Pepa Rosenbaum talks about beauty. Dressed all in black, she sits on the terrace of a restaurant in Madrid’s La Latina district and develops her idea of what is beautiful, how she looks for it and what meaning it has for this model, stylist, producer and surfer. He is doing so as he sits down when the waiter warns us that we can only stay at this table until dinner is served. And he’s doing just that when three family members start a shouting match behind him. “I am a great lover of sharing and believe that the exchange of ideas and perspectives between professionals is crucial to creation. I believe in the timelessness of images and in light as a means of transmitting emotions. For me there are photos that are everything. “I feel something through her that maybe I can’t put into words,” he says just at the moment when a family member threatens to pull out a knife. And she told us some time ago that she was a little restless, that she hadn’t slept well these days in Madrid and that she couldn’t go to the yoga class this morning because she was a little tired.
Rosenbaum was born in Argentina’s Santa Fe province and landed in Madrid at the age of 18, a place she still calls home. She studied at IED and worked as a fashion and advertising stylist for almost ten years, assisting designers here and there. He developed a close relationship with designer Pepa Salazar. “I like to dress women with personality, so Pepa is always present in both production and styling. She’s my right hand, I love trying on every item of clothing on her,” she said of the current model and surfer in Glamor magazine in 2015. It took Rosenbaum five years to feel like a model, which stemmed from changing her zip code in search of a healthier lifestyle. Rosenbaum moved to San Sebastián and distanced herself from Madrid and its importance to her at the time. He loved surfing, ate better and slept more.
Pepa Rosenbaum rides a wave in Biarritz. Korbinian degrees
“I began a close relationship with a surf brand for whom I did shoots as a model, as well as a stylist and producer. It was all a lot of fun. Together with a friend, we started carrying out creative projects for various brands, where we developed the entire production. We really enjoyed traveling, surfing and beautiful things,” says Rosenbaum, remembering the beginning of his new life. Together with the photographer Marina Alonso, they traveled half the world in search of waves, light and poetry. They developed work for renowned surf brands like Billabong and even video clips for bands like Buenos Aires combo Isla de Caras. Between Maldives or Morocco there was always a stopover in Biarritz. The Basque-French city gradually became his second home. “Biarritz is the representation of beauty and elegance. It’s the most enchanting place I’ve ever been. My life in Biarritz is sometimes very quiet and sometimes not. It means seeing the sea every day, being able to contemplate the beauty in its different forms every second that I am there and for myself,” he explains. Rosenbaum does not give away or lend his painting, but rather composes it according to his ideals of beauty and emotion. His commitment is comprehensive because his job is to advocate for himself and he knows exactly how, why and for what purpose. “I have a good relationship with myself, I accept myself, I take care of myself and I love myself,” she emphasizes. This journey may be professional, but above all it is emotional. And your favorite life destiny lies in it. The geographical one in the Maldives. “And Chicken is my favorite left-wing wave. Thulusdhoo is an island that is anchored in my heart. That’s where my surfing developed.”
The family continues to argue. The waiter inductively brings us the bill. Rosenbaum has barely touched his wine and mineral water and has been holding the unlit cigarette he rolled in his hand for ten minutes. We just get up when the family threatens to stab us again. Without noticing the noise of the conflict with which we sat at the table, Rosenbaum says goodbye: “Write something poetic, I’m very poetic.”
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