She is more
of a fashionista than a show off Barbie doll and her great style has been a
true inspiration for many people in the fashion world.
BUT WHO IS
LENA PERMINOVA? WHAT IS HER STORY?
Full name:
Elena Perminova
Age: 27
years old, born 1987
From:
Berdsk – a city in Siberia, Russia
Family: 2
boys, 1 baby girl and her husband Alexander Lebedev
Lives:
London & Moscow
Occupation:
Full time mom & Fashionista
There is
something unique about Lena that makes her stand out from the rest of the Jet
set Babes.
It’s not
the fact she is a well known fashionista with her 750k Instagram followers, but
more her down to earth aura that keeps surrounding her.
After
researching about Lena, I came across an interesting cinderella story on how
she became a Jet set Babe.
IN 2003
LENA WAS 16 YEARS OLD WHEN THE POLICE CAUGHT HER DEALING ECSTASY IN THE NIGHT
CLUBS OF NOVOSIBIRSK.
She was at
that time a well known model in the area of Siberia which became a humiliating
factor getting caught in the eye of the public.
Despite the
fact Lena was not using any form of drugs herself, her trouble was her
boyfriend at that time, being twice her age who had been forcing her to deal
drugs for him.
That
disastrous night in Novosibirsk came as a blessing in disguise, Lena got
sentenced to 6 years in jail for trafficking, a sentence that in the end never
fell through.
Instead a
well known Russian oligarch stepped in to her case, he did not only become her
saviour but also her future husband. His name is Alexander Lebedev.
ALEXANDER
LEBEDEV IS A MAN OF MANY LABOURS.
He started
off as a spy for the Russian KGB in the 80’s being the brain in their Foreign
intelligence service.
After
leaving KGB he created his own bank which became one of Russia’s national banks
(until 2012 when it closed down).
Today he is
a well known business man, a Russian politician and the owner of several top
newspapers in UK like the “Independent” & “London Evening standard”.
In 2012
Forbes listed him as a billionaire with an estimated fortune of $1.1 billion.
But shortly
after, in 2013 when his national bank closed down, his worth went down and the
title of billionaire gone.
But what
happened exactly that made the destiny of Lena to cross path with her future
love?
This is how
Alexander recalled the troublesome situation:
“Lena was
arrested and convinced by the police to co-operate in a sting on another much
bigger drug dealer. She was wired up, involved in a very dangerous car chase,
and then still ended up in court, alongside this drug dealer, who was
threatening to kill her. There is no plea bargain in Russian law, or witness
protection. She was going to go to prison for six years, despite helping the
police, and her life was in danger. I was campaigning for this law to be
instated in Russia at the time. Elena’s father heard me on the radio and wrote
to me. I contacted him, and then met Lena”.
Lena was
only 16 years old when she met Alexander – he was at that time 43.
After the
turbulent time of trials was over, Lena went on to study economics at Moscow
State University. When she was 19 years old, she got married to Alexander and
later became a mother of three.
Today they
live on a full time basis in Moscow in the famous “Rublyovka” area where all
the wealthiest people including president Putin have their homes. (As a side
note, the couple are forced to have 4 bodyguards working 24/7 their house and
drive their cars with black toned windows, this is Russia baby!)
But on a
part time basis they live in London, where the couple has a 10 bedroom mansion
in Richmond (Hampton Court Park).
Although
their lifestyle is comfortably situated between various homes in Europe and
they are spoilt enough for regular vacations, Lena & Alexander seem to be
two down earth people very similar to each other.
I like this
quote from Lena she gave Harpers Bazaar in an interview;
“On my very
first trip to New York, Alexander said, ‘Please go to Bergdorf and buy
something,’ but I was so impressed by the clothes, I couldn’t make up my mind,”
she recalls. “So I bought jeans and wore them with his hooded sweatshirt and
his huge Stephen Webster cross. [While I was] walking around, everyone looked
at me—and I started to understand what I wanted and how this outfit was best
for New York. But I could’ve bought a Dolce gown!”
But what I
truly enjoy is the sum up of the character of Alexander by russianmind.com;
“Despite
being a billionaire, Lebedev’s dress sense is odd for a middle-aged man –
skinny blue jeans, black tailcoat and designer plimsolls without laces. With
his cropped white hair, he looks more like a sports star than a glitzy
oligarch. Only his enormous Panerai watch flashes his wealth. “He looks more
like a successful nightclub owner than a newspaper proprietor”, said one
observer. “He is part 19th-century landowner, part member of ‘Take That’”, said
the Guardian’s fashion editor.
These
contradictions arise from his conscious effort to distance himself from the
more rapacious oligarchs like Berezovsky and Abramovich. He portrays his wealth
as a means to fund social projects and he regards himself as a man of
intelligence and good taste, rather than a hedonist. His hobbies are tennis,
fishing, scuba diving, Russian literature and politics rather than jet-skiing
in St. Barts or partying in St. Tropez.
When asked
about the other oligarchs, Lebedev commented: “We all come from different
backgrounds. I am more keen on reading books, writing and travelling. I am not
into yachts. I get sick on a boat. If I started buying luxurious planes and
yachts I would feel ridiculous. I don’t like birthday parties, I get bored. I
do not know what to say. Sometimes I do not go and send a present later”.
Instead, he will stay home and read classical literature. He once made the
rather staggering claim that he has “read almost everything that is worth
reading in literature”.
"After
following Lena on Instagram I cannot help but feel that these two quotes of her
and her husband are just describing them so perfectly. I don’t know them, but
they both stand out from other jet set people because of their comfortable but
not a show off-type lifestyle.
It was also
interesting reading Lena’s story because of how original it was.
I mean come
on, the chance of meeting a billionaire future husband while expecting jail
sentence is probably smaller than winning the actual lottery!
No matter
what, this was her destiny and now Lena is inspiring the rest of the world with
her style & story.
All
pictures are from Lena’s Instagram.
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