She left Abangares without knowing English: Now, Tikka endorses brands such as Louis Vuitton and Armani

Fiorella Vindas originally from Juntas de Abangares, Guanacaste; the place where his parents fell in love and decided to start a family. The 20-year-old young woman and her sister grew up there without any interest in modeling.

From the age of 7 to 18, she played volleyball, and from the age of 16, she was called up to the national minor team. But in an unexpected twist of fate, five days after her 18th birthday, without having mastered the English language, she landed in Barcelona, ​​Spain, the first of many trips that would be made as a model and a newfound talent.

“I love Costa Rica with all my heart and I have it in my heart, but living abroad is a very different experience. There are so many things to see and try that, maybe coming from such a small town, I have never been exposed to. So of course, I don’t want to go back,” commented the model.

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Theoretically, she would have only been in Barcelona for a few months to make her mark on the European modeling scene, but her success extended her stay in the Old Continent. After her stay in Spain, he lived in London, England, for six months.

“You always have to go back to London but it’s not my favourite place because of the weather. I learned English there and I learned it my own way. I watched series, read English, listened to British people speaking English and put it into practice and now I understand 95 per cent,” Vidas declared.

Currently, he has worked on advertising campaigns for luxury brands such as Balmain, Jacquemus, Armani and Louis Vuitton. In addition, she has also participated in many catwalks, including Milan and Paris Fashion Week.

“I love going to the big events, seeing how everything works from the inside, and then seeing the final cut of what’s released. I always say it’s like playing with dolls as a kid: one day you can be a spy, tomorrow you can be a doctor, the next time you can pretend to be a famous actor… it’s awesome. Coolfact,” he said.

She has been involved in the modeling industry since she was 15 years old. Even for her parents, it has been a long journey of experience and challenges. They were also skeptical and fearful at the beginning. Fiorella Vindas tells us more about these experiences nation.

The volleyball player who became an international model

According to Fiorella, she had never been interested in modeling and got into the industry through friends from the Costa Rican national volleyball team.

“She introduced me to the right person, who introduced me to the right person,” he said, before breaking into laughter.

His first casting was in 2019 with the Costa Rican agency The Aegency, thanks to his current manager and company director Rob Chamaeleo, when they asked him to stay a few days in San José to test him through photo shoots.

“I said no at first and said never, how I would ever be a model and seeing myself in heels would be a killer. My sister convinced me, she told me: ‘May, just because you do a casting call doesn’t mean you’ve got a contract. Just go for it, you never know what’s going to happen.’ From the moment I stood in front of the camera, I realised this is what I wanted to do with my life.”

Then the Covid-19 pandemic arrived, with its huge negative impact on the world, and the activities of his union came to a halt. However, this period was important for his personal formation.

“I dedicated those two years to learning how to wear high heels, watching videos on YouTube, fashion shows… more theoretical stuff. When the pandemic became more manageable, we started working harder until I became an adult, when they allowed you to leave the country,” he recalls.

—For those who are completely new to modeling, it can often seem like a very stressful world, right? How do you deal with these demands?

I won’t lie to you, in the beginning when I arrived I had a hard time sticking to the size, the weight so that the pants looked good, this and that. In Costa Rica I was skinny and felt most out of myself. In Europe I gained a little weight and felt better about myself, but the industry doesn’t tell you, but you notice that you get less job offers.

“In the first year, you want to look good to everyone. Now I’ve learned to deal with it and I understand that the most important thing is that I’m happy. I prefer to eat a few cookies and feel good and then make up for it with exercise. Being an athlete has helped me get fit and exercise more easily,” he explains.

– From modeling, catwalks, advertising campaigns, it’s all public; specific products, but what does being a model mean the rest of the time? How do they spend their day, so to speak?

Some people would say that models are super busy and spend time working; but that’s not true. If you’re really good, you can work four days a week, but two or three days is the most common. You have a lot of free time, but you can’t lock yourself up at home all day. You have to know how to manage life, work, fitness, and food.

— Does a life so nomadic, moving from country to country, make it difficult to build strong social connections?

Often, my friends are models. Maybe you see again a model you saw three countries ago and reconnect. People think a person gets used to goodbyes, but they never really do. Ultimately, it all depends on how strong the bond becomes over time. For example, I have my best friend in Costa Rica, and I love him with all my heart, but I never call him. He writes me sometimes, and we talk for five minutes, and the relationship is still intact; I go back to Costa Rica and it feels like not a day has gone by without me seeing him.

She faced this situation at a very young age and anyone might wonder how did she manage the financial part? Considering that modeling is not like an office job where you retire at 65 and have to manage money for the future.

I have my own accountant and I prefer to pay a certain amount every month and keep calm. I also have my little savings in a little jar called “My Little House in the Forest” and one day it will be full and I will be able to buy my house in Monteverde, which I want very much.

“My mom already tells me: ‘Fiorella, you have to save.’ The one who keeps me grounded the most is my sister, because I ask her opinion on certain expenses and she tells me: ‘Don’t spend, don’t be silly,’” she added.

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Fiorella Vindas is the face of luxury today, the face of brands that most of us cannot own. It is undeniable that her career is closely and constantly connected to wonderful cities. Turkey, China, Italy and France are just some of the destinations she frequents. Although she counts the days until she returns to Costa Rica for vacation, she admits that her nomadic life is very happy.

“A model’s career has no end, unless she decides to. Personally, I think once I’ve achieved my goal of doing a Versace show and making a name for myself in the industry, I wouldn’t mind retiring at that point. But, for me, I’ll stay until the industry tells me, ‘Now, Fiorella, go relax in Costa Rica,’ ” Vidas said.

There are still many shows to come in his career. However, he is sure that this world he has never imagined is not like the life he longs for in the future. Vidas is clear about her goal: to make the most of her work, return to the country to start a business, live in the rainforest, “away from the crowd”.

Perhaps, in a few decades, the story told will no longer be about “the volleyball player from Abangares who became a luxury brand model”, but rather “a famous model who hid away in peace in Monteverde”.