Juliana Martins was born in 1984, in José Bonifácio, a town in Brazil, and from a young age had always wanted to become a fashion model. At the age of 12, Juliana was shortlisted to appear in an advertising campaign, but never made the final cut.
A young Juliana was spurred on by this knock back, and a year later at age 13, Juliana entered an Elite Model Look Contest, and though she didn't win, she did reach the final stages.
By the time she had turned 15, Juliana was jetsetting right across the globe, and though many child advocates are not impressed with the young age at which girls are signing contracts with modeling agencies in today's fast-paced fashion industry, Juliana comes across as a well-adjusted young women.
Working with the Elite model agency, Juliana was quickly being touted as a Brazilian version of Cindy Crawford, which didn't hurt her profile one bit. She has appeared in ad campaigns for the likes of Keita and Ralph Lauren, and has been splashed across the pages of Harper's Bazaar among others.
She's also done plenty of runway work, modeling fashions for the likes of Emanuel Ungaro, Blumarine and Armani, then at the age of 19 she landed a spot on the 2003 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, cementing her place in mainstream Western culture.
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Source: SI - Swimsuit Issue 2003
Photographer: Gavin Bond
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Source: SI - Swimsuit Issue 2003
Photographer: Gavin Bond
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At present the beautiful Brazilian brunette lives in New York city, where she often indulges her passion for getting groovy on the dance floor at nightclubs. Even though she's been around the world many times, Juliana still doesn't like flying and is a huge fan of the national Brazilian soccer champs Palmeiras.
by Sara Templeton
Fashion models
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