Zarina Editorial for New York Magazine, August 2008

According to Models.com, newbie model Zarina is of Mongolian descent and speaks fluent Russian. She is currently signed with Muse Agency in NYC. Personally, I think it is exciting to see an Asian model from other countries aside from China, Japan or South Korea. Of course, there are also Asian models from US, Canada, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Another Asian face with an interesting origin/lineage is Eugenia Manzhieva who is of Manchurian descent and Russian nationality, as is fellow Russian model, Dinara Chetyrova. Then there is Irina Pantaeva who was one of the most visible Asian faces in the 1990s. She is of Eskimo/Mongolian mix from Russian too.

Brazil, with its huge ethnic Chinese and Japanese population, has also spawned some familar Asian faces like Juliana Imai, Aline Nakashima and Aline Serpa.