink iced coffee, and absorb Korean culture. There are worse fates. With love, Mimi x

Week 5 was unfortunately unemployed and unfilled with jobs... but it was filled with a lot of solo coffee shop dates, a few castings here and there, and an absurd amount of exploring. I feel like Dora the explorer! Naturally, I became outrageously productive. And when I wasn’t working, journaling, or trying some outrageous new yoga pose, I was on solo excursions. Either to 7/11 for a sweet treat, out to Nyu Nyu with Parker and Minna or on yet another Otto chicken run. But the real highlights of my week included: Vintage shopping in Hongdae, a Chanel-inspired shoot, trying Korean BBQ for the first time! & closing the week on Friday by heading to the infamous palace! Let's begin from Saturday shall we... Saturday: Hongdae & Vintage-Induced Emotional Damage Hongdae… an area notoriously known for its unfathomable clubbing norms is also s ecretly equally amazing for vintage shopping! The aim of the day was to find some unique and killer vintage thrift pieces - and that we did.  Our first stop was Root Vintage, which was enormous. Racks on racks on racks. Slightly overwhelming, but we committed and within ten minutes my arm was turning purple from how much I’d picked up! By the time we tried on I had accumulated over 40 items… and spoiler alert, I only bought 2 because things either fit funky, were slightly damaged, or were extortionately priced.  The skirt!!! There was one item in particular I’m still thinking about now! It was like seeing my soul in the form of a skirt. Full of character, whimsy, and enough floatiness to make you forget about all of life’s problems in one twirl. Everything was rainbows and butterflies until I tragically spotted a major rip on the back side of said skirt. I genuinely teared up as I walked out the shop and I’m still thinking about it 6 days later. We recovered, as all tragedies require, with tacos. Which worked immediately and added to my new found love for Hongdae.  After that, we hit two designer vintage stores. One felt like a curated temple for cool girls - very Charli XCX energy - but I left empty-handed.  The other was possibly the star, it was the size of a shoebox. Three rails, four-person capacity and had a perfectly curated selection of designer. Aoife, of course, found the perfect jacket which I’m SO jealous of, but finders keepers unfortunately... and of course what’s mine is yours applies.  And as we dared to carry on, I thought I’d found my dream leather jacket… only to discover someone had sliced the sleeve - I wish them misery.  At that point I’d mentally exited and my hip decided to join as I temporarily dislocated it somehow! So we scurried - or limped - home asap, but let it be known: Hongdae is not just for clubbing. It is THE place for vintage shopping in Seoul. Sunday: Chanel-esque shoot, castings and a superbly calm morning.  Sunday was significantly calmer, and much needed. I had a rare peaceful morning - no roommates, no noise. I stretched (post-hip incident), practiced my headstand, and hit a new personal best: 1 minute 48 seconds. Naturally, this was followed by a 7/11 banana milk coffee and a sunlit walk through Sinsa while listening to the Cocteau Twins on max volume. It was the perfect morning. I felt very free and calm as I settled into my current sewing project while I waited for my call time to head to my shoot of the day.  This shoot was my first “less day” in Seoul, meaning a 2 hour booking. Hair and makeup occupied one of those and they did the unthinkable… put mascara on me! So I felt more beautiful briefly until they began coating my straightened hair in oil. A ‘wet look’ supposedly but it looked more like I hadn’t showered in weeks.  The pieces were heavily Chanel-inspired - tweed, fringe sleeves, shoulder pads, and statement buttons. They didn’t even try to hide it; even the photo references were straight-up Chanel campaigns. Posing-wise, they initially wanted sharp, editorial angles - very high fashion. So I delivered, busting out angles left right and centre. Bones were cracking because I was moving so much.  Then, abruptly, they asked for the opposite. Relaxed. Undone. Effortless. So I started slumping, leaning, hunching - and they loved it. Nothing like the reference may I add, even my translator was confused. Thankfully we found a rhythm, and it actually turned out really well. I think the final shots will be cool. To top it all off Aoife finished her job, which was nearby, and came to meet me at the studio I was shooting at! Bless her when she showed up she was covered in more blush than I used to put on my barbies. But I was so locked in so I didn’t clock it until we were wrapped - and yet somehow she still was rocking it.  She’d come to my location because we had a rare weekend casting together so headed there together after I wrapped. It was so nice having her pick me up though because everything feels immediately less serious, and more light. Just frolicking around Seoul. Tuesday: Korean BBQ with Aoife's family! Aoife’s family had come to Seoul, and I was lucky enough to join them for Korean BBQ in Myeongdong on Tuesday - which was unreal. I cannot believe it took me a month to try it. The restaurant itself was one of the more authentic Korean BBQ’s around, unlike some of the more tourist trap ones. I didn’t have a clue what most of it was but it was all delectable. We will 1000% be returning many times. I’m now addicted. Below are a few pics from my week aside from days out... And as for Friday, I had a completely empty day… which meant I finally took myself off to visit the beloved and beautiful Gyeongbokgung palace. Friday: Gyeongbokgung Palace Gyeongbokgung palace is another world of beauty. The serenity I experienced while walking around the grounds allowed me to become so relaxed and gave me time to be more present. I was there for about 4-5 hours, over which I just walked and walked! It never ended.  