Model: Yara Nova. Photos: Antoine Verglas.
Breaking into the world of entertainment is no easy feat. It requires dedication, persistence, and a hefty sprinkle of serendipity to water the seeds of success. Even then, fame seems to handpick who it wants to romance. There are those performers who run an eternal marathon in chase of fame only to see it gallop away. Then there are others remaining focused on perfecting their craft, when BAM, they are unexpectedly catapulted into stardom. If not before, Yara Nova (aka Nova) is undoubtedly aware of the latter.
Leather vest, W!LDCH!LD. Pants, Mango x Camille Charrière. Shoes, Sebastian Milano.
As the sound of slick footsteps echoes behind me, I brace myself for the arrival of their owner. It’s a fearless strut that catches my attention. I turn to see Nova approaching, her velvety voice greeting me with a simple “Hi.” Her athletic, slim legs are adorned in black leather pants, accentuated by Corvette red boots. With a warm smile, she offers me a piece of chocolate. “I have some with peanut butter too; I love peanut butter,” she says, her eyes animated and her smile bubbly. Together, we indulge in the wickedly sweet treats as she gracefully settles into a nearby chair.
Leather vest, W!LDCH!LD. Pants, Mango x Camille Charrière. Shoes, Sebastian Milano.
HBZVN: Your name, is it Nova or is it Yara?
YARA NOVA: It’s both! Sometimes even “Supernova!” For a while, it was just Nova because a lot of people really butchered the pronunciation of Yara. My mom is really the only one that calls me Yara, so anytime I hear someone else say it, I think they are with the FBI or something. I’m kidding, but it does hit differently because the name Yara is very much a part of the experiences that molded me, and Nova is the part that gave me courage to explore, be inquisitive and evolve. I don’t think of it as an alter-ego because those tend to be vastly different from one’s true or original personality, Nova is more…supplemental- like a vitamin HA.
Leather vest, W!LDCH!LD. Pants, Mango x Camille Charrière. Shoes, Sebastian Milano.
I’ve had so many random conversations with cab drivers from other countries where they explain what my names means in their country. One driver said said Yara meant “good friend”, another said it meant “instructor” Nova of course, tends to have more popular meanings such as “new” or “bright star with powerful energy” not a bad combo if you ask me.
Skirt and top, W!LDCH!LD. Shoes, Casadei.
HBZVN: You mentioned there is a part of you that likes to explore, what things interest you?
YARA NOVA: So many things, I studied theater and investigative journalism so I am very inquisitive about people, bringing characters and their stories to life whether its on stage or film. I enjoy listening and learning about others’ journeys, it allows me to mentally transports myself along with them. Their stories help me to humanize them, It’s so authentic you know? I feel this way also when I buy vintage clothing. I love garments with history to them.
Skirt and top, W!LDCH!LD. Shoes, Casadei.
I bought this jacket at a vintage store in LA and inside the pocket were three tiny pills! After some research, I discovered the pills were a popular party drug from decades’ ago. Wow wee! My mind ran wild trying to imagine who owned that jacket before me? What did she look like? Where did she hang out? Was she loved? It was amazing to just time travel.
Fur coat, W!LDCH!LD. Sandals, Bagley Mishka.
HBZVN: What was it like studying and performing in theater?
YARA NOVA: For me, theater is in a class of its own. There is no cheating in theater, you are there in real time for all the world to see and! The bonus is, you can hear each and every comment from the crowd. It’s amplified. In one of my first roles, I only had three lines but because she was a key character, I was featured in 85% of the play. Can you imagine trying to clearly define a character’s personality with only body language and facial expressions? That really challenged me as an actor.
Fur coat, W!LDCH!LD. Sandals, Bagley Mishka.
My passion for performing started when I was still missing my two front teeth. As a kid, many people pegged me as shy and would even go as far as saying I was introverted but my mom reminded me that I was always putting together performances to entertain any and everyone that came by the house. What introvert does that? I definitely was (and still am) an ambivert. I wrote, directed and starred in all these homemade productions. I remember being meticulous about the characters I chose to portray, asking myself: Who are they really? What makes them interesting? Why do they dress the way they do or laugh with a snort? Things that perhaps most kids didn’t care about I suppose. But I enjoyed connecting this way with characters whether they were heroes, antiheroes, real or not because it taught me empathy. If I saw you crying, I would cry with you without even knowing the reason why. The reason didn’t matter. To me, the most important thing in that moment is to just be.
Jumpsuit, Rick Owen. Shoes, Casadei.
Performing also allowed me to connect with others. Actually, that took some time. My first few performances as a kid were disastrous. Gosh! I had terrible stage fright, it was like all my charm went out the window if I bae to perform anywhere outside my house. I was still learning to be comfortable in my own skin and worried the audience was just paying attention to my imperfections. It wasn’t until I studied dance that all that went away. I had a natural flare for dance, music is in my veins, hair follicles, just everywhere! After about two years with my dance instructor, I joined the junior dance team and he assigned me to be the instructor for beginners. It was pretty crazy, there I was, barely a teen, teaching people of all age groups. There is this inspiring feeling that comes when you teach others. To be able to put yourself aside and focus on helping others is really what life is about. It is so easy to get caught up in the trivial stuff, that can really hinder our potential and growth. Growth comes from kindness, giving and sacrifice.
Jumpsuit, Rick Owen. Shoes, Casadei.
HBZVN: Speaking of growth, you have also made a name for yourself in sports broadcasting.
