Today we’d like to introduce you to Cassie Wong.
Hi Cassie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I was born and raised in Las Vegas, so I grew up surrounded by entertainment, creativity, and people working in all kinds of different roles within the industry. Before modeling became a major part of my career, I worked a variety of entertainment and promotional jobs around the city. I worked as a showgirl at events, as a ring girl for local fights, and also promoted Cirque du Soleil shows through a marketing company. Some of those jobs involved wearing incredible costumes and interacting with people from all over the world. They weren’t necessarily glamorous behind the scenes, but they taught me how to put myself out there, work with all kinds of people, adapt quickly, and create opportunities for myself.
In 2021, I started modeling professionally, and that eventually grew into an international career. I’ve had the opportunity to work in markets including New York, Los Angeles, Milan, Paris, London, and Mexico, and I’ve worked with brands such as Gucci, Alexander McQueen, Swarovski, Diesel, Coach, Everlane, and Zara. I’ve also been fortunate enough to have my work featured in publications including Vogue, British Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Paper, Allure, and Numéro. Some of the projects I’ve been most proud of have been international campaigns, including work for Alexander McQueen and Swarovski that appeared on billboards and large screens.
But I’ve never really seen myself as only a model. I’ve always been drawn to creating things in different ways. I paint, knit, crochet, work with ceramics, and have recently been learning tattooing. I love being able to learn a new skill and turn an idea in my head into something tangible, so creativity has always extended far beyond my professional work.
Becoming a mother also became a really important part of that evolution. I continued working as a model through motherhood and had the opportunity to work with maternity and baby brands, sometimes incorporating my son into those projects. It was interesting to see how my career could evolve alongside my life rather than feeling like I had to put one part of myself on hold for another.
Today, I’m continuing to build my creative life while raising my family in Texas. Looking back, there’s a pretty clear thread connecting everything I’ve done, from working events in Las Vegas, to modeling internationally, to exploring different forms of art. I’ve always been curious, willing to try something new, and willing to create my own opportunities. I think that’s probably the biggest part of my story: I’ve never felt like I had to fit into just one category.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, it definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. One of the hardest parts of getting into modeling was actually getting into the industry after having my first child. I struggled with how I saw my own body after pregnancy, but I also became very aware of how certain people in the industry viewed a woman who had been pregnant. I was told that things like stretch marks and other natural characteristics of motherhood weren’t considered acceptable for the type of modeling I wanted to do. That was difficult to hear, especially when I was already trying to rebuild my confidence in my own body.
I faced quite a few rejections before I finally decided to pitch myself directly to an agency that I believed in. Envy Models took a chance on me and, once I signed with them, things moved very quickly. Suddenly I was getting opportunities that I had worked so hard for, and I had to make some really difficult decisions about what I was willing to sacrifice for my career.
At the time, my son was only four. I had opportunities that meant being away from home for weeks or even months during fashion season, and I had people in my ear from both sides. Some people would tell me, “You’re a bad mom. You’re not spending enough time with your child or your family,” while other people would tell me, “You need to live your life. Having children shouldn’t stop you from pursuing your dreams.” Trying to block out all of that noise and figure out what was actually right for me was probably one of the hardest parts.
There was a lot of trial and error when it came to finding that balance. I had to learn that there wasn’t one perfect answer and that I didn’t have to prove anything to anyone. I could be a devoted mother and still have ambitions outside of motherhood. Eventually, I found a balance that worked for my family and for me.
There’s also a misconception that being a high-fashion model automatically means you’re making a lot of money. In reality, high fashion can be difficult to sustain financially, especially if modeling is your only source of income. A lot of the work, travel, and opportunities require sacrifices that aren’t always reflected financially. So for me, it became about understanding what opportunities were worth pursuing, what sacrifices made sense for my family, and what kind of career I actually wanted to build.
Looking back, I think those struggles were important because they forced me to define success for myself rather than letting the industry or other people define it for me.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a fashion model, and my work has taken me across high fashion, editorial, commercial campaigns, and maternity. I started modeling professionally in 2021, and since then I’ve had the opportunity to work in markets including New York, Los Angeles, Milan, Paris, London, and Mexico.
I’ve worked with brands and clients such as Gucci, Alexander McQueen, Swarovski, Diesel, Coach, Zara, Everlane, and FWRD, and I’ve been published in magazines including Harper’s Bazaar, British Vogue, Vogue, Allure, Paper, and Numéro. Some of the work I’m most proud of has been international campaigns with Alexander McQueen and Swarovski, which were featured on billboards and large-scale screens. Those were moments that really made me stop and think about how far I had come.
But I don’t think my work can be defined by just high fashion. One of the things I’ve really enjoyed is being able to move between very different sides of the industry. I’ve done runway, editorial, commercial work, maternity modeling, and campaigns centered around motherhood. Being a mother has actually become an important part of my career rather than something I’ve had to hide or separate from it.
What I’m most proud of is probably the fact that I’ve been able to build a career on my own terms. I didn’t fit the traditional image of what a high-fashion model was supposed to look like when I entered the industry, particularly after becoming a mother. I had to learn how to advocate for myself and create opportunities instead of waiting for someone else to decide I belonged.
I think what sets me apart is that I bring a combination of high-fashion experience and real life to my work. I can walk into a fashion week casting and understand that world, but I can also step into a campaign about motherhood and genuinely connect with the story behind it. I’ve experienced a lot of different sides of the industry, and I think that gives me a perspective that’s difficult to manufacture.
Ultimately, I’m proud that my career has continued to evolve. I don’t want to be known for just one type of modeling or one chapter of my life. I want to keep growing, keep challenging myself, and show that there isn’t one specific path or timeline for building a successful career.
How do you define success?
To me, success is being able to look at your life and genuinely feel proud of what you’ve accomplished. I think success is very much tied to perspective, and I’ve never really believed in comparing my success to someone else’s. What feels like a huge accomplishment to one person might mean something completely different to another, and comparing the two can either diminish what you’ve achieved or diminish someone else’s.
For me, success isn’t necessarily about having the biggest career, the most recognition, or checking off a certain list of accomplishments. It’s about feeling fulfilled by the life I’ve created and knowing that I’ve worked toward things that genuinely matter to me.
At the end of the day, being happy, fulfilled, and proud of the person I’ve become is the kind of success I strive for. If I can look back and know that I pursued the things I cared about while still being true to myself and the people I love, then I consider that successful.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://envymodelmanagement.com/she-her-model/cassie-wong-2
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mscassiewong?stkn=MXZ6aTB6d2JwaXVvZQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
