Who:
Ella Kwinta — @elzbieta_kwinta_gomes — Polish from Kalisz, Poland — born March 20th — 186 cm / 6’1″ — she/her.

Where:
Elite Lisbon (mother agency), New Madison (Paris), ADDICTED TO MODELS (Vienna)

— What are three interesting facts about you?
1. When I was a young student, I had the courage to go from Poland to the USA to work, make some money, and travel. I worked as a bartender on Kelleys Island (Lake Erie), where I made friendships for life. Because of my height, every other person entering the bar would ask me, “Are you that tall or are you standing on something?” And they often would end up saying, “You should be a model,” which I later became.
2. I also studied acting in New York City at the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute. That brought me to doing acting workshops with acting teacher Robert Castle in several places around the world, including Portugal.
3. In Portugal, I met my husband and again had the courage to move there and start a family. I became a stepmother of 3 amazing young people and recently gave birth to my first child, a beautiful boy.

— What advice would you give to models who are considering entering the modeling industry later in life? Are there any key lessons or insights you wish you had known earlier in your career?
I would say that the older you get, the more modeling becomes about who you are and what your eyes show, and less about the perfection of your body. It makes it easier, more relaxed, more fun. My key lesson would be to always show kindness and gratefulness to people you work with and to be open to opportunities and the unknown.

— What do you hope to see change or improve within the fashion industry in the future?
I’d like to see new standards of beauty. There’s a lot of talk about it, but in reality, very little changes. Undernourished bodies still dominate the runways, continuing to mess with young girls’ minds, making them believe this is what’s expected of them, at the expense of their physical and mental health, causing fertility problems later in life, etc. The losses are real and, unfortunately, often irreversible. More effort should be put into changing these standards of beauty into more healthy ones.

Who:
Guiomar Alfaro Pablos — @guiomaralfaropablos — Spanish from Navarre, Spain — born September 27th — 178 cm / 5’10” — she/her.

Where:
Isla Management (Barcelona)

— An issue or cause you are passionate about:
Right now, I am passionate about creating a niche for us (the models in our 50s) in the fashion industry here in Spain! Olivier Rousteing did something spectacular with his Balmain ladies, and I want to become the next Spanish Balmain lady. We need more professionals my age on the catwalk! I am passionate about what I am doing right now and this revolutionary cause. We are here to stay this time, for sure!

— One thing people may be surprised to find out about you:
I am superrrrrrrrr natural, and I say and express what I feel without any fear! I sincerely think we do not have to be afraid of being ourselves, always being polite and respectful but showing the REAL you!

— The most interesting thing about your family:
My parents wanted us to become absolutely trilingual and that’s why they would send us to England and to France every single summer! I love languages and my kids are also trilingual. There’s an awful lot of effort and discipline there but we have achieved it! I even speak Italian. I do think my parents hit the nail on the head with this idea of making us travel and learn languages; it’s THE BEST!!!!

Who:
Irina Frankild — @irinafrankild — Danish from Copenhagen, Denmark — born February 18th — 173 cm / 5’8.5″ — she/her.

Where:
Le Management (Copenhagen)

— Did you always envision yourself pursuing a career in modeling, or did it come as a surprise? How did you first enter the world of modeling?
It totally came as a surprise at the age of 45. I have been on stage and in film for many years as a ballet dancer and actor, so it’s not new for me to be telling a story with myself as a tool. Nevertheless, I did not expect to sign with an agency and start doing shows and fashion. I love it. It’s so much fun, and I am never nervous, like when I have to cast for a role or make theater, etc.

— What do you hope to see change or improve within the fashion industry in the future?
More focus on aging naturally, to show kids that fake doll faces and Instagram filters are not necessary to be beautiful. Beauty is a state of mind. And focus more on young innovative designers. I love the way that theater performance and art becomes bigger and bigger in fashion, and how they all cooperate. More of that, please.

— Share a bit about your background and upbringing.
I was breaking a pattern in the family for sure, spending my childhood and youth dancing ballet and doing my own thing. I moved out when I was 17 and lived 9 different places in 6 years. I was always very independent. I kind of had to be.

