By | Ababa Lorde
If you’re tuned in at all to the fashion world, you may have heard the name Precious
Lee. Actress, activist, and most notably, rising supermodel, Precious Lee has taken the industry by storm. From high-caliber campaigns to her Met Gala debut in Fendi, Precious Lee has made headlines with her captivating walk and breathtaking beauty.
Journey
Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Precious Lee has held the same unwavering belief in herself from young. When she began modeling at the age of 18, Lee was a communications student at Clark Atlanta University. She saw the lack of people who looked like her in the serious, high-fashion spaces she aimed to be in and persisted still, refusing to settle into the big girl typecast. One day she attended an open call for an agency and received a contract offer. The rest of her undergraduate was spent doing catalog shoots and part-time modeling. Once graduated, Lee decided to relocate to New York to pursue modeling full-time with Ford Models. If she couldn’t make something shake in a year, she would go to law school to fulfill her goal of empowering young girls. She ended up
staying for nearly a decade longer, and in 2015 she became the first Black curve model to appear in American Vogue. In 2017 she elevated even further, debuting at NYFW for Christian Siriano’s A/W 2017 runway.
Accomplishments
Since then, Precious Lee’s career has skyrocketed. She’s currently signed to IMG Models and has created an impressive resume of accomplishments:
Campaigns with:
Versace
Area
Miu Miu
Marc Jacobs
Balmain
Lanvin
Savage X Fenty
Walked during NYFW for:
Versace
Tommy Hilfiger
Balmain
Michael Kors
Moschino
Modeled couture for:
Jean Paul Gaultier
Other Accomplishments:
Models.com Breakout Star nominee (2020)
Models.com Model of the Year nominee (2021-2022)
Starred in “Spin Bout U” music video by Drake and 21 Savage
Looking towards the future:
Precious Lee has acted in some films, but in a recent interview with British
Vogue, she expressed her interest in pursuing an acting and screenwriting career
in Hollywood.
Impact
To say that Precious Lee is a shining light to curvy Black girls everywhere is an
understatement. In an interview with Elle, Lee was discussing the way the industry either stifles or exploits Black female bodies when she stated, “I leaned into understanding and knowing like, ‘I know my power. You may not know my power yet. I don’t have to force you to see. You’re going to see it.” Facing fatphobia, racism, and colorism in the fashion/modeling industry isn’t a small feat, but Lee’s homegrown pride and strong sense of worth have inspired those around her and ultimately catapulted her career.
Sources
Gonzalez, Tara. “Precious Lee Created a New Supermodel Blueprint at the Met Gala.”
Harper’s Bazaar, 5 May 2023, www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/models/a43782855/precious-lee-fendi-met-gala-2023/.
IMDb. “Precious Lee | Actress.” IMDb, IMDb.com, www.imdb.com/name/nm6974863/.
Accessed 2 Nov. 2023.
Kessler, Alex. “5 Things You Didn’t Know about Precious Lee.” British Vogue, British Vogue,
16 Mar. 2023, www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/article/precious-lee-facts.
Lynn Yaeger, Luis Alberto Rodriguez. “Model Precious Lee Is Finally Having Her Moment.”
Vogue, Vogue, 18 Dec. 2020, www.vogue.com/article/model-precious-lee-is-finally-
having-her-moment.
Okeowo, Alexis. “The Unstoppable Precious Lee - Elle.” ELLE, 23 Mar. 2022,
www.elle.com/fashion/a39390442/precious-lee-interview-april-2022/.
“Precious Lee - Model.” MODELS.Com, models.com/models/precious-lee. Accessed 2 Nov.
2023.
“Precious Lee: Bof 500: The People Shaping the Global Fashion Industry.” The Business of
Fashion, 30 Sept. 2022, www.businessoffashion.com/community/people/precious-lee.
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