Alyda Grace’s Ballet Skills Altered Her Modeling Career

The anticipation leading up to a new model’s debut can be palpable and for Hot List model Alyda Grace, it was no different. As she stepped onto the Valentino Resort 2018 runway for her debut, the Portland native’s years of experience as a ballerina kicked in to calm her nerves and allow her to command the catwalk. Grace’s dance journey began at the age of nine when she started dancing in her hometown before relocating to Russia as a teenager to pursue ballet. After years of intensive training at the Bolshoi Theater, she made the switch to modeling, and her hard work has paid off with campaigns for Altuzarra, Saint Laurent, Hermès, and Versace, and an ascension to Models.com Hot List. Grace has also collaborated with top creatives like Juergen Teller, Harley Weir, Elizaveta Porodina, and Paul Sinclaire. Speaking about her experience working with Sinclaire, she said, “he takes something that could be so serious and brings life to it.” Models.com recently caught up with the rising muse to discuss her career highlights, her organization that focuses on making safe LGBTIQA+ spaces in Hungary, and her dreams of landing a coveted beauty campaign.

Can you tell us how you first got started in modeling? Did you always want to pursue a career in the industry?
I actually started modeling because my mom sent me to an agency. I used to be a ballet dancer and started at age 9, and then when I was 14, I moved to Russia to study at the Bolshoi Theater School. I quit that because it was a bit too intense, and I ended up modeling and really enjoyed it.

You had your debut at the Valentino Resort 2018 show. Do you remember what it felt like in the beginning for you? Were you afraid or excited? What emotions were going through your mind at the time?
Oh my gosh, I was terrified. I did not know what I was supposed to do at all because it was my first show, my first big anything. Before that, I had just done a couple of test shoots. I didn’t know until we started the show, and it reminded me so much of ballet and performing. I was like, “Oh yeah, I finally got something!” It was interesting for me, and I was super excited to do it.

Do you think that your ballet experience helped you with walking on the runway?
Oh yes, for sure. I think it also helps with shoots and campaigns and doing movements, especially with video. I think having a ballet career or a dance career in general or theater really does help a lot because you can figure out where your body is and what they want before the photographer has to correct you for something.

You recently appeared in the Altuzarra Summer ’23 campaign, your second time being featured for the brand. Can you walk us through what it was like to work with Sonia Szóstak and the rest of the team? How was that setting? Where was it shot? It looked like such beautiful scenery.
It was the best job I’ve honestly had. We flew out to Chile, and we were in the middle of the Atacama Desert. It was crazy hot, and then at night, it was super cold. So we would run out of these vans and quickly shoot and Sonia’s super professional – it was such a lovely team, too. We did it in two seconds and were done, but it was a really amazing shoot to have three days in the desert. I would’ve never gone there myself, so it was amazing to see all the scenery and get to know the place a bit more.

So, was that your first time visiting Chile?
Yes, I was super excited! Not many people shoot there because of the high altitude, which is around 16,000 feet above sea level. You have to push yourself a bit to get the shot. It was super interesting for me because, since COVID, we’ve mostly been shooting in studios, so it was nice to have some location shoots as well.

You also had an incredible runway season in New York, Milan, and Paris last season. How do you stay grounded while traveling the world? Do you have any routines or practices that help you cope?
My husband comes with me to many of the places I travel to, and honestly, he is so helpful. I love him so much because every time I came home from a show or had a little free time, he gets everything together in our apartment, cooks for me, and helps me with learning Hungarian. It’s really lovely to have him around, but having some time to meditate and reflect by myself helps as well.

That’s awesome that you have such a great support system from your husband. What other languages do you speak and what inspired you to learn new languages?
I speak Russian, English, and currently, I’m learning Hungarian. My husband is Hungarian, and that’s how I ended up in Budapest. I’ve been here for five years now. Hungarian is one of the hardest languages because you can’t always translate some words into English. It’s pretty challenging for me, and it was not as easy as learning Russian. Also, traveling to Paris and Milan, you pick up a bit of everything. Since I’ve been outside the States for so long, my English has gotten really bad, so It’s sometimes harder for me to switch languages.

