In the competitive world of international fashion, the Brazilian model Nattan Pires has shown he can conquer his own space. At only 18 years of age plus a great amount of passion and ambition, Pires, born in Paraná state, has shown that the competitive and often brutal international modeling career does not intimidate him.
On American soil since 2007, Pires currently resides in New York City, a big step towards his dreams. “In 2013 I came to New York, the city that made me grow, mature and gave me a better idea of what it was I really wanted for myself,” Pires says.
At the beginning, he faced several obstacles in order to establish himself as a professional in the fashion industry, but with hard work and determination he gambled everything on his talent and gradually built his portfolio, working with photographers coming from different parts of the world, such as Matt Licari, Jamie Brian, Dana Scruggs, Sean-Micah Siegel and others.
Early on, Pires understood that in order to succeed he would have to adapt to the American rules and standards. “In America everything is taken more seriously, and, unfortunately, working in the arts in Brazil is always more complicated, and much more undervalued,” concludes Pires.
With his boyish looks, for which there is a large market in the world of male models, Pires also has a strong bone structure, which creates an interesting contrast and has become his trademark.
In 2014, Pires was a featured model in the biggest beauty show in the world, the International Beauty Show, which took place in NYC. One of his greatest achievements was breaking through barriers in the runway world of modeling.
Traditionally, the minimum height required for male models is 5’11”, slightly above 5’9″, which is Pires’ height. Still, he has walked the runway in internationally renowned events such as New York Fashion Week, Los Angeles Fashion Week and Las Vegas Fashion Week, an event that was attended by over 30 eminent international designers and from where Pires has just returned.
Pires believes his experience studying drama was extremely important to make him a more complete model. “Today I realize how my drama classes were essential to what I’m building now as a model,” he comments.
After appearing in publications including Modern Salon and Fashion Odds, Pires has worked with brands like V76 by Vaughn, which is owned by the same parent company (Luxury Brand Partners) that owns Oribe, R+Co and Smith & Cult.
His hair has been touched by professionals who have worked with big names in the entertainment industry, such as Jennifer Lopez, Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears and Ashton Kutcher.
With his grounded attitude and a lot of persistence, he already speaks four languages and is preparing to follow in the footsteps of successful Brazilian models and build his name internationally.
Pires knows that in order to keep growing in his career it is always necessary to keep focused and have a lot of courage, after all as he puts it, “Life has a lot to offer for those who are willing to leave everything behind in exchange for facing the challenges on their path and fight for their goals.”
