Meet Bandolero and Blindato, two Portuguese models, artists and twins. They explain about their unusual names: “António and Manuel are the names our parents gave us. Bandolero and Blindato are the names that represent our identity. We were the ones who created them.” The duo strikes us as one force, a duality, Yin and Yang. In an interview they share their thoughts about art, nature and brotherhood.
Photograper Joana Linda
Creative director and beauty editor Antonia Rosa with Clarins
Assisted by Patricia Veloso
Sugar artist Filipe Blanquet
Styling Pedro Trocades
Production assistant Kelly Bernardo
Models Bandolero and Blindato from Face Models
Interview Sonia Ej Jar
Words Andrea Probosch
In a second collaboration with sugar designer and pastry chef Filipe Blanquet our team around ZOOT beauty editor Antonia Rosa capured the playful rebel spirit of Bandolero and Blindato. This time Filipe created fondant letters and symbols, applying them on the twins faces like bionic implantations or like hyroglyphes of an ancient long gone society, creating an artistic fusion of beauty and pastry. Stylist and fashion designer Pedro Trocades underlined and softened the masculinity of the twins by choosing bold fabrics with feminine cuts. Photographer Joana Linda captured their fragility as well as their bold bandit style. Asked after the origin of their names they explain in detail:
Our father mentioned the word bandit a few times in our childhood, asking us who we wanted to be in life. A bandolero is a bandit, someone outside the law. A name that awakens my lawless side and my human side at the same time, where I try to value the insignificant and recognise myself as a human being. — Bandolero
Blindato for me means divine protection, something that has accompanied me and that I feel in a very personal way. This name comes from a situation I went through with my brother in Italy. The fact that nothing happened to me during the situation made me feel armoured. Armoured in Italian is pronounced Blindato. I believe that in life everything has a purpose and I feel that I have been protected on my journey. — Blindato
After BandoleroxBlindato sent us the statement below, ZOOT caught up with the brothers for an interview, and Bandolero got back to us: “For the answers, we each had access to the questions and gave our opinion. Finally, we constructed the answers based on what we both thought and agree on.”
We are artist brothers who make a living from creating footprints. These footprints are records of our nature and reflection of our daily lives. We also develop our art through photographs where we portray people seeking to capture their essence, culture and lifestyle. Together we develop cultural and solo projects where we express our vision, perspectives and feelings both through photography and design. What we love to do most is work together where we live moments that only we know what they are like. Reality fascinates us and taking risks is part of our DNA. We live an intense life far from fantasies. We want reality and that’s why we’re here. To feel and portray.
— BandoleroxBlindato
ZOOT: Can you tell us a bit about your background?
BandoleroxBlindato: We are artist brothers born in Lisbon, Portugal on 26 April and currently living on the south bank, as we say “the other side of the bridge” 〈Almada〉. Ever since we were young, we didn’t identify with the neighbourhood we lived in. When we discovered the south bank, we realised that this was where the calm and freedom we needed for our journey was.
ZOOT: We’ve seen lots of little films of you in the countryside on Instagram. Do you feel connected to nature?
BandoleroxBlindato: Yes, indeed we feel connected not only to nature but also with nature. The countryside, for example, is a place that conveys calm and where we can enjoy our freedom away from people and noise. In general, we also like to go to places away from people where we can enjoy ourselves in our own way: The countryside, forests, places that offer us some privacy.
Places that are usually peaceful and that we also like to go to. There we can listen to loud music, smoke our cigarettes, paint, photograph, have our conversations and reflections…
ZOOT: What’s it like working with your twin brother?
BandoleroxBlindato: Despite our different personalities and ways of thinking, it’s great to have the comfort of working with the person who has accompanied me from an early age, and vice versa. We’re critical of each other because we want the best out of each other. We fall down and get up together.
ZOOT: What inspired you to become an artist?
BandoleroxBlindato: We didn’t become artists, we were born artists. An artist is not someone who draws well, but someone who is open to experimenting and testing their thinking in order to break down barriers in their mind, thus corresponding loyally to their “persona” and manifesting themselves in a variety of possible and unimaginable ways. We are faithful to our thoughts.
ZOOT: What led you to pursue photography?
BandoleroxBlindato: Photography began when a cousin of ours lent us a Canon 1200d. With that camera we started to capture the moments we spent together as well as some adventures we got into. Our grandmother always kept very old photographs of her childhood with her grandparents and even of the evolution of our family up to the present day. It’s always a pleasure to remember those photographs.
We’ve always realised that all the photographic material we make are memories that have stayed with us.
The unknown has attracted us from an early age and that’s what we’ve been experiencing, portraying what catches our attention.
ZOOT: Why modelling, is it something you’ve always wanted to do?
BandoleroxBlindato: Fashion came about when one of Bandolero’s school mates encouraged him to try it.
At that point Bandolero looked for an agency and started working there. A year later, after a few jobs, he spoke to Blindato about trying it out. From then on they realised it was something they could do to earn some money. What made us stay in fashion and want to make it in this world was all the NO’s we got in this market. That revolted us and made us want to be the best in our own way.
Many people think that we dress the way we do because we’re models. But no, fashion is personality and personality is something individual and natural. That personality wasn’t born from fashion. It was born from us.
ZOOT: Digital or print?
BandoleroxBlindato: Print, that’s the end product. Digital ends up becoming an illusion and being limited. We are conditioned when we we adhere to it. Once a photograph has been printed, it takes on a different lustre. It becomes real. We feel like entering that unknown dimension. The physical format will always stand out.
ZOOT: If you could speak to world leaders, what topics would you address?
BandoleroxBlindato: If we could talk to world leaders, we would address issues that affect the global community. We would discuss ideas for achieving peace in the world and resolving conflicts in order to move towards a safer world. We would also talk about education and the importance of quality and access to it. Human rights and climate change.
ZOOT: What is your connection with BOOM and what kind of photos did you take there?
BandoleroxBlindato: At the Boom festival we created moments that we’ll carry into our lives. We were able to connect with people from different countries and with different ways of life. This event allowed us to embark on a new world where the spiritual aspect and the energy of the people was contagious.
Together we lived an intense week where we captured moments of happiness, spirituality and adrenaline. Above all, our connection is with the people, because they are also the ones who make the festival and that was the main element to portray.
Thank you BandoleroxBlindato!
If you got curious now and you want to see the photographic work of Bandolero and Blindato, check out a preview of their intimite peak behind the scenes at BOOM Festival here.
FASHION REFERENCES
FILIPE BLANQUET @filipeblanquet
MASSIMO DUTTI @massimodutti
NEW BLACK CONCEPT STORE @newblackconceptstore
For
DIESEL BLACK GOLD @diesel
DSQUARED2 @dsquared2
MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA @margielaarchive
RICK OWENS @rickowensonline
VIVIENNE WESTWOOD @viviennewestwood
NIKE @nike
TROCADES @ptrocades
To boot…
Discover more from sugar designer Filipe Blanquet at our editorial colab “A taste of Metropolis” .