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You’ve achieved significant success in your career, and made it onto models.com Hot List rankings. What are some of the most memorable and remarkable milestones in your career that stand out to you?
Oh wow, that’s hard because I’m super happy with every job that I do. I think they’re all uniquely interesting, but I’d probably say the Saint Laurent Women’s S/S 2021 Show. We were in the desert when we shot the video, and it was insane. It was my first time shooting on location. We shot over three days, and I had six looks in that show. We had to run up and down the hill six times for every look. It was super amazing to watch everything come together after working with them for so long on a specific collection, and we also got to go to the archives of the brand and look through all the different collections from the very first one. It was so amazing — a really great memory of mine.I would also say the Saint Laurent Women’s Winter 2021 Show shot in Iceland because I never thought I would go there. Working with Saint Laurent feels like being part of a family because I’ve worked with them for so many seasons. I really appreciate and love working with familiar faces. Continuing the creative process with them is really interesting for me.

I know you’ve walked for Saint Laurent around six times and worked a lot with Paul Sinclaire. Can you speak more about working with him, since he consistently works with the brand, and just more about their extravagant set designs?
It’s absolutely amazing. I really love working with Paul. He’s one of the funniest people I’ve ever met in my life. He takes something that could be so serious and brings life to it. I’m really happy to work with him because we’ve worked together over four times now, and he is super sweet and takes care of you. Working with Saint Laurent and doing all these crazy things, location shoots, fittings, and long hours, it’s super fun. It’s a very demanding job, but everybody is so lovely, which makes it easy.

Another milestone for you, you walked for the Jean Paul Gaultier by Haider Ackermann’s couture show. As this was your first time walking for Gaultier, do you have any highlights from that show?
Oh, my gosh, I was so excited to finally get this show. It was on my list of brands that I’ve always wanted to work for. Haider is an amazing person. He’s so down-to-earth, and he makes me feel really comfortable. I went in for my fitting, and I didn’t know what to expect and had the most amazing corset outfit. I learned that we would walk a bit differently than usual, just back and forth or very strong shoulders. He wanted something a bit different. Having a ballet background, I was so excited to do something a bit more performative. This was one of my favorite shows that I’ve ever done.

I noticed that the walks were definitely very different. It reminded me of the walks back in the day from older runway shows.
Yes, exactly. The night before, I sat down the whole night and watched all the videos from the brand to get into character a bit. I’m really happy with how it turned out, and everything looked amazing. That collection was beautiful.

What would you say was one of the biggest challenges that you faced in your career so far, and how have you been able to move past it?
Finding balance is one of the biggest challenges I’ve faced in my career. It’s hard to balance a home and work life, being away for so long, and not getting homesick. I have my family in Hungary, and it’s not too far from France, but there are a lot of times when I feel like I’m not doing well enough in either my home life or my work life. It’s hard to get over that mental block that you are doing the best that you can do with work. Being a model, it’s a job where everything is based on your image, so trying not to take things personally. I’m very blessed to be able to have therapy and afford therapy. That’s the thing that’s gotten me past all of my hardships with my job, is being able to talk to someone about not taking what other people say about you too seriously. It’s just sitting back and trying not to internalize or think that your inner monologue is what other people say about you.

How was it working with Olivier Zahm for the Purple Magazine #39 S/S 2023 Covers?
Oh, that was super fun. I really, really enjoyed working with that team. It was a crazy shoot. We had to shoot everything on a New York background with a projector and feel the vibe that he wanted. He’s very quick, and it was really fun and a fast-paced set. I’m really happy with how it turned out, and I hope to work with him again.

What other passions do you have aside from modeling?
Currently, I am working at a techno label with my husband. We plan event organizations for industrial techno music. Our label’s called PUREHATE000, and we focus on making a safe LGBTIQA+ friendly space in Hungary. Hungary is quite right-wing, so when I first moved here, it was shocking for me, being from Portland. We decided that we wanted to make an inclusive space with industrial techno at the forefront. So that’s what I do in my free time when I’m home. I’m also getting into yoga right now as well, so I’m excited to see how my yoga journey goes.

How has that process been since you said that Hungary’s very right wing?
At the beginning, we had a lot of problems with people not understanding us using the words “PURE HATE.” We’re using it against the people who are hateful. We also have a massive policy that if anything happens at our events, you need to tell someone, and then that person is instantly banned. It’s been really lovely to see how the community here is changing. People didn’t really talk about it or still don’t really talk about being LGBTIQA+ in Hungary. There have been laws that have been passed recently that prohibits talking or sharing anything LGBTQ-related with children under the age of 18. So we’re fighting that in the way that we can.

Looking to the future, who would you say are some of your dream brands or collaborators to work with in the fashion industry?
I would absolutely love anything beauty-related, like makeup or hair. I would love to work with Chanel on some of their beauty campaigns. I’m happy to work with anybody. I think that even a small brand is an achievement to me since it’s a very competitive market, and I’m just happy to work.