Model Diaries with Camila Coelho

Photographed by Jana Scheussler

Few names embody the intersection of fashion, beauty, and modern influence quite like Camila Coelho.  With an unmistakable sense of style, an international  presence, and an entrepreneurial spirit that has taken her from beauty creator to global fashion force, Coelho has built a world entirely her own. Whether seated front row, stepping onto a red carpet, or shaping the next chapter of her eponymous fashion label, she brings a distinctly confident point of view to everything she does. For her latest Modeliste Cover, Camila joins us for Model Diaries, talking personal style, fall fashion, beauty rituals, career-defining moments, and what’s inspiring her now.

What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?
The first thing I do when I wake up is ice my face. It’s not only good for my skin, but also depuffs so much. I’m addicted.

What’s something people would be surprised to learn about you?
One thing I think people would be surprised to know about me is that I eat a lot—over 2,300 calories a day. I have a fast metabolism.

How would your closest friends describe you in three words?
From what my friends usually tell me, the three words would be caring, because I really, really care about people that I truly love. Giving—I’m very giving. And fun. I mean, I can definitely make any room more fun. It’s a very Brazilian thing in me, especially if there’s good music. I can’t talk about it.

What makes you happiest right now?
What makes me the happiest right now, I think, would be the balance between my work life and my personal life. I’m a mom, I’m an entrepreneur, I’m a content creator, and right now I’m really at peace and super happy with all of it.

Having grown up in Brazil, what’s one Brazilian tradition you’ll always keep alive in your family?
One Brazilian tradition I always keep alive in my family is spending the holidays together or just being together whenever we have a chance, like sitting down, everyone at the same time at the table for dinner, just being together and staying connected.

What do you miss most about Brazil when you’re away?
What I miss most about Brazil when I’m away is my horses—and the food also—but I miss my horses so much.

What’s your favorite Brazilian food?
My favorite Brazilian food is a very typical Brazilian food. It’s called Frango com Quiabo. It’s like a Brazilian chicken stew with okra and this corn polenta. Yum. I need a Frango com Quiabo.

How does your Brazilian heritage continue to influence the woman you are today?
The one thing about my Brazilian heritage that influences the woman that I am today is that I come from a very small town and a simple background, and that has kept me grounded until this day. I’m very grateful for all the things that I’ve accomplished and all the things that God gave me. And through this journey, which is a very glamorous life that I get to live today, I think this is the one thing in my heritage that has kept my feet on the ground.

How has the collection evolved alongside your own personal style?
The brand evolved as I matured. Back in 2019, I was a bit younger. I also was kind of doing different things, and now I’m a mom, I’m more of an entrepreneur. I’ve done so many other things that my style also elevated. So the brand kind of follows me because I want to design things that I want to wear.

Is there a signature element that you feel defines the Camila Coelho Collection?
I think the signature element in my brand would be the sexy touch that it has in every piece, this Brazilian heritage of mine. If I’m making a suit or a dress, there’s always going to be this sexy touch to it.

How do you want a woman to feel when she puts on one of your pieces?
I want women to feel confident and powerful when they wear Camila Coelho.

What is your favorite piece you’ve ever designed?
Oh, so hard to pick a favorite piece that I’ve ever designed. Each collection, I feel like I say, “Oh, this is my new favorite piece.” But the latest one, I would say, is this flowy dress. I’ll give you guys a photo. It’s a super flowy chiffon dress, and it has a silk corset to it. I love—I’ve been loving, I’m addicted to mixing fabrics lately in my brand, and that’s one of my favorite pieces. It looks so expensive. It fits like a glove. So yeah, I think pieces that are a bit unexpected.

What’s next for the Camila Coelho Collection?
The next step for the Camila Coelho brand is going to be going global, everywhere.

Who is your style icon?
A style icon, for me, is always changing. I always find myself looking at... But one person that I love and I think is so chic and beautiful is Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. I would crash her closet right away, but I also love the edginess of Bella Hadid. I love everything she puts on, and there’s always this sexy edge to it, which I am obsessed with.

