EXCLUSIVE
Pirina Dzhupanova: The Pure Magic
Bulgarian, Height:5' 10 '' (178 cm)
@ FORD Europe
@ IVET Fashion m/a
PR: Pirina
is a real Bulgarian name? Tell us a story behind it!
PIRINA DZHUPANOVA: Pirina it’s
a very rare name. I was born
and
raised in Sofia but
my parents come
from a small town called
Razlog, it’s a ski resort in southwestern
Bulgaria. South
of Razlog raises Pirin
- a beautiful mountain named
after the Slavic
god
Perun.
So I guess my name is a homage to my origins.
And my grandmother of
course, her name is also Pirina.
When
I was little the
kids from my school used to make fun of me
and
call me with other mountains’ names
haha :). I didn’t like my name back then.
But now I definitely love it! It’s just
so unique and... Bulgarian.
PR: How were you scouted?
PIRINA DZHUPANOVA: I was scouted by my agency in
Bulgaria.
PR: Is
anyone from your school, as far as you know, modeling too?
PIRINA: Yes! One
of my high
school friends Christina Mileva. She’s a really beautiful girl and
a great model! We lost contact for a
while but then started to
be close again thanks to
modeling. I have
a hard time socializing
with models, so it’s nice to
meet up with some old
friends.
PR: Speaking
about your school…
You were in the same school as son of Bulgarian President?!?
Do you ever felt nostalgic looking back at your past ?
PIRINA DZHUPANOVA: Oh no! Not
at all! I love
love
love my life
right now!
 |
| by Luc Braquet |
PR: As
someone who has the best education background… what do you think about modeling
world?
PIRINA DZHUPANOVA: I have always been
sкeptical
about the modeling world.
I come from a family of all doctors so it was
really hard for me to
accept myself as a model. Studying
was
always my
priority and it was hard to
manage both.
My Bulgarian agency wanted
to
scout me when I was 15
or something, but I preferred to finish my studies
first so I said no.
My booker always makes this joke that
destiny knows its way and that
in
the end fate brought me to them! And it’s true,
I totally love my job right now, absolutely devoted
to it. And to my design work of course.
I got to have a project. Always.
PR: What
was your favorite experiеnce so far as a model?
PIRINA DZHUPANOVA: I don’t really have one.
I love my job so much right now that I enjoy every second
of
it, no matter
if it’s a shooting for
an important magazine or just a portfolio
test.
But I loved that moment when Naomi
Campbell took me by the
hand at her 25th Anniversary Charity
Event at Dolce&Gabbana
in
Milan.
Precious seconds.
PR: How long have you been in Paris right now?
PIRINA DZHUPANOVA: I was in Paris
for
five months.
My apartment
was
in the 7th
district, so every time
I
felt lonely I was going
to Champ de Mars and just
stare at the Eiffel Tower.
It was magic!
My favorite place in Paris though is “Le Marais”, it makes me feel
like I’m home and Place des Vosges it’s
simply beautiful.
In the
end I don’t really get
homesick, I just miss the people
I love. And my cat.
PR: Which one do you enjoy more: ballet or modern dance?
PIRINA DZHUPANOVA: For sure modern
dance fits my personality better!
PR: Did you sign up in dance class in Paris?
PIRINA DZHUPANOVA: I really didn’t have time for
that.
I was doing my castings during daytime
and
my textile prints in the
evening. I sign up for some french
lessons as well.
So I found myself
doing my
abdominal crunches on the floor surrounded
by 10
pairs of heels.
PR: Do you stay in shape by dancing or you have to do some extra gym activities?
PIRINA DZHUPANOVA: Going
to dance classes was my obsession
during highs chool but when I
left
home it was hard to keep up.
I replaced dancing with kickboxing
a couple of years ago,
it’s totally my kind
of training!
The thing is you have to
be stable and in one place, otherwise it’s impossible to go to
classes.
Right now I
want
to travel
as much as I can so going to the
gym is the optimal solution. And
of course, always and forever:
running
from one casting to
another! :)
PR: How do you start your day, what is your usual breakfast?
PIRINA DZHUPANOVA: Coffee!!
Only coffee for
the first half an hour,
then I like to have
some berries and after oat
flakes with soy milk!! :))
PR: What is your diet philosophy?
PIRINA DZHUPANOVA: It’s funny, I love
to
google things like “world’s
healthiest foods” or “top beauty foods”, make a list
and then go to the
supermarket and search for
them!
My diet
philosophy is
very
important to me and it’s
related to my life philosophy.
I love natural things
and I believe you
have
to keep your mind,
body and soul
in harmony (not that I succeed, but I
do try).
I stopped eating
meat 6 years ago. I’m
not saying that is wrong to
kill animals for food,
I just don’t like how it’s usually done and
I definitely don’t
want
to eat
a steak full of growth hormones
and all the other stuff they put in
it. Eating meat
from sustainable farms is a
good option
but for me it was just easier
to quit. So one
of my
favorite healthy and lovelytasting foods are sweet potatoes,
quinoa, all kind of berries,
seaweed, soy products, honey and
I just can’t quit sushi!
I drink plenty of
water and tea.
Kusmi Tea in Paris,
the best tea store ever, you should try the Algotea!
Wow,
now that
I put all of this in words I
realize why my friends
make
fun of my diet philosophy, it does
sound weird, especially in Bulgaria. Of course I have my days when the only thing I wanna eat is junk food,
chocolate, pizza and stuff
like that. And I do it, you have to
listen to your body,
even
if it’s screaming for french fries :)
PR: How can you resist all those pastry shops in Paris?!?
