Isabeli: The Way Home

Coastal Brazil, where it all began!

^{Left: Top : Nordesphyna @Nordesphyna | Cover Look: Dress: Suzana Nascimento @suzy23suzy Earrings: Flor De Caroá @flordecaroa Belt : Solange Arruda @solangearruda}

There is a particular light in Alagoas. It falls through banana leaves and across whitewashed walls, catches on the fruit stacked high in open-air markets, and turns the Atlantic a soft, swift silver at the end of the day. It is the light Amanda Peixoto-Elkins grew up inside, and after nearly three decades spent photographing the world, it is the light she came back for.

For years, Amanda was part of our world in Los Angeles, a photographer whose eye shaped so much of what we made, and a presence who became family along the way. So this story carries a particular joy for us. To watch her turn her lens toward home, toward the place and people that made her, is to see an artist return to her source. We could not be happier that she is back where she belongs.

Shot along the coast of Paripueira, this story marks a return for the Brazilian-born photographer, who built her career far from home before turning her lens on the place that made her. The result is intimate and unhurried, a portrait of a region told through its colors, its textures, and the work of its own designers and makers.

To carry it, Amanda turned to Isabeli, born in Los Angeles and shaped by two cultures. The young model, recently seen in a Nike Swim campaign, lives between the United States and Brazil, and that dual sense of belonging shows in how naturally she fits this place. There is an ease to the way she inhabits Alagoas, a connection that runs deeper than the shoot. But that part of the story belongs to Amanda, and she tells it best herself.

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A message from Amanda

Alagoas has always lived in me.

I left home at eighteen, following a calling I could not yet name, in search of the life my soul was reaching for. That journey took me far from Brazil and gave me more than I could have imagined, including a career built through photography and the privilege of seeing beauty in many forms around the world.

Now, twenty-eight years later, home has called me back.

This project, photographed in Paripueira, carries a meaning that is deeply personal. This is the city where my grandfather was born and where he also took his last breath. As a Deacon, the church here was part of his life, his service, and his legacy. To return to this place with my camera felt like honoring not only where I come from, but the people and stories that shaped me.

And to photograph my daughter here made it even more powerful. Through her, this homecoming became a bridge between generations, from my grandfather, to me, to her. She stands in these images carrying not only the beauty of the pieces she wears, but also the continuation of a story rooted in family, faith, art, and belonging.

With this shoot, I wanted to celebrate the beauty, talent, and soul of Alagoas. I wanted to show the world how extraordinary my people are, and to shine a light on the designers, artists, and makers whose work appears in these images. Every piece worn by my daughter carries the hands, vision, and creativity of people who deserve to be seen.

This is more than a photoshoot. It is a homecoming, an offering, and a love letter to my people, to Alagoas, and to the roots that never left me.

Beijos,
Amanda

^{Top : Êllu @Ellu.Atelie Shorts: @mimanishop Necklace: Solange Arruda @solangearruda Bag: Farm Rio Shoes: model’s own}

Creative Director & Photographer: Amanda Peixoto-Elkins @amandapeixotoelkins
Model: Isabeli @isabelielkins
Stylist: Michaele Ferreira @stymicha
Beauty: Thiago Melo @thiagomelomakeup
Executive Producer: Fellipe Jhonatas Mendes @fmendesmgt
Filmmaker: Erick Walker @oierickwalker
Special Thanks @hibiscusbeachclub

^{Dress : nordesphyna @nordesphyna Belt : Solange Arruda @solangearruda Necklace : Natália da marinheira @nataliadamarinheira Shoes Xô boi: @Jt_artcouro}

^{Dress : designer Nathália Amaral @Nathaliaamaralloja}

^{T-shirt : Flor de Caroá @flordecaroa Turban/Head Scarf: Ceramiquinho Saia : Êllu @ellu.atelie Shoes: Model’s own | Necklace : Natália da marinheira @Nataliadamarinheira Top and Button up: Nordesphyna @nordesphyna Shorts: @mimanishop Shoes: Havaianas @havaianas}