Left
Dress / Thom Browne
Right
Dress / Dries Van Noten
Shoes / Manolo Blahnik
A wasted youth Ranya Mordanova was not, amassing covers of V Magazine, Elle Russia, Marie Claire, ads for Givenchy and Revlon, and walking in shows for Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Fendi, Versace, Vivienne Westwood, Marc Jacobs, Jeremy Scott, and Lanvin (that’s not even the full list!). Oh, and she’s 22.
Born in Ufa, Russia, the Mordanova — known for her signature bowl cut — first signed with Women Management in Milan and Paris back in 2008. One year later, she made her NYFW debut walking in shows for Monique Lhuillier and Betsey Johnson. From there, as exemplified repeatedly above, her career ticked up in a big way. These days it seems to be more of a question of who the young Mordanova hasn’t worked with.
Schön! chats with Ranya Mordanova below about future aspirations, her favourite designer, how she takes her coffee, and what she’s been Netflixing – in other words, the important things.
Left
Dress / Stella McCartney
Right
Dress / Zac Posen
If you were an animal, which would you be?
A cat – because a cat is independent while everybody loves them.
Your favourite musicians or artists?
I have a lot. I love Depeche Mode, but I also love Imagine Dragons.
Do you have any aspirations for the future?
I have tons! I want to dance, I want to learn how to design clothes, as well as go to real estate school. I want to try a little bit of everything and will decide what I truly like since there are too many to choose from.
Tell me your favourite color!
Blue. I love the color blue!
What’s something that people wouldn’t ordinarily guess about you? A little fun fact about yourself?
I can’t tell! I have secrets, but I can’t tell them!
What model do you think you would be really good friends with?
It’s tough since I’ve met a lot of them. It’s hard because you both work in the same industry so it could get tricky. We are girls, you know!
Growing up, what were you like?
Every summer, I would go to the village where my grandparents lived. It is located at the outskirts of the city. As a child, I hated it, but thinking about it, I miss it. We didn’t do anything special, we just were there. But I miss it.
Left
Dress / Dries Van Noten
Right
Dress / Thom Browne
What person in your life has had the greatest influence on who you are today?
My boyfriend. I can be who I am: funny, crazy, vulnerable, feminine, and confident!
What’s the biggest perk of modelling?
Definitely travelling all around the world, possibility to meet with new culture and many interesting people.
Name a designer we’re fools for not knowing more about.
Azzedine Alaia.
What was the last film/tv show you streamed on Netflix?
A documentary, Everest.
How do you take your coffee?
Latte, no sugar.
What do you do immediately after you get off the runway?
Say thanks to the team.
Words / Evan Ross Katz
This Schön! online exclusive editorial was produced by
Photography / Marco Torres
Fashion / Seymour Glass
Talent / Ranya Mordanova @ The Lions
Make Up / Tracy Crystal @ NEXT Artists
Hair / Julia Kim
Studio / Shio Studio
Fashion Assistants / Harry Kim & Nyle Fisher
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