This is the time of year when fashion becomes joyous and over the top; the Haute Couture season has begun, and with it come the most frivolous and gorgeous clothes from the designer’s imagination.
Instead a dark cloud has been cast over the season with the apparent suicide over the weekend of model, Ruslana Korshunova, in New York City.
The Kazakhstani beauty reportedly fell to her death from her ninth floor apartment, she was was only twenty years old. She had been been working steadily for five years, even appearing in campaigns for Marc Jacobs, Moschino, and Vera Wang among others and landing covers for European editions of Elle and Vogue.
While she did not enjoy recognition on the level of Daria Werbowy or Lily Donaldson, her career was more than most immigrant models could hope for. The strangest and perhaps saddest thing, about this is that there seem to be no real indicators as to what would lead her to such an end, no family member or friend can provide any helpful insight; she seemed perfectly fine.
Many theories are swirling in the media as to what happened, was there a struggle? Was the Russian Mafia involved somehow? Did it mean something that she was watching the film Ghost the night before?
Many conspiracy theorists immediately blamed the modeling industry as being cold and heartless and the reason for her demise; it is simply too harsh a profession for one so young to enter into, and it is often incredibly lonely. But it seems unlikely that whatever struggles she was facing all stemmed from work related issues.
However you look at this, the industry has lost one its brightest rising stars.
— Laura Wasson
