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The movers and shakers of the May issue
1. GINTA LAPINA
The Latvian model says her spirit animal is an Argentinian mastiff: ‘They like to run, and they’re smart and sweet.’ After being scouted in Riga, Latvia, at the age of 15, she began to model part time while finishing school. In 2008, she moved to New York, but she says her career took off in 2010: ‘I walked all the biggest runway shows, including Versace, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, YSL and Chanel.’ The biggest perk of her job is travelling: ‘I fell in love with Marrakech after shooting a Marc Jacobs campaign there with Juergen Teller. We had a great time.’ The last thing she bought was a pair of Vans for herself, and her plan-B career is interior design. Ginta stars in Suddenly Last Summer on p148.
@GINTALAPINA
2. SAM McKNIGHT
At 19, the legendary hairstylist moved from Scotland to London to work in Molton Brown’s original hair salon: ‘That’s where I really absorbed the technical side of hairdressing.’ From his first shoot in 1977 to his creations at the Chanel AW17 show, Sam describes his career as ‘a humbling journey, collaborating with the most inspiring people’. His top tip is to rinse your hair with mineral water – ‘It’s a great restorative.’ On p183, Sam demonstrates how to get amazing hair every day, showing us four key looks.
@SAMMCKNIGHT1
3. RHYANNON STYLES
A fact that not many people know about ELLE’s transgender columnist, Rhyannon, is that she went to clown school: ‘A typical day involved acrobatics and wearing red noses.’ She went on to get a degree in jewellery design, perform as a cabaret artist and train as a hairdresser, before writing her book, The New Girl: A Trans Girl Tells It Like It Is: ‘I wanted to give a deeper understanding of the transition process to everyone who wasn’t going through it.’ Rhyannon writes about dating and having sex as a trans woman on p128.
@RHYANNON_STYLES
4. MARISA MELTZER
Journalist Marisa started her career in freelance writing 10 years ago, when the clothing store she owned shut down. The Californian says her greatest career achievement is publishing her two books, Girl Power and How Sassy Changed My Life. During her spare time, she likes to listen to podcasts, such as Call Your Girlfriend, My Favorite Murder and Pod Save America. If Marisa were a cocktail, she says she would be an Aperol spritz: ‘A little fizzy, a little tart.’ She joins the slow exercise movement on p206.
@MARISAMELTZER
5. KIERAN YATES
After completing a host of internships, journalist Kieran started pitching and got published. As a freelance writer and broadcaster, the Londoner now works for The Guardian, VICE, the BBC and also edits her own fanzine, British Values. Kieran’s karaoke song is Big Momma Thang by Lil’ Kim. She meets the women breaking black British music out of the underground on p100.
@KIERAN_YATES