Sihana Shalaj - Kosovo - 1m78 - 88/62/86
Agence
IMG
Re-Edition
Novembre 2023
Jo Barker
Luncheon
Juin 2023
Paolo Roversi
SIHANA SHALAJ Name: Sihana Shalaj Age: 22 Birthplace: Kosovo Favourite hobby: Photography Snack of choice: Fruit Top 3 songs at the moment: Bronski Beat - Smalltown Boy, Freddie Mercury - Living On My Own, Tomor Kuēi & Edona Vatoci - Tė kam thėnė mos i bje' bukės me kėmbė/Kėndoj, ekzistoj LOVE: Whats a normal day like for you? Sihana Shalaj: It has been less than a month since I moved to London, and my normal day there is very different from my days in Prishtina, Kosovos capital - where I lived until recently. You know, Prishtina is almost 50 times smaller than London! Being new to the UK and London, my normal day is now a lot about orienteering and figuring out practical things, like where to buy the bread I like. I plunged into work upon my arrival, so there are a lot of shoots and meetings. In Prishtina my normal day would be going out with friends and spending time with my big family! Kosovo has the largest proportion of young people in Europe - more than half of the population is under 25 years old! Were also on the top when it comes to unemployment rates. So what would youngsters do? Hang out in cafes and bars drinking coffee and working on projects on music, art and fashion. I enjoyed the cultural life and would go to exhibitions, performances and raves. Everyone who comes to Kosovo says our raves are a lot of fun. In the last months, my normal day would often include filling out forms, collecting papers and going to embassies and visa centers. Kosovo is also a special country when it comes to immigration. We and Belarus are the last countries in Europe west of Russia who still need visas to EU, and for a young Kosovar it is almost impossible to get a visa. I am so grateful for IMG for making it work! LOVE: How did you get into modelling? SS: I got my first glimpses into modelling in Prishtina with the local designer Venera Mustafa. She saw me in a cafe when I was 16, and asked if I would be interested in working together. We have been working together since then and have become close friends. I enjoyed that period and learnt a lot from Venera. She has a great attention to detail - from designing the clothes to picking locations to shoot. She can come up with so many cool locations in tiny Kosovo, like the rooftop of our futuristic library, a fast food kiosk or an abandoned ski resort hotel. I was then scouted on Instagram by London based scout Mollie Dendle [@scoutedbymollie] and the rest as the day is history! LOVE: What was the biggest surprise for you after walking your first fashion show? SS: My biggest surprise was the very fact that my first fashion show was with Prada. It is a big honor, challenge and excitement. I am still processing it! LOVE: Could you take a screenshot from your phone, telling a member of family/friend that you were going to walk Prada! Wed love see the response. SS: I told my family and close friends when we spoke on the phone, so no screenshots of our chats unfortunately. LOVE: In a sentence, sum up how today has been. SS: It has been a day with lot of adrenaline and strong feelings. LOVE: Can you share 3 pictures from your camera roll?