‘MEU PRIMEIRO BEIJO E UM CORASÃO COM PATAS’ BY ÀNGEL CASTELLANOS

Brazil-based director ÀNGEL CASTELLANOS explores the tenderness of love and its many expressions through this photo series titled Meu primeiro beijo e um corasão com patas, which loosely translates to ‘my first kiss is a heart with paws’. Capturing both gentle embraces and fiery bursts of passion, each photograph tells a story ridden with intensity, desire and affection.

Accompanying the editorial is a conversation between TIMOTEJ and LEANDRO, who speak candidly about distance, emotional safety and the discipline of choosing each other daily. Rather than framing love as something cinematic, this conversation reminds us of what sustains it in reality. Intimate yet reflective, their exchange considers love not as a fixed state but as an evolving practice shaped by effort, routine and the ability to remain present through times of both ease and difficulty.

JAMES & ALI
suits GIORGIO ARMANI

TIMOTEJ LETONJA

When did you first realise that what we had was love, not just attraction or timing?

LEANDRO DA SILVA

I remember that day like it was yesterday. We were in Lisbon at the Four Seasons Hotel Ritz, and it was a full moon — one of the most beautiful nights I’ve ever seen. The whole evening felt almost surreal. That was the night I told you I loved you. Not because I realised it in that exact moment, but because of the way we were looking at each other. Something about that feeling made me say it out loud.

The truth is, I had realised it long before. It happened through small everyday details. I would wake up and you were my first thought, something would happen during the day and you were the first person I wanted to tell, or the laughter you bring into my life — you really make me laugh. So it wasn’t one big moment. It was many little ones that slowly made me understand I loved you. But that night was the night I finally said it.

ETHAN
jacket and pants NEU IN
shoes PRADA

ROSE
full look GIVENCHY BY SARAH BURTON

TL

I agree completely. Love often reveals itself in those small moments when someone is constantly on your mind, in the little things as well as the bigger ones. If someone asked me to define love in the simplest way, I think that would be it.

LDS

How has your understanding of love changed from before we met to now?

TL

In many ways. I thought I understood love before — and I did, to a certain extent. But meeting you expanded that understanding. It never felt like this before. I had never thought about someone so constantly, or imagined building a whole life with someone in this way. So my understanding of love didn’t just change, it grew. It became bigger than I imagined. Deeper, broader and more present in my everyday life than I ever expected.

BRUNO
jeans MONDEPARS

ANA
look CATALINA ALVAREZ

LDS

I also believe that in the beginning, love is very intense. Everything feels strong and emotional. But as time passes, you experience it in different stages. You start to see love even in moments that are not perfect. And then you choose it — every day — together with all the imperfections. That’s where love becomes real.

TL

Do you think love is something you recognise immediately, or something you grow into?

LDS

The spark can be immediate. But love becomes real when it survives time. It grows through patience, presence and the discovery of each other through different phases of life. The feeling might surprise you at first, but choosing each other every day — even when things aren’t perfect — is what makes it love. 

VALENTINE & FELIPE
full looks SAINT LAURENT BY ANTHONY VACCARELLO

LDS

What do you think love asks of us on ordinary days, not just the dramatic ones?

TL

On ordinary days, love asks us to listen, support, communicate and simply be present. On difficult days, it asks for the same things, but even more consciously. It asks us to not let anger or frustration take over the relationship. Even when you’re upset, you shouldn’t act in the worst way you’re capable of. Love asks us to remain a team.

LDS

Yes, relationships go through good moments and difficult ones. Sometimes one person is stronger, sometimes the other. But you push each other forward. That’s how you move through those moments together.

TL

Exactly! Love means never becoming enemies, even when things get hard. What part of loving someone do you think is most misunderstood?

LDS

I think many people believe that if love is real, it should always be easy. But love isn’t about being effortless. It’s about staying together even when it takes effort. It asks for honesty, vulnerability and the courage to grow side by side. We are two different people raised in completely different cultures — I’m from Brazil and you’re from Slovenia. But that difference is also part of the beauty of loving each other.

TL

And I truly admire everything you bring into my life. I feel like my universe expanded because of you. 

PIERGIÓ & PLN
full looks MARNI via THE RED MANNEQUIN

NATHAN
corset MALDITO PARIS

LDS

What does emotional safety mean to you in a relationship?

TL

Emotional safety is fundamental. It’s the core of a relationship. It means knowing that the love you share is stable — it’s something you can rely on. Especially for us, being in a long-distance relationship, emotional safety is what makes everything easier. You wake up knowing that feeling is still there, and then the days just go by easier. That trust carries you through the distance.

MATHEUS & DOUGLAS
pants and shorts COHÍ STUDIO
jewellery TOO COOL
shoes NEW BALANCE

TL

What have you learned about yourself through loving me that surprised you?

LDS

Through your eyes, I feel like the most amazing man in the universe. You make me feel like a superhero. Your support makes me believe I can do anything. Loving you made me realise that together we are stronger. That surprised me, because I never expected love could help me see the best parts of myself more clearly.

