260moved to New York, I was shocked that people go to the
supermarket and buy potatoes. I was like, “That’s crazy.”
How did you cope with the loss?
It was huge, he was the love of our lives. My mom was
married to my father for 14 years and dating for seven years
before they got married. She was terrified. But I think what
is very special about the Russian woman, and women in
general, is they always shape up in the right moment.
Were you popular at school?
No! I had my first boyfriend at 18. Boys didn’t like me.
Why?
I was really skinny and have darker skin, so boys and girls
made fun of me. I never knew that I would be a model.
I had bigger lips, so they called me Chunga-Changa, after
this Russian cartoon about black kids.
Oh, wow.
I always thought, “I want to be like everyone else,” so nobody
would pick on me. I was really shy as a child. And I kind ofhated being in pictures [laughs].
Look at me now!
It sounds like you were very different
from the woman we know today.
Well, first of all, I always felt like I
was born in the wrong body. I felt
I was supposed to be a boy.
That’s so interesting.
I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because
my father always wanted a boy.
How old were you when you had
this feeling?
Fourteen. When my father passed
away, I thought, “Since I’m a guy,
now it’s my time to take care of the
family.” I said to myself I would
never get married. Of course, later
on in life I outgrew that, and I love
being a woman. But I remember
that feeling.
What was the moment that really
changed your life?
Probably my changing point was
when I was six years old. My father
worked for 20 years and finally
bought a car – to have a car in the
village, it was really like you were
the king. He decided to sell it, and
was planning to put the money
towards a new house and college,
and maybe another car. But when I
was six we got robbed. I opened the
door and three guys wearing masks
came in, and they were pointing a
gun to my head [begins to tear up].
I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to cry.
Oh my god, Irina!
They were like, “Where is your
father? We know you have money
in the house.” My first reaction
was, don’t talk. I didn’t tell them
my father was taking a shower.
Then they broke the bathroom door
and there was a huge fight.
And you were just six years old?
Yes. One was pointing a gun to
my head, and the two others were
fighting with my father. We lived
on the first floor and my father jumped out of the window.
He went to ask for help, and the guys got scared and ran
away. I was so scared.
It must have had a lasting effect on you.
That’s probably why I still don’t have a lot of friends. I knew
that my father’s best friend betrayed him, because he was
the only one who knew that my father was going to sell the
car. To this day I don’t open so many doors to people in my
life. I don’t want to live without trusting people. I don’t talk
about that story, because it puts me back to that time, back
to losing my father. But I wanted to tell you that.
Thank you for trusting me. So modelling wasn’t something
you ever chased?
Never.
As a kid, when you stepped out of your house with your
mother, were people like, “Your daughter is so beautiful”?
No. I was always loved in my family, but I was never admired
outside my house, because I looked different.ABOVE: WOOL/SILK
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