What is your number-one trend for Fall?
My number-one trend for this fall is mixing fabrics. This fall is going to be very strong and busy, and I love that.

What color will you be wearing on repeat this season?
The color I’ll be wearing on repeat this season will be, like, oxblood or lots of browns. Obsessed.

What’s the best part of being a mom?
The best part of being a mom—I mean, besides the sleepless nights and all those things—the best part is that you get to really know and feel what love really is, the biggest love. That’s the best part of being a mom.

What has motherhood taught you about yourself?
Motherhood has taught me so many things about myself. I feel like after becoming a mom, I definitely learned so much about me, about the world, how I see things, how I see my work, and it has taught me to really prioritize what’s truly important in life.

You began your career in beauty. What first made you fall in love with it?
I began my career with beauty, and what made me truly fall in love with it was how I could impact other women and make them feel more powerful and more confident.

What makes you feel most confident?
What makes me feel most confident, I think, is my faith. When you have faith and you believe that everything is going to work out and there is God always taking care of you and loving you so much, it just gives you so much peace.

What’s the best beauty advice you’ve ever received?
I think the best beauty advice I’ve ever received is that I truly believe beauty comes from the inside out. If you look at yourself in the mirror and you don’t feel good about yourself and you’re feeling down or sad, you can put the best makeup on, the best look on, and you’re still not going to be happy. So it’s truly about loving yourself—who you are, how you are, your decisions—and that light inside is going to shine through. So love yourself.

What beauty product is always in your bag?
A beauty product that’s always in my bag—you’re always going to find it no matter where I am, even if I have the tiniest bag—is a lip liner. I’m obsessed. I cannot have a bare lip on, ever.

What are your five-minute makeup essentials?
My five-minute makeup essentials would be a little bit of concealer, lip liner, and I have to do my brows, so a little brow gel. And that’s it.

You launched the Camila Coelho Collection in 2019. What was your original vision for the brand?
I launched the Camila Coelho brand back in 2019, and my vision for it was to create looks and pieces that I love to wear and that would make women feel confident. But definitely, the brand grew and evolved so much. Today, I look back at 2019, and the brand was definitely more youthful, young, and now it’s so chic, elevated. I mean, I evolved with the brand, and it’s so fun doing it.

What’s the coat or jacket everyone needs for fall?
A go-to fall coat this season for you is going to be this beautiful gray Camila Coelho coat with big shoulders, a structured shape, but it has a waist. It’s insane. You can wear it on its own. You can wear it with jeans, with a dress. It’s incredible.

What fall trend are you most excited to style?
This fall, I’m excited to just try everything and, I think, play with a lot of different fabrics together.

Looking back at everything you’ve accomplished so far, what has been the biggest pinch-me moment of your career?
Looking back at everything I’ve accomplished so far, I think still my biggest pinch-me moment—there were so many, like so many magazine covers, so many events that I wanted to attend, huge accomplishments with my brands—but still, it is the Met Gala. Going to the Met Gala with Diane von Furstenberg, who is a queen, an icon, was the most memorable moment for me.

You’re our next Modeliste Cover Star—what are you most excited about in sharing this cover moment with us?
I’m so excited to be the next Modeliste cover star. I love the magazine so much, and I’m really excited for everyone to see this beautiful editorial that we did today. It’s so me. It looks like I’m on a ranch or at a cottage. It’s very me. I mean, I wish I could have brought my horses here. It would’ve been perfect. But yeah, I’m excited to showcase some of my own pieces in the editorial.

You always seem to have something exciting in the works. What upcoming projects can you share with us right now?
There are a few projects that I’m actually working on, a new brand, and there’s something else really exciting that you should keep an eye out for. I’m going to be talking a lot.

Finish this sentence: “The next chapter of Camila Coelho is…”
The biggest and happiest one.