Cooking with top model Anastassia Khozissova

Born in Saratov, Russia, Anastassia Khozissova began working as a model at the young age of 17. She debuted in Milan with Giorgio Armani and right after that she appeared on the first cover of Vogue Italy, shot by Steven Meisel. Since then, she has been working with the greatest designers: Chanel, Prada, Dior, Gianfranco Ferré, Alexander McQueen, Dolce&Gabbana, Roberto Cavalli and Ralph Lauren, to name only a few. She has been chosen as the face for Valentino, Chanel, Dior, Karl Lagerfeld, Vivienne Westwood, Ferré and Ralph Lauren.

In the last fifteen years her career has developed mainly under the American fashion label Ralph Lauren, that chose her in 2004 as one of its leading models. Her love for the brand and the direct relationship with Ralph, that saw her as his muse for many collections, as well as trusted advisor and consultant, brought her to the development of her profession as a model Trainer, teaching younger girls how to behave on the runway.

She received her training from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, where she was trained in more than one hundred dietary theories and studied a variety of practical lifestyle coaching methods.

Anastassia now lives in Milan, where she works as a professional Health Coach and Model Trainer through her website #Lifeofthemodel. She also offers programs and tips useful to get your life back by staying healthy and balanced with your own body. She became a glam setter for Glamour.it where she describes her healthy routine in a dedicated column.

Hi Anastassia, first of all we would like to thank you for granting us this interview and congratulate you for your fascinating career. We are thrilled to have the chance of asking you a couple of personal questions and getting to know your point of view on our beloved city.

If you had to describe your job in just a sentence or a few words, what would you say?
Health advisor and motivator, fashion and health influencer.

What’s, in your opinion, the greatest challenge of your job?
The greatest challenge is to explain why you need to get healthy in younger stage before you already have problems. The challenge is to make you love yourself the way you are.

On your website you offer advice for an healthy and balanced lifestyle starting from a correct nutrition, dispelling the myth of extreme diets to pursue the modelling career. What would you like to say to the girls who want to follow your steps?
I would say: read the articles don’t just look at the pictures. Everything I know is because I’ve been there. I started like everyone from scratch. I know it’s not easy to hear your body is not perfect and you need to loose weight or change your ears or hair or whatever the client wants. I know how to stand up to it and I can teach you. I tailor personal programs for early stage models.

Health coach and model trainer: what does your offer entail?
As a health coach I am offering many programs:
14 days: getting fit before summer
1 month: healthy steps
6 months: personalised programs
As model trainer I offer private consultations to anyone interested in becoming a model.

What does make you happy the most about your job? And the part you find hardest to bear?
I love being a model, the only thing I don’t like is to lie. In fashion you need to know how to lie and I can’t. That’s why I always had hard times at work: I am too straight forward.

Is there any particular project you would like to share with us?
I am currently working on different projects at the same time: one in Russia and one in Milan. I am organizing an healthy week through #Lifeofthemodel and I will provide healthy meal and snack for a week to subscribers. The location is secret at the moment so stay tuned for updates on @Lifeofthemodel. I will reveal the address soon!

Describe your Milan in three locations and why you picked them:
Il Kiosko 24: the best seafood in town
Langosteria Bistro: I love this place for lunch
Frutta e Verdura da Franco Teresa e Figli: best fresh seasonal veggies and fruits. Quality is very important!

A treat for our readers: your favourite corner in Milan?
No doubts: Bulgari Hotel.

Thanks again and good luck for all of your projects! Congratulations from the editorial staff of Flawless Milano.