When I met Daniela Botero on the set of her Bello Style Cover shoot, I was immediately taken back by her beauty–both inside and out. A bright light in the room, it was clear that this model knows who she is, what she wants, and owns it! We had a lot of fun with the different looks which she was open to playing around with…making the shoot all the more fun and special! We are very excited about this shoot as it is the last cover of 2021 but marks only the beginning for Daniela….
With fashion at the epicenter of her world, it is a way for her to “express myself and showcase my creativity through my style. It is a behavior,” she shared. Growing up in Colombia, her parents owned a license of the Italian Brand, Stefanel, and owned stores all around the city. “When I was young, my mom loved to dress me in the latest trends,” Daniela said looking back on her childhood. “We would travel to Italy every few months to purchase items from the most recent collections for the stores.” From a young age, fashion became part of who she is.
When it was time, the young fashionista travelled to Paris to pursue her college degree where she was discovered by a model agency by chance and “was able to excel in this business because in a way, I have always been around it,” she explained. But before modeling became her career, for three years, she studied communications and journalism at the Institut de Communication de Paris. Continuing on she opened up, “my studies helped me learn how to build relationships through my career in modeling.” Beauty and brains, we are all about it!
“While working as a full-time model, I had the opportunity to move to New York to study theatre at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute,” she explained. “Now I get to do a mix of things in my career including TV hosting and acting. I really love that.” Her experience highlights the fact that one field of study does not limit you…There are so many opportunities out there and every experience allows you to move forward in a variety of directions. You just have to figure out what you love and the rest follows!
And for Daniela, fashion was her first love and continues to be an important passion throughout her life. With fashion comes the idea of beauty which, to the humble model, means “ a combination of qualities. It’s not just about having a pretty face or a good body, but to be a good person, to be charismatic, original, and kind.” After all, what good is it to look beautiful on the outside if the inside doesn’t match?! Something she learned from her family and now passes on to her daughter.
To this angel, family is everything. “My daughter Ilana, Brent, my fiancée, my parents, and even my dog. They are my people and they are everything to me,” she shared wholeheartedly. “They are my motivation for being a better person. Teaching Ilana good values and most importantly, self-love, is a priority for me.” Fully embracing her role as “superwoman” just as many other females do, she recognizes the different roles women can play in their lives. “ We take care of the house, our kids, our family, we work, we travel, and we look great while doing it.” Yes! Yes, you do!
It’s not always easy being a woman but when you focus on who you want to be, what you want to do, and what kind of energy you wish to put into the world..well, that’s all that matters. And this doesn’t just include women! We all shine in our own way and showcase different types of inner/outer beauty, something we should remember as we continue to promote acceptance and change and try to find our place in this world.
Finding our purpose is an ongoing process and Daniela believes she has found one of her biggest purposes: charity. “I feel so blessed to have the family I do, to have a healthy and beautiful daughter, and for the opportunities, I’ve had. All of these blessings make me want to give back to the world,” she shared candidly. “Recently I’ve been involved with Smile Train which raises money for kids who need cleft palate surgery. I’m so happy I have found an organization to support that also helps people in South America and in my home country, Colombia.” Goosebumps.
Fashion, family, beauty, giving back, Daniela is also very much into fitness which ties it all together as a healthy body is a healthy mind! A great way to help manage stress, she reminds us that “the most important goal should be to feel happy, beautiful and confident within ourselves.” As a model, with every job, she becomes more and more secure about herself which illustrates the ongoing process that it is…but it’s all worth it in the end!
Daniela Botero is truly a bright light in this world and we are excited to see what comes next for her. Staying true to herself and recognizing that it takes work and motivation every day to get to where you want to be, she continues to spend time with her family and spread love and dedication. “It’s going to be a beautiful year ahead. I have many personal goals I want to pursue and I’m really looking forward to my upcoming wedding,” she ended with excitement!
Thank you, Daniela!
Talent DANIELA BOTERO @danielaboterofficial
Photography MK MCGEHEE & ALEXANDER FENYVES @linse.studios @mk.mcg @fenivision
Hair TONI BURNS @toniburnsla
Studio LINSE STUDIOS @linse.studios