Eugenia Volodina. Volodina Evgenia Evgenievna Beginning of a modeling career

Model Date of birth September 17 (Virgo) 1984 (35) Place of birth Kazan Instagram @eugeniavolodina

Evgenia Volodina is a famous supermodel with ideal parameters. Hard work and perseverance allowed the girl to conquer the heights of the fashion world and participate in filming for the most popular glossy magazines, as well as in shows of leading fashion houses. Her success story is an example for many girls who are just starting their career path. Evgenia’s track record includes collaboration with the brands Celine, D&G, Fendi, Escada, Bvlgari and others.

Biography of Evgenia Volodina

Evgenia Evgenievna’s childhood was quite ordinary. She was born in Kazan in prosperous family. Since childhood, the girl was given special attention, pampered and strongly supported in all her endeavors. When Zhenya grew up, she started going to a modeling studio, but she didn’t take her training quite seriously and often missed classes.

Then she had no idea that working as a model would become her lifelong goal and was planning to enter a local university. But fate turned out differently. Zhenya decided to participate in the Miss Advertising modeling competition, where she was noticed by famous photographer A. Vasiliev. He immediately liked the girl, took a few pictures, and he sent the material to the Viva modeling agency in Paris. And after some time, Volodina’s candidacy was approved and she was offered to move to Paris for active work.

After much doubt, Zhenya agrees to sign the contract. Thanks to several shoots with leading European photographers, her stellar career began to develop rapidly. In 2002, the young model Evgenia Volodina managed to sign a contract with Gucci and participate in the fashion shows of this brand. Having noticed a promising young girl, Christian Dior and Givenshy companies invite her. After that, she becomes the face of the J'adore perfume, replacing the famous Carmen Kass, as well as the face of the In Love Again fragrances from YSL and V from Valentino.

Further, her career as a top model only gained momentum: working with the most famous brands, hundreds of shows, advertising and endless offers for filming that aspiring models only dream of. Her enormous success was initially built on hard work, because in just a few years Volodina participated in more than one and a half thousand shows and starred in the most famous projects, including the Pirelli calendar.

Also, a short biographical film about Evgeniy was released in 2007, where the model talks about her life and career.

Evgenia Volodina, 32 years old Unlike most successful models who claim that at first they did not even think about a career in the fashion business, Evgenia Volodina has dreamed of conquering the world's catwalks since childhood. A confident girl from Kazan...

On September 17, 1984, in the city of Kazan, the future fashion star Evgenia Volodina was born. Zhenya grew up big friendly family. In addition to her parents and grandmothers, she was surrounded by her sisters and brother. The Volodin family was always considered prosperous: the children grew up in prosperity and did not need anything. All the girls in the family were very beautiful. In the mid-1990s, I dreamed of becoming a model. elder sister Julia, who had all the data for this. But then the modeling business seemed very dubious. There were too many shady personalities swirling around the girls who took to the podium, and this profession in Russia looked completely unsafe.

Evgenia Volodina came to her first modeling studio with a friend. The girls went to a teenage studio that existed at the Lik fashion theater. Zhenya either quit classes or started again. In 2000, she again resumed her hobby. Model classes for teenagers included several subjects: style, makeup, psychology, acting, gait and choreography. Zhenya treated these activities more like pleasant entertainment. No one seriously thought that the girl had a future as a professional model.

Evgenia Volodina was finishing school. It was necessary to decide on the choice of profession. Like many Russian graduates, she planned to enter a university. Kazan State Energy University was chosen as the place of study. Nevertheless, Zhenya decided to take part in the Miss Advertising competition.

By coincidence, Moscow photographer Alexey Vasiliev came to the competition - the same one who two years earlier found in Nizhny Novgorod Natalia Vodianova. At the competition, he took several photographs of Evgenia Volodina and sent them to Paris, to the Viva agency. A few months later, Alexey called back to Kazan and said that they wanted to see Zhenya in Paris.

By that time, Evgenia Volodina had already passed most of the entrance exams. In fact, the decision to leave was not at all as obvious as it might seem at first glance. Whether she would like her in Paris, whether she would be able to stay - all this was unknown.