TL

That’s beautiful. And it connects to how my understanding of love changed. It makes me want to make an effort for someone else — not only for you but for the relationship, and even for myself — which is something I learned through us.

IAN & CAROLINA
full looks KITECOAT

LDS

Is there something about love you find difficult to articulate but feel deeply? Because, for me, love sometimes doesn’t need words. A gesture can express love more clearly. Even when people are arguing, a small gesture can carry the whole meaning of love.

TL

Exactly. Love isn’t only about saying “I love you.” It’s also about the things we do — writing letters, sending flowers, giving meaningful gifts. Sometimes the feeling itself is bigger than the words we use to describe it.

Do you believe love should change you? If so, where is the line between growth and self-erasure?

LDS

I don’t believe anyone should change for someone else. But loving someone can help you grow. It can push you out of your comfort zone and inspire you to become a better version of yourself — not because someone forces you to change, but because you want to. The line is crossed when you start shrinking yourself just to be accepted. Love should expand you, not reduce you.

TL

I agree with that completely.

MÓNICA
earrings CLAIRE ISSEPI
corset and skirt MALDITO PARIS
shoes SIA ARNIKA

monster
VICTORIA RUIZ

LDS

What does commitment mean to you beyond longevity?

TL

Commitment means giving something your full energy. Longevity is part of that, but commitment is broader. As adults, we commit to many things: jobs, values, hobbies. But committing to a relationship means giving your whole self to it. For me, when I commit to something, I want it to last.

LDS

Commitment also means communicating. People change, and without communication, we grow apart instead of growing together.

PEPEU
blazer and shirt MONDEPARS
tie PENHA MAIA
hat CÁSSIA CIPRIANO

TL

Exactly. Commitment isn’t just about staying, it’s also about trust, communication and effort. How do you imagine love evolving over decades, not just years?

LDS

I imagine us building a home filled with love. Having children, changing diapers, teaching them what we’ve learnt together. I imagine us years from now laughing about our adventures and inspiring our family with our stories. That’s how I imagine our future.

TL

Before meeting you, I wasn’t sure whether I wanted that kind of life. But with you it feels natural. Thinking about building a family together just excites me.

WILLIAM
pants HANDRED

LDS

What are you most excited for and humbled by when you think about our future?

TL

I’m excited to keep discovering each other. There is still so much we don’t know about one another. That process of learning — about you, about us, about love — is one of the most exciting things in life. And I feel grateful to have someone with whom I can imagine a future.

VICTOR
hat and tank top PENHA MAIA

TL

What would you want people reading this to understand about love that isn’t often shown or said?

LDS

Love isn’t only passion or grand gestures. It’s consistency, forgiveness and the courage to stay present even when things are uncomfortable. Love means choosing each other on ordinary days. It’s not about perfection but about commitment, communication and continuing to grow together.

TL

And effort. Love requires effort. There will be moments when you want to scream into a pillow, and that’s okay. It doesn’t mean the love isn’t real. It means you care. It means that it’s something bigger than you.

Love isn’t only flowers and romantic scenes like in movies — although romance is a part of love. It’s also the mundane everyday moments like waking up, texting each other in the morning, choosing to talk, choosing to stay connected. Relationships aren’t perfect. But you still decide to stay and work through things together.

What is love to you right now?

LDS

Right now, love is strength, inspiration and family. It’s courage to continue growing together.

TL

As you’ve already mentioned, for me, love, too, is inspiration. It inspires my creativity, my work and my life. It is happiness, joy and excitement — something bigger than words. Something that simply gives me purpose.

LEANDRO
jeans LEVI’S

TIMOTEJ
jeans CALVIN KLEIN

TEAM CREDITS:

models ALI, AMIR, and MARISE at Just Faces, ROSE DUSSER at Cover Management, ETHAN HADDAD at Marilyn Agency, MÓNICA CIMA at IMG, MATHEUS LACERDA and VICTOR PERONÁ at Allure, PEPEU CHAGAS at Base, IAN MELLO at 40º Models, JAMES WASYLYSHYN, OXANA BABENKO, ROMAN, ARTHUR COELHO, ANA CATALINA MARCHESI, BRUNO MONTALEONE, PIERGIÓ JOREMIA, PLN, NATHAN BISSON, VALENTIN BEAUFILS, FELIPE LONDOÑO, DOUGLAS NEVES, CAROLINA CALAINHO, WILLIAM SANTOS, TIMOTEJ LETONJA, and LEANDRO DA SILVA
director ÀNGEL CASTELLANOS
dop GUSTAVO CRUZ
styling MIGUEL CUENCA
hair and makeup PATRICIANE BONAZEBI
hair JAZ SHEPARD
casting director RAFAEL FERREIRA
set design MAURÍCIO NACIF
production TENT STUDIO
post production ÀNGEL CASTELLANOS and GUSTAVO CRUZ
styling assistance ANA GABRIELA CAMIZA, CINIA PIETROCOLA and NATHALIA GASTIM
makeup assistance LUCIE BOUTTIN, JOUIN FLORIANNE and MORGANE GOSSUIN CAMILLERI
music DIOGO SIMÃO