Swans of Modeling: Irina Kobzeva Among the Rare Beauties of the World
Irina Kobzeva is a reflection reminiscent of a swan lake of modeling, graced with a distinct gift of beauty. A swan like figure from Ukraine, Kobzeva's pearl shaped blue eyes and graceful features, mirror the Ralph Lauren 90's luxurious preppy figurines that inspired a new culture. Afterall, if search closely, the roots of the greatest fashion brands grow from the depths of the world's most unique corners. Meeting Kobzeva is an appreciation of the European culture, its beauty and successful models. Even more, her story is the journey of a million young women that dream to one day step into her shoes. Especially when, after almost two decades of modeling, today she is still in pursuit of this passion.
Kobzeva first found an unlikely success in Asia, where models sporting her look were on demand during the 2000's and a touristic curiosity for the locals. It launched her career to photoshoots in Vogue, Glamour, and the cinema, where she also plans to develop her creative dreams. Her ability to reinvent herself is not surprising. She has been dubbed to have the spontaneous silly and fun personality of actress Cameron Diaz. Graced with a radiant fountain of youth, as most dream of, she also embodies a feature that can only be passed down through the genes of our ancestry. At the age of 37, Kobzeva looks almost a decade younger, a compliment that she often gladly welcomes. Yet such grace doesn't always exist without an obstacle of its own. Facing modeling agencies and brands that shaped her into a working artist is one of them, especially when it runs on a 25 to 30-year-old casting criteria. Today more than ever, as we find ourselves part of a new and modern diversity movement.
More notably, there are depths to her life story beyond the carefully crafted statuesque poses. The allure of Kobzeva is also bravely expressing an unfiltered opinion. A portfolio of truths about an industry which she loves but also wishes to see advance into its more modern version. The courage to speak and walk beyond the industry's adorned gates, defines a new brand of models like Kobzeva, which by now, according to outdated standards should have entered the tarnished silver stage of their careers. Not on her terms.
As she celebrates her 15th modeling anniversary this year, beneath a soft Ukrainian figurine we find a woman of paramount strength. With two children holding on to her hands tight, she leaves behind the dark and stormy clouds of a divorce. A heartbreaking phase in her life as a woman and mother, that brought the opportunity to discover her sense of worth and strength of character. Much like in modeling, life's hardships are overcome by a sharp runway like focus. Kobzeva's will to march on and break stereotypes or uphold traditional cultural standards in an industry whose creative process is endless, is just as admirable as her beauty. More notably, it awakens an inspired generation of models to the sirens of the industry, with a special message for those that still believe in the purpose of this artform.
The destiny of modeling is a mysterious journey.
Those that naturally match its model of beauty and purpose are among the lucky few that will wear, as Kobzeva says, the Freudian slip. However, wearing those slips sometimes comes at a price. Her beginnings are similar to a Cinderella story, scouted on the street to pursue the career of her dreams. During the early 2000's in Kiev, Ukraine, beauty contests were also popular and prestigious although that didn't always reflect a thriving fashion industry where models could launch a successful career. The Oleg & Eva modeling agency was her first opportunity to work as a professional and soon after joining she won two beauty contests, the Audience Choice Awards, that crowned her Miss LG in Ukraine for the Korean television brand. "I remember I was awarded 500 dollars for the first place and 300 dollars for the Audience Choice Award. It was a fortune for Kiev. It was my first royalty. I remember that I went and spent it to buy a mobile phone and beautiful clothes at a Mango store. It was a rather big victory for me," says Kobzeva.
Soon after, in South Korea she launched her modeling career in a world different from the confines of Europe. One pillar that helped, especially in the beginning, were the many free English lessons that she took as a child with her grandmother, who taught language at the university level. She remembers working with models that struggled to communicate in the industry. While she also embodied the features of a professional model, she wasn't always as graceful as she might appear either. Although tall and slim, with each flash and lens angle, it took her time to understand the geometry of modeling. "Appearance is not enough. It’s good, but not enough. First of all, you need a gait. I was rather stiff and quite a modest child and girl, and I could not even walk straight along the runway in Kiev during the model castings. I would constantly catch my foot. I was clumsy. I could fall," says Kobzeva.
After a promising modeling start in South Korea, she returned to model in Moscow and Paris. A variety of assignments followed in Milan where Kobzeva graced eleven magazines among them Vogue, Joy, Gracie, Marie Claire, and including the fashion weeks runways. Notable commercials such as the Ferrero Rochero chocolates selected her to work with celebrated tenor Dimitri Hvorotovsky. The holiday scene where he gifts Kobzeva a Christmas tree of wrapped chocolates after his performance is among the highlights of her career. Wrapped in a dazzling gold dress Kobzeva accepts his gift on screen with a humble nod of gratitude. She recalls this commercial with great warmth. Other modeling projects included waking up a little after midnight to outrun flocking tourists and film a mineral water commercial along the empty Venice Canals. Not to forget that being raised in China by ropes 10 meters high for a cookie advertisement also challenged her brave spirit to unimaginable heights. Kobzeva is right. You need to speak English and have a certain gait as a model, but it all falls apart without a gait of character and courage. Who would have thought such traits are among the most important prerequisites in modeling?
