Inès Ligron

Inès Ligron is a French fashion and beauty expert best known for working with celebrities, models, fashion houses, beauty firms, advertising agencies, and magazine editors. Ines is currently the National Director of the MISS WORLD Organization in Singapore and is actively involved in casting young faces in Asia to compete at the ELITE MODEL LOOK of The Year 2016 contest in China in October 2016. She is the CEO of a beauty academy in Japan called WCBA by Ines Ligron. She is supporting a home with 17 young adults with mental handicap in Cambodia since 2011. Ines is the face of IROKA by KAO in Japan and has developed 2 fragrances for their latest laundry products.
In 1997, she became Miss Universe national-director in Japan and she revamped the pageant from a non-existent show, into a multimillion-dollar sponsorship and television event. She produced one Miss Universe winner and 2 runners-up during her 10 years with The Miss Universe Organization.
Ligron filmed a French reality television series called "Les Anges Gardiens" (The Guardian Angels) with Jean-Claude Van Damme and Jean-Roch.

Early life

Inés Ligron was born Agnès Ligron in Montpellier, France, the daughter of Pierre and Monique Ligron. Ligron changed her first name from Agnès to Spanish Inés (or French Inès) when she was 25, because she started working in Spain where people could not say her name correctly, and in English it sounded too old-fashioned. Ligron grew up in the South of France near Montpellier because her parents had to leave Paris due to the allergies of her younger brother. She has a sister, Mireille Ligron, and a brother, Philippe Ligron. She studied literature, learned 3 languages, and enrolled in a fashion and cosmetic school in Montpellier called Inter Beaute. Before working as the National Director of Miss Universe in Japan, she worked with European cosmetic companies and designed a line of cosmetics consisting of make-up and skin care products for Montagut, and the products were to be sold in China. Ligron worked with IMG Models after moving to Hong Kong.

In 1995, Ligron became the Asia/Pacific director of IMG model in Hong Kong.

Career

Although Ligron works with high-profile clients and has a very notable fashion sense, she has never stayed in one place and travelled regularly throughout Asia to work as a freelance for international projects, giving her the opportunity to meet and work with some well-known clients. Acting as an agent for some Hollywood agencies, she has worked with Sarah Jessica Parker, Penélope Cruz, Jennifer Lopez, Maria Sharaprova, and Beyoncé, securing booking to contracts for endorsements and for multi-media events.

Based in Hong Kong, Ligron acted as IMG Models Asia-Pacific Director. IMG Models is a powerful model agency with headquarters in New York and celebrity supermodels such as Gigi Hadid, Miranda Keir, Tyra Banks, Milla Jovovich, Liv Tyler, Kaia Gerber, Gisele Bündchen, Carolyn Murphy, Alek Wek, Angela Lindervall, Nicki Taylor, and Lauren Hutton.

With the help of her numerous appearances on national televisions in Japan, France, and Hong Kong as a fashion leader, Ligron has reached a high level of followers. Her success led her to sign a multi-year contract with a tele-marketing company called Oak Lawn Marketing whom produced a series of 8 DVDs which were the bible of fashion and beauty for any woman in Japan. Ligron's DVD sales are combined with the four books that she has published (three in Japan and two in Thailand).

Ligron was appointed Best National Director by the Miss Universe Organization in 2007.

Ligron has appeared on numerous magazines in Japan:

(25 ans, Maquia, Voce, Biteki, AnAn, Grazia, Anhelo, Marie-Claire, Vogue, Domani, Elle, Bi-Story, Crea, More, Fytte, Croissant, Glamourous, Lucere, Da Vinci, Ar, Seven Seas, Hers, Alluxe, Vingtaine, WWD, Bijin-Hyakka, Pretteen, Spur, Savvy, Cheek, Pinky, Hanako, Tarzan, Nikkei Health...)

Other notable collaborations

• Samantha Thavasa ~ Collaborated on a line of luxury bags.
• Sweets by Samantha Thavasa ~ Designed the uniforms for the salespersons inside the shops.
• Sweets by Samantha Thavasa ~ Directed the creation and the process of producing a line of pastry and sweets for the brand.
• Proactiv ~ served as the face for the national TV ad campaign.
• TBC (Tokyo Beauty Center) ~ Spokesperson for its national magazine ad campaign.
• Evian ~ tie-ups on the Evian website for 2 years
• Audi ~ Brand ambassador in Japan, promoting the Q5 & Q7
• Calvin Klein ~ Served as the spokesperson for the perfum called "Secret Obsession"
• Montagut China~ Designed & produced a complete line of cosmetics (make-up and skin care).
• Maquia Magazine ~ Monthly guest-editor during 2 years, with a full one-page. Total of 24 pages plus 23 editorials, which is one of the highest number of pages for any outsider to the magazine. Maquia is one of the top 3 cosmetic magazines in Japan.
• Coca Cola Zero ~ Partnered with Hollywood actress Sarah Jessica Parker for the promotion of Coca Cola Zero on MIXI. Ines currently has about 20,000 friends on her MIXI page.

Books

In the year 2011, Ligron published 2 books in Thailand and another book in Japan in 2012.

Present work

Ligron is the CEO of WCBA, a chain of beauty schools in Japan.

Ligron appears several times a day on numerous Japanese television channels promoting her Ines Secret DVDs. She is also featured in women magazines in Japan. She is currently ranked by the Rakuten website as number 6 most influential personality in beauty and style (and the only foreigner to appear in the top 10 list).