About
Sasha Pivovarova is a Russian model and fine‑artist whose wide‑set eyes, high cheekbones, and graceful posture have carried her from surprise discovery to global fashion fixture. Since debuting on Prada’s runway in 2005, she has become one of the label’s longest‑running muses, fronting a record‑setting six consecutive Prada campaigns. Beyond the catwalk, Sasha’s sketchbooks travel with her, and her dreamlike drawings have appeared in galleries, magazines, and even on designer T‑shirts. Still based part‑time in New York, she balances photo shoots with painting sessions in a light‑filled studio, preferring charcoal and pastel to unwind after long days in heels.
Before Fame
Born Aleksandra Igorevna Pivovarova on January 21, 1985, in Moscow, she grew up in a modest apartment filled with art books. As a child she copied Degas ballerinas, convinced she would pursue an academic path in art history. While studying at the Russian State University for the Humanities, she was introduced to photographer—and future husband—Igor Vishnyakov. After a casual photo session, he sent her portraits to IMG Models. Weeks later, Sasha was on a plane to Paris, prepared only with a handful of phrases and a sketchpad. Her instinctive ability to hold angular poses immediately caught casting directors’ attention, cementing her place in the Fall/Winter 2005 season’s must‑watch list.
Trivia
- Holds the record as the longest‑serving face of Prada, spanning 2005‑2011.
- Speaks fluent Russian and English, and has been practicing Italian thanks to frequent stays in Milan.
- Illustrated a children’s picture book titled “There Is a Planet” that blends cosmic themes with gentle environmental messages.
- Loves yoga and credits it for the fluid, dance‑like quality of her runway walk.
- Appeared in Resident Evil: Retribution (2012) as a White Queen hologram—her first and only film cameo to date.
- Keeps a rescued Siamese‑mix cat named James, adopted while on location in London.
Family Life
Sasha married Igor Vishnyakov in 2008 during an intimate ceremony held in Thailand, surrounded by close friends and tropical orchids. They welcomed their first child, daughter Mia Isis, in May 2012. Motherhood, she says, shifted her priorities toward shorter booking schedules and family‑friendly campaigns. The trio splits time between Brooklyn and a country house outside Moscow, where Sasha’s parents often visit and her in‑laws maintain a vegetable garden. Despite frequent travel, she insists on homemade dinners and Skype bedtime stories whenever work takes her across the globe. The couple collaborates artistically as well—Igor photographs Sasha’s paintings, and she often sketches concepts for his editorial shoots.
Associated With
On the runway, Sasha has shared spotlight moments alongside fellow Russian stars Natalia Vodianova and Natasha Poly, creating what fashion editors dubbed the “Russian renaissance” of the mid‑2000s. She has walked for Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel, Marc Jacobs at Louis Vuitton, and Miuccia Prada more times than any other model of her generation. Off‑duty friendships include Gemma Ward, who introduced her to surfing in Australia, and Anja Rubik, with whom she co‑hosted art auctions benefiting refugee relief. Designers often pair Sasha with actors in glossy campaigns—she posed opposite Jamie Dornan for Calvin Klein and alongside Oscar winner Jared Leto for Hugo Boss fragrance spots. Within the art world, her expressive sketches have been compared to works by Egon Schiele, earning praise from contemporary gallery owner Jeffrey Deitch, who featured her pieces in a group show on fashion illustrators.
