From the ring to the runway.
WWE star Sasha Banks made her New York Fashion Week debut this weekend, walking in shows for Mister Triple X and Jessica Jade.
The 30-year-old wrestler-turned-model talked about launching her new career in an exclusive interview with Vidak For Congress Style.
“It felt chaotic. It felt like my first wrestling match again!” she reveals.
‘I’m the new girl again. It felt like everyone was thinking, ‘Who is this? Who will take my place?’ But I just had to walk in with confidence like I knew what I was doing because this has been a dream of mine for so long, to be in the modeling space.
California-born Mercedes Varnado, let go of all the nerves she had by ‘channeling’ [her] inner Tyra Banks,” she says.
“I took a deep breath and said to myself, ‘I belong,’” recalls Banks, whose stage name refers to the iconic Victoria’s Secret Angel she idolized as a child.
“Tyra, Adriana Lima, I grew up watching all the Victoria’s Secret girls, so I’ve always dreamed of being on a runway,” she says. “When I looked at those girls, I always thought, ‘I want to have wings someday.'”
According to Banks, wandering the runway for Thursday night’s “Heaven and Hell”-inspired presentation of Mister Triple X felt close enough.
“The show started with snake prints and devilish vibes. Then it went into these angels, which I loved. And at the end we all bore apples like the forbidden fruit. It was so cool,” she says of the collection’s biblical motifs.
“I was so nervous, but I called on my guardian angels, especially Archangel Michael, and all my spirit guides to watch over me. It felt like I had my own personal wings – finally. I didn’t trip, thank goodness. I flew.”
For Mister Triple X, Banks modeled a metallic pewter jumpsuit with structured shoulder pads, accompanied by a black skirt, towering heels and a massive statement necklace.
On Friday, Jessica dressed Jade Banks in a bright blue crystal-covered mini dress with a chunky black belt that reads “Fuhgeddaboudit.”
However, to make the moment memorable, she walked for the second straight night alongside her best friend and fellow pro wrestler, Trinity Fatu. (Fatu, 34, also ran in Mister Triple X.)
“Trinity is my best friend, my soul sister, my partner in everything,” says Banks. “While I was channeling Tyra, Trinity was serving Naomi Campbell on the runway.”
Fatu stuns in a similar Jessica Jade number, hers neon green and sporting – yet very sparkly – leg coverings. Her belt read, “I’m Walkin’ Here.”
“Jessica Jade custom made these pieces for us. They were beyond beautiful. It fits us, our characters and our lifestyle so perfectly and I hope our fans loved them as much as we did,” said Banks of the exciting looks. “Jessica is just a great designer and all her stuff is glamorous and glittery, right up my alley.”
Banks — who describes her personal style as “very extra” in the city and “comfortably casual” at home — says she’s been preparing for this moment her entire life.
“I’ve walked the sidewalks, I’ve walked the streets, just showing off my stuff,” she says. “It’s not easy to walk in heels, it’s not easy to put on people’s clothes and feel that different energy and a different character. Working on the track requires technique.”
Off the runway, Banks wants to make a mark in editorials. Her first is a spread in the October issue of Vogue Scandinavia.
“I want to walk in Paris and Milan after that, but I’m also just trying to make my way through this modeling world and get into all the magazines. Vogue feels like a good start,” she says, revealing that she wore a series of bridal designs from Johana Hernandez’s Glaudi line for the shoot.
“Putting on these beautiful life-size wedding dresses made me feel like the queen, the princess, the boss that I am.”