Under the radar of all of us, an Israeli and Ashdod model is currently conquering the international fashion world. Like a sun rising from the water, Sun Mizrahi rises on the runways of the most prestigious fashion shows, picks up desirable campaigns and naturally positions itself at the front of the top models.
San Hamo Mizrahi is 24 years old, lives in Ashdod, and although in the world of global modeling she is a meteoric success story, we would not define her as someone that the average Israeli would break her neck when she passed.
The modeling agencies in Israel also rejected her – all without exception and did not find anything in her worth investing in – but Sun, who is incidentally the daughter of footballer Alon Mizrahi, did not say despairing – she believed in herself very much and sent photos abroad… and from there everything is history – A year since then, she has already been ranked first in the list of promising models of the magazine “Vogue”. And later she was already defined as one of the busiest models in the world… Sun says – “I did not believe that I would reach this position. When I started working I didn’t have that expectation. I felt that I was in a good place and I was hoping to get on one of the lists, but I didn’t think that I would reach the first place of ‘Vogue. The Vogue list was not in mind and was not an option, and certainly not the first place. And here it happened.”
She lives a crazy pace of life of 22 shows a month in 4 countries and her Ashdod-rooted husband, Aviv Hamo (son of Orna Hamo Alkharizi) decided to leave all his occupations and work and concentrate entirely on her career.
So in the morning she has a “Dior” show during the fashion week in Paris and in the evening she is already sleeping with her husband’s parents in Ashdod.
She and her husband live with Orna in Ashdod and soon plan to move to Paris (there is no choice when you work in Europe at this rate, you just have to live in Europe).
The newly married couple still have to digest the meteoric success that means a lot of money and prestige. But also years of hard work and living around the clock, which mainly include flights, luggage, hotels, fashion shows and photo shoots.
At the Versace fashion house, they planned to expose her to the world in a special Versace show, and after the exposure there to start working.
Sun tells – tells. “I was at the audition and they informed me that I was approved for the show. It was supposed to be the opening shot, and suddenly the day before they informed me that it wasn’t happening and that they were canceling me. It was difficult. Not only for me but for everyone. It was difficult and shocking and I’m not sure I understood how much. If I was 18, I would probably be more disappointed. In retrospect, I’m glad that’s what happened. I got my first Zapata that really prepared me for what’s happening now. That’s the advantage of being 24 years old.”
The long-awaited breakthrough was postponed to the next season, to the beginning of 2022, but was postponed again after Mizrahi gained a little weight and girth.
Sun is the daughter of the former footballer Alon “Haviron” Mizrahi and his ex-wife Red (they were expecting a son and therefore called her Sun and kept the name even when it turned out that…).
Two years ago she married Aviv Ashdodi, who is her first partner, whom she met seven years ago when she was only 17 years old.
At first they rented an apartment but when she started working as a butcher he was alone a lot of the time, so they decided to live in Ashdod with Aviv Orna’s mother.
Sun tells about Aviv – “He accompanies me, he comes with me most of the time, manages the whole financial matter and supports me mentally, which is perhaps the most important thing in this story. He is extremely proud of me, happy for me and has fun with me. He is the most supportive husband I could ask for and he Very supportive. At first, when I had a harder time, he would travel with me until we realized that I was flying once every two days. This is happening less and less. Soon we will move to Paris together. The center of my life at the moment is in Europe. Even so, I live on suitcases and flights. I want to try to create Some sort of routine within this thing.”
Aviv was cared for by her husband and her partner for 7 years:
“Anything I wanted to do and try, even if it involved investing money or resources – he supported me. What’s good for me is good for him. When I told him I was going to Milan, he replied, ‘Wonderful, do you want me to come with you?'” Today alongside his work In the capital market and management of the family business he is also my personal manager.
He accompanies me and helps me. I am a very family girl, very homely, and suddenly being abroad for a month alone brought me to a kind of depression. I am a very calm, very optimistic person, everything was fine – the agency was good, the apartment was good, the work was good – but it was difficult for me. I felt a lack A desire that I have never felt before, and Aviv left everything and came there with me. He is definitely one of the things that help me survive this profession, which is difficult, and not because of the standards and comments but because of the loneliness.
Because I don’t have one stable place and I live on suitcases, so he is at his parents’ house in Ashdod and when possible he accompanies me. He is my stability in life, the support is crazy. If I knew before the wedding that I wanted to marry him, then now at all. I couldn’t ask for a better partner.
