Meet the model and designer, who rides high with her unique brand of talent, style, and ingenuity.
It’s a tough time to be a rebel. There’s not a lot we haven’t seen, and anything we might wish to see, or dream up, is less than a click away. What’s an iconoclast to do? Making something is a good start. Real things, not just content, can exist in the world, turning heads and changing minds. These 10 creatives—all in Chanel Fine Jewelry for this portfolio—might not have permanent solutions, but they are just getting going. What they’ve accomplished so far sets them apart and raises the bar for what’s next.
Ava wears Coco Crush quilted motif necklace in 18k beige gold, Coco Crush quilted motif bracelets in 18k yellow gold, beige gold, and yellow gold with diamonds, and Coco Crush quilted motif rings in 18k yellow gold and beige gold by CHANEL Fine Jewelry
AVA PEARLMAN
MODEL AND DESIGNER
Instagram: @avapearlman
“I lasted a month,” says Ava Pearlman. The designer, model, and lifelong New Yorker is referring to the time she spent at Elon University in North Carolina, where “I got in a lot of trouble for making abstract paintings.” This isn’t to say Pearlman lacks education. She graduated with a BA in fine arts from FIT, down the street from where she grew up in Chelsea. Her father directed reality TV; her mother was an entertainment executive who dated Debbie Friedman, a renowned feminist and singer- songwriter of Jewish music. Of her home life, she says nonchalantly: “Mandy Patinkin would come over.”
Pearlman took life-drawing classes and had wardrobe- assisting gigs on TV from age 13, when she was schooled at an Upper West Side yeshiva. Her education informed her creative decisions, and prompted Pearlman to speak in maxims: “Build your life as if it were a work of art,” or “Modeling is just another medium.” She’s filmed some impressive spots: campaigns for H&M, Steve Madden, and Victoria’s Secret.
She also has a fashion line, All the Rage. “It’s eveningwear that was inspired by 1940s cinema,” she says. It’s made-to-order for now, but she recently picked up an investor. She wants to open a shop in the 10th arrondissement of Paris, near Canal Saint- Martin. But that’s just the beginning. “I want to work for Chanel,” she says. She says she’s wanted this her whole life, and sees it happening, too. “I’m a psychic,” she says. “It’s a whole other problem.”
Taken from 10 Magazine USA Issue 6 – CHANGE, CREATIVITY, FREEDOM – out March 18th! Order your copy here.
THE NEW MAKERS
Photographer CARLOS RUIZ
Talent TONI CORNELL, TIFFANY HOWELL, GABRIELLE RICHARDSON, DEVONN CHARLES FRANCIS, LAURA ZHENG, AVA PEARLMAN, ANNA PARK, ELIZABETH KOURY, ARMANDO AGUIRRE, and ELLEN HARROLD
Text JOHN ORTVED
Instagram: @jortved
