Camila Coelho: Her life beyond social media

So I moved to Miami almost two years ago, and I’m loving it. I think it was the best decision I have ever made. As soon as I moved here I got pregnant with my son Kai, and I had been trying for so long. So I think the Miami water really helped me out. And yes, I’m so close to Brazil here, I’m close to my family, so I’m definitely much happier in Miami.

It has always been my biggest dream to be a mom. And when you want to be a mom so badly, you have so many expectations. So I definitely got caught by surprise in a lot of things, especially, you know, postpartum. The birth… I thought I was going to give birth very easily, but I was in labor for more than 24 hours. Finally I had to have a C-section. Then it was the hormones; I was very emotional. I remember feeling guilty for being sad. I had given birth and that had always been my biggest dream. But there are a lot of little things that being a mom comes with but it’s the most magical thing that has ever happened in my life. Now, I feel complete 100%. Before, I felt like I had accomplished so much but I didn’t feel complete. And now, I can say that I’m 100% happy and I feel so blessed to have my son.

Balancing motherhood and work is really hard. I thought it was going to be easier. I think it’s hard because you want to be present in your child’s life 24/7 and you end up feeling guilty all the time. I feel guilty when I leave the house to go have lunch and I’m not present if something important happens. I feel very guilty when I need to travel for work and I’m not home for three nights. But it’s a part of it and I hope he will understand. I also make sure that when I’m home, the time I spend with him is quality time and I’m 100% there for him. One thing I started to say after becoming a mom, is that it’s not about the amount of time you spend, it’s about the quality time that you spend with your child because that’s what they’re going to remember. So, balancing it all is hard, but you can definitely make it work. I’m there and I’m still learning. It’s a learning process as well. But I think getting rid of the guilt is going to be the hardest part because you always feel guilty.

Being a content creator to me is very important. That’s what I have been doing for so many years. I feel like today mostly everyone that’s out there on social media is a kind of content creator. Models are content creators, and singers too. Everyone is creating content for social media. And I think it’s beautiful because before, just a few years ago, people didn’t really understand what that was. Like actually creating something, content for a product or advertising this or that, or just regular everyday organic content. I love to see that because today there’s so much out there that you can really choose what you like, who you want to follow and who inspires you. So to me, it’s mostly about talking and showing what I love, which is fashion, beauty, and also my family and lifestyle. I always make sure that I’m teaching something to my followers or inspiring them in a positive way, which is very important to me.

The Camilo Coelho Collection (CCC) became a big dream after I started working with social media and other brands. It was actually something that my followers asked for. They’re always like, “Oh, you should have your own brand.” And I was like hmm, it seemed so far away at the time. And then I was like, you know what? I should just do it. The opportunity came and what inspired me was really my style and my connection to Brazil. I’m Brazilian, my Brazilian roots, so the brand really has that Latina vibe, that sex appeal. Of course, it changes through the years as my style changes but now I feel like we’re in a bit of a different vibe, still has the same sex appeal to it. But yeah, what inspires me is my own style and my Brazilian roots.

I think the CCC has been a successful brand because a lot of people who follow me, want to wear what I wear. But also a lot of people only follow the brand, which I think is so interesting and I love that. I see that a lot of people who follow the brand don’t follow me. So I’m like, ooh, they’re actually there because they like the brand and not just because they follow me. Also, selling at Revolve, which is such an amazing retailer for us because they have such a big community there. It makes me really happy to see so many people wearing CCC. I went to Coachella recently in April, and I saw so many girls wearing my brand. I came up to them and was like, oh, can I film you? So that is priceless, creating something, working so hard on a project, and then seeing it come to real life and people actually loving it. And then not only do we have CCC, but we also have Elaluz, which is my Beauty line.

The beauty industry is so saturated. But you know, if you are an entrepreneur, don’t get scared. If you really want something and you’re passionate about something, do it. At the time I did think, “Oh my gosh, I’m going to launch.” It’s going to be like another brand out there. But at the same time, I was so passionate about what Elaluz is all about being vegan, clean, and cruelty-free. They are products that have ingredients that are so unique like a lot of Brazilian ingredients. We did so much research and saw our Beauty oil be one of the best sellers out there and our bronzing stick as the Allure Best of the Year award… that just proved to me I was right about doing it. There are so many products out there, but it makes me so happy that I launched Elaluz. It’s still a very new brand, we launched during a pandemic. Our bronzing category has been so successful and I can’t wait to show you guys what’s coming up next.

I try to not compare myself to other people out there. Of course, it’s important to look and get inspired and see what other people are doing, but I try not to get pressured by the need to post every day or I need to look this way or that. I really go with my gut and my heart. But you know, there are days that I feel amazing and I feel beautiful and I wanna create content and there are days that I don’t feel like myself and I don’t feel great. I actually look in the mirror and I’m like, “Oh my gosh, I don’t look good today.” And those are the days that I’m like, you know what? I’m gonna stay in my pajamas. I’m gonna just work with my computer and my bed. And it’s OK if I’m not out there. Not every day you want to be in front of the camera and that’s the reality. Maybe a lot of people don’t talk about this but I like to create content when I feel good or else it’s going to transmit to whoever sees it, especially if it’s video. So if I’m not in a good mood, if I don’t feel great, I just try not to create content that day. And sometimes I talk about it, it’s important to also share those feelings with your followers because a lot of people feel that way. You know, they wake up not feeling great and they don’t know what it is. And then you have to stop and count your blessings and, you know, do all that.

It is a conversation I’ve been having a lot with my husband, which is my partner, my team. After I became a mom, I felt like, this is it. I’m accomplished. I’m happy. I couldn’t be happier than this. There’s nothing more I want. But you know, of course, there’s always something. I definitely want another child. I want Kai to have a sibling. And professionally I just want to really concentrate on my brands right now. Launching new products, working on new things for the brands and hopefully have both brands sell worldwide and being physically all over the world. That’s my biggest dream. And I do want to write a book one day, but we’ll see.

I think my book would be mostly about my life and challenges I faced. Starting off as someone who did not go to college and for a long time felt insecure even about saying it. I really want to talk about what it is like to create a brand because today I feel like I’ve accomplished so much and not going to college made me work even harder to get to where I am. So something around that, just to inspire people and show them that they can be whoever they want to be if they work hard, if they’re a good person and if they really want it.

Yes, it is one of my favorites, especially the one in July. The weather was wonderful. I missed it for a few seasons because of Kai but I really enjoyed returning to Paris.

There’s so many brands I love and work with. I love the Attico and Jacquemus. I think all and these brands have this sexiness to it, but also cool at the same time. And I’m also obsessed with Saint Laurent. The shoes especially, like, my favorite shoes are Saint Laurent.