But at home there were still tangible, real prospects: studying at the university, higher education. Nevertheless, Zhenya chose Paris. This was an opportunity that I didn’t want to miss. In addition, if you failed, you could try to enter the institute the next year. And in some ways it was for the better, this pause - during the year you could calmly think about what you really wanted from life and what you didn’t.

But most importantly, Zhenya Volodina really wanted to get to Paris. This was the city of her dreams. This was the place where she had wanted to be since childhood. Moreover, this was not a simple tourist trip for a few days. Evgenia Volodina had the opportunity to live in this city - walk along the embankments of the Seine, turn onto familiar boulevards, sit in her favorite cafes. And all this not as a casual visitor, but as a person who feels Paris as his own.

Like many aspiring fashion models, the first year in Paris was not at all easy. Zhenya lived in the same conditions in which all aspiring models found themselves. Income less than $100 per week. A modest apartment rented by an agency for two people with another model girl (Evgenia Volodina’s neighbor was from England). Endless castings in different parts of the city. But the hardest thing was that Zhenya was alone - no mother, no father, no sisters and brother, to whom she was so accustomed and who supported her so much. The most difficult are the first months, when you are not yet fluent. spoken language and there is no way to communicate freely. And it seems that no one needs you in this alien metropolis. And that it will always be like this - hard days, lonely evenings and screenings where you were not chosen again.

Best of the day

Hope for the best appeared only after Zhenya noticed famous photographer Steven Meisel. By the time they met, Maisel had been considered a star in fashion and fashion photography for at least twenty years. He was born in 1954 in New York. Fashion magazines have been his passion since childhood. There is a legend that at the age of 12, Maisel specially came to the studio of photographer Melvin Sokolsky to see Twiggy, the famous model of that time.

Steven Meisel invited Evgenia Volodina to New York for filming. But from the very beginning everything went wrong: Zhenya had a cold for two weeks, the shooting was either postponed or cancelled. Ultimately, that shoot didn't work out. However, despite the unfortunate failure, this was still a breakthrough: she was noticed, and very serious photographers began to invite her to work. This gave, if not confidence, then at least hope for a professional future.

And yet it was Steven Meisel who gave birth to real career Volodina. Meisel photographed Eugenia for the cover of Italian Vogue in 2002. He really liked both her appearance and her ability to work. With his light hand, Evgenia Volodina got the nickname Zhenya Zhenial - Genius Zhenya. This shoot for Vogue was Zhenya’s first big success and gave impetus to her subsequent professional growth.

In general, 2002 was a very successful year for Evgenia Volodina. She began to be invited to participate in fashion weeks. Zhenya was invited to demonstrate the haute couture collections of the spring-summer 2002 season by Balmain, Christian Dior, Givenshy, and Jean-Paul Gaultier - a very honorable list for any model. But the most important thing that season was, perhaps, the show of the Japanese Junya Watanabe.

In the same year, Evgenia Volodina received her first truly major offer. Together with Natalia Vodianova she became the face advertising campaign"Gucci" This one is legendary fashion house was founded by Guccio Gucci back in 1921 and is today one of the oldest European brands. After the death of the founder, the company was inherited by his sons - there were six children in the family.

Tom Ford was very supportive of the appearance of Evgenia Volodina as the face of the brand. Zhenya’s appearance was perfectly suited to the Gucci look. She was very elegant and at the same time somewhat reminiscent of a headstrong teenager who had run away from home to live her own, independent life. This was a new image of the femme fatale - tender and at the same time dangerous because of her dazzling beauty. This is the kind of character Gucci needed.

The photographs were commissioned by Mario Testino, another photographer whose name is legendary in fashion. SuperMario, as this master is usually called, who worked with Versace and Madonna, photographed Kate Moss and Princess Diana, was also a very complex person fashion biography. He was born in the mid-1950s in Lima, Peru, and before certain point I didn’t think about a career as a glossy photographer. Testino studied economics, law and international relationships at prestigious universities: he had every chance of becoming a successful lawyer.

