Photographer Oda Eide – Fashion Editor Rachel Simone – Model Liza Ostanina at Prodigy. – Makeup Simone Gammino – Hair Giovanni Iovino – Photographer Assistant Giovanna Cogogno – Interview by Marco Martello
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What’s your earliest fashion-related memory?
If we go all the way back to my earliest memories of fashion, it’s watching America’s Next Top Model. When I was little, I loved that show. I learnt from Tyra Banks how to smile with my eyes. I’d take my mum’s heels and practice walking in them, and I think that’s why I never had any trouble with my walk.
Growing up, did you dream of becoming a model? When did you realise you have what it takes to walk down the catwalk and grace the cover of fashion magazine covers?
To be honest with you, I never saw myself as a model. Watching ANTM, I’d see the girls on the show and just couldn’t imagine myself there. I was the ugly duckling, insecure, and when my first agency messaged me on a Russian social network saying they liked my look, I was shocked. I couldn’t believe it, and the first thing I did was delete the message and block the person, thinking it was a scam. But some time later, that person found another way to contact me again, and at that point I had to tell my parents. To my surprise, they were completely supportive and did everything they could to help me. Still, during the first years of working as a model, I couldn’t quite understand what everyone saw in my appearance.
What’s a memory you always go back to when you need to find strength in hard times?
In difficult times, I think of my parents, who always tried to do everything they could for me and my brother. When I was born, it wasn’t an easy time in Russia, — we were very poor. But the strange thing is that I didn’t even know that until I was about 15, because my parents always tried to give us the best they could. We always ate well, we had a wonderful childhood, and that’s all thanks to them. And every time things get hard, I remember how strong they are, and I try to be just as strong. I work hard so that both my parents and I can be happy.
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And then returning to fashion, do you still remember your first experience in front of the camera? Was it hard for you to find the confidence one needed to work as a model?
My first shoot happened when I was around 13. I came to Moscow alone for a couple of days to do my very first test shoots and put together a book. During that first test shoot, I ended up crying because I was still so young and so unsure of myself. But the photographer, a girl, was incredibly kind and caring — we talked, she calmed me down, and we ended up getting some really great shots. Still, I wouldn’t recommend putting kids into modelling at such a young age.
What’s the biggest misconception about the fashion industry?
I think the biggest misconception about fashion is that working in this industry is easy. A lot of people think a model’s job is just to stand there looking pretty in front of a camera, but it’s not like that at all. A model’s life is far from simple. We travel constantly, live wherever we can, far from home and far from the people we love. And the shoots themselves can be exhausting — sometimes you just have to hold a pose, sometimes it’s the opposite and there’s a lot of movement, and all of that takes a lot of power.
Acne Studios, Junya Watanabe, and Rick Owens are just some of the brands you’ve walked for over the years. What’s one fashion show you remember with the most affection?
My first show was Prada, and it’s probably the most memorable one, because it was my very first show and I did it with my best friend — we’ve been close for more than 10 years now. We spent the whole night at the fitting, and honestly, we were having the best time. We were there together, watching something on a tablet, laughing, and then in the morning we were sitting backstage side by side. After Prada, at other castings everyone kept calling me a ‘Prada girl,’ and I loved that.
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Have you always felt comfortable in your own skin, Liza? Has fashion helped you to discover sides of yourself that you didn’t know existed?
As I said earlier, I always felt like the ugly duckling when I was a kid, but fashion helped me realise that this wasn’t true at all. Sure, maybe I don’t fit the traditional standards of beauty perfectly, but I’ve understood that every person has their own spark, and everyone is beautiful in their own way. The most important thing is learning to love yourself, and when I started seeing the results of my work in fashion magazines, I was finally able to see my own beauty and become a beautiful swan.
Last spring you starred in a Prada beauty campaign. Who was the first person you called when you found out that you’d booked that job?
Oh, the Prada beauty campaign. My friend was actually the first one to find out, because when I got the option for the job, she helped me quickly film a video for the client. And when I got confirmed, I told her the good news — all thanks to the video she helped me shoot.
Modelling calls for a lot of travelling. What’s one place you never thought your job would take you to? And where’s home for you?
I really do travel a lot. Probably the most unexpected place I’ve ever worked was in the mountains of China, near the border with Tibet. I’m not a very athletic person, and I had never been at high altitudes before, but we went up into the mountains to shoot a campaign. We were at 4,685
meters above sea level — the whole team was breathing through oxygen tanks, but I didn’t even touch one. All my friends who love hiking were shocked by my endurance. China in general showed me so many unusual and amazing places that I would’ve never seen if it weren’t for this
job. For me, home is wherever my loved ones are — that’s where I always feel care and love.
Last but not least, what will you do when you’re done answering these questions?
When I finish answering these questions, I’ll start making dinner, call my parents since we’re in different cities right now, and then continue watching a TV series.
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