Photographer Antártica at Another Artist Agency – Fashion Editor Rubén Cortés – Model Estrella Gomez at Uno Models – Make Up by Antonio Romero – Special Thanks to Espacio Nueva – Interview by Marco Martello
Dress Christopher Esber – Top Alainpaul – Tights Wolford – Shoes Julie Kegels / Top Institution – Leggings Issey Miyake – Double Bra Stylist’s Own
First things first, what’s your earliest fashion-related memory?
I feel like my first memory would be going shopping with my mum. I remember not liking it a lot. It was not the clothes at all, it was really having to change all the time into them.
How did you find the confidence a model needs to stand in front of the camera?
Practice. I think standing in front of a camera is never easy at the beginning, but over time, you start learning what it is that works with your face and body, and being able to adapt to the shooting team’s way of working.
Dress Magda Butrym – Underneath Dress Isabel Marant / Total Look Alainpaul
Total Look Egonlab / Total Look Maison Margiela
That being said, can you share with us the story of your first runway show?
Well, it was in Milan. I didn’t have a great brand debut like a lot of models. In my case, it was a pretty small brand called Capasa Milano. When I arrived there, I got my hair and make-up done, and I went to the dressing area to take some backstage pictures. When I got to the location, I was told that I’d open the show, so I got extra nervous. I did the pictures and changed back into my clothes. After that, I met this other model guy, and I told him about it being my first show and opening it, and how nervous I was. When I said that, he told me: ‘Look, you’re going to be the first one to start and the first one to finish.’ This made me feel way more relieved, and at the end it was a great show: I enjoyed every moment of it, and I’ll never forget the model that told me that.
Did you have a mentor who helped you navigate the industry in the early days of your modelling career?
Of course! I had a few people that helped a lot in the beginning. There were two sides equally important to me. The first one was my mother agent at the beginning, Rita. I feel like she’s really a part of who I am today as a person, especially working-wise. And the other part were all the model friends I made at the beginning, they were way more experienced than me at the time, and they made me understand that I could really set some important boundaries, instead of being an absolute people-pleaser.
Lingerie Top Julie Kegels – Briefs Stylist’s Own / Top Institution – Leggings Issey Miyake – Double Bra Stylist’s Own
Working as a model, you get the chance to be different versions of yourself, even if it’s just for a little while. What would you be doing if you weren’t modelling?
I’m not a really feminine girl, and in my daily life, I’d never wear skirts or heels, I just don’t feel confident or comfortable in them. But when working, I really go from hating it to being okay with it, which I find crazy. Honestly, I don’t really know what I would be doing if it wasn’t this. Before starting, I never felt really passionate about anything, so fashion was a really nice way to give me time to figure out what I wanted in life.
What’s the biggest misconception about the fashion industry?
Well, I think it’s mostly the glamour part. It’s an industry that looks glamorous from the outside, because of the travelling and the hotels, but it’s actually a really consuming lifestyle.
Total Look Prada / Total Look Alainpaul
Taking a step back and talking about fashion publications again, how does it feel to see yourself in the pages of a fashion magazine nowadays?
It’s really crazy at the beginning, especially because you’ve never been in that spot before. But after a while you kind of start to normalise it and realise that it’s actually just your job.
What’s the most important lesson you’ve learnt working in this industry?
Not making myself small. There’s a lot of very mean people in the industry, and a lot of people wanting to step on you. So it’s very important to fight for what you think it’s fair.
Total Look Dior / Top Institution – Leggings Issey Miyake – Double Bra Stylist’s Own
Dress and shoes Ferragamo – Shorts Stylist’s Own
Let’s now talk about one of the hottest topics in fashion. What do you think about AI? Do you see it as a threat or an opportunity?
Honestly, it’s not a topic that I think about a lot, mostly because I think that when AI takes over the industry, I probably won’t be working as a model anymore. About the other question, I don’t think it’s an opportunity at all! I think it’s not only a tool that can inspire; I think it could really take over, not only in the model part of the industry, but also in the creative field of this one.
Last but not least, do you think your concept of ‘Beauty’ has changed since you started working in the fashion industry?
For sure, but I don’t think it has to do with the fashion industry, at least fully. It has changed all the time during all my life, having to do with all that is happening in my surroundings. The last years, my surroundings were really attached to fashion, so obviously the concept has changed because of the industry, but I believe if I had done a completely different thing, it would have also changed it.