A light eyed beauty smiles for the camera lens. Lights all around, sky skrapers (not New York) and taxis racing on the left side of the road to their destination (no, not London).
It’s Hong Kong and people are finding success there and in Mainland China. Elena Volobuyeva is a resident of Hong Kong for more than four years and is a stunning young model-entrepreneur. She finds Asia to be less competitive in the modeling industry (sounds business minded) since most of what we Westerns consider to be FASHION is centered in Europe and the United States. However, a second tier market (my words not hers) does pay well.
I asked Elena if she would consider relocating to New York,
[highlight_1]”I never think even about New York, planning to go there for vacation some day but no time now. Here in Hong Kong I make a great living and I’m happy with it.”[/highlight_1]
With an American economy in certain-uncertainty and Europe not far behind, seems wise for her to keep on pushing forward in Asia. She has worked in Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Mainland China and France (throw one Western nation in at least). But how does one get started in Asia? For her it was simple.
[highlight_1]”I started kind of young. At 16 I went to Korea for 3 months for my first job. I fell in love with this country and have been back four times.”[/highlight_1]
Valentino RED HOT
Surprisingly, she is not one of those sushi-holics that we find in New York amongst the model scene (awkward as she resides in Asia but then again, she just could be sushi overdosed for now).
[highlight_1]”I tried a lot of different diets before. Now I just eat whatever I want but nothing after 9pm since I go to sleep between 2 and 3am. I drink a lot of water during the day, eat a lot of home made foods and no fast food at all. I do like chips like Doritos with beer when I watch a nice movie.”[/highlight_1]
Her favorite drink? Black Tequila or coffee tequila. I’m not certain if she finishes those before 9pm (probably before 3am).
Enjoying some Black Tequila before 3am
What’s a Hong Kong Supermodel to do after the high fashion shoots and catwalks come to a close? Elena would love to open her own hotel (not sure if she knows Stanley Ho but if she does, she just might). She has also just recently launched her own model agency, VEA MODELS. She has already been working as a model agent in addition to modeling for the past four years (ambitious – did I mention I was in the market for a young sugar mama? Well I am).
Elena back stage prepares for work
Elena Volobuyeva finds her work chiefly concentrated with Asian clients for the Asian market. She models for various mobile phone providers, fashion lines and beauty lines. International campaigns have graced her but with Asian companies like Cathay Pacific Airlines and O’Lingerie.
I was curious as to which brands she had worked with since many photos had Chinese print on them. Of course, I recognized the mobile phone brands like NOKIA and SONY ERICSSON in her photos (with Chinese writing all over in the captions of course).
[highlight_1]”You know, when on castings, a client asked me – with which brands have you worked before? I ended up saying with which brands I haven’t worked with, because after nine years in modeling, the list of brands with which I never worked is much shorter.”[/highlight_1]
Editorial
I hinted to Elena that she was not the STEREOTYPE model. I asked what she likes and dislikes about it.
[highlight_1]”Like – Modeling is a good chance to see the world and meet many different people, expand your worldview. It just really has good experiences for all your life. Hate – How some people treat models and superficial opinions about us that they have. I saw it many times. For some, we are just pretty dolls without thoughts and feelings. Yes, there are models like everyone imagining us, pretty and super stupid. I meet them sometimes, but we are not all like this!”[/highlight_1]
Relaxation with out her cats, hamsters, birds, fish, etc.
The rumor is Elena loves animals. Apparently, she can’t go to a pet store without buying something that’s moving, breathing and needs food often. It all started with her cat Mishka. Now she has two cats, hamsters, a few birds, some fish and is looking for something new (maybe a goat?). She said her apartment is large and she has a real zoo going on inside.
Either way, whatever Elena is doing seems to be working for her in Asia just fine. From Ukraine to Hong Kong this 5’11 vixen is towering over the competition in Asia (and probably 90% of the inhabitants due to her height). We may see that hotel after all.
