Born in Moscow, Russia, Pivovarova began modeling after a friend introduced her to modeling agency IMG. Her first show was Prada, and soon she went on to do the Fall 2005 campaign for the brand.
Pivovarova has been compared to supermodel Gemma Ward; some claim she is a "harsher" version of Ward. Sasha is close friends with a fellow Russian model Vlada Roslyakova and Ukrainian Snejana Onopka. She has modeled for such brands such as Chanel, Valentino, Prada, Louis Vuitton and Gucci.
Along with modeling, Pivovarova has an interest in art. In a recent interview, she stated that "I love to draw...I want to be an artist."
More recently, Pivovarova has become the face of Prada for the 2nd season in a row.