Exclusive Interview: A Conversation with Fashion Model and Activist - 'SUMI' Svetlana Šlapak.
In an age where noise often drowns out truth, Sumi moves differently, with a quiet grace that feels almost transcendent. Her world is built not on urgency, but on intention; not on perfection, but on presence. Through her work and words, she reminds us that empowerment is not always loud or defiant; sometimes, it’s found in silence, in surrender, in the courage to simply be.
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| Photo: Marina Vasilevskaia |
In this intimate reflection, the model and muse opens her heart about grounding rituals, creative transformation, and the sacred act of staying soft in a world that demands hardness. Each answer feels like a whisper from a calmer universe, one where gratitude becomes prayer, peace becomes power, and stillness itself becomes a form of rebellion.
What does “staying positive” mean to you when life feels uncertain?
It means standing still as the fog descends. I don’t look for the path; I simply breathe while the world shifts around me. Light always finds a crack to slip through.
How do you set intentions that actually align with your emotional energy?
I don’t write them down; I feel them. Sometimes they appear in dreams, sometimes in the silence between breaths. When I feel them burning softly in my chest, I know they belong to me.
What’s a small daily ritual that keeps you grounded?
I light incense and watch the smoke rise like the spirit of forgotten days. In its scent, I find the trace of myself, the part that still knows how to wait.
How do you protect your peace in a busy digital world?
I disappear. I turn off the screen, open the window, and let the wind teach me how to breathe again. My silence is a fortress; my peace, a secret garden where no one speaks.
What’s one thing you’ve learnt about slowing down this season?
I have come to learn that time doesn’t move forward; it folds. When I stop, everything comes to me. It’s as if the universe whispers, “You don’t need to chase anything. You are already here.”
How do you transform challenges into creative energy?
I bathe them in moonlight. Pain is like a rough stone; you polish it with tears until it shines.
What role does gratitude play in your mindset?
Gratitude is a prayer without words. When I watch the light falling across the table, I feel the presence of something greater, and that is enough.
How do you stay intentional in your relationships and collaborations?
I don’t speak much. Those who understand me can hear the silence. Those who can’t are not mine.
What colors, textures, or settings instantly lift your mood?
The pearly light before dawn, a veil of silk over water, the bluish mist swallowing rooftops, anything that feels more like a memory than a moment.
What’s one affirmation or mantra you’re carrying into the next month?
“I exist between worlds, and everything I seek already breathes within me.”
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Photo: Marina Vasilevskaia @marina_vasilevskaia_ph
Dress: LaceMade @lacemadeofficial
Model: @hikameri
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