All Content: An interview with Stefanie Gurzanski
Her raw, feminine beauty may have kickstarted her modeling career, but it is this Canadian bombshell’s appetite for travel, culture and her pursuit for passion that has landed Stefanie Gurzanski an impressive career, including covers such as Vogue Czech and Elle. Now the model is taking more control over her career and is working to be more content with creating her own content.
Photographer: Shootwithx | Model: Stefanie Gurzanski | Styling: Paola Estefania | Hair: Jaycee Mnirajd | Makeup: Alycia Garcia
From a small town in Ontario, Canada, Thunder Bay to be exact — a fitting hometown for a model who flashed onto the scene with striking features — Stefanie Gurzanski has spent most her life traveling the world, posing for renowned photographers, and gracing major covers. “My first jobs were always big ones,” shares Gurzanski, “I’ve been so blessed to have my followers on Instagram which I think helped me to create my brand and make a name for myself quickly so that I could work for well known brands.” Traveling the world at the early age of 18, Gurzanski quickly began to build her career and never looked back. “I’ve lived in many parts of the world basically living out of a suitcase once I turned 18 till about 22 years old,” reveals the model. “Which was incredible because I learned so much about the world and different cultures. Now I’m loving living in Los Angeles and traveling occasionally.” Those experiences not only broadened her intellectual and curious palette, but also taught her what was needed to make it in the fashion industry which she has done in strides.
As a content creator and model, Gurzanski’s life is less structured than most. Weekends and weekdays often blur together because she will do whatever, whenever it takes to get the job done. It helps that Gurzanski has a routine in place to put her in the right headspace each and every day. “I don’t get stressed out,” begins the model. “No matter the day, I wake up and do my hair and makeup because it makes me feel more awake and increases the likelihood that I will have a more successful and productive day.” And on some mornings she turns to her go-to workouts, like hiking and pilates, and then it’s off to either a photoshoot or her plans for content creation for future social media posts across her various platforms. “Then I like to have a healthy meal and hang at home with my dogs and friends!”
For Gurzanski, the marriage between professional modeling and being an influencer is natural. “I love when I get a chance to create my own content or try a new look that is completely out of my element. That is what keeps me in love with modeling and influencing,” shares Gurzanski. Unapologetically herself, no matter the occasion, the model’s authenticity remains of utmost importance in both her personal and professional life. “I don’t care what other’s opinions are of me and I will always do what I feel is right for me. I think when you get knocked down and you come back up you have to remind your self that you are strong and powerful and shouldn’t waste any time not being yourself! Stop looking for ‘the next best thing’ and just worry about making sure you are attracting what makes you happy.”
“Stop looking for ‘the next best thing’ and just worry about making sure you are attracting what makes you happy.”
It is easy to quickly grasp the tenets of Gurzanski’s personal style if you take a moment to join her over 1.8 million followers on social media. Scrolling through her Instagram, you’ll find common themes of solid colors in neutral tones, such as black, white, and gold. Gurzanski also loves to match the diametrically opposite elements of soft femininity with hard lines, cuts, and dramatic styling choices. “I love to get girly and dress up. Putting together killer looks for events is definitely my favorite. However, day to day, I love a skater girl or street style look,” shares the model. Her hero items include leather pants, a fashion-forward heel, and a blazer. Taking the same approach to her makeup, Gurzanski pairs the soft femininity of barely-there-bronze skin coverage with a cat eyed winged eyeliner sharp as a stiletto. However, her very unique never-leave-home without it product is her lip liner. “I cannot live without lip liner. I love my lips to pop, even if it’s a nude,” shares Gurzanski.
The social media grande dame has many stokes in the fire, but none she can share just yet. Until then, she wants all those aspiring to follow their true passions to remember —
“Small town, no hand out, you can start from nothing and make it look and feel like you came from everything with hard work and tenacity.”