Tatyana Sorokko is a Russian top model, journalist, fashion historian, and gallery owner, born in the closed city of Arzamas-16 (now Sarov, Nizhny Novgorod Region). One of the first Russian models to build an international career in the West in the 1990s; she lives in San Francisco.[1]

Origins and Education

Tatyana grew up in Arzamas-16, a closed scientific city where nuclear weapons had been developed since 1943. Her parents were scientists and took direct part in the state nuclear programs, working with Academician Andrei Sakharov.[2] After school, Tatyana enrolled at a Moscow university to study physics.[2]

Modeling Career

Tatyana gained her first modeling experience in Moscow, at Vyacheslav Zaitsev's Lux fashion center, where she walked in prestigious shows.[2] She was discovered by Marilyn Gauthier, director of the French agency Marilyn, during a visit to Moscow in the late 1980s, when interest among the Western fashion world in Soviet models had sharply increased.[2]

In Paris, Tatyana made her debut in a show of the Yves Saint Laurent collection. A significant role in her development was played by the couturier Hubert de Givenchy and the French photographer Guy Bourdin, who shot for Vogue and is known as a reformer of fashion photography in the 1970s.[2] Later she worked with the houses of Chanel, Oscar de la Renta, Christian Dior, Givenchy, and others.[1]

Career After the Runway

After the end of her modeling career, Tatyana Sorokko became a journalist, fashion historian, and gallery owner. She lives in San Francisco with her husband, Serge Sorokko.[1] She has assembled an impressive collection of antique jewelry, paying particular attention to the Venetian house of Codognato, whose first piece she acquired in 1992.[1] By her own account, she regards jewelry not as an investment but as historical artifacts that should be passed on to museums or to loved ones.[1]

Connection to the Nizhny Novgorod Land

Tatyana Sorokko was born and spent her childhood in Arzamas-16, a classified nuclear center that was given the name Sarov after it was declassified. The town is located in Nizhny Novgorod Region. Her parents worked at one of the key institutions of the Soviet atomic program.[2]

Sources

  1. Kommersant (Volga Region) — The Eternal Journey
  2. spletnik.ru — Aesthetic Delight 33