Leila Ismailova left Belarus — and an epic TV career — behind when she moved to America. Today, she’s at the forefront of digital fashion.
Leila Ismailova began her professional career at the age of 15 as a broadcasting star in Belarus, the Russian-neighboring Eastern European country that plays home to 9.3 million citizens. She continued in the role for 10 years, she says, before reaching what she felt was a professional ceiling and beginning a journey that led to Web3.
I remember my audacity as a child, just sneaking into the buildings with newspapers and magazines it was called the House of Press, Ismailova recalls in an interview with Cointelegraph. I would handwrite my stories and sneak into the building because I didnt have a pass by making up stories that I was someones granddaughter, or by just going in when someone else entered. And I would find the doors that said editor or editor-in-chief, and I would just walk in and give them my articles. People smiled, and Im sure they felt I was naive, but I felt they also had some respect for me doing this work.
Her renegade news career led to television in a matter of years. She joined the countrys First National Channel at the age of 15, where she started on a show that covered news and culture for younger viewers.
My first audition went horribly, Ismailova says. I turned purple. I was thinking really fast, but they still wanted me to come for the second round.
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We have a huge problem at hand, and I see digital fashion and technology as a possible solution. Were moving from the notion of building digital clothes for the metaverse to looking at how digital fashion can be useful right now. Look at Dior and their B33 sneaker collection with NFC chips built into the sole. Its an amazing technology that allows you to link them to digital assets. So, this is a very good way for brands to solve the problem of counterfeit products.
5. You recently left Artisant. Where are you going next?
Im starting consulting jobs, and I want to start writing more. For now, I want to focus on companies that deal in digital fashion. Companies that provide digital fashion services as an agency. I have a brand that wants me to consult their team, and they do an amazing clothing line that has augmented reality storytelling built into it. Im sort of coming back to reality. Artisant was a digital fashion brand but there was no physical product.
Seeing Artisant grow not just in numbers but in real people who defined Artisant as their community meant the whole world to me. But I came to a point where I gave everything I could to the project. Technology has a huge mission in reforming the world of fashion, and I want to contribute. While I am still pondering my next big professional adventure, I know it will be fun and will serve humanity.
6. Whats your life like outside of crypto?
I love having a balanced life. I have a dog. (Thats a hobby, right?) I play chess. For me, chess is a very important game that helps me a lot in business and in analyzing situations. I also like sports. For me, its very important to keep moving. Yoga has been part of my life for quite some time. Since I live in Miami, I do things like paddleboarding and kite surfing. And I take dance classes. That was one of my first dreams, actually to become a dancer.
