Lara and Mara are taking over the fashion world one photo at a time.
Swiss photographer Vinicius Terranova was living in Brazil when he spotted twins Lara and Mara Bawar. The 11-year-old girls live in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Their parents are from Guinea-Bissau, which is in West Africa. Their striking features, due to albinism, caught the attention of the photographer.
Albinism is a disorder characterized by little to no skin color or melanin. Currently, there is no cure for albinism, but treatment can be as simple as avoiding sun exposure and any means to help improve eyesight. Each year, less than 20,000 people are born albino.
After discovering the girls in a video, Terranova decided he wanted to work with them. Lara and Mara Bawar are in his project Flores Raras, which is Portuguese for “Rare Flower.”
In his interview with The Daily Mail, Terranova said “A beauty that is not that uncommon but rather rarely perceived while out there every day, ready to be noticed and given its deserved spotlight. A plea to the power of diversity, it represents the encounter of their sublime beauty.”
The twins also model with their older sister Shelia, 13-years-old. She is not albino. The trio modeled for brands such as Nike and Bazaar Kids. “We feel albinism is pretty, we love our hair, eye color, and skin tone. Our hair and skin tone are pretty and we feel very special wearing the make-up, hair, and light that are worked to fit us” said Lara Bawar in the same interview. The future looks very promising and bright for the sibling sisters.
The Bawar sisters are great for beauty and representation. The girls are lovely and very photogenic. Additional visibility will bring awareness to albinism and show that there is no one standard for beauty.
To see more of their journey in fashion, follow them on IG!
