ARMANDO CABRAL
A global citizen
Interview: Kiser Barnes | Photography: Sasha Arutyunova
Born in Guinea Bissau, raised in Portugal, educated in England and current resident of New York, Armando Cabral is a citizen of the world. Having made his mark in the modeling world, Armando shifted his focus to design with the creation of his namesake luxury footwear line in 2018. His line is inspired by timeless design, a global perspective, travel, a modern lifestyle and is crafted by Italy’s finest artisans.
We caught up with Armando, Krystle, Lukas and Lily at their home in Brooklyn. Armando talked to us about his childhood in Lisbon and showed us some of his latest collections. Lukas and Lily took us to the park where they showed us their Ronaldoesque football moves just in time for the world cup.
Kiser Barnes: Tell me a little bit about your childhood and what your relationship with your dad was like. Do you notice a difference in your philosophy and approach to fatherhood?
Armando Cabral: I remember my childhood as pretty normal and very happy. I grew up in Portugal (Lisbon) in a large family household, we were 7 brothers and sisters all living in the same house with our parents. We laughed, we joked, we love and we fought, but that's what families do. I was very easy going child, no troubles and I played a lot of football (soccer) and basketball all the way through high school.
I get along pretty well with my dad. He is my hero. I've learnt a lot from him and I always wanted to be like him. To this day, I still go to him for advice and words of wisdom. Fundamentally I don't see a lot of differences in our parenting approach, as I learnt a lot from him, but it's not the same some aspects with my kids.
KB: From being a model to creating your own line of classic men’s shoes, your life journey has taken you many places. What has that process been like and how has being a dad impacted or inspired you?
AC: I feel lucky to have managed a long successful career that enable me to branch out and started my own label. But the journey was never so smooth. Especially with modeling. When I started (back in London) it took me 3 rejections from the same agency until the 4th time they said yes. I have always believed that I had a lot to give in modeling and decided that I wasn't going to take NO for an answer. After I got signed things picked up for me pretty quickly, and I was able to establish myself within 3 years in my career.
My family is definitely a big inspiration for me in all I do, and being a dad has definitely motivated me in the process. It helped me grow, it gave me sense of personal purpose and balance. One of the biggest lesson for me, was balancing work and family. Which wasn't easy for me at all. As a model, I travelled a lot, I am always on the go for jobs around the world. And I was also traveling a lot for business. It was definitely a lesson learnt on how to prioritize and balance work and family.
“The journey was never so smooth. Especially with modeling. When I started (back in London) it took me 3 rejections from the same agency until the 4th time they said yes. I have always believed that I had a lot to give in modeling and decided that I wasn’t going to take NO for an answer.”
KB: Politics is an increasingly relevant conversation today. Being an immigrant and raising your kids in New York, how do conversations about culture, diversity and politics make their way into what you teach your kids?
AC: Politics is an important part of our society and yet very sensitive subject today. However, it’s a conversation that is never too early to have with your kids. Although, I am happy that we still have a little time to formulate our thoughts before we can have this discussions with Lukas and Lily, as they are still very young. We have been fortunate and able to infuse culture and diversity into their lives through our traveling. We travel a lot as a family and we hope this opportunity of seeing the world will give them a sense of balanced and chance to formulate their own opinion one day.
KB: How does creativity show up in your day-to-day lifestyle with your kids?
We play a lot together as a family. With Lukas and Lily, you have to be very creative to keep them stimulated, they are very smart kids. It's something really interesting when you watch them play. They are constantly creating and changing the rules for games they are playing and they just having fun. That to me is a great source of creativity and helps me a lot.
KB: What is the legacy you want to leave for other creatives? What is the legacy you want to leave for your kids?
“ I simply want to be remembered as someone that had the opportunity to create great work passionately. Most importantly I want people to associate my work with passion, love, integrity and honesty. I strive to do my work the best way possible so I can look back and be proud and say I gave it my all. As long as I have the opportunity to cross people’s mind in that why, I would be pleased. Same goes for my kids - I hope I can leave them with my body of work that they can be proud of one day! ”