In the footsteps of a young Kobzeva we find an inspired mind.
When she was a teenager posters of role models like Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer and Linda Evangelista adorned her room, like that of most young girls. Comparing herself to these "artworks of modeling" and women however, although Kobzeva was beautiful, it didn't always fully convince her that she was meant to work as a professional model. Being skinny sometimes worried her as a teenager, as she tried to mirror the perfectly shaped bodies of the 90's supermodels. In time however, being tall was also one of the main reasons that convinced her to pursue this path. She discovered that the tall and slender look would launch her career to fit the international perfect sample sizes.
As women we skim through images of fashion magazines and mirror ourselves in their perfection. We reach a level of euphoria that make our lives more beautiful. However, perfection is also seeing and understanding their story. The 24-hour workdays, the sacrifices and struggles of a professional model like Kobzeva.
"Both in Milan and in Paris, you came to fashion shows and you were measured all the time, and I remember, I kept gaining some insignificant weight and this negatively affected my work, and I starved myself like other girls. It really was a fact. You had to be really skinny to have something, to have a job. With such an unhealthy look, bruises under my eyes, and to be honest, I had contracted some diseases that I now treat with mineral waters: gastritis, eating disorders," says Kobzeva.
"I would like there to be some standards in the modern world that do not affect the health of girls. Because young girls who undergo a period of formation come to the modeling business. It is vital to understand that these will be mothers in the future, and they should not torture themselves with training at the gym. Sport is good, but only when beneficial. If it is every day and for two hours long, the girls are malnourished and starve themselves. This doesn’t look beautiful in my understanding."
She recalls having seen the downfall of many models that either took the wrong path due to ill-advised diets or became distracted in a world whose freedom was too appetizing to ignore.
Kobzeva is not a super model, at least not from a largely mediatized perspective like we are used to follow. However, she is part of a pool of millions of mannequins, that work the clock of modeling. They are the interesting women whose names we rarely learn, that have achieved a sort of mysterious fame. Nameless they do, however, continue to weave a culture of beauty that becomes deeply embedded in our lifestyle. They keep a perfect human like balance in a challenging but equally exciting industry.
"No matter how much money you have, no matter what kind of person you are, you have to be who you were before you achieved success. I have it and I never evaluate people either in appearance or in financial capabilities. I always remained the girl from Kiev, from the Khrushchevka building - a kind of single-family flat built during the Soviet era - from the Golosiyivsky Park, where I grew up and probably there is a plus in this," says Kobzeva.
On the Road from Kiev to Paris there is a region called Kirovohrad.
Kobzeva remembers spending many warm summers adorned in fields of sunflowers and buckwheat in Kirovohrad (now Kropyvnytskyy). In full bloom, the perfume of her heritage compares to the most beautiful design. Pyrohovo's Open Air Folk Museum of Ukrainian Culture and Architecture, a culturally rich historic complex that preserves embroidered natural costumes, folk and centuries worth of design, was a regular trip for Kobzeva growing up.
For a moment during those times, in the early 90's, we try to envision a fair Kobzeva singing folk songs in an embroidered shirt called vyshyvanka, her flower wreath adorned like a tiara. She enjoyed singing folk music during concerts and was praised by music teachers to have a promising folk singing talent. From monasteries built in 1051 such as the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra whose golden domes and crosses are a magical symbol of faith as part of Ukraine's monuments, Kobzeva keeps close to her heart a fascinating cultural program, as she refers to it. It's a long list of favorites that inspire her.
Sometimes we take for granted the roots and heritage that each model brings unique to the industry. "The Andriyivskyy Descent, I can't do without. I feel like a tourist there. I get great pleasure just by walking there and visiting all these places," she shares.
Not to forget the palette of the Ukrainian cuisine. Red cabbage borsch soup and the golubtsi stuffed cabbage are among her favorites, recipes that today she shares with her own family. "Ukrainian cuisine! How can I do without? At least four times a week, I eat only Ukrainian dishes. This cannot be changed, nothing will be sweeter and tastier for me, no French Michelin restaurants compare to me, not with the taste of our national Ukrainian cuisine. I will never forget the taste of it and it's always with me and in my heart," says Kobzeva.
In the peaceful and open fields of nature growing up she also remembers a neighbor's cow, who shared fresh milk. A simpler time of inspiration and wellbeing, when the slow pace of health also matched the rhythm of our hearts.
The trials of a real-life model shape into a world of its own.
