Born in Salvador, Bahia, @___valente had been working part-time jobs since she was 16 until a cousin overseas asked if she had ever thought about modeling. For the Top 50 Brazilian, the opportunity to support her family financially was a driving force to take up the offer. Since that momentous debut, Valente has gone on to monumental success as a muse for Daniel Lee’s Bottega Veneta, then amassing over 10 campaigns with top clients like Tom Ford, Mugler, Max Mara, and Fendi. Working with renowned photographers like Craig McDean, Tyrone Lebon, and Carlijn Jacobs, Valente’s biggest takeaway on the business is it’s as demanding as a marathon with a pace more akin to a full-out sprint. “We must work hard; care for ourselves mentally, spiritually, and physically; abdicate from seeing our families and friends and living nowhere and everywhere,” she describes the nomadic experience. “Having a good team of agents by your side is crucial to help you understand your career and to guide you on.” Her agents were able to secure 20 shows just this past season, including walks for Tom Ford, Dion Lee, Burberry, Nensi Dojaka, and Peter Do, the latter a designer Valente told us at the top of the year she was eager to work with. “I was thrilled to walk for a brand with such a humane and creative team behind it, expanding it in novel ways,” she describes. “That’s what motivates me – working with minds that push my own creative boundaries to reinvent myself, leave my mark in this industry, and achieve what I haven’t accomplished yet.”