American born Gabriela Amaral may seem like a world class model, glamourous, determined, and hard-working. However, unlike most, she has a vision to inspire young people to follow their passion and to empower others. 

Amaral’s love of modeling developed when she was a young girl. Her desire to be seen on the runways stemmed from her ballet and gymnastic lessons and gave her a passion

to perform.

“Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve always loved making people happy,” said Amaral. “So, when I started out with ballet and gymnastics, I transitioned there and I just love to see people smile. Expressing myself like that [in ballet and gymnastics] made me feel like I could give something to the world. The passion definitely grew from there.”

Her love of the exciting and fast paced fashion world has stayed with Amaral all of her life and is what encouraged her to begin modeling for Canadian agencies. Working with like-minded individuals makes her feel passionate about her work.

“I love how fast paced it is [in the fashion industry],” said Amaral. “Just knowing that you only stop if you stop yourself. The opportunity is always there in that world and it’s up to you to go out there and try. There’s so much in the fashion world for writers, for models and for designers. I love that we can all come together artistically as one.”

Like many models, Amaral takes inspiration from her idols when she is in front of the camera. Her favourite models include Tyra Banks, Adriana Lima, and Emily Didonato. Amaral is not just a fan of her idols’ work, but more importantly of their empowerment of others. She believes that people need to be empowered and not be afraid to have a voice and chase their dreams. 

“Tyra Banks is my number one [favourite model],” said Amaral. “I love the fact that she has a voice. She is really empowering for women and everyone in general. My favourite models all like to empower others.”

In today’s uncertain times, Amaral believes that the fashion industry is in for a drastic change. She has seen many designers release new lines of clothing that have alterations to accommodate masks such as turtleneck sweaters that go up towards the nose. She says that many designers are releasing their own brand of masks and masks that can be hooked onto ears. 

“If Covid continues the way it’s been going, I feel like many high-end designers might transition and work more masks into the high-end fashion world,” said Amaral. “I can’t say that I would hate that, I think it would be kind of cool.”

Born and raised in Florida, Amaral has a great appreciation of nature and being active. In her free time, Amaral can be spotted hiking, running, and strolling through nature. Her love of fashion and modeling has also given her a love of photography and painting which she also partakes in during her free time. She also has a background in martial arts and worked as a registered pharmacy technician before breaking into the modeling industry. 

Three years ago, Amaral emigrated to be with her Canadian husband and they have lived in Toronto ever since. Her love for the city has quickly grown and Amaral enjoys going out to try new and exciting foods. 

“I love trying new foods from all around the world,” said Amaral. “This is one of the cool things about living in Toronto, when I first moved here, I realized that you can literally eat around the world just here. Toronto is just so full of culture. The people here are so friendly and open-minded, I knew this was the place for me.”

After taking some time to raise her now 14-month-old son, Amaral has gotten into the fashion game full time. Amaral has found representation through M Models and aspires to work with big name designers like Nike and Versace. 

“I took some time out of the industry, but I broke back in right away,” said Amaral. “I would love to model for Versace. Versace is just perfect and elegant.”

In a changing world, Gabriela Amaral wants to inspire more people to make their dreams a reality and never give up. 

“I want to express myself but bring a voice to modelling as well,” said Amaral. “I want to give a voice to girls by expressing myself.” 

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Article by Alexandra Sempie