Photographer Alex Kuhlencordt – Fashion Editor Hauke Stark – Model Santa Valentina at Monster Management – Makeup by Anne Timper – Hair by Wataru Suzuki using Oribe – Light Assistant Alex Ghita – Fashion Assistant Anton Emmerich – Casting by Neu – Interview by Marco Martello // Dress Alaia – Tights Falke – Shoes Sportmax – Necklace Monies
Top Louis Vuitton – Skirt David Koma / Dress Enami – Earrings Monies
First things first, what’s your earliest fashion-related memory?
I remember my first glimpse of high fashion in 1998 when the first ever Vogue Russia was launched. I walked the epic fashion show that was a part of the program. I instantly knew that I’d found my place, and it felt like I was exactly where I was meant to be.
Santa, how does it feel to see yourself in the pages of a fashion magazine?
It does feel fabulous, I have to admit.
Taking a step back, did you have a mentor who helped you navigate the industry in the early days of your modelling career?
Thank God I did, I was always very lucky with the right people coming into my life at the very right time.
Necklace Monies / Top David Koma – Trousers Bally – Braceletes Monies and Stylist’s Own
What’s the funniest or weirdest thing that ever happened to you backstage?
Sorry guys, what happens backstage stays backstage.
Santa, you’re not just a model but also a DJ. What music do you listen to while getting ready for a modelling job?
I usually listen to a mixtape of my favourite DJ, at the moment that would be Vlada, Livwutang or Como.se.d.
Blazer Dolce&Gabbana – Skirt Julie Kegels – Shoes Sportmax
What’s the most difficult challenge you ever faced as a woman?
I would say to stop being triggered by stereotypes about Russian women and constantly trying to convince people that I have a brain and a backbone underneath the cheekbones. To rephrase that, my biggest challenge as a woman was to stop giving a f*ck what other people’s expectations of me are.
Speaking of fashion shows once more, do you have any rituals that you do before walking down the catwalk?
I usually skip my dinner the night before and get as much sleep as I can.
Jacket Isabel Marant – Necklace and Earrings Monies – Sunglasses MM6 / Jumpsuit Issey Miyake – Shoes MM6 – Gloves Dior
Santa, would you say that your self-perception has changed since you started working in fashion?
Oh, for sure. Growing up, I always felt like the ugly duckling. Too tall, too awkward, definitely not one of the popular girls. When I started modelling, everything shifted. Suddenly, I was surrounded by other tall girls, other ‘misfits’ who turned out to be stunning. I started feeling cool, beautiful, and successful.
If you had the chance to change one thing about the fashion industry, what would it be and why?
If I could change one thing about the fashion industry, I think I’d slow it down. Or maybe, give girls the chance to grow up before being thrown into it. I started modelling at 13, and I had to be a ‘brand’ before I even knew who I was as a person. And I know, this kind of contradicts what I said before about how modelling helped me find my confidence and feel beautiful. Both things are still true. I did find a version of myself through fashion…but sometimes I wonder who I might’ve been if I’d just been allowed to be a kid a little longer.
To end on a different note, what should we expect from you in the near future?
I’m going in a new direction with my sound, so expect to be surprised.
Top Louis Vuitton – Skirt David Koma / Dress Alaia – Tights Falke – Shoes Sportmax – Necklace Monies