Men in the modeling business

Artyom Polyansky, model: it may be easier for the guys, since the competition is still less.

Sometimes Minsk is a very amazing city. Sometimes you can meet very interesting people in Minsk. Sometimes Minsk is somewhat reminiscent of Paris, and the events taking place in it are the plot of some good French film.

Artyom Polyansky is a model, he is 19 years old. He participates in both shows and photo shoots, and also allows stylists and hairdressers to experiment with their own hair, which, you see, is very bold.

I met Artyom by chance. I was looking for an exhibition. The World Press Photo exhibition, like everything good in Minsk, was hidden. The exhibition was hidden in the very center of the city, but behind the factory entrance. Like everything good in Minsk, it took a long time to look for it.

In search of an exhibition, I approached passers-by, among them was Artyom - a young man in a black coat. Seeing him, one could immediately say that he clearly has something to do with the art world. Artyom smoked in the alleyway (smoked elegant thin cigarettes) somewhere between the Dozari club and BSUIR (Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics). Like me, Artyom had no idea where here, between these two points on the map (Dozari and BSUIR), you can add TSUM, and then there will be three of them, find an exhibition.

Then we were looking for the exhibition together.

Once, out of friendship with the author, I wrote for mystylex.techinfus.com/en/, a Russian blog and, in general, more about Russian and world fashion, about Belarusian fashion, and I also took interviews. When I met Artyom, I remembered mystylex.techinfus.com/en/ and the topics I once wrote about.

We met with Artyom a month later and already in the new year. The place of our meeting was COFFEEBOX, which, undoubtedly, is loved by all Minskers, sometimes falling into another dimension of their city from everyday boring and dullness of life.

Artyom, like many Minskers, combines the seemingly incompatible and the opposite - Artyom works as a model, while studying radio engineering.

How did you become a model?
Strange story. Have a friend. With him went to the casting in the agency "Tamara". They called him there, and I went for the company. Casting for the show "With love for Vienna", which was held by the Belarusian Fashion Center. The friend went. I was sitting in the hallway. I had long hair then. The manager came up to me and said that they needed long-haired ones and that I also went to the casting.

Have you got a friend?
They took a friend too.

How did you get involved in Belarusian Fashion Week?
Also thanks to a friend. He called me. The jury selected models for new designers (New Names BFW project). They needed models that they could simply put on to see the members' collections. So he became involved in New Names BFW. They don't take me to the main screenings yet.

Did you work as a photo model? And with which photographers?
Only for beginners. With Natasha, for example, Sheremetyeva, I don't remember exactly the last name.

Was it a fashion shoot or not?
It was a photo shoot of the collection of designer Valentina Neborskaya. I also met her thanks to a friend.

And who is your friend? Is he very interested in fashion?
Yes, he is interested in all this. Tries to spin everywhere, to break through somehow. He himself is a stylist. Previously, he worked as a model. Now as a stylist. Participated in the Belarusian Fashion Week - did hair.

What is the friend's name?
Sergey Belyavsky.

What are your plans for the future? Are you planning to participate in the shows next season?
I'm planning. I like it all. I like to spend time. Neborskaya called, said that she would participate in Minsk Fashion Week and would take me to the show.

Do you like what she does?
Yes. In the collection in which I went out for the first time, I liked the pants, something like riding breeches, made of denim and the footprints from the boots of the ankle boots on them. I would walk around the city in these.

Is it really possible to make money by participating in fashion shows?
The hike is real. I have a familiar model. She was selected for several designer shows. She seemed to say that at Minsk Fashion Week she was paid either $ 50 or $ 100 for one show. I do not remember exactly.

This is not the case for all designers, is it?
No, not all of them.

What is the minimum?
I don’t know at least.

Well, how much do you get paid?
I don't get paid.

So you work as a volunteer?
Well, yes (laughs). I only get paid if I get hired as a hairstyle model. Here came the Vidal Sassoon English academy, they paid me 50 dollars.

Don't mind cutting your hair if it's long?
I had a long fringe in the summer. It was a pity to cut my hair. But most of all, paint over. I decided to dye my hair black, after I dyed it, I realized that chestnut looked better. I had such a beautiful chestnut color. But then you get used to it somehow. The most annoying thing is when you got a haircut and you don't like this haircut.

Does this happen?
Yes, it often happens that you don't like it.

Plans for the future?
Get better and get me through the main auditions.

Are there many young people taking part in castings?
Yes. There are those who want to become a model, there are those who just come ...

That is, there are a lot of guys involved too?
Yes. Both girls and boys.

Is it easier for whom: girls or guys?
I do not even know. Maybe for the guys, since the competition is still less. But best of all for androgynous (smiles).

What will you do next? After all, you can work as a model for a fairly short period of time?

Later? Do not know. I hope to find something to my liking.

Maybe something related to fashion?
Perhaps.

What exactly?
Maybe some kind of filming organization. Maybe a photographer.

Belarusian Fashion Week. Minsk Fashion Week. Where is the best organization?
Belarusian Fashion Week, of course. When I went to New Names BFW, they filmed BelExpo. The BFW organization is much better than MSK in my opinion.

But this is probably due to the fact that Minsk Week is younger?
Well, yes, they have everything ahead.

We talked with Artyom for a long time - about fashion, about Belarusian fashion, about the Weeks. It turned out that he and I are equally looking forward to the new seasons of Belarus Fashion Week. We are waiting just like the New Year. And they, of course, are all good fellows, the organizers, despite all the shortcomings, good fellows, because before the appearance of BFW, all Belarusian fashion and people who are interested in it slept soundly, and now they have woken up a little.

And if you are still interested, then we did find the exhibition.