PIRINA DZHUPANOVA: There is one thing I cannot
resist in Paris:
the
croissant, mythical! Every now and
then my favorite thing
is to eat three in
a row,
because one is just not
enough! Macaroons have
the Parisian spirit, but
I prefer a baguette.
PR: Let's speak about your style!
PIRINA DZHUPANOVA: I was recently told that
I look like
a “Russian soldier”. One of the
best compliments ever!
So I think
“strong personality” would
have
to be my style.
I love the
combination of skinny
legs + army boots + leather
jacket, you know, the
usual deal.
Black is for sure my color
for clothing.
I also love to wear baggy mens sweatpants, but
of course you can’t go to
castings like that :) .
If I wear a dress it has to
be
short and if I wear heels
they have to
be really high because
I don’t like the in-betweens, everything has to be to the max in my life.
PR: Did you went crazy with shopping when you arrived in Paris ?
PIRINA DZHUPANOVA: I didn’t went crazy with shopping
in Paris but I did buy a pair of black boots
from San Marina (I just
walked into the store,
I have never heard of
it before) a fake fur
coat from Zara which me and my friends call the “Yeti” and
a simple but really nice black winter coat,
Zara again. Just the things I needed, that’s all.
PR: What's the last piece of clothing you bought?
PIRINA DZHUPANOVA: My sister came to visit
me in Paris and we both got this
scarf with the American flag. It’s really nice but
I’m not putting it on before
going to New York!
PR: What is your favorite pair of jeans?
PIRINA DZHUPANOVA: Can I say Primark? They have the best 9 pound
skinny jeans ever! And
you
just don’t care if you cut
them after, I love to do that.
PR: What are the shoes you are wearing while walking around Paris ...
PIRINA DZHUPANOVA:
The San Marina black boots I
bought. Oh I’m
in love with my casting
heels - 14cm high, obviously black
and from Zara again.
PR: Espadrilles or flip flops for this summer?
PIRINA DZHUPANOVA: I usually go with sandals
but from these two above I’d
choose flip flops!
PR: You have a gorgeous hair. You've never dyed it, have you?
PIRINA DZHUPANOVA:
Thank you, that’s sweet :) Actually I have dyed it twice as a
teenager. One
time red and one time
black, but I used henna so it wasn’t that harmful. Oh
and
I did have this
hair job once in Barcelona, they dyed my hair
black but it washed out in a couple of months.
Now
it’s
all
natural and I love it!
I
have to trim
more often, like every two months.
My favourite
shampoo is Denise Line by BioPharma, it’s made
in Italy and
I buy it in Bulgaria for like 2 euros. When you travel though your hair reacts differently to the water you are washing
it with.
In Paris I had to buy products for dry hair, because the water there was a bit destructive for
my
hair. I chose Klorane.
I
also have
a favorite
hair mask that I love to
do when I have some free time. It’s made
of ricin oil, liquid vitamin A, egg yolks, yogurt and
vodka. It works like magic!
PR: How do you maintain your skin?
PIRINA DZHUPANOVA: I use URIAGE Hyséac moisturizer, tonic
and gel. I don’t have a
favorite eye makeup
remover, currently it’s Neutrogena.
I think the SPF it’s really important
to maintain a healthy and
good-looking skin.
PR: Any beauty tips or secrets you've learned through modeling?
PIRINA DZHUPANOVA: Not really.
Just try to get enough sleep,
move
a lot and drink plenty of water!
PR: Do Bulgarian women have special beauty secret or product that they swear by?
PIRINA DZHUPANOVA: If we do have
a beauty secret then this
secret is well kept
from me too :)
PR: What are your makeup essentials?
PIRINA DZHUPANOVA: I don’t
like to wear makeup
when I’m not working. I
put some moisturizer, fix
my
eyebrows with transparent
mascara, sometimes curl my lashes
and put some mascara on them.
Every now and
then I put a strong lipstick, the colors of Rouge Pur Coutureby YSL
are favorites.
PR: The beauty item that you couldn’t live without?
PIRINA DZHUPANOVA: My hairbrush!
PR: We know you like to draw… Did you visit
all museums in Paris?
PIRINA DZHUPANOVA:
I went to
Musée d’Orsay and
saw
some of my favorite paintings by Monet and Van Gogh. I already had visited the
Louvre Museum
some years ago so I was more
interested in the
exhibitions.
Unfortunately I
didn’t
have
much time for that, there were
so many interesting things to
see in Paris like the
Balenciaga and Comme de
Garçons exhibit or the
Tim Burton exhibition (I love his
movies!). I only managed to go to
the Helmut Newton exhibition at Grand Palais
and
it was amazing!
PR: Who
is your favorite artist and
PIRINA DZHUPANOVA: I
don’t have a favorite artist, but
you should check Sara Ligari, she’s a great
fashion
illustrator.
PR: What music do you listen ATM?
PIRINA DZHUPANOVA: I’m obsessed with
this song, it’s called
Brutal Hearts by Bedouin Soundclash
feat.
Coeur De Pirate.
PR: What is the most surprising song
on your MP3 at the moment?
PIRINA DZHUPANOVA: I guess all
songs of Francoise Hardy.
PR: Are you looking forward to NY?
PIRINA DZHUPANOVA: You have no idea! I
have already packed my bunny ears!
