Irina Shayk, Natalia Vodianova.
Photo: GLOBAL LOOK PRESS
For many years, Russian models have been very popular with casting directors around the world. But last spring, the attitude towards Russian beauties changed dramatically. Fashion models with Russian passports began to complain about the persecution on social networks and at castings. From eminent models, usually far from politics, they were asked to clearly state their attitude towards Russia. However, a year later, the fashion industry began to thaw, and our beauties again began to appear at major shows. “Komsomolskaya Pravda” tells how things are going now with the most famous Russian models working abroad.
Sasha Pivovarova
Ukraine supported
Sasha Pivovarova was on the world podium thanks to her husband, photographer Igor Vishnyakov. Fashion house Prada signed her first major contract, making her the face of it for a record six seasons. Despite her age (she is 38 years old), Pivovarova remains one of the most sought-after models.
Sasha Pivovarova. Photo: Patrick McMULLAN/Getty Images
Alexandra and her husband live in New York, they have two daughters: Mia Isis and Sophia. After the start of the SVO, the model spoke out openly against Russia by posting the Ukrainian flag on her page on social networks.
Evgenia Volodina
exquisite rebel
In the early 2000s, Evgenia was one of the most sought after models on the world’s catwalks. The beginning of Volodina’s life was given by a trip to New York, where she, thanks to the photographer Steven Meisel, received the nickname Genia geniale (Bright Zhenya). She also photographed Evgenia for the cover of Vogue Italia, after which the model began to be invited to her shows by Dior, Balmain, Givenchy, Jean-Paul Gaultier and others. Then there was a high-profile advertising campaign for Gucci together with Natalia. Vodianova. Tom Ford, who headed the fashion house at that time, saw something special in Zhenya – inner rebellion and sophistication.
Evgeny Volodina. Photo: Bryan BEDDER/Getty Images
Zhenya has not been on the podium for many years. She got married and lives a normal life in Italy, raises her son and travels a lot in Europe. Volodina, 38, is active on social media, sharing travel photos and not commenting on political unrest. Next to her son, who is like two peas in a pod like a mother, Zhenya looks more like her older sister. From the world of fashion, the model is still friends with Natasha Poly and is the godmother of her daughter.
Vlada Roslyakova
bride for marriage
When 16-year-old Lena from Omsk was just starting her modeling career, she was advised in Paris to adopt a more memorable name. The girl she chose a derivative in the name of her father Vladimir from her, becoming Vlada Roslyakova for the world of fashion. Parisian Vogue called her one of the best fashion models of the 2000s, in the model portfolio of more than 400 appearances on glossy covers.
Vlad Roslyakova.
Photo: SOCIAL NETWORKS
In 2015, realizing that the light on fashion was not converging, Vlada decided to pursue acting and went to study at the best acting schools in New York. Since then, this city has become her second home. Now behind Vlada’s back they are filming five short films, participating in theatrical productions and plans to conquer Broadway and Hollywood.
“I still work as a model, but much less than before,” Vlada admitted in an interview. – Fortunately, I have enough bread and butter, although I no longer shoot for the advertising posters that would hang all over the world.
In addition to her acting career, the 36-year-old Roslyakova sings for pleasure, raises a cat named Yuri and regularly attends an Orthodox church in New York.
– I was married for a long time, and in 2020 they made me an offer, but we never got to the wedding: it all ended very quickly. Therefore, now I still have the status of Single cat lady (a single girl with a cat. – Ed.), – jokes the supermodel.
natasha poly
20 years of happiness
Natalia Polevshchikova, better known as Natasha Poly, rarely pleases her fans with her appearance on the podium. Basically, the 38-year-old blonde attends the shows as a guest. This obliges her status as the wife of a Dutch millionaire. They have been together with Peter Becker for 20 years. It was predicted that their marriage would soon collapse, because at the time of their acquaintance, Natasha was only 18 years old, and Peter was 34 years old. The stormy romance ended with a grandiose wedding, and two years later they had a daughter, Alexandra Christina, and in 2019 – a son, Adrian.
Natasha Poly. Photo: Dave BEDROSIAN/Global Look Press
Now Poly regularly appears on the red carpet, takes part in advertising campaigns for fashion houses, and sometimes goes on the catwalk. In mid-June, in Florence, the model walked as part of one of the largest fashion shows dedicated to catwalk icons.
Anna Vyalitsina
single mother
Anna chose the pseudonym Anne V and within a few years rose to the ranks of the “angel” underwear brand Victoria’s Secret. The model she had an affair with the leader of the group Maroon 5, Adam Levine, as well as with the millionaire former vice president of Yahoo, Adam Cahan. From the latter, Anna in 2015 gave birth to a daughter, Alaska.
Anna Vyalitsina. Photo: Kevin KANE/Getty Images
Vyalitsyna left the world of fashion for several years. But in 2021, the union was dissolved. There were rumors that during the pandemic, Anna survived on unemployment benefits. However, there were those who remembered that the model has an apartment in New York valued at $3 million and $2.6 million in savings. This did not stop Anna, 37, from filing a lawsuit to force her ex-spouse to pay more alimony.
Irina Shaik
olivier fan
Immediately after the start of the NWO, Irina decided to temporarily go unnoticed – she was not visible at any major shows. Some claimed that Shayk voluntarily left the fashion show due to Russophobic sentiments, while others insisted that Irina only wants to establish a family life with her former lover, actor Bradley Cooper.
In her interviews, Irina constantly emphasizes that she loves Russian cuisine and Russian traditions. Posting a photo of Olivier on social networks and attributing “Russianzzz on Wednesday” (“Russian on Wednesday”), she Irina received a lot of insults in the comments. Her English-speaking subscribers decided that she deliberately emphasized the letter Z and thus supported a special military operation.
However, everything was soon forgotten. Already in the fall, Irina Shayk again became an integral star of all leading shows. What is worth only the appearance of her at the Schiaparelli show in a floor-length black dress, decorated with a huge lion’s head. Her appearance on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival made no less noise. The model wore a long, tight leather skirt and a leather top, made up of only two narrow stripes, which barely hid her breasts.
Natalia Vodyanova
Marriage with a rich heir
Like Irina Shayk, Natalia Vodianova decided to refrain from attending Paris fashion shows and social events early last year. The model, who has been doing charity work for many years, spoke out in support of all mothers and children and promised to help everyone in need. Many expected the release of her at the Paris Fashion Week, first in the spring of last year, and then in the fall, but Natalya did not appear either as a model or as a spectator. In the spring of 2022, Vodianova did not even attend the opening of the largest Dior boutique in Europe, despite the fact that the fashion house actually belongs to the family of her husband Antoine Arnault, son of the founder of LVMH.
Against the background of the seclusion, which lasted almost eight months, rumors spread that Vodianova was pregnant for the sixth time. But in October last year she arrived at a party thrown in honor of the British Vogue editor-in-chief’s book launch, and the model did not notice any rounded belly.
This year, Natalia began to appear in public more often: appearing at the Paris Fashion Weeks, showing the first collection of musician Pharrell Williams for Louis Vuitton. In mid-June, Vodianova appeared as a model at the British Vogue show in Florence, and then at the Jean-Paul Gaultier show.
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