‘I understood my scar as a life purpose’, says SPFW model

“When I suffered the accident and the scar appeared in my life, I understood it as something more. At some point, I would discover its real purpose in my life”. The phrase is from model Giulia Dias, 24, who is now counting the seconds until her debut on the catwalks of São Paulo Fashion Week, on Thursday (17).

For her, a career in the fashion world was not a dream – although she had always been involved in this universe. Daughter of entrepreneurs of a streetwear brand, Giulia says that she started working as a model in 2020, at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. “A lot happened because I decided to shave my hair and got in touch with the agency. It was all very spontaneous”, she recalls.

She had dropped out of the international relations and executive secretariat faculties, and says that working as a model was a respite from a difficult phase and reaffirmed her goal of inspiring more and more people. 🇧🇷[Agora]my goal is to meet people and work with brands that have a greater meaning”, adds she, who will walk the runway at SPFW for the brand Sou de Algodão.

Giulia suffered the car accident in 2007, when she was 8 years old, while she and her family were moving from Curitiba to Florianópolis. “My grandmother, who already lived in Floripa, went to get me and my brothers while my parents were waiting for the moving truck. The idea was that we would be ready to sleep when they arrived.”

On the way, in Joinville (SC), the model’s grandmother became ill and ended up fainting. Her older sister, who was 11 years old, pulled the car’s handbrake to stop it from hitting a truck, whereupon the vehicle rolled onto the road. Giulia had injuries to her face and abdomen, her grandmother fractured five bones in her spine, her sister suffered injuries to her mouth and her younger brother, who was 2 years old, was unharmed.

“At the time of the accident, a doctor was passing by. He heard the noise of the accident and went to the BR, he is our guardian angel”, he says. The model says that, upon arriving at the hospital, she only remembers passing an aunt’s phone number to the medical team, as her sister and grandmother were unable to speak. After that, she was in an induced coma for 15 days.

Giulia says that it wasn’t a shock to see her face after the accident, and that she has the scene in her memory. “When I got up the first time after the accident and looked at myself in the mirror, I just shrugged and went to take a shower. My scars were never a problem for me, I never suffered from them. But even today there are people who look down on me and make nasty comments.”

For her, the vision and feeling of self-esteem are the result of her upbringing and her family background. “As a teenager, I told my friends a lot: ‘If you don’t love yourself first, nobody will.’ I’m fine with my life and who I am.”

Now, she uses social media to inspire people. “This shows that the market needs to change and that words help a lot. It is with conversations that I encourage people to look in the mirror and love every little part of themselves”, she adds, who says she receives many reports from people who see her as an inspiration.

Giulia adds that she wants to work for big brands like Chanel, Coperni and Misci, and admires those that look for people outside the aesthetic standard. “I also admire many models, but I can mention Ashley Graham, Carlota Berotti, Lindsey Hilario, Rapha Tratske…”

For the future, the model will graduate in international relations (“in fact, I already wrote my final paper and will present it in December”) and intends to further expand her career in the world of fashion. “My main career objective is to continue working with brands that take the idea of ​​breaking the standard.”