“Every Country I Have Lived in Has Shaped Me” — An Interview with Aiste
A commercial model, actress and medical aesthetician on her journey from Lithuania to Canada, her debut single and the power of authenticity
Brown jacket: Danier | Jeans: White House Black Market | Shoes: Coach
There is something quietly magnetic about Aiste. She speaks about music, modelling and medicine with equal ease — not as separate pursuits, but as different expressions of the same instinct: to understand, and to be honest. She has built a career across commercial and editorial work, acting and medical aesthetics. But titles tell only part of the story. The fuller picture begins in Lithuania, with a young girl at a piano.
“Music taught me discipline, how to convey feeling and how to be honest in expressing it,” she says. Aiste spent a decade performing on stage and studying at music school — years that shaped not only her relationship with performance, but with emotion itself. When she eventually moved to London, it was this foundation that made modelling feel like a natural extension rather than a departure. “That is where my passion for it truly began,” she recalls. “London opened my eyes to the world of fashion and showed me how much I love expressing myself through movement and the camera.”
Canada came next, and with it a different kind of growth. “Lithuania gave me heart, London gave me confidence, and Canada inspires me to create and share my art with others,” she reflects. It is also where she recently recorded her debut single, “Love” — a release she is quietly excited about, though characteristically measured in how she describes it. She is not someone who overpromises.
She brings the same quality to her work in front of the camera. Signed with an agency in 2018, she has been shooting steadily since — but she is quick to push back against the assumptions people bring to the profession. “One myth I would love to debunk is that modelling is simply about being pretty. In reality, it is about expression and hard work — conveying emotion, adapting to different concepts. It is as much about skill and professionalism as it is about appearance.” Her preparation reflects this: balanced nutrition, proper rest, skin care, and a deliberate mental focus before every shoot. As a medical
aesthetician, she brings a clinical eye to her own appearance — though she is careful to frame it not as vanity, but as craft. “It is a way of understanding and caring for beauty in a healthy way,” she says.
Photography by Gintare Dzedulione | Instagram: @zuziaiphotography
No two days look alike. She might be on set in the morning, in a recording session by afternoon and rehearsing a scene by evening. Rather than finding this disorienting, she finds it energising. “I love that every day brings something new.” When the industry slows — and it does, for everyone — she returns to first principles. “I remind myself why I started: to express emotion, connect with people and grow as an artist.” She does not romanticise the difficult periods, but she does not dramatise them either. She simply gets on with it.
Away from work, her life has a similar ease to it. Her style is elegant by default but never rigid — she prefers mixing classic pieces with something unexpected, creating looks that feel genuinely hers rather than assembled for effect. She spends her free time with music, books and time outdoors, fuelled by the kind of fresh, nourishing food that keeps her feeling strong. Pop plays in the background, with R&B woven in along the way. The pace is unhurried. It is life, she says, that quietly feeds the work.
The ambitions, however, she holds firmly. Acting, a return to live performance, and a longer-term desire to use her platform around themes of female empowerment and self-expression. For those just finding their footing in fashion, she offers something more useful than encouragement: a reminder of what actually lasts. “Every experience — big or small — is a chance to learn and grow. Surround yourself with people who support you, keep improving and don’t be afraid to take risks.” She pauses, then adds: “Confidence, authenticity and hard work will take you further than anything else.”
It is the kind of thing that could sound rehearsed. Coming from her, it doesn’t.
Photos courtesy of Aiste
Instagram: @itspinkybubblez
Agency: Orange Models
By Catherine Mills