But he chose a different path. In 1976, Mario Testino came to London and began learning photography. He made a living by preparing portfolios for girls who dreamed of becoming models. It's hard to believe now that his photo, including a hairdresser and make-up artist, cost just £25. Today, Mario Testino's fees are calculated in completely different amounts.

In Mario's photographs, Zhenya looked like a chic and stubborn girl - with an inner sense of style and strong character. The advertising campaign of the Gucci fashion house that year was made in black and white, and this made us remember not only the world of fashion, but also art photography. This gesture, in turn, implied that Gucci is not only a fashionable, but also an artistic phenomenon: we were talking about slightly different accents in the positioning of the brand. The refined and complex image of Evgenia Volodina was very useful in this situation. A year after this shooting, it was officially announced that Gucci and Tom Ford were breaking off their relationship and the great American was leaving the famous fashion house. In March 2004, his latest collection was presented. Not only in the Gucci house, but also in world fashion, an entire era has ended, of which Zhenya Volodina was a part.

In the stunning career that Evgenia made, becoming one of the most successful models of the decade, there were, however, not only ups, but also failures. A very offensive incident occurred in 2003. Evgenia Volodina attracted the attention of the Christian Dior company. Zhenya was chosen as the new face of the J'adore fragrance. This perfume was successfully launched in 1999 and two years later, in 2001, was recognized as the fragrance of the year.

The heroine of the first J'adore advertising campaign, which began immediately after the release of the fragrance, was the Estonian model Carmen Kass. She lived and worked in Paris since the late 1990s, starred in advertising for almost all famous brands and was one of the most popular models of the 2000s. In 2000, Vogue magazine and the VH1 channel recognized her as Model of the Year. Therefore, it is not surprising that at one time she was offered to become the face of the new Dior perfume project. In 2003, the idea arose to slightly change the image of the fragrance and invite another model for filming.

For new version advertising "J"adore" chose Evgenia Volodina. She passed the casting, several photographs were taken. For the sake of this shoot, she had to change her hair color: she became blonde. But at the very last moment, plans changed. It was decided to do without major updates: the company again signed contract with Carmen Cass. Zhenya's collaboration with Christian Dior perfumes did not work out. A few years later, they finally found a new model. She was also a model from Estonia - Tiiu Kuik. All three girls were photographed by the same photographer - the famous Jean-Baptiste Mondino.

However, this unfortunate failure did not prevent Evgenia Volodina from becoming, after some time, the heroine of perfumes from other well-known companies. Among the fragrances she has presented are “In Love Again” (Yves Saint Laurent), “Incanto” (Salvatore Ferragamo) and “V” (Valentino). Zhenya had an impeccable achievement list. It contained all the most famous names world fashion.

Over the next few years, Evgenia Volodina not only starred a lot in significant advertising campaigns - and she became the face of Celine, Dolce & Gabbana, Fendi - but also actively took part in fashion shows. In the coming years, she appeared on the catwalks more than 1,500 times. There were so many photographic series with her participation in fashion magazines that the effect of constant presence arose. Zhenya became a model, without whom it was impossible to imagine several recent years. And in a sense, she was a sign of this time.

But the most surprising thing was something else. Despite her stellar fees, which now amounted to tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars, she in some ways remained that naive little girl who bought herself elegant things in Kazan for a trip to Paris. She still cares touchingly for her brother and sisters; She spent her first large fee on buying a new apartment for her parents. Despite her success, she remained a member of that big family, who follows her progress at home.

For my relatives, I am not a chic model at all. “I’m just who I am,” she says in an interview.

Evgenia Volodina never fell in love with New York. She prefers Paris, to whose amazing magic she is still not fully accustomed. The profession forces me to live between Paris, Milan and London. But when asked whether she considers herself a representative of the international fashion world, Zhenya invariably answers: “I am a Russian model.” And in this ease of answers to controversial questions one can feel the quality that she considers one of the most important - respect for oneself and for people.

In the professional environment, there is an opinion that beauty is more internal state, and not just a feature of facial features. For Evgenia Volodina, such an undoubted quality is her inner nobility, which makes her a unique character in modern fashion. With her success, she seems to confirm the thesis that it is not enough to look beautiful - you need to be worthy.

