Harper’s Bazaar Man April 2010 Photoshoot

Written by Kim Ong, wife of Josiah.

It is a real dream to be on the front cover of a magazine. It is definitely a double-bonus (triple, quadruple and multiply it in manifold, if you must) if the magazine is world-renowned for its high fashion and endless tips and stylish must-have’s or must-be’s. In fact, the smell of the glossy texture of the magazine almost gives one a sense of high feeling if not for the smooth texture of things on the page looking so beautiful. All things made perfect in the magazine put together by the hardworking ACP team have a story to tell. Moreover, behind the story, is yet another story to tell.

In this space I will share with you what went through “behind the scenes” of Josiah’s covershoot with Harper’s Bazaar Malaysia April 2010 issue in January early this year.

It was a week into my trip in Malaysia early this year and I received an e-mail from Sunitha Thayaparan, the Deputy Editor of Harper’s Bazaar about wanting to feature Josiah as the coverboy of the men’s issue (back portion of the monthly ladies’ Harper’s Bazaar, called “Bazaar Man”.

Together, both easy-going, go-getter and peace-maker Librans Sunitha and I put together our resources to make it possible for a photoshoot in less than 24 hours. It was not just about getting Josiah to the photoshoot because in actual fact, he was supposed to go to Terengganu the day after I was notified, for some kind of official launch of some cycling event. Thankfully it was cancelled and Josiah could make it in time. I also rushed then to get information about Josiah over to Sunitha, being the PR manager for my husband now for three years and also rushed to get him measured.

I measured around Josiah’s right thigh. I was stunned to find that Josiah’s one thigh measures 26 inches, that means an inch bigger than my waist! Oh golly. Yes, that was possibly the most important part about preparation besides getting Josiah’s bicycle into the studio because the clothes were getting shipped in from Hong Kong and no way Josiah cannot fit into a single pair of pants. Well for brands like Prada, Gucci and Louis Vuitton, their stretchable top quality and with Andrea Wong’s efficiency in handling Josiah’s style for the day did make Josiah feel like a superstar. Jason Lim helped with the wardrobe and Aaron Lee had an eye to capture the suave and sexy side of Josiah after his past covershoots were all smiley-faced in Men’s Health and Ezyhealth & Beauty. On this day, Josiah was two tones darker than he already was with Cindy Hor’s superb air-brushing make-up technique.

Above: Cindy Hor styling Josiah’s hair while Josiah was being interviewed by Sunitha spontaneously.

Above: Jason Lim, the styling assistant checking on the steam iron.

Above: Cindy Hor working on Josiah’s facial (battle) scars.

Above: Ahh, the wonders of today’s technology. If you have not seen a make-up airbrush before, here it is.

Above: Josiah’s Look bike, equivalent to a Ferrari car in the cycling world.

Above: Josiah’s working his magic onscreen in his full Prada outfit.

Above: Josiah in Gucci outfit.

Above: Josiah and .

Above: This is Josiah’s real bling from Louis Vuitton (wedding ring is model’s own).

Above: Trying out Josiah’s photo for the front cover.

Above: The little excerpt written by Natasha Kraal, the editor of Harper’s Bazaar.

Here’s a jist of it:

He’s the superhero; the multimilionaire; the man in the headlines (for better or bad)l has the brain to match the brawn, and the sensitive soul borne of field vulnerability. Forget those suits, sports make better men. (Kim: Oh yes indeed, Natasha! *grins*)

After the bestselling October ‘09 issue that had Khairy Jamaluddin on the Man cover, we needed an equal but different match – and somehow Josiah Ng sprung from my lips, two random words that had the team intrigued. Olympian, Malaysian raised in America, married a model, rides a Vespa, loves his labels – now how BAZAAR is that? But more than face value, Ng represents the new breed of Malaysian sportsmen that are daring to turn their passion into profession, without the fanfare or sense of entitlement. Like Ng, they prove themselves first in the international arena, against the big boys, without any expectation of hero worship back home. Tough if we do.

…etc.

Natasha Kraal

Above: Page 26 & 27.

Above: Page 27 & 28.

And now, thanks to the team at ACP Harper’s Bazaar Man Malaysia, we present to you our April 2010 Bazaar Man, Josiah Ng Onn Lam. How awesome, Josiah gets to grace the cover of Harper’s Bazaar! Jealous, yes I am!

The article unveils the real Josiah off and on track and a little more about his taste in fashion too. The way Sunitha relates it, is just meticulous – we know Josiah better now! Read it and you’ll see what I mean. And this is the difference made in a high-fashion magazine, they do live up to their standards. Hello, it’s Harper’s Bazaar!

Click on the following PDF files to read Josiah’s article page by page:

Josiah Ng: Harper’s Bazaar Man April 2010 – Page 26

Josiah Ng: Harper’s Bazaar Man April 2010 – Page 27

Josiah Ng: Harper’s Bazaar Man April 2010 - Page 28

Josiah Ng: Harper’s Bazaar Man April 2010 – Page 29

Advertisement