Maryana

Who:

Maryana Tsyustyk, 177 cm / 5’9.5″, Portuguese/Ukrainian, born September 5th.

We Asked:

— Amongst your friends or family, what are you famous for?

I am famous for being very clumsy. Once I broke 3 glasses of wine during the main course in a restaurant. I have bruises and I don’t know where they come from. Just today, I woke myself up by hitting my head on a table while sleeping. It’s quite dangerous!

— How and when did you become a model?

I was 17 when I was scouted at my school by a “fashion school”. My mom was really excited about it because she thought it would fix my tomb-boyish ways. After that complete waste of money, I sent my application to my mother agency and I’m with them ever since.

— What is something you wish you knew more about?

I wish I knew more about programming. It was a hard decision to choose between [studying] Dentistry and Computer Engineering. I also wish I knew more about cars and motorcycles and vehicles in general. I guess there’s still time for that.

Where:

Just Models (Lisboa – mother agency)

Aza

Who:

Aza (Azasakhe) Mhlana, 188 cm / 6’2.5″, South African, born August 25th.

We Asked:

— Who is your favourite entertainer and why?

He’s an authentic Zulu trap artist from Kwa Zulu Natal in South Africa and he goes by the name Sjava. I say he’s my personal favourite because the guy can motivate a person from the township to get up and chase what’s theirs. I took the same advice and [it] worked out for me. I listen to him simply because I can relate to stories he writes about. He went from being a taxi driver from the township to winning a BET award. Now that’s motivation right there.

— What is the one thing people may be surprised to find out about you?

I know it sounds crazy for a model to say this but I’m not really that much of a fan with selfies.  If I’m not on a photo shoot, then in most cases I’m always the one behind the camera and taking pictures.

— What are three interesting facts about you?

– I take random long walks in the middle of the night listening to music. There’s just something about listening to music when the streets are quiet. 
– I adore kids to the moon and back. 
– I read a lot of philosophy books.

Where:

My Friend Ned (Cape Town – Mother Agency)
BOOM Models Agency (Milan)