São Paulo – Camila Rocha (pictured above), 30, already had an established career as image consultant when she was asked to speak in the biggest city of the United Arab Emirates.
“I received the first invitation in late 2021 but couldn’t attend the event due to my tight schedule. In 2021 they invited me again, and I couldn’t say no. They wanted me to participate because they liked my work style of not putting labels on my customers,” she recalled.
In March last year, she arrived in Dubai to speak at an event that was taking place on the sidelines of the world exhibition Expo 2020 Dubai. Via the contacts she made at the time, she then started providing image consulting services to Arab customers.
Since her first time on Arab soil, Rocha says, she adapted quickly. The clothing, the food, the climate – it presented no challenge at all. Following the visit, her consultancies made such success that the business crossed borders into Qatar.
“I liked Qatar so much that I ended up moving here this year. When I’m wearing typical clothes from here, even the Qatari think I’m local. I speak English around here, but I really want to learn Arabic in the near future,” she says. “To meet the needs of the women here, who don’t use short clothes or cleavage, I had to adapt what I know and learn new consulting techniques.”
Although she also caters to customers from Lebanon and Saudi Arabia now, her goal as an entrepreneur for 2024 is to strengthen her business with foreigners and Arabs living in Qatar and the UAE. “These two countries serve as gateways for other Middle East states. So, I believe that after them, my brand will spread naturally.”
Besides changing clothing styles, Rocha works towards facilitating the lives of successful business men and women.
“My clients are highly intelligent and skilled but usually don’t have time to pay attention to their looks or don’t know what fits them well. After my consultancy, they learn, for instance, that they can buy less with higher quality and stop wasting time getting ready but without giving up items that are part of their personal style,” said Rocha.
The consultancy helps the customer the best version of themselves in the most important areas of their life: social, professional and personal. “First, the customer fills out a questionnaire on their style. Then I assess their wardrobe, see what can keep being used, what needs fixing, and what doesn’t fit,” she says. After some tests that even include discovering what colors go well with their skin tone, Rocha helps the client buy new clothes.
Besides clothing, some clients my change how they use make up or grow a beard, for example. In some cases, depending on their end goal, surgical interventions may be recommended.
Changing the image of customers
Born and raised in Vicentina, a small town with approximately 6,000 residents in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Roch hadn’t had access to fashion magazines for many years. Still, art was part of her life growing up.
“Since I was a little girl, I really liked drawing. When I grew up a little, I learned how to use my grandmother’s sewing machine. At first, I liked making dresses for my dolls, and when I became a teenager, I made clothes for myself. I also enjoyed helping my cousins choose their clothes.
Upon graduating high school, she got a job at a bank in her hometown. Aiming to pass off as someone reliable, Rocha changed her clothing style. The choice of college was influence by her family of lawyers.
Rocha’s life path seemed to get further and further away from fashion until she changed direction. Since she was not happy with her college major, she dropped out just shy of submitting her final paper.
“At 21 or 22, I started selling cosmetics from a US multinational. My family thought I was going crazy, but I pushed through. At 23, after taking some image consulting courses, I started working in this field while still working for the multinational. At first, I worked for some friends, but two years later, business skyrocketed, I left the multinational and started working solely as an image consultant.”
Since people didn’t take her work seriously in her hometown, Rocha moved to São José do Rio Preto when she was 27. She took other courses in social conduct and visagism and became a colorist, too. As her base of customers living in São Paulo grew, she moved again.
“During the pandemic, after I provided some services to some major public figures, the demand for my services grew exponentially, until it reached the Arabs,” she said.
Last June, Rocha set up her business called CA.RO Image. Besides her, the company now has two leading consultants that help in the daily operations.
Report by Rebecca Vettore, especially for ANBA
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
