Renaissance WOMAN

‘Formentera is an island of gods, a sanctuary for women,’ declares Nina Urgell, her eyes sparkling with the fervour of someone who has found her true north. Raised in the quiet Catalonian town of Matadepera, with childhood summers spent in Ibiza, it is the smallest of the Balearic Islands that has captured her heart. ‘Formentera possesses me. It is a place of freedom, where I reconnect with my roots and find inspiration. Creativity is rooted in Nina’s DNA. Her father had been a DJ before opening a restaurant with her mother, who was both a folk singer and a chef. Their restaurant, La Bolera, became a cultural hotspot and Nina attributes her diverse interests to her vibrant upbringing. ‘Our home was a haven of music and arts,’ she recalls. Her mother, who saw Bob Marley perform at Las Dalias market in Ibiza, had a wide-ranