Born in the depths of a Soviet winter but now living the life of a
supermodel, Irina Shayk has a backstory that reads like a fairy tale.
In her most revealing interview ever, she talks Hollywood
break-ups, single motherhood and why the best is yet to come.
Interview and styling by Edward Enninful.
Photographs by Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott259It’s the morning of the 2019 Fashion Awards, and I’m
on my way to meet an old friend at the Bulgari Hotel
in Knightsbridge. Outside, the December air is chilly.
Inside, the hallways are moodily lit. But when Irina
Shayk throws open the door to her suite, it’s as if
spring has suddenly sprung.
She greets me with a theatrical “Hi!” and I immediately
start to laugh – not only is the 34-year-old Russian dynamo
in the middle of FaceTiming Burberry’s chief creative officer
Riccardo Tisci, but her entire face is concealed behind a
shimmering gold sheet mask, giving her the appearance of
a very beautiful, very naughty Tutankhamun. (This is not
unusual; when you’re with Irina, the mood is always, to borrow
one of her favourite party descriptions, like a “kiki”.) Even
in her mask, her blue jeans tucked into black socks, a simple
grey tee and gold hoops, she looks incredible.
We first met a few years ago, when I styled her for W
Magazine with photographers Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott.
Thanks to her breakthrough with Sports Illustrated, she was
already a social media star. It was love at first sight. When she
arrived on set in Los Angeles, it was as if we’d known one
another all our lives. I adored her humour, warmth and beauty,
and most of all, her fierceness. (She was born in a harsh Soviet
winter, so this fierceness is hardly a surprise.) Fashion fell in
love with her, too, and before long she was walking for Givenchy
and Miu Miu, and being photographed by the greats.
Soon, the world was enthralled by Irina, not least the
Hollywood actor Bradley Cooper. The pair were together
for four years, and three years ago had a daughter – Lea DeSeine Shayk Cooper – who they now co-parent following
their break-up. Irina is an extraordinary mother.
Irina ends her video call with Riccardo, peels off her mask
and whisks me into her bedroom, where the signs of a
supermodel’s glamorous life are littered about, from forgotten
room service to scattered heels. She’s on the red carpet in a
few hours but hasn’t decided on a final look. “I have nothing
to wear tonight,” she worries – everything sent over so far
won’t fit her famous curves. “You know me,” she says, her
voice full of fun and wonderfully gravelly. “Momma loves to
eat.” We settle down to talk...Edward Enninful: Let’s start from the beginning. You lost
your father when you were young, and financially it wasn’t
easy for your family. How did this shape who you’ve become?
Irina Shayk: I was born and raised in a town called
Yemanzhelinsk, in the middle of nowhere in Russia. My
father was a coal miner and my mom was a pianist – she
couldn’t find a job, so she played for kids in kindergarten.
It was a very simple life: one main street, no movie theatre,
no restaurants. I lost my father when I was 14. He was the
healthiest man alive, and at 44, out of the blue, he was
coughing for a while then got pneumonia and died. Me, my
mom and my sister were left. Three women.
How did you survive?
We learnt how to early in life, even when we had a father,
because in Russia you have to. In summer you grow
vegetables and bury them, so in wintertime you have
potatoes, carrots, everything, so you can survive. When I >03-20-WELL-IS_1855136.indd 259 09/01/2020 08:35