May 08, 2020

Blogger of the month : LISA @lisastarchak

Owning your own jewelry brand ✔️

Completing a fashion degree ✔️

Becoming top-50 Miss Russia ✔️

While this list may seem unachievable to many, Lisa Starchak has completed this and more, making us feel very unproductive all of a sudden. This beauty has achieved a lot in a short amount of time, also finding time for travel, and keeping all of her 100K followers up to date on her busy life. We interviewed Lisa and have provided some must-knows about the model.

- She loves jewelry -

We’re obsessed with your jewelry brand SoulSister and Co, when did you start the brand and where did the idea come from?

I started @soulsister_and_co in 2016 in Bali. I left my position of Pr in L’Oreal Russia and flew to the island with a one-way ticket. In one month of recharging and travels I found myself very relaxed, destressed and..bored. I realized that the era of «office job» is officially over in my life and I need to do something new. Like many girls, I made a list of what my dream job would be. What would I do if I do not need to earn money?

The list was pretty short:
Jewelry, bikini and lingerie, perfumes, photography, storytelling, and feminine support (whatever this mean…creating great community, inspire other women, everything I can make to other girls). And I started… therein Bali. I had my laptop, I found small factories to try to create some pieces (quality was not so great there, but I paid more than reasonable price to understand what I want to create and what I need for it.) and I posted it to my Facebook and Instagram. And the girls loved it! They start asking where they can buy that jewelry and I was brave (someone would say stupid :)…) enough to take a risk and start SoulSister&Co. Because I felt this support from the other women, I felt that they need my jewelry, my example, my success.

Do you have a favorite piece in your collection?

I think I have a favourite piece for each mood I have…When I feel very lonely I always wear SoulSister&Co necklace and bracelet and that helps me to feel the connection between me and other women who are wearing today the same symbol all around the world.
When I need to feel «Shine bright like a diamond» and change my mood into the «Who run the world?!» one (even if I have a strict dress code and couldn't wear anything too dressy) I’m going to the Shamrock ring from «#SoulSister_ShamrockTea» collection.

Where does your inspiration come from for the pieces you sell?

Everywhere…Nature, architecture, London (and my favorite V&A museum), Paris…friend and family, especially my grandmother stories about her young-hood. But I never put it in a sketchbook and draw one by one, then again and again…I’m very bad in this. I need to finish the whole idea in my head, and then we polish it with my team and production. My teacher in LCF hated it and tried to change, but it was really hopeless.

- She’s been busy -

What did you enjoy the most about studying fashion?

Experience. This was my 3rd degree, but for the first time, I felt what does it mean to study something you really passionate about, and something you can apply to the product or business immediately, day by day. Not like 6 years in Medical University, you know)))

I came with a big background to that course comparing to the other students, and it was sort of opposite for me… layering the knowledge on top of the experience.

Miss Russia is an incredible achievement, what were the main things you learned whilst competing?

Acceptance of being chosen by someone's particular opinion. Someone who doesn’t know you and other girls, and you can do nothing about it. If you are accepting the whole idea of being chosen, you lose your power to stand up I prove that you are the best. Because if you feel it inside, you don’t need someone's opinion.

I remember those months of castings and it was around 40 000 applications around the country. I didn’t win the main prize, and I never was ready to pay a full price for it…but taking my place in Top-50 was great.

What do you find the most challenging aspect of modeling?

Losing people. When you are traveling a lot, and not just «going on a vacation», but really moving from one country to another, you lose the feeling of home and real friendship. You have a community around, nice people, but you know than in 3 months you fly away and that life would be your past. You sort of a cat, who lived 11 different lives. I manage to keep just 3-4 friends during these years of migration, and this is quite sad.

But from the other side, I have a great connection with people all around the world from NYC to Sidney and that id a bright side of modeling! :)

🛫 Her passport is enviously full 🛬

When did you move to London? What are your favorite things about London life?

First time I moved to London in 2013, right before the Christmas season…I didn’t know anything about the city, I spoke English very badly but this was love from the first sight. I left London in 2014 because of my contract in Paris, came back for the summer of 2015…and in September 2017 was back again, for an LCF study. It’s very difficult to explain, but I never felt like home anywhere except London. I have a perfect family back in Russia, I lived in a stunning apartment around the world but I never felt myself «on the right place». But in London…people around are so kind and open, I love the language (especially the pronunciation!), culture, architecture…I can spend days just walking around and staring at buildings. V&A - It's the place with endless inspiration and knowledge. Shopping, food…and the countryside!
England is one of a few countries where I love the countryside if not more, than the same as a capital!

We know you’re a globetrotter, can you list some of your favorite holiday destinations?

I guess it would be the Maldives…but I have never been there!:)
The most wanted in my list are now Japan, Maldives, Australia & New Zealand, and Iceland.
But I always happy to be back again and again in London, Paris, and Bali.

What’s one thing you wouldn’t go on holiday without?

My phone. Unfortunately, I can’t remember the feeling of being on a vacation and not working there…Do not wake up at 5 or 4 to catch up on the best light and empty beaches for stunning pictures. Ha-ha. Last time I had a real vacation was 3 years ago, magical week in Italy. I even don’t have a camera with me, no laptop…nothing. Just me, books and the sea.
But during all the travelings I need my iPhone as much, as my skin needs daily SPF!:)

- Personalisation -

Can you please tell us the reason why you picked the "Everything begins with a dream” quote for your X NIHILO personalized bag?

Of course. I must say that 2019 was a very very difficult year for me and that was a sort of reminder. I started my own adult life from the very basement. I moved to Moscow alone as a teenager, I haven’t money to live the life I wanted. I shared apartments with other people, I worked hard, and I own every single piece of success I have in my life. But this was a long and not easy journey.
Open my own brand with no investment from a side was hard. And keep it alive during all the economy shakes is even harder. Moving for my husband from one country to another, living in cities with no friends and family, when you have nobody to talk to during the days…that drove me crazy. And my XNihilo bag was a reminder: Everything begins with a dream. In 18 I had a dream to live in Moscow in my own place, traveling on weekends around Europe…In 20 I dreamed about my own brand. In 23 I dreamed about studying at the best Art University in London. So, dreaming is scary, sometimes. When your dreams feel to far away from reality. But without dreams we don’t have a future. We don’t have a reason to stand up from the bed in a morning. Just keep dreaming.

Bags of Love,

Jenny