Kobzeva is an attorney by study, although that wasn't her first academic love. While to many it may be a dream career, including her parents who insisted she pursue the path of law, to Kobzeva it was not a puzzle piece that fit her dreams and modeling aspirations. She was an obedient student; however, her mind and time were already invested in modeling, often having to miss class, yet regardless she excelled to always pass her exams. If today she had a second chance, Kobzeva would have applied to the Kyiv National Karpenko-Kary Theatre, Cinema and Television University. "But again, the question is that our parents decide everything for us. When I came and said that I wanted to be an actress or a model, they said: what are you saying? You cannot be a model. Are you out of your mind? Learn to cook borsch. No one will marry you," remembers Kobzeva.
"You know, when nobody believes in you. And this is very important for a person and I bring up my children, my daughter this way. 'You want it? I will support you. You chose this profession? Come on, you will have my protection.'"
Sometimes our ability to simply exist as women working by books of outdated standards is a road we have to take on our own. The trailblazers are the lucky and hard-working few that dare to open new chapters. The narrative that she often faces in the modeling profession and personal life is that of age, even in her blooming 30's. A narrative that most women in any industry can relate to as well. "Yes, we are crazy about preserving youth, we always want to be young and fresh-faced. One should just lead a healthy lifestyle, go in for sports and take care of herself. That's all. I don’t exhaust myself with diets. I don’t weigh my food for calories. I’m relaxed. You can’t escape the inevitable," says Kobzeva.
To grow into the model of our dreams, sometimes we have to follow in the footsteps and soar on the wings of women like Kobzeva. In her personal life too, she stands firm and supports the rights of women to rebuild their lives despite a falling marriage. It is the spirit that led her to fight for a free life, first as a woman and mother, and most importantly as a model of character in our society. "I would like for women and young women to not be afraid to change their lives. Don't be afraid of divorces. I am very upset, and it drives me mad. This, again in our CIS countries (Commonwealth of Independent States). In the United States of America there is no such thing. They tell you are 30 years old, you have two children, why have you decided to divorce? Bear with it. You have a normal husband. He helps you. The sky is not falling," says Kobzeva.
Her message to women is not a revolt either, but an essential need for happiness, even when, indeed, the sky seems to be falling. "I always say, love exists, and you should believe in it. A person lives her life only once. We must build our life reasonably. Children must be raised in love. If you want to get a divorce, your age is not an obstacle. Why does this stereotype exist? 'You are old, you are already 30 years old, you have to bury yourself, you haven’t succeeded.' But who can succeed from the first try? No one. As they say, this is fate. You need to understand what you want and not be afraid to change something in life, not be afraid to start doing something new. If you want to be an actress? Go hire teachers, like I do. No education? Hire teachers who will study with you and try yourself there. If you want to write music? Start writing that music at age 50, go ahead."
Kobzeva's distinct legacy is a message of strength and hope.
The workforce of modeling is made of women like her. Charismatic, lighthearted, positive and strong. At least that's what Kobzeva wishes for a new generation of young women to embrace. To greet their castings and life equally with charisma and strength. Not to create a false illusion, that models should always be perfectly in sync with these qualities. Legacies are also built through obstacles that we all have to face. Her portfolio might not include the face of Dior, although it is never too late, but it does send a rippling message of hope across the industry. Even during the times of a peculiar 2020, she presses onward to reinvent herself. Kobzeva today invests in real estate development projects and plans to one day open a unique beauty space filled with lectures and artwork. She strongly believes, that it is important for women not only to have a job but work to be comfortable financially. To become fully guarded with a sense of security that improves their lives, past daily beauty routines.
We would like to imagine someone as beautiful as Kobzeva designing a fashion brand of her own, an idea which she thought of five years ago but out of respect to the professionals in the industry, she conceded that an education and experience is needed first. Nevertheless, Kobzeva is inspired by the classic French fashion, the history of Chanel, Dior and especially by natural fabrics. She dreams that one day everyone will be able to purchase affordable made in an ambient of quality. To Kobzeva "the health of apparel" comes first. At her first fashion show, her dream guests would be pop star friends, the legendary Anna Wintour and Tom Ford. A respectable front row list of industry stars to admire the imagination of a woman whose contributions to the industry are beginning to journey abroad once again.
We asked, Kobzeva, what story of legacy would she like one day to tell, and for her children to be proud of?
"I would like my children and, in fact, young girls who are just starting their journey to understand their parents, and also their parents, I wanted to appeal to them: listen to your children and support their endeavors, do not show them the way to choose. Let the person choose what he or she wants. If she wants to draw, help her do it. A person will study finance, because for the parents it seemed that it could be profitable and then she will be unhappy and treat her work as slavery. This is unacceptable, because all work should be enjoyable, and if the work is unloved, then life becomes uninteresting, boring and depressing."
The Ukrainian belle continues, "I wish for you to live with your soul and heart. Do not be afraid. The most important rule is not to be afraid of anything in life. And then you will succeed."