YARA NOVA: Ah! That was unexpected. I mean, I’ve always played sports: volleyball, basketball, boxing… love it all but when a friend who was a sports anchor reached out and told me he was looking for a co-host for a new ESPN show, I told him “Ok but just know; I love sports but I am no sports encyclopedia” I don’t steer away from challenges but I like to be clear on where I’m at with my expertise so I know where I need to get better at. The first few shows were tough! Man, the audience was merciless. I was the only girl in the boy’s locker room so to speak and you better believe people were just waiting to see where I would mess up so they could attack!
Jumpsuit, Rick Owen. Shoes, Casadei.
I knew some names and stats but that wasn’t enough. It was important for me to prove it to myself that I could do this. I started watching old sports footage, taking notes and read EVERYTHING, right down to which athlete ate hot dogs before a game (Wayne Gretzky) It was lots of studying and then something phenomenal happened. People began to really listen to me, what I was saying. They’d call the station and engage in conversation with me. I had to earn their respect, I get it. Soon after, I was invited by an NFL play-by-play announcer to do color commentating. He was the official voice for one of teams playing that day. I remember right before we kicked off he said “I just did a search and you are officially the first female to color commentate on behalf of this team” Can you believe that?? What an unexpected blessing from the Lord!
From there, ESPN gave me a podcast series where I wrote, produced and narrated sports stories. They followed it up with a huge advertising run promoting all their new shows, my face was plastered on city buses, local newspapers and digital billboard trucks all over the city! I always joked “the Nova on the bus poster was traveling more than I was” ESPN was one of my first real experiences with any type of fans. Sometimes the talents were taken on the road to do live shows with athletes and the network would have bodyguards to protect us. I’ve always taken a lot of things related to any level of public popularity with a grain of salt, so seeing a bodyguard accompany me to the bathroom was rather amusing. I appreciate these extraordinary experiences.
Leather vest, W!LDCH!LD. Pants, Mango x Camille Charrière
HBZVN: Extraordinary experiences seem to follow you around, you also secretly worked directly with 80s movie vixen Denise “Vanity” Matthews to do her life story on film. She selected you to play her! How did that happen?
YARA NOVA: Haha, it’s unheard of right?! Denise and I met under extremely unusual circumstances. I knew very little of her. One day my older brother was watching this old movie where she came on the screen. It caught my attention because she reminded me a lot of my mom and it was really the first time I saw someone in film I could relate to, her skin tone…exotic features. I decided to look her up on the web, her story was incredible. I mean, so rich in experiences. She had some contact info on her site so I sent her a letter. A real letter, I’m talking about hand written! It was very much a letter to Denise, the person she currently was and not the celebrity. About four days later, I get a call from an unknown number. I was at a restaurant, literally taking a bite out of a slice of pizza when I saw the call. I said “it’s her” Our first conversation was introductory. The third or fourth call was really the one that set the bar. She charged at me with a question, her delivery was spicy and I responded just as sassy. She went dead silent. What was said? We can elaborate more in my next cover story with you guys HAHA…After that failed call I said to myself “well, that’s that” Little did I know, it wasn’t over. She actually called me back.
Fur vest, W!LDCH!LD.
It started with just one call, then escalated to three calls a week, eventually leading to daily conversations. She began recalling many memories from her life as Vanity and entrusted me to document and record our discussions. We made a great team: she provided the information, and I pieced it together to create the story. Initially, I wasn’t sure of the purpose behind all this until one random day when she asked me to send her a picture of myself. I was rushing to class, so I hurried her off the phone. Just one minute after I sent my picture, she called again, persistently. Unable to answer, I finally dashed to the bathroom, picked up her call, and heard her exclaim, ‘Is this you? Oh my God, you’re like my kid!’ That’s when it all truly began.
Fur vest, W!LDCH!LD.
Once I started visiting her, it became intense. She dedicated so much time to me, teaching me about who she was, dressing me in her iconic wardrobe, and breaking it all down with the TRUTH. The truth is crucial for a project like this, you know? You can’t truly grasp it if you’ve never broken bread with that person. I understand that parasocial relationships reign supreme when it comes to celebrities, but assumptions about who we think they are, what they like, or even what they want are far too common and create false narratives. Perhaps this is how people maintain the fantasy of their idol? Who knows? But I’d like to believe that Denise deserves more than just assumptions about her journey and who she was.
Fur vest, W!LDCH!LD.
HBZVN: You have been given a very special story to bring to fruition, sounds like a lot of work. Have you ever convinced yourself to just quit?
Gosh! I’ve thought about quitting countless times… but it was all in my head. I’ve never actually quit anything, but that idea really began to take hold after Denise passed away. I was mourning her loss while still trying to maintain momentum. It was incredibly difficult; she truly believed in me and defended her choice to everyone, without reservation. And now, she was gone.
One night, I stumbled upon these Bible scriptures: Ephesians 2:10 – ‘For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do,’ and Psalm 121 – ‘My help cometh from the Lord.’ Those simple yet powerful words stuck in my head. It wasn’t the time for me to fall apart; it was GO time.
I established a consistent routine of meditation and A LOT of prayer. Between that and Denise’s support (now in spirit), I felt like I was launching fireballs at all the brick walls in my way. I was focused; I knew I had a responsibility. Quitting wasn’t an option.
Photographer: Antoine Verglas @antoineverglas.
Art Direction: Patrick Reilly @patrickjamesreilly.
Talent: Yara Nova @novayaraofficial.
Fashion Styling: La Tigresa Productions @latigresaproductions.
Makeup Artist: Vuh-Deee @makeupby_vadee.
Hair Stylist: Liam Dunn @liamhairmakeup.
Assistants: Michael Pusharsky and Lera Loeb.
Studio 169 in NYC.
Harper’s Bazaar Vietnam
