Is Modeling Ready for Its Next Great Linda?
As a locale readily associated with supermodels and perfect bodies, Brazil has never lacked for modeling talent. Household names such as Gisele Bündchen, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Adriana Lima still reign supreme, but the nation’s latest beauties aren’t all bombshells. Eclectic and androgynous, the current crop of Brazilian talent is providing the industry with a renewed sense of excitement. And this season, 20-year-old model Linda Helena exemplified the best of what the new generation has to offer.
On the surface, Helena’s dark hair and dramatic features lend themselves to playing the vixen, but she’s proved herself adaptable on the runway. She transformed into a sci-fi heroine for Chanel’s NASA-themed show, donned those waitlist-worthy Saint Laurent slouchy boots, and embodied classic luxury at Hermès. Helena made the most of an abbreviated season, but don’t ask her to pick favorites. “Each show was special in its own way,” says Helena. “The energy of Saint Laurent was electric, but ending the show season with Chanel was out of this world, and with that spaceship, we almost made it there!”
Here, Helena shares what it felt like to walk Saint Laurent, and why she spends her Sundays volunteering.
As a lifelong fashion devotee she loves getting an insider’s view on the industry.
“Every day is a surprise and a treat, whether I'm meeting new clients or working or traveling. I grew up only having fashion inside the television and seeing it in magazines, so being on the ‘inside’ now everything is new and exciting to me. So much goes into every shoot, show, collection, and casting by an entire team, etc. Still, the best part about fashion right now is how diversity is being embraced!”
Charity remains a big part of her life.
“When I was a kid I thought I was going live my life helping abandoned animals. I'm not too far off that goal, though; I still volunteer at animal shelters every Sunday in Brooklyn. My first day, I ended up taking two cats home! Charity is a huge part of who I am; I always want to be giving back. Most people don't know it, but I grew up singing in hospitals and nursing homes to the sick and elderly. Not many people know I can even carry a tune.”
Her adoptive home gives her plenty of time to explore her other passion–sports.
“I come from the capital of Mato Grosso do Sul in Brazil. It's close to Bolivia and Paraguay. We are about 1 million people total, so it's small in comparison to NYC, but I am a city girl! Sobre criaçao [It's in my nature]! I live in Brooklyn now, and the Barclays Center is like a second home to me—my boyfriend and I love to go and watch sports together.”
The best part of Paris? The memories she made with her family.
“The first time I came to Paris, it was with my family, and it was my very first flight! We soaked up all the history we could, and coming from a religious family, the best part was being around such a historic part of our religion in Paris. The city is magical every time I come; the culture, the architecture is tellement beau!"
She walked Saint Laurent with her best friend.
“When Piergiorgio [Del Moro] and Anthony Vaccarello confirmed me for my worldwide debut in Paris for Saint Laurent, it was the best day of my life. I was even lucky enough to walk with one of my best friends, Moira Berntz, too! What can be better than that? It is the real starting point of my career, and it makes the long days, hectic schedules, and running around all worth it.”
. http://www.instagram.com/thelindahelena