Who:
Mireille van der Wees — @mireillevanderwees — Dutch from Amsterdam, The Netherlands — born March 17th — 179 cm / 5’10.5″ — she/her.

Where:
Micha Models (Amsterdam)

— Share a bit about your background and upbringing.
I was born in the Netherlands, but my parents are from Suriname, a country in South America close to Brazil. One of the lovely things my mother did when we were growing up was include delicious Surinamese dishes when she cooked for us, like Roti, Bami, Petjel, and Baka Bana.

— Did you always envision yourself pursuing a career in modeling, or did it come as a surprise? How did you first enter the world of modeling?
As far as I can remember, I indeed always envisioned myself pursuing a career in modeling. I remember looking at pictures of Naomi Campbell and Claudia Schiffer when I was a little girl and knowing that modeling was the career I wanted to pursue, the seed of modeling was planted in my heart. My mother told me that since I was very young, other mothers would encourage her to sign me up with a modeling agency because I always was one of the tallest girls in the class, but she never took their advice too seriously, haha. So since I was 14, I have tried to do some kind of modeling here and there, but the first time I was truly signed to an agency was when I was about 23. I went to a model open call at Elite/Chosen Chicago, and I was picked, together with Amanda Murphy, by agent Stephen Hall.

— What advice would you give to models who are considering entering the modeling industry later in life? Are there any key lessons or insights you wish you had known earlier in your career?
I probably would share that if the road into the modeling industry is longer or goes differently than you may have hoped or expected, learn to disregard the ‘get off the road’/exit signs/thoughts/feelings/advice, faithfully proceed and accept that they are all part of your wonderful modeling career journey. Only get off the road if the modeling road has indisputably ended, and even if that may happen, once a model, always a model.

Who:
Tatiana Kobayashi — @tatitatchuka — Brazilian/Japanese from São Paulo, Brazil — born March 1st — 172 cm / 5’8″ — she/her.

Where:
Singular MGT (São Paulo – mother agency)

— The most interesting thing about your family:
We are really mixed ethnicities. My grandparents from my father’s side are 100% Japanese, and even though I never met my mother and her family, they are half-Brazilian and half-African.

— How did you become a model?
I did my first shoot with Ash Hudson in Japan, and after the shoot, he invited me to take some pictures for his brand, but I didn’t think it was for real. A couple of days later, he came back to the pub I used to work in and asked me again. I called some friends to help me out because I didn’t know who this guy was. But the shoot for his brand was incredible, and I really enjoyed it. I lived in Japan for almost 15 years, and my friend did a photo shoot with me once for a jewelry brand. Everything was great, but I returned to Brazil 8 years ago and completely changed my lifestyle. I became a mother 4 years ago and started to work renting spaces with some real estate agents. One day, I was showing an apartment, and the lady asked if I ever took any pictures as a model. She was the owner of a huge agency in Sao Paulo. A couple of months ago, she got a company interested in my profile, and since then, this world has been part of life for me and my son.

— What are 3 interesting facts about you?
1. I’m an adventurous person who can speak 5 languages, and I have loved traveling to a couple of places around the world by myself.
2. I love to surf, even though I’m not perfect. Diving is a part of my heart; being on the sea is my choice of lifestyle.
3. Kids are my passion, especially my son.

Who:
Yvonne Mends Cole — German/Liberian from Frankfurt am Main, Germany — born November 26th — 180 cm / 5’11” — she/her.

Where:
Mirrrs Models (Hamburg)

— Did you always envision yourself pursuing a career in modeling, or did it come as a surprise? How did you first enter the world of modeling?
I tried to step into modeling in my early 20s. But at that time in Germany there were only a few spots for people of color.
I didn’t want to chase it, so I stopped before it really started. Now my kids are grown, I’m self-confident, know who I am, and like to have changes in what I’m doing in daily life.

— What advice would you give to models who are considering entering the modeling industry later in life? Are there any key lessons or insights you wish you had known earlier in your career?
Be sure you know your beauty within your self and never compare.

— What do you hope to see change or improve within the fashion industry in the future?
More natural beauty, and fashion without exhausting the environment and resources.