Eileen Gu Ignites Three Vogue Hong Kong January 2023 Covers by Paola Kudacki

Fresh off her Harper’s Bazaar Singapore December 2022 cover story, Olympian freestyle skier and Louis Vuitton face Eileen Gu poses for three January 2023 covers of Vogue Hong Kong.

Gu is now the third highest-paid female athlete in the world after Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams. If you are confused, Forbes writes that Osaka’s contracts say she doesn’t even have to play tennis, let alone win. There has been no pushback on the Forbes assertion about Osaka’s 2021 financial dominance. Naomi’s top-dog earnings status is on cruise control until her contract runs out.

Anya Ziourova styles Gu’s fashion story ‘New Year. New Rules’, lensed by Paola Kudacki [IG]. Speaking of Serena Williams, Kudacki won a TIME Best Portraits of 2022 Award for her portrait of the GOAT tennis star.

This epic blue butterflywings top is by Marta Martino, with a Paco Rabanne shimmering silver metallic flounce dress also driving dazzle. Add a Fendi jumpsuit, lavish amounts of Louis Vuitton fashion and all Tiffany & Co jewelry including Tiffany Hardware and Tiffany Lock pieces.

Eileen Gu’s interview is familiar terrain. The 19-year-old doesn’t come to play. Her self-discipline and healthy understanding of how to control of her emotions — rather than them controlling her — is worth a serious deep dive in the future.

We explained in the Harper’s Singapore story that Gu will be representing the US Olympic Committee in their bids for the next winter games after Milan in 2026.

She has signed on to present to the International Olympics Committee awarding the winter games for both 2030 and again for 2034, if America doesn’t win 2030.

After retiring from sports, Eileen Gu can become the ambassador to China for either a Republican or Democratic administration. That is the amount of intellectual capital and poise this young Stanford woman possesses.

You can harp that she is privileged [not sure why — the girl got a 1580 SAT to enter Stanford] but AOC calls her uber-talented, self-disciplined and low on arrogance.

Gu is someone who sets a very high-bar for herself — while never reminding you how great she is. AOC never uses the word ‘flawless’, but it’s ready to flip off the tip of the tongue. You keep going, Eileen Gu.

How Gu navigates all this pressure she has experienced over which team she plays for — to say nothing of defying gravity on the slopes — is an outstanding source of inspiration for young women.

Eileen Gu and Simone Biles both approach their demanding excellence with razor-edge precision.

Even though she has taken time off from gymnastics, post Olympics, Simone Biles remained in the top 5 women athletes in the money lineup with $9 million in earnings. Her Athleta [division of Gap] label is flourishing and he role model status with young American women and girls is golden. ~ Anne