Hundreds of people came dressed in Hanbok (traditional Korean clothing) which made the day feel as if I had been transported a few hundred years ago. I was just in awe of the detail on each dress (and was also jealous I wasn’t wearing one!) I adore history, and yet  I’m always surprised by how much joy I get when I’m in and around it. Whether it be a temple, palace, shrine etc I always start thinking about the many people who have stepped there before me, the lives they’ve lived, who are they? Were we similar? What was it like?  History lets the mind wander, that’s what I love about it. So I spent a large portion of today reading off of the signs, learning mainly about the Korean Empire and the Joseon Dynasty.   One of the most interesting facts I learned was about its name! Gyeongbokgung means, ‘The Palace Greatly Blessed by Heaven.’ Which I think is fitting given how otherworldly the location is.  With Mount Bugaksan in clear view to the rear and Mount Namsan in the foreground, the site is somehow at the very heart of Seoul and yet feels completely derelict of the city buzz.  What surprised me most was how different it is to palaces within Europe. It was all very open, in fact I didn’t step inside once. You could look inside but none were decorated so it was hard to tell what its purpose was! It was as if you were walking around a very ancient, beyond beautiful, neighbourhood of humongous buildings. Think if Buckingham palace got split into 15 separate buildings and placed 500 metres apart.  Each area was distinct in that there were differentiating parts, however the artwork was traditional which I love. It’s so immensely detailed. I just spent ages staring. I was walking around with a smile glued to my face just feeling an immense sense of calm and contentment.  Me by the cherry blossoms at the palace! The most tranquil of the palace grounds was Hyangwonjeong pavilion which looked out onto Mount Bugaksan. The area was open, filled with blooming cherry blossoms and the leaves were floating wistfully onto the water in the pond. I sat down on a bench here and just stared out onto the water for about 20 minutes.  I will definitely be returning to the palace, and next time I will be bringing my journal because I found myself with so much to say, my mind swirling with gratitude and appreciation as I was walking.  It’s times like that where I do get a bit upset that I'm seeing and experiencing this without my family, but at least I’m seeing it for us!  With love,  Mimi x

Saturday 21st March - Friday 27th March Week 4 in Seoul was the most eventful and jam-packed so far! I wandered through temples, humiliated myself at castings, did a super exciting campaign job, and cried over fried chicken. The week started with me and Aoife headed to Bongeunsa Temple in Gangnam, and when a temple is involved there’s always fun.  Bongeunsa Temple & The beauty of Buddhism Every single time I step foot in a Buddhist setting, shrine, temple, mountain, country, whatever - I feel this otherworldly sense of peace. I first experienced it in Japan and was immediately, profoundly moved. Korea isn’t affiliated with one religion anymore, but many people are still Buddhist so these incredible temples remain. Bongeunsa was much bigger than I expected, full of twists and turns, traditional Hanok buildings, colourful lanterns blowing wistfully in the wind, stray cats wandering around, and cherry blossoms just beginning to bloom.  All of it eventually led to the main event - the 23 metre Buddha statue which genuinely took my breath away. So much so that Aoife said I must have been a monk in a previous life, which I was thrilled by until she followed it up with the suggestion that my expansive wardrobe is karmic compensation for my past-life minimalism. Although I can’t fault her for that.  Aoife’s family is visiting next week and we will definitely be visiting again because I would be more than happy to experience it again, and again, and again.  Shopping in Seong-Su Later we headed to Seong-Su, Seoul’s infamous shopping area, where after rummaging through endless underground vintage racks I somehow found a Burberry shirt for just 30,000 won (about £15). Obviously I caved. We then went to Nyu Nyu, basically Korea’s Primark but suspiciously better quality, where I filled an entire basket only to discover there was a strict three-item try-on rule. Brilliant.  We were determined to secure Otto for dinner which is arguably THE best Chinese fried chicken on Earth - only to discover it had closed. I immediately crouched on the pavement in despair. Thankfully we redeemed ourselves later in the week by locating another branch and wolfing down a full portion each. That chicken was desperately needed after Monday’s casting antics… Week 4 Casting anecdotes (Humiliation Rituals)   This entire casting segment needs to be prefaced by the fact that Aoife and I decided to do a spectacularly poorly planned foot peel the previous Friday. Having not read the instructions, we didn’t realise the peeling would start three days later. So when Monday rolled around and we had back-to-back castings, our feet were shedding skin at an alarming rate. Every office we entered became a trail of foot flakes which was deeply mortifying. As if that wasn’t enough humiliation, the casting straight after required us to be filmed for instagram reels. I was asked to enthusiastically discuss imaginary oatmeal, pretend to chat to friends about activewear, and seductively lunge towards the camera while describing my morning routine. I have never been so uncomfortable. I am not an actress. Please stop making models act!  