Born as a boy, Mimi Tao’s life was worlds away from her currently glamourous New York runway career. Choosing to spend her early childhood in a Buddhist monastery, after six years, she came to the realisation of her true identity as a woman and began the challenging journey into the fashion industry to help financially provide for her family following the devasting impacts of the 1997 economic crisis. Mimi worked in Thailand, then Singapore before her major breakthrough on Project Runway as the show’s first transgender model. Following the show, her image skyrocketed and she started being featured in major fashion shows and campaigns. While working across the globe as a runway and lingerie model with LA’s Slay Model Management, Mimi is currently producing a film about transgender people as part of her unwavering mission to raise awareness of trans rights. Mimi’s incredibly focused work ethic combined with her passion for gender equality has made her a shining role model for aspiring LGBTQ models worldwide.