This is the very quality that attracts those who see in her the heroine of their advertising campaigns in Zhenya. Feeling self-esteem- this is a state that cannot be painted or, like a chic dress, worn for one evening and then hidden in the closet. Evgenia Volodina again reminded us and the whole world that one of our exports is still the mysterious Russian soul.

Evgenia Volodina (model)

Evgenia Evgenievna Volodina. Born on September 23, 1984 in Kazan. Russian supermodel.

Has a brother and two sisters.

WITH early years all three Volodin sisters wanted to become models. Elder sister Julia set the tone. But it so happened that Zhenya became the star.

As a teenager, she went to the studio at the Lik Fashion Theater, where she received her first lessons in the profession.

At the age of 14, in 1998, she already became a model for a Kazan agency.

In 2000, after graduating from school, she took part in the Miss Advertising competition, where she was noticed by a scout from the Grace Models agency and sent photographs of Zhenya to the Parisian agency Viva. Then she was invited to audition. It is worth noting that at that moment she entered the Kazan Energy University and passed several exams. But she couldn’t refuse the offer to work in Paris - it was the city of her dreams.

She herself recalled: “I worked as a model from the age of fourteen, while I was still living in Kazan, and I knew that many were leaving abroad, but I didn’t believe in my abilities, but in vain. I was the only one from my agency who was chosen to work in Paris. At the age of sixteen I graduated from school and, not even knowing the language, left. Of course, it was hard, but I quickly adapted. Gia Dzhikidze helped. The hardest thing was when, after three months in Paris, I was sent to New York because Steven Meisel was interested in me.”

In Paris, Evgenia Volodina lived in a rented apartment with an aspiring model from England. She constantly attended various castings. After some time, Evgenia was noticed by the famous photographer Steven Meisel. He invited her to a photo shoot in New York, but Zhenya was ill for two weeks and the photo shoot never took place. Only in 2002 did Stephen finally shoot Evgenia Volodina on the cover of the Italian version of Vogue magazine. The photographer gave the model a nickname "Zhenya Zhenial"(“brilliant Zhenya”).

From that moment on, Zhenya’s dizzying career began.

In the early 2000s, Evgenia Volodina was part of the “group of three V” - Volodina,. Three Russian-speaking models who blew up the fashion world.

In January 2002, she made her debut at Haute Couture Fashion Week in Paris, where she took part in the shows of Balmain, Christian Dior, Givenchy, Jean-Paul Gaultier and Yves Saint Laurent.

The blue-eyed native of Kazan opened the shows of Marc Jacobs and closed the Valentino shows, demonstrated the couture of Balmain and Jean Paul Gaultier, as well as Victoria's Secret panties, and served as the face of Gucci (she was photographed by Mario Testino himself).

Among the photographers she has worked with are Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, Mario Testino, Patrick Demarchelier, Mert and Marcus, Steven Klein, Karl Lagerfeld, Mario Sorrenti, Craig McDean, Peter Lindbergh, Paolo Roversi, Terry Richardson, Sølve Sundsbø, Alasdair McLellan.

In 2001-2007, Evgenia was one of the most sought-after models on the catwalk. She took part in more than 500 shows of all famous designers and fashion houses, many of which she was trusted to open or close, including Gucci, Roberto Cavalli, Costume National, Max Mara, Carolina Herrera, Alberta Ferretti, Valentino, Jean-Paul Gaultier , Louis Vuitton, Elie Saab and Dsquared2.

Evgenia Volodina took part in the famous Victoria's Secret Fashion Show four times in 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2007.

In addition to the already mentioned Gucci campaign, Evgenia has also been the face of such prestigious brands as Dolce & Gabbana, Versace, Valentino, Yves Saint Laurent (beauty), Bill Blass, Oscar de la Renta, Fendi, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Escada, Chanel (eyerwear ), Bvlgari, Salvatore Ferragamo, Zac Posen, Thierry Mugler (beauty), Céline, Ann Taylor, etc. She was the face of 3 perfumes at once: “In Love Again” from Yves Saint Laurent, “Incanto” from Salvatore Ferragamo and “V » from Valentino.