It also helps with the issue of harassment in the fashion world –
Harassment is everywhere, certainly in this world, and it helps me a lot that he comes with me. Abroad, there are many situations in which you can be left alone – in meetings, when there are tests with photographers at home or when drivers take you to work, so it gives me confidence that he is with me. Maybe it’s just in my head, but even if he goes, I feel more secure knowing that he was there I have a man with me, who is my partner and knows when I need to finish and he is waiting for me.”
Not considered beautiful:
Sun testifies to herself that both as a child and in high school she was not one of the prettiest in her class, absolutely not. “I was a normal girl. Another one in my class who didn’t attract too much attention. A little before I enlisted in the army it started to seep in, because they kept telling me that I was tall and thin and suited me. Before my release, I applied to almost all the agencies in Israel. No one wanted me. Enough I gave up at some point.
I’m not one of those girls who dreamed of being a model from the age of five, and I never felt like the most beautiful girl out there, but I wanted to gain experiences, and maybe some income as well. But not beyond that, and certainly not everything that is happening now. As soon as they told me no, I gave up, but my mother actually insisted that I could model, but every mother thinks her daughter is the most beautiful, and I didn’t really care and let her go.”
How did she succeed abroad and was not considered at all in Israel?
“My beauty is not classic, but the fashion world has changed and today people are more open and understand it. There is something about this roughness that catches the eye and actors want it. In the shows I attend you see all the styles, and sometimes even in an extreme way. In one show I attended they increased My ears are in the pictures.”
Nir, owner of the “Inch” agency, recognized her potential and insisted on her, says: “I studied fashion design. I saw her photos and asked who is she?
Sun says: “He sent me a message on Instagram and I was in the middle of a test for my studies at Shankar. After the test I told my girlfriends about his contact. I was no longer in that mode and they told me: what do you care, make money. He courted me for three months and I set a lot of conditions. I felt that we would sign again and they would tell me that I was stunning and in the end nothing would happen and I had already exhausted this place. I was deep in my studies. The world is huge and there are hundreds and thousands more in it who want more than me. Why would they take me in particular? And that is something I ask to this day.”
“After several jobs in Israel, we took Polaroid photos and sent them to Milan. Out of ten agencies we approached, eight gave us a positive answer. After they expressed interest, we made a Zoom call and they immediately wanted to close. After we closed in Milan, we continued to other agencies, and they advised us with whom we should sign , with whom they work better, who will know better how to work with me, and we listened to them.”
And so, the model who was rejected by most agents in Israel is currently managed by six agencies around the world and dozens of people work only in managing and promoting her career.
The last fashion week was a final confirmation that she is not just a gimmick. Within one month, she participated in 22 shows in four countries, a high number even for supermodels (she receives 5,000-1,000 euros per show – together that’s a lot of money).
“I landed in Milan, and already on the first day I had 14 auditions. A driver was waiting for me in the field and I didn’t even leave my luggage at the hotel.” I arrive at the place, wait a bit outside, enter, leave, take a picture and wait for an answer. I live on suitcases and not as a cliché. When I wake up in the morning, I need a few seconds to remember where I am today.”
“I remind myself that I chose to be in this place and appreciate my achievements. It’s very hard for me physically, it’s hard for me alone, it’s hard for me with my luggage, and I complain even when I’m not alone. But I also remember that I’m making history and I’m experiencing things I never dreamed of.”
“After I got the first job, I asked how I was going to get the second and third and how I wouldn’t be a passing gimmick. People think that if you’re thin and beautiful, you come and walk ten steps back and forth and that’s it, but really no, it’s much more than that. Now I’ve finished the shows and it The money is relatively small, but the big money is in the campaigns, and now all of these are closing.”
“Most people in Israel have no idea who I am. It’s also a bit nice, but it’s also changed a bit.
I don’t have very clear red lines. I do what feels comfortable to me at that moment. My agents know that I don’t do nudes or transparent shirts, unless there is a nipple cover. I will, but it depends on a lot of things. It can be artistic nudity, and if it feels good and justified to me I will do it, but so far I haven’t….if they invite me to open a Dior exhibition with a transparent shirt….then maybe yes, because it’s very classic and doesn’t convey anything cheap.
Let’s say at the ‘Lion’ show they dressed me in a low mini skirt and put triangles on my nipples and I felt uncomfortable with that. I approached the dresser and told him in the nicest way that I’m not comfortable and you will see it in my walk as well. They immediately said there was no problem and replaced it for me.”
“I don’t take pictures with transparent clothes, thongs and provocative underwear. It’s important for me to feel comfortable. Maybe in a year I’ll feel more comfortable. Not at the moment.”
