From storming the runways of the prestigious Paris Fashion Week to&nbsp;opening the recent Louis Vuitton Men&rsquo;s Pre-Fall 2024 show in Hong Kong,&nbsp;23-year-old Malaysian model Ridzman Zidaine has come a long way in his&nbsp;short time in the industry. His achievements to date have catapulted him&nbsp;to the forefront of the fashion industry and cemented his place among the&nbsp;world&rsquo;s leading models.

Congratulations on being the first Malaysian to open for Louis&nbsp;Vuitton at their recent men&rsquo;s pre-fall show in Hong Kong. How did&nbsp;that make you feel?
I deeply appreciate your kind words as it was absolutely&nbsp;an honour to be chosen to open the Louis Vuitton show in&nbsp;Hong Kong, proudly representing Malaysia. The opportunity&nbsp;was not only a testament to my journey but also a heartfelt&nbsp;acknowledgement of the support that surrounds me.

What challenges did you face during your journey to become a top&nbsp;international fashion model?&nbsp;
My modelling journey has been a mosaic of rejections and&nbsp;disappointments. While undeniably challenging, each setback&nbsp;becomes a stepping stone towards growth and resilience. I&nbsp;am committed to overcoming these moments and continually&nbsp;moving forward in the pursuit of my dreams.

How do you stay confident and maintain your pose while walking the&nbsp;runway?
Maintaining a positive mindset is my runway mantra. Focused&nbsp;on my appearance and confidence, each step I take is a&nbsp;celebration of authenticity. The presence of my friends serves&nbsp;as a source of composure and relaxation.

What advice would you give to aspiring fashion models who want to&nbsp;accomplish similar success?
For aspiring models, my advice is simple: prioritise self-focus&nbsp;and authenticity. Each journey is unique, and embracing one&rsquo;s&nbsp;individual path is the key to success. The beauty of our industry&nbsp;lies in the diversity of our stories.

How do you prepare for a fashion show, both mentally and physically?
I prefer to attend fashion shows without overanalysing or&nbsp;having high expectations. I also like to surround myself with&nbsp;friends, creating a grounded and positive atmosphere. The&nbsp;camaraderie not only enhances the experience but also elevates&nbsp;the joy of the runway.

What was your reaction when you found out you were chosen to&nbsp;open for Louis Vuitton?
Undoubtedly overwhelmed, the feeling persists even now.&nbsp;It&rsquo;s challenging to articulate the emotions surrounding the&nbsp;news of opening the show, especially after learning about it&nbsp;just days before. The element of nervous excitement adds a&nbsp;layer of anticipation to this incredible experience.

Can you share any memorable moments or experiences from your&nbsp;career as a fashion model?
Among the myriad of memorable experiences, working with Pharrell Williams stands out as the pinnacle. The conversation and compliments shared with Pharrell have etched in my memory as an unparalleled moment in my career.

How important do you think diversity and representation are in&nbsp;the fashion industry?
In this era, fostering diversity is not just essential; it is&nbsp;the heartbeat of innovation. Recognising and celebrating&nbsp;various races within the industry paves the way for a future&nbsp;rich with opportunities for all.

What are your future goals and aspirations in the fashion industry?
My current goal is to establish a presence in the United&nbsp;States, pursuing the American dream to test the limits of&nbsp;my potential. Above all, I aspire to consistently generate&nbsp;positive headlines, representing and uplifting my home&nbsp;country.

Can you tell us about any upcoming projects or collaborations&nbsp;that you are cited for?
As I approach what some might call the peak years, I view&nbsp;my journey as just the beginning. The prospect is undeniably&nbsp;daunting, but with a commitment to learning and growing&nbsp;through&nbsp;every experience, I embrace the path ahead with&nbsp;enthusiasm.

COVER CREDITS:
Words &amp; Creative Direction&nbsp;John Ng Model&nbsp;Rizman Zidaine / TOPBOI CITIZEN Photography Lock Chee Wei Styling Amelia Tan Hair VV Chan Makeup David CK All outfits and bags from Pharrell Williams&rsquo; debut Louis Vuitton Men&rsquo;s Spring Summer 2024 collection

Digital Cover: Ridzman Zidaine on what it takes to stay on top of his game

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