It is no secret that many Brazilian girls haven taken the fashion world by storm, establishing themselves as true queens of the runway.
So it’s small wonder that one of them, Giselle Bundchen, played the starring role in the opening ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.
Though she’s definitely one of the most beautiful women to be born in Brazil, she’s far from the only one.
Meet Alessandra Ambrosio – a long-time Victoria’s Secret Angel who also modelled for top brands such as Next, Armani Exchange and Christian Dior, and is currently ranked as one of the highest-paid models in the world.
Izabel Goulart’s modelling career began with an unfortunate accident as during her first-ever fashion show appearance the top of the creation she was wearing fell open, baring her breast. However, she refused to be discouraged by this unfortunate event and went on to become one of the best-known models in the world.
Adriana Lima became a Victoria’s Secret Angel back in 2000, which makes her the company’s longest-running model, and in 2015 she ranked second in the top-earning models list compiled by Forbes.
When Isabeli Fontana appeared in the Victoria's Secret lingerie catalogue in 1999 it immediately caused a controversy because Victoria's Secret stated that they would not use models younger than 18 while the model was only 16 at the time of the shoot. That event however apparently only helped her career as she was immediately signed by Versace, Ralph Lauren and Valentino.
While many models start their careers young when they have no kids, Lais Ribeiro became a model at the age of 25, a year after giving birth to her son. During the Brazil fashion week for the spring/summer 2011 collections, she was the most booked runway model, and in 2015 she became a Victoria’s Secret Angel.
Ana Beatriz Barros was scouted by a representative from Elite Model Management at the age of 13 when she was vacationing with her sister in Rio. Since then, she became known for her multiple appearances in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and for her work with Intimissimi, Victoria's Secret, Chanel cosmetics, and Jennifer Lopez's JLO fashion line.
Caroline Trentini was actually discovered by the same agent who scouted Gisele Bündchen. Her breakthrough came when she was cast in a Marc by Marc Jacobs ad campaign, that was eventually followed by offers from companies like Gucci Cruise, Oscar de la Renta and Dolce & Gabbana Animelier.