If you didn’t know, Sora Choi was discovered while accompanying a friend to a casting during her junior year of high school. The offer to sign went to her instead. Since then, she’s become a fixture on major runways and in leading editorials. For her second V cover, she steps into Demnas first collection for Gucci, marking another defining moment in a career that began almost by chance.

The once ‘Korea’s Next Top Model’ winner (who made her international debut in 2014) swings into spring’s spirit of reinvention, calling it one of fashion’s most expressive moments yet. “Fashion runs on desire, and people who want more will always look for something new. At this point, renewal doesn’t feel optional—it feels necessary.”

V: What’s your favorite part about spring? Are there any fond memories you associate with the season?

Sora Choi: I’m not sure how many people in fashion actually like spring. It’s still cold, and you get through it on anticipation alone—preparing, waiting, holding tension in your body. There’s excitement, but it’s not comfortable. For me, spring isn’t about warmth. It’s about staying steady until something finally starts moving.

V: Many of the Spring 2026 collections were debuts for certain designers… How are you feeling about the recent creative shake-ups?

SC: When new people are given chances, others lose them. That’s unavoidable. I think the turnover will only get faster. 

V: What excites you most about the current state of modeling today?

SC: The visibility of K-culture. When I started modeling, I sometimes had to explain where I was from. Now I don’t. That shared understanding changes how you’re seen before you even speak, and that alone has shifted the industry.

V: A designer’s debut collection is often a statement of identity. Do you remember what you wanted your first major season to say about you?

SC: I think it was about mindset. When I was first introduced, I didn’t spend time questioning whether I belonged. I assumed I did. The pressure was there, but accepting my place made it easier to handle.

V: What do you see as the parallels between a model’s first runway moment and a designer’s first collection?

SC: The first step onto a runway has a clear energy. All the attention gathers at once, and you feel the space change. I imagine designers feel something similar, watching that moment on a screen, seeing themselves reflected in the body walking for them.

V: Have you ever felt like you were growing alongside a designer who was just starting out?

SC: Not really. Most of the designers I worked with were already established. I wouldn’t say we grew together. I’m not great at forced closeness, and I don’t naturally build many close relationships in that way.

V: Are there any designers whose work you feel especially connected to?

SC: Honestly, no. If there’s an upside, it’s that I’m not interested in fashion politics. The downside is the same—I don’t have designers I’m personally close to. I stay a bit outside of that circle.

V: Do you think a debut should be perfectly polished or slightly raw?

SC: Both work. A polished debut and a raw one hit differently, but both are intense. Backstage, you feel it in your body either way. Sometimes I wonder if being good at just one of those is still enough now.

This story appears in the pages of V159: now available for purchase!

Photography Chris Colls
Fashion George Cortina
Model Sora Choi(The Lions)
Editor-in-Chief / Creative Director Stephen Gan
Makeup Mark Carrasquillo (Streeters)
Hair Bob Recine
Manicure Honey (Exposure)
Casting Goran Macura
Executive Producer Dana Brockman (Viewfinders)
Producer Max Bonbrest (Viewfinders)
Production Assistant T. Harper
Digital Technician Jeanine Robinson
Movement Director Marly Phillips Nicol
Director of Editorial Film Mynxii White
Location Untitled Studios
Equipment Alex Bova
Photo Assistants Daniil Zaikin, Ben Carhartt
Styling Assistants Moses Moreno, Trevor McMullan,
Jared Benhart, Mary Reinehr Gigler
Tailor Yaqi Sun (Atelier YQS)
Makeup Assistants Shoko Sawatari, Yuui Vision
Hair Assistant Shinya Iwamoto
Set Designer Happy Massee (La La Land)
Set Design Assistant Kevin Murphy