For the majority of the week it was just me and Aoife at castings so we spent each day tag teaming in and out of the changing rooms - which are usually just a sample cupboard with a very visible CCTV camera pointed directly at you! Speaking of, another casting from the week had two cameras! So cheeky, like do you really need a front and back view?!?!  Casting & life shots from Week 4 Fortunately, free snacks at later castings - biscuits, peach iced tea, and aggressively crumbly crackers (spilled everywhere by Aoife, of course) helped restore morale. But it quickly got brought back down by more chaos at Friday's casting for a shoe company… ... Bear in mind I still have skin peeling off my feet. I was made to stand barefoot while they took hundreds of images of my feet from multiple different angles.  I just know they’re gonna be zooming in on every single detail and analysing why I have skin flaking off of my foot, I definitely cannot be a foot model. But fingers crossed nonetheless!  Awful timing.  Juggling lemons for a Summer Campaign Shoot  Despite all this madness, I did have one shoot this week, and it ended up being one of my favourites so far. It was for a major Korean brand’s summer campaign in a huge five-storey house converted into a studio, and as the over-thinker gal I am I arrived, as per usual, with a slight sense of anxiety.  Because sometimes you walk in and there’s this subtle moment where you feel like they’re thinking, “This isn’t what we ordered.”  With the language barrier it’s almost impossible to know if that’s real or just in your head. Thankfully, this time my mind was put at ease very quickly because the team were genuinely lovely. Hair and makeup took 0.5 seconds which sucks because it’s usually one of my fave parts! I find it weirdly hypnotic and very calming. It reminds me of being in primary school assembly when someone would always be playing with your hair. So after a lick of colour corrector to cover these intense eye bags we were ready to roll!  BTS from the shoot Pretty quickly I realised it was going to be a slow (but fun) day. There were 26 looks planned and each one took around 40 minutes because the shoot involved both photography and full videography. So just as you finished posing for stills, you then had to immediately switch into performance mode.  By the end of the day I’d somehow evolved from model into influencer, actress, voice-over artist… and, debatably, juggler. Yes, juggler. At one point they had me sitting in the minuscule pool (genuinely about five inches deep) … juggling lemons. My toes were numb but anything for the shot, I suppose. As per usual, there had been absolutely no mood-board or real explanation beforehand, which always makes me laugh slightly because the model is the one expected to execute the entire vision!!  Thankfully they seemed happy with my posing, and the constant variation actually meant the day flew by. When else in life are you going to hide behind trees, balance on chairs overlooking Seoul or improvise endlessly for a camera crew? Probably never. So I’m trying very hard to just take it all in. Unrelated but the view from Bongeunsa over Seoul! By 6pm we hadn’t even completed the final outfit and ended up finishing on 24. After the photography wrapped, the videography team properly took over - which is where things became scary once again…  I was made to hop, skip, and run into frame, enthusiastically talk about how much I loved the outfits, dance around, and finally record a full voice-over into a microphone that will apparently be layered over a compilation of campaign videos. I’m fairly certain the content itself was questionable at best, but they seemed very pleased - I suspect the British accent was doing most of the heavy lifting. This whole voice recording situation was a first for both me and my agency. Even my translator was stumped but it’s brilliant news for my portfolio!  My translator later mentioned that shoots with full video teams can sometimes lead to billboards. I’m trying not to get ahead of myself, but I would combust on the spot to tick that off the bucket list. Even if the footage is just me fumbling lemons in a paddling pool. What made the job special was how calm and enjoyable it felt. The photographer and I communicated entirely through high-fives and a shared playlist of Drake, Yeat, Don Toliver and SZA - ironic considering I was dressed like an elegant mother of five.  The brand itself had nice designs but the quality was not matching the price tag! Everything was made of chiffon or polyester and at one point a button literally fell off mid-shot and had to be reattached using blu-tack. It was like marketing satin as silk - but everyone was buying it.  Still, overpricing aside, everyone was happy! There’s something deeply satisfying about working with a kind team who trust you to perform. I felt so relaxed during some of the filming I found myself staring out the window thinking about my Year 6 residential trip - something I haven’t thought about in years. And in that moment I was beyond grateful to have had the time for that memory to come up again because it left me feeling unexpectedly nostalgic and oddly content. A surreal, exhausting, lemon-filled day… but a beautiful one nonetheless. I've been here a month?!?! Somehow amongst the homesickness, business, and fun, four weeks have passed! I’m absolutely baffled because it doesn’t feel like I’ve been here a month but I definitely have! Four weeks of my ten in Seoul are done. ​​ I miss my family very much, but I’m very settled here. I've got my routines, favourite spots, and it helps that Aoife is here with me as well. This time next week I’ll be half-way through which is just madness!  Bring on week 5 - and as ever, see it all on IG first: IG: @itswithlovemimi TikTok: @mimipiqua With love, Mimi x