Perry Now recently caught up with Sasha, the model who has been the mysterious face of Perry Ellis for the past six seasons. We wanted to get to know more about the man behind the face, so chatted with him from his home base in New York City.
Perry Now: What is your country of origin and how long have you been in the US?
Perry Now: What is your country of origin and how long have you been in the US?
Sasha: My country of origin is Serbia, and I have been living in NYC for a bit over 3 years now.
Perry Now: What was your childhood like growing up in your country?
Shasa: I grew up partly in Vienna and partly in Serbia, however I spent my teens in Italy playing professional basketball. As a kid I was very active, always trying new stuff, constantly surrounded by friends with whom l still have contact. I have great memories of my childhood.
Perry Now: Why did you originally come to the US, and do you plan one day to return to your home country?
Sasha: I originally I came to New York for one week but l immediately fell in love with the city and stayed. I was very spontaneous and adventurous. I don't regret my decision and i see NY as my home right now.
Perry Now: Sasha is an interesting name, were you named after anyone?
Sasha: Sasha is a short version of a Russian name Alexander. My sister chose my name and convinced my parents to go along with it.
Perry Now: When did you realize you wanted to be a model and how did you get into it?
Sasha: I I still don’t realize i am a model :) my dream was always to be a Basketball player.
Perry Now: Did you attend college? If so where and what was the name?
Sasha: I never went to college. After high-school I immediately signed a professional contract with a basketball team in the Italian first division.
Perry Now: Where does your family live and do you get to visit them often?
Sasha: My family still lives in Vienna and I try to visit them as often as I can.
Perry Now: Do you have brothers and sisters and what do they do, where do they live?
Sasha: I have an older sister. She is a nurse and lives in Vienna.
Perry Now: What do you like to do in your leisure time, what are your hobbies?
Sasha: My biggest hobby is basketball, of course :) but i also enjoy biking around NYC, playing chess and the movies.
Perry Now: What kind of food do you like?
Sasha: Since I lived in Italy for 5 years, i would say there is no better food then Italian and I am saying that with Italian pride :) i am a big fan of pasta and espresso, could eat and drink it every day. Actually I am just doing that.
Perry Now: What kind of music do you like?
Sasha: I love gypsy music from the Balkans , its a great part of my soul. My favorite is Bregovic.
Perry Now: Do you play a musical instrument yourself?
Sasha: I will tell you one thing about myself and music. In school my music teacher said once "Sasha, please don't come to my class anymore. I promise I’ll give you a good grade. But please stay away from music and my class" that was the beginning and end of my musical career :)
Perry Now: Who are some of your favorite musical artists?
Sasha: Goran Bregovic. Fredy Mercury,. Vasco Rossi, Elvis Presley.
Perry Now: Who are some of your favorite actors?
Sasha: Marlon Brando, Edward Norton, Tom Hanks.
Perry Now: What kind of movies do you like?
Sasha: Depending on my mood. I love all kinds of movies...
Perry Now: Do you like sports, and which one is your favorite?
Sasha: Basketball, but I enjoy sports in general. tennis, beach volley, running, biking, even yoga ;) I do all kind of sports!
Perry Now: You seem to be a very private person, how do you deal with the celebrity that modeling brings you?
Sasha: I never saw myself as a celebrity.
Perry Now: When you have a moment to get away on RnR, where do you like to go to recharge?
Sasha: Home. Nothing gives me more pleasure than spending time with the people l love.
Perry Now: What do you find most different about the US from your home country?
Sasha: I can't talk about the US, i have only lived in NYC . New York is a city of dreams, anything is possible here and it welcomes every nationality with an open heart.
Perry Now: What is your favorite city in the US, and in the world? Why?
Sasha: New York! Coz... its New York!!! The energy here is insane..it makes you want to live every minute. I feel very much home here since the first day I arrived!
Perry Now: What’s your favorite item from Perry Ellis? Why?
Sasha: They have the best sweaters. They last for a lifetime or even two :)
Perry Now: What does the name Perry Ellis mean to you?
Sasha: Perry Ellis is a brand with a history of great fashion, designers, and a lifelong legacy.
Perry Now: Having been the face of Perry Ellis for six seasons, which shoot has been your favorite one?
Sasha: They have all been great. However as often as it is in life the first one will always remain the most special.
Perry Now: Do you currently have a girlfriend, and is it serious?
Sasha: Yes l have a girlfriend (pictured above!)...serious or not serious you decide. I just spent one week with her parents who were visiting :)
Perry Now: We read that Virgo men are sometime called the eternal bachelor, one that steers clear of untidy romantic entanglements but if he meets someone whose values and daily rhythm matches his, he's a devoted partner that usually mates for life. He may be persnickety and can be a relentless perfectionist, but it's balanced out by his good qualities of honesty, stability and kindness. Would you agree with this?
Sasha: To be honest, I don't believe in horoscopes, but it all seems very much like me, so maybe I should start believing :)
Perry Now: If you could tell people one thing about yourself that most people do not know, what would that be?
Sasha: I am writing a diary
Perry Now: What is your goal in life…what kind of ‘footprint’ do you want to leave on the world?
Sasha: My goal is to be happy and make the people around me happy, the rest comes itself...a couple of little Sashas wouldn t be bad either :)