Evgenia Volodina has been on the covers of various fashion publications - such as Vogue (Italy, Russia, Germany, Spain, Japan and Mexico), Harper's Bazaar (Russia, Korea, Spain and Ukraine), Elle (France, Spain and Argentina), Numéro , Numéro Russia, i-D, Marie Claire (Russia), L'Officiel (Netherlands) and French Revue de Modes. She also has photographed for American, British, French and Brazilian Vogue.

In 2005, she took part in a candid shoot for the Pirelli calendar.

In March 2017, Evgenia returned to the catwalk after a three-year break, taking part in the Balmain fall-winter 2017 show as part of Paris Fashion Week.

Lives in two cities - Paris and Rome.

Evgenia Volodina's height: 179 centimeters.

Evgenia Volodina's height: Chest - 84 cm, Waist - 61 cm, Hips - 88 cm.

Personal life of Evgenia Volodina:

Has a son to whom he devotes everything free time. Evgenia said: “In my youth, I was responsible only for myself - it’s easier, even taking into account the crazy work schedule with four flights between New York and Paris a week. And now I’m also responsible for the child. To keep fit, I go to the gym five times a week gym - three days with a trainer, two cardio - I run. But in general, you don’t have to go - there’s enough exercise at home: why not play football with your son?”

She is friends with another Russian top model and is the godmother of her daughter.

When Zhenya Volodina in 2002, she starred for the first time on the cover of Russian Vogue, she told me in an interview that a smile doesn’t suit her. Today she smiles all the time. What happened during this time, why did Zhenya change so dramatically? When she suddenly stopped appearing on the catwalks, rumors spread in Moscow that, for the sake of love for a DJ from her native Kazan, Volodina left Paris and Milan, gave birth to a child and was enjoying simple female happiness.

Nevertheless, we met not in Kazan, but in New York, where she has been living for two years. She just flew in from Los Angeles, and the next day she has to go to Paris for filming.

Zhenya straightens her short hair and says that she is growing her hair again. She's all in gray and black, with a watch on her wrist Jacob & Co., on the face - no blush, no lipstick. Compared to herself five years ago, she looks very confident. She is 24 years old and knows exactly what she wants. She seems to measure and weigh all her words about work and personal life. We start with a rumor about love and a child.

A child is truly a rumor. But the love for the DJ from Kazan is true. “For five years we had long-distance love, he was in Moscow, and I worked and lived in Paris. We missed each other very much and often flew to see each other, but, unfortunately, then we separated,” Zhenya says calmly. - That is life. But I never gave up my career for love. I love my job". Then the conversation smoothly turns to the director of the modeling agency Giyu Dzhikidze, who, in addition to Zhenya herself, opened and Natalia Vodianova. His recent death from a cerebral hemorrhage was her first serious loss. “He was a teacher for me in many ways,” admits Zhenya. Their relationship lasted two and a half years.

When she was 17 years old, it was Gia who brought her to Paris, and then they went together to celebrate New Year to Saint Barts. There Zhenya met Patrick Demarchelier And Steven Meisel. Demarchelier immediately nicknamed her “Zhenya Zhenial”, that is, the brilliant Zhenya, and Steven a little later did a shoot for the Italian Vogue, thanks to which Zhenya came into the spotlight Anna Wintour.

"Meeting with Anna Wintour took about five minutes. She doesn’t have time for anyone: “Good afternoon, how are you, how long have you been in New York, open the book on the shoot Maisel. The rest doesn’t interest me.” With trembling hands, I opened this photo, and she glanced there, then at my face and “goodbye.” A week later I had a shoot in the American Vogue».

But after seven years of a successful modeling career, Zhenya admits that she is tired. She did not participate in any of the shows of the spring-summer season 2008. at will. “Usually in Milan I worked on 25-30 shows in one week, in Paris - on 20-25, in addition, I constantly went to Fashion Week in Barcelona and Brazil. I'm tired! If I ever return to shows, I want to do it with pleasure again.”

And in plans and dreams - family, child. “Well, I’ll wait another three years with this, although I already really want a child,” she laughs. “I’ll definitely be just a crazy, full-time mother.”

