Hello Brooklyn #14 - Danny Lim

Danny Lim doesn't care what you think. But here's what I think, whether he's shooting Joey Bada$$ or Paolo Roldan, or smizing between the pages of a glossy magazine, the Malaysian-born 20-something is doing fashion his way.

Working smack dab in the middle of an industry under constant scrutiny and mass obsession, Lim puts a face on the democratization of the modeling industry and the pursuit of his American dreams.

Diversity seems to be a buzzword in the modeling industry. Since you started your career, would say you've seen an increase in diversity on and off the runway? 

Yeah, I started modeling 4-5 years back in Asia, the diversity back then wasn’t that wide-ranging. It was almost always Caucasian models that booked most of the jobs. Once in a while they would use an Asian. But now, it's way more diverse. It's become an important issue to society. For me, I never really cared so much about who I was shooting. I think two individuals that are able to collaborate are brought together by fate.

It's usually never easy being taken seriously as a multi-talented artist. Did you ever run into problems when you first made your transition from being in front of the camera to being behind it?

I did, especially when I started to take pictures. I don’t really see it as a talent but I see it as something that I like to do, so I just keep doing it and ignore what people say. I think everybody has an opinion and it's not wrong for them to say something, but it's how you interpret the comments. Listen and judge for yourself.

How long have you been living in Brooklyn? What's your favorite thing to do in your neighborhood?

For about three years. I like the space and prefer to live in a more residential area. I prefer to be separated from the noisy crowded city. 

What most excited you about coming to America for the first time? Do you have any regrets now that Trump is in office?

In Asia, we have such an obsession with Western culture because I think we've never experienced it before, only on TV. When I came here it was exciting because I didn't know what to expect. But I've seen the good and the bad. I've also held onto what I learned growing up. But I can’t just give up on my dreams.

Images courtesy of Danny Lim