Alexandra "Sasha" Alexeyevna Luss (russian: Александра "Саша" Алексеевна Лусс; born 6 June 1992) is a

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

model and actress best known for portraying Anna Poliatova in the 2019 film ''

Anna Anna may refer to: People Surname and given name * Anna (name) Mononym * Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke * Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773) * Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th century) * Anna (Anisia) (fl. 1218 to 12 ...

''.

Early life

Luss was born in Magadan, Magadan Oblast, and moved to

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

at a young age. As a child, she had no interest in pursuing a modelling career, preferring to spend her time writing and dancing. She frequently participated in

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

competitions before she suffered an ankle injury which prevented her from continuing her hobby. Her mother's friends and even strangers would compliment Sasha's modelling potential. When Sasha was 13 years old, her mother took her to visit a modelling agency, where she was signed. Luss has stated that her grandmother disapproved of this career move, claiming that modelling is a terrible, immoral business.

Career

Modelling

She signed with DNA Model Management, which flew her to Europe and New York, where she walked in fashion shows for designers such as

DKNY DKNY is a New York City–based fashion house for men and women, founded in 1984 by Donna Karan. History Karan worked for 15 years at Anne Klein, including 10 as its head designer. In 1984 Karan and her late husband Stephan Weiss were offered t ...

and

Antonio Marras Antonio Marras (born 21 January 1961) is an Italian fashion designer. Biography Born in Alghero, the son of the owner of a fashion boutique, Marras was an autodidact, and launched his brand in 1987. He had his breakout in 1996, presenting his ...

. Despite these successful bookings, her career failed to take off, and she returned to Russia to complete her education. Luss decided to sign with

Elite Model Management Elite Model Management (MM) refers to two independent chain modeling agencies that originated as one in Paris, France in 1972 with subsequent locations in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, London and Toronto. In 2004, the agencies in New York, Miami, ...

in Paris and

Women Management Women Management is a modelling agency based in New York, Founded by Paul Rowland in 1988, Women Management has two sister agenciesSupreme ManagementanWomen 360 Management which are also part of the Women International Agency Chain. Women Manage ...

in Milan as a development model and, in 2011, left her mother agency, IQ Models, to join Avant Models. In 2011, Luss was spotted by

Karl Lagerfeld Karl Otto Lagerfeld (; 10 September 1933 – 19 February 2019) was a German fashion designer, creative director, artist and photographer. He was known as the creative director of the French fashion house Chanel, a position held from 1983 ...

in an advertisement for the Russian demi-couturier Bohemique. Lagerfeld was so impressed by her, he decided to cast her in his Chanel pre-Fall 2012 and Fall/Winter 2012 shows. The following season, she was snapped up by Dior to walk exclusively in their Spring/Summer 2013 show. She walked in 58 shows during the Autumn/Winter 2013 season for some of the world's most prestigious brands, such as Prada, Valentino, Calvin Klein,

Louis Vuitton Louis Vuitton Malletier, commonly known as Louis Vuitton (, ), is a French high-end luxury fashion house and company founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton. The label's LV monogram appears on most of its products, ranging from luxury bags and leather ...

and

Givenchy Givenchy (, ) is a French luxury fashion and perfume house. It hosts the brand of haute couture and ready-to-wear clothing, accessories, perfumes and cosmetics of Parfums Givenchy. The house of Givenchy was founded in 1952 by designer Hubert de ...

. She was selected as one of the top newcomers of the season by models.com. Following her impressive runway presence, she was chosen to star in ad campaigns for

Carolina Herrera Carolina Herrera (born María Carolina Josefina Pacanins y Niño; 8 January 1939) is a Venezuelan-American fashion designer known for her personal style, and for dressing various First Ladies, including Jacqueline Onassis, Laura Bush, Michell ...

Max Mara Max Mara (Italian aks 'ma:ra is an Italian fashion business. It markets up-market ready-to-wear clothing. It was established in 1951 in Reggio Emilia by Achille Maramotti (7 January 1927 – 12 January 2005). In March 2008, the company had 2, ...

, Valentino and

Tommy Hilfiger Thomas Jacob Hilfiger ( /hɪlˈfɪgər/; born March 24, 1951) is an American fashion designer and the founder of Tommy Hilfiger Corporation. After starting his career by co-founding a chain of jeans/fashion stores called People's Place in upst ...

. Luss decided to bleach her hair platinum blonde, which was a significant moment in her career. Her new-found elven beauty was adored by designers and inspired other models to emulate her look. Luss walked in another 53 fashion shows during Spring/Summer 2014, cementing her position as one of the most in-demand models of the moment. She was awarded the honor "Model of the Year" by Glamour Russia in 2013. She was photographed for Lanvin and Chanel by her long-time supporter Karl Lagerfeld for the fashion house's Spring/Summer 2014 ad campaigns. Shortly after this, Luss landed the biggest job of her career, as the new face of Dior Beauty. Luss starred in the 2014 Autumn Versace Jeans AD Campaign. She has selected by casting director Jennifer Starr for the Steven Meisel photographed 2015

Pirelli Calendar The Pirelli Calendar, known and trade-marked as "The Cal", is an annual trade calendar which has been published by the UK subsidiary of the Italian tyre manufacturing company Pirelli since 1964. The calendar has a reputation for its choice of ...

Film

In 2017, Luss played Princess Lihö-Minaa in the film ''

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets ''Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets'' (french: Valérian et la Cité des mille planètes) is a 2017 space opera film written and directed by Luc Besson, and produced by his wife, Virginie Besson-Silla. It is based on the French scie ...

''. In 2019, she starred in the title role of the action thriller film ''

'' as a Russian agent who goes undercover as a model. In 2023, it Luss would co-starred in the action-adventure film ''Sheroes.'' Her upcoming films appearances include ''Latency'', ''Sic'', and ''The Last Front''.

Early life

Career

Modelling

Film

Filmography

Film

References

External links