“Dare to be you,” comments the creative director and influencer.
The story of Alexandre Monteiro, or Ale Monteiro, could be the plot of any prestigious film. From a young man in love with fashion and style to a friend of international fashion leaders, he conquered spaces and became one of the most famous creative directors in Brazil.
Fame in the fashion market reverberated outside the sector, and Ale’s more irreverent side started to gain prominence on social networks, where he currently has more than 630,000 followers. It was impossible to avoid; the creative director who runs some of the main branding and media projects in Brazil has become a first-rate influencer with a huge audience in the big country of Brazil.
As an image and brand specialist, the professional has always defended the strength of originality and, therefore, decided to occupy the space proposed to him, being aware of the social importance of the voice.
For the biggest branding project of his life, Ale decided to present himself without labels and without fear of using his true characteristics: “I love to be me! I’m fat, I’m gay, I’m beautiful, successful, and above all, happy.” There are people like me who, even though they have everything, are not happy because they are trapped in standards imposed by society. I go against that; I’ve always seen fashion do that, and for a while I did that myself, but today I’m a curve within that long road that we have between what’s at its peak today and what it should be. “What’s on the rise is being yourself,” reveals Monteiro.
To arrive at this thought today, Ale Monteiro went through a process: “I lived the original fashion that we know.” I had the opportunity to work with beloved idols like the legendary Karl Lagerfeld, but today I see that what was done in the past is ridiculous. If we consume, we want to be seen, honored, and desired. And we are. Fashion is plural, and we are a revolution!
Fashion is indeed undergoing a revolution. Every day, more brands and fashion magazines bet on people with real beauty who are far from imposing standards. “Today, there is this revolution that is still in its infancy but is promising.” Many brands still bet on diversity just for pure marketing. They hire a fat influencer but don’t hire a fat cleaning lady. They put a gay man in the commercial but refuse to investigate homophobia in the workplace. “These are equations that still don’t close and need to be looked at with seriousness and concern,” revealed the professional.
How to stand out
For a long time, many talents were wasted in many sectors by pure prejudice. Appearance, weight, and other standards have always been difficult for many people, not just in fashion or entertainment but in all kinds of activities. This criminal practice of choosing or not choosing someone for physical reasons has a name and is considered discrimination. That time has passed,” says Ale, who also offers advice on how anyone can discover their talent and stand out in society:
“We all have talent, and we are all special. I have the impression that many people cannot be happy because they simply want to do everything the same as everyone else to get similar results. This is a battle that starts out lost! What you love to do is your secret to a successful life. Success doesn’t happen overnight, it takes time, but it’s possible to have small victories every day. This is the recipe, this is the way: Live, be you! Understand your uniqueness in the world, explore it and show the world as your power! You need to do this analysis, understand your aptitude and study ways to put this into practice in life. Dare to be you! The distance between a dreamer and a successful person is the time he lives without knowing what he loves to do and how to achieve success in it. Try to understand what brings you the most happiness and excitement; find a way to turn that into work, and you will be starting a successful career,’’ said the influencer and art director.
Ale Monteiro is 32 years old; he was born in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil. He currently lives in São Paulo for over ten years and is one of the most commented fashion figures in the Brazilian press, being a very close friend of great celebrities and personalities in Brazil and abroad. On Instagram, he has more than 600,000 followers and shares daily the backstage of his busy life behind several millionaire projects.
Alexandre also shares tips on identity and personal branding for entrepreneurs, influencers and artists. For those who want to know more about Ale Monteiro and ways to stand out in the job market, follow @alemonteiro on social media.
