5 minutes with Katiusha Feofanova

Katiusha Feofenova is a model based in NYC with ReQuest Model Agency.  She was born in Omsk, Siberia, was scouted at the age of 12 and started modeling soon after. Since then she has travelled around the world and braced multiple campaigns and magazines with her doll-like features we all fawn over.

Photographed by Lauren Engel
Stylist: Alexandra Hall
Makeup artist: Romana Lai
Hair Stylist: Edison of Hair Lounge NYC

Tell us about your upbringing and how did it shape the person you are now?
My wonderful mother has invested in me a part of her soul and the children who grow up in love are always happy and lucky in their future life. I used to do drumming and ballet. I still continue to dance ballet and take classes here in New York because I love it!

Describe where you grew up 
My city Omsk is located in the heart of Siberia but on the streets, we don’t see the walking bears and winter is not much colder than in New York. This is a small provincial town, almost all of my friends have left it, but I still like to go there time by time. My mother is a hairdresser, and I am the only one child, we have a big house and a wonderful cat.

How did you get into modelling?
I went to a modeling school in my home city of Omsk.

What was it like to be scouted at 12 and start modelling at such a young age?
It wasn’t scared to me to begin modeling from an early age because I always had support of my mother. Moreover, in that time the work was perceived more as a game than as something serious.

Describe a day in the life of modelling in Tokyo.
The usual day of model in Tokyo starts early in the morning. If it is castings the day starts about at 9am, if it is a job sometimes you can have call time at 4am. The Japanese are hardworking people, trying to do everything on the conscience and do everything in time. Models go with drivers on castings but if it’s a job they need to get it themselves, but they have everything they need to get – maps, tips, addresses, the agency is always concerned about it. At work the team is always friendly and nice. No matter how long they shoot and how long is the working day the Japanese never lose patience and try to ease the work for model with breaks, various Goodies; sometimes you can even get a massage. Drivers take models to castings but this is not surprising. First of all in Asia is sometimes hard to deal with how to find the address and don’t be late, and secondly more often this happens in Europe and America now, especially during fashion week, to ensure that girls can get everything in time, but in Tokyo it happens every day – from 6 to 15 castings daily.

Which places have you modelled in?
I worked in Tokyo, London, Milan, Paris, Barcelona and USA

Outside of modelling, what other hobbies do you have?
Modeling takes almost all my free time but I am happy to be busy. In my spare time I attend ballet class in NYC for maintaining shape and personal enjoyment