About
Raica Oliveira is a Brazilian fashion model born 22 January 1984 in Niterói, the coastal city across the bay from Rio de Janeiro. Over two decades on international catwalks she has walked for power-house labels such as Dior, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana and Yves Saint Laurent, fronted campaigns for Lancôme, H&M and Victoria’s Secret, and graced the pages of Vogue, Elle and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. In 2008 she added journalism to her résumé, filing backstage stories for Brazil’s Jornal Record from Paris and New York fashion weeks.
Before Fame
Raica grew up as the youngest of three children in a close-knit family. Surf culture shaped her childhood—she loved body-boarding and the freedom of the beach—and by ten she was already sketching herself on runways. Opportunity knocked at fifteen when scout Sérgio Mattos (the same eye who spotted Gisele Bündchen) encouraged her to enter the 1999 Elite Model Look contest. She beat more than 30,000 hopefuls to win the Brazilian title and finished runner-up at the world final in Nice. The buzz was immediate; Paris editors dubbed her “The Sensation,” and she soon relocated to New York, her mother at her side, to chase bookings.
Trivia
- Polyglot on the go: Raica speaks Portuguese, English, French, Spanish, and Italian, a skill set that makes backstage chatter—and last-minute castings—a lot easier.
- Plant-powered life: A lifelong vegetarian, she says skipping meat keeps her energy steady during marathon show seasons.
- Canine crew: Eight rescue dogs share her Rio home when she is not traveling.
- Runway pinch-hitter: Lingerie brand Selmark tapped her to step in for Naomi Campbell at its 2006 presentation.
- Lanvin to Lancôme: That same year, she became a Lancôme spokesmodel, joining an elite roster of beauty faces.
- Calendar girl: She posed for the coveted Pirelli Calendar (2005) and later appeared in Sports Illustrated (2007), highlighting her range from haute couture to swimwear.
Family Life
Raica’s parents kept regular jobs—her mother is reportedly an educator—while supporting her early ambitions. She often credits her brothers, Givago (an economist) and Pablo (a lawyer), for giving unvarnished advice that keeps her grounded. When work allows, she retreats to Niterói for family barbecues—though hers is always veggie—and long walks with the dogs along Icaraí Beach. Despite a public career she guards her relatives’ privacy, explaining that their “normal” lives help her maintain perspective.
Associated With
- Gisele Bündchen: Both models were discovered by the same Brazilian talent scout, and Raica cites Gisele’s trailblazing success as motivation.
- Adriana Lima & Ana Beatriz Barros: Fellow Brazilian supermodels and long-time friends; the trio often share apartments in New York during busy seasons.
- Ronaldo Nazário: Raica’s brief relationship with the football legend in the mid-2000s turned her into a tabloid fixture, though she later said they “preferred quieter lanes of life.”
- Mario Testino & Nick Knight: Celebrated fashion photographers who shot some of her earliest high-profile editorials, helping cement her global reputation.
