Born in South Africa and with a profession that made her travel the world, Candice Swanepoel found her place in the world here, in Brazil. “I feel a connection to other lives, something a bit mystical,” says the model in an interview with Bazaar. Since her first visit, when she was 17, Candice knew that one day she would like to live here and, whenever she can, she separates free moments in her professional life to visit the country that her soul embraced. “I think there are places in the world where your spirit fits well, and Brazil is that for me. It has always been a place where I feel calmer, my mind is clearer. It’s an inexplicable thing,” she adds.
Over the years, the country gained an even more special place in her heart. Candice gave birth to her two children with Brazilian Hermann Nicoli, Anacã and Ariel (ages six and four, respectively), in Vitória, Espírito Santo. The model says that her dream was to be able to live and raise her children on Brazilian soil, but that living in the United States makes her work easier.
“I try my best to teach about where they were born, I tell the story. I’m always surrounded by Brazilians, many of my friends are from there, so we speak a lot of Portuguese at home. They understand everything but don’t say much because of school. I am very happy to take them to Brazil and show them my vision. I think that, because I’m not Brazilian, I only see beautiful things. Sometimes, being from the country, people focus on the bad things, on politics. Visiting Brazil with me is a fairy tale”, she says in Portuguese. Throughout the interview, Candice conducts the conversation calmly, as if she were speaking in her mother tongue, mixing expressions and jokes of someone who is used to talking to Brazilians who rarely have problems with the English language.
In addition to her personal life, Candice Swanepoel’s profession also gained space here, allowing the model to visit the country more frequently. One of those times was earlier this year, when Candice landed in São Paulo to photograph the Schutz campaign. The star is the protagonist of the brand’s images, with whom her relationship began long before becoming an advertising star. “When I was 18 or 19 years old and traveled to São Paulo or Rio de Janeiro, I always went to the stores to buy shoes. This story is really cool, since in the beginning I was a consumer”, she recalls.
For her, one of the characteristics that most attracts her about working with Schutz speaks directly to the favorite part of her profession: being able to interpret different personas. “Each campaign they run has a very strong direction. I love arriving and understanding who this woman is wearing those shoes”, explains Candice and adds that the jobs always have incredible teams. “That’s important, because we don’t do anything alone. It’s like making a cake: if you put some ingredients wrong, it won’t be good. With Schutz, I always trust that something amazing will come out.”
By talking more with the South African model, it is possible to begin to understand her strong connection with Brazil, even before all the history and emotional baggage that the model created with the country. Chat goes, chat comes and the focus of the conversation returns to this passion, more specifically for Bahia, a place that she doesn’t hesitate to visit when she is here. She says it’s a place of refuge and, when analyzing why, she highlights the connection with African culture. “It brings something from my childhood. I feel like it’s a place where I can become a child again, play, live, be back in nature. It is a place that has always cured me of anything.”
When questioning her about her childhood in South Africa, Candice Swanepoel says that only those who experienced it can deeply understand the experiences she had growing up surrounded by nature and different cultures – but the smile on her face makes it possible to witness a bit of the nostalgia that surrounds her. the subject. The model says that she was raised on a farm, with breathtaking landscapes. She makes a comparison with the settings of the feature film “Entre Dois Amores”, from 1985, for those who have never visited the place to get a sense of the landscape, but claims that, even so, it doesn’t come close to the real beauty of the place.
“My family has always been very down to earth. Growing up in that time, in that place, built a big part of my personality. I was always curious and loved everything that was a little wild. We lived in a state where the Zulus lived. I grew up surrounded by Zulu women”, she details. “In my profession, it’s easy to get lost and, for me, this strong connection to Africa and my family keeps me connected. I’ve always believed in the right values, in being a person who works to get where he wants to be. I thank God so much for having this experience. Being born in this place, geographically, is an outbreak”, she jokes.
Looking back also causes Candice to compare changes in her profession – both negative and positive. For her, at the beginning of her career, models needed to walk around the cities, go from photographer to photographer, rely on word of mouth to launch her career, while today, social networks provide digital support for self-promotion. On the other hand, the amount of eyes on the new generation, the mean comments and exposure make the profession more emotionally intense.
“Find something that makes you feel good (and that makes you feel good too) and do it. Don’t try to be like millions of people. When I started, I was 15 years old, because it took longer to move around in the fashion world. But today I see girls starting older. So I would say: if you are 15 years old, go live your life and have experiences”, Candice advises anyone who wants to start working in fashion.
Before ending our conversation, Candice makes a request, amidst laughter, which seems more like advice and which reinforces how used to Brazilian culture she is: “go to a bar for me, have a beer”.
