She’s got the look – and the vision

Eva Staroňová, a Slovak-American model and entrepreneur, has made significant strides in connecting cultures through her work. She founded the +421 Foundation to foster artistic and charitable ties between the US and Slovakia, highlighted by events such as the annual Slovak Fashion Night during New York Fashion Week. She also contributes a monthly column to The Slovak Spectator, sharing insights on her involvement with the International Women’s Club of Bratislava. In this interview with The Spectator, she discusses her journey in modelling, her efforts to promote Slovakia on the global stage, and the challenges of managing family life while living between continents.

What first led you to America?

I was 16, and I had always felt a magnetic pull towards America. I don’t know—maybe past lives? I’m into that sort of thing now, but back then, it was just a feeling. Exchange student programmes were popping up everywhere, and I picked one that was a bit different. You had to pass a series of exams, and then they matched you with the right family. Of course, I wanted to go to New York—I had big dreams of the city—but they placed me with a family in Richmond, Virginia.

With my British-trained English from school here, I understood nothing when I arrived; the accents threw me off completely. But then, almost straight away, I was discovered for modelling—just walking around—and I started working. It was amazing because it was one of those scholarship programmes, so I didn’t have to pay anything, and it gave me the chance to become my own person at 16. I ended up getting a green card through my modelling work, which was a huge deal.

Then, after my year in Virginia was up, I moved to New York because it just felt like the logical next step. I had plans to go to university in Slovakia, so I kept those going with an individual study plan at the Faculty of Management at Comenius University in Bratislava, and later, I earned my other degrees in New York as well. It was this wild mix of worlds coming together.

"Let’s teach the Americans how cool we are!"

How did modelling open doors for you?

Oh, it was like this gift that landed in my lap, and I thought, okay, let me make the most of this. Modelling opened so many doors because I met a ton of people, all kinds of characters, and it taught me about myself too. I realised I’m a generalist—I could never just be one thing, like a doctor or something.

My parents are scientists, so growing up, I thought that’s probably what I had to do—follow their path, be all serious and academic. But marketing felt like this neutral space—you could do everything with it; it was creative but practical. One of my big breaks came with a client, Grimoldi Milano, a high-end watch brand.

We were hanging out with Beyoncé and Jay-Z, placing watches on celebrities’ wrists—it was surreal. They gave me an internship, and they believed in me enough that I wasn’t just their spokesmodel standing there looking pretty; I became their marketing director. That’s when things really started taking off for me. I thought, I’ve got to do this; I’ve got to spread hope; I’ve got to help people—because that’s all it takes, right? Somebody believes in you, and then it just takes you places. That’s why I kept pushing, kept building from there.