Evgenia first appeared on the catwalk as a model in 1998, after she passed the casting of a Russian modeling agency. Already in 2000, she moved to work in Paris. In 2002, her career took off when she was offered to appear for Italian Vogue, and also to participate in a Gucci advertisement together with Natalia Vodianova. Later list The brands with which Evgeniya collaborated have expanded significantly. It became one of the most popular models of the 2000s. Evgenia’s collection includes many fashionable glossy magazines and catalogs with her face on the covers.

The future top model was born on September 17, 1984 in Russian city Kazan. She was lucky to be born into a prosperous family. As a child, her parents always paid a lot of attention to Zhenya and ensured that she did not need anything. In addition to Evgenia, the family also had sisters and a brother, who also grew up to be polite and sociable individuals. As a child, Evgenia Volodina did not really want to connect her life with modeling business, but her older sister was just dreaming about it. But this was the 1990s, then many people doubted this business, and the profession seemed very unsafe.

EVEN DESPITE THE FACT THAT MY WIFE'S SISTER WAS INCREDIBLY BEAUTIFUL AND HAD ALL THE MODEL DATA, HER DREAMS WAS NOT DESTED TO COME TRUE.

As a teenager, Evgenia Volodina attended a modeling studio. She originally signed up with best friend and didn’t take her studies seriously. The girl dropped out of school many times, after which she returned again. In general, she did not treat classes as something serious, but came there to have fun and not be bored at home. At that time, no one could imagine that such a “hobby” would develop into a profession. Zhenya was thinking about entering a university, and even submitted documents to a local institution. Her fate would have turned out completely differently if she had not decided to participate in the Miss Advertising competition.

By a lucky coincidence, the famous photographer Alexey Vasiliev was present at the competition. He, of course, liked Zhenya, and so he took a couple of photos, which immediately after the end of the competition he sent to the Parisian agency “Viva”. Some time later, in 2000, Alexey contacted the future model and surprised her with the news that she was invited to move to Paris. Evgenia Volodina took this news very seriously. She did not immediately pack her bags and go to another part of the continent; the girl weighed the pros and cons for a long time and carefully. However, her main dream played a big role: she had long wanted to visit her favorite city - Paris.

New city, new people, Difficult language and, on top of that, lack of work flow, modest earnings and great competition. Evgenia was depressed and upset, because the city of her dreams opened up from a completely different side. Usually at such moments she was supported by close people: her mother, sisters, brother, but so many thousands of kilometers away from them, words of support could only be heard over the phone, and this was not enough.

Modeling career

Options:

• Height– 176 cm;
• Weight– 55 kg;
• Options– 84-60-88 cm.

Attention to the married person increased only after she met the incredible photographer Steven Meisel. For the first joint photograph, he invited the girl to New York, but it was never possible to take a photo; the shooting was constantly postponed due to minor problems. Despite this, other photographers still began to invite Zhenya to collaborate. In 2002, the shooting with Stephen finally took place, he took several impressive photos for Vogue (Italy). It was this photograph that is considered decisive in Evgenia’s modeling career; it gave impetus to the difficult world of high fashion.

As a result, 2002 became an incredibly successful year for the beauty. She signed a contract with the global brand Gucci, after which she joint photos with Natalia Vodianova participated in an advertisement for the same brand. A few months later, the beauty participated in the Gucci fashion show in Milan. In the same year there were also smaller, but no less significant orders. The girl performed at the shows of Balmain, Christian Dior, Givenshy, which is very good for an aspiring model.

After such a stunning success there were not only ups, but also downs. For example, in 2003, representatives of the Christian Dior brand liked the girl, who invited her to become the face of their famous perfume “J’adore”. Since 1999, the face of this perfume has been supermodel Carmen Kass, but the designers had the idea to slightly change the format of the perfume and call a new model for this. At the casting, Evgenia Volodina took several photos, thanks to which she was approved.

But soon the brand changed plans again. They decided not to resort to such drastic changes in the advertising campaign for the fragrance and again signed a contract with Carmen. Of course, this came as unexpected news for Zhenya, but after a little time she was invited to become the face of other, no less prestigious perfumes, including “In Love Again” (Yves Saint Laurent), and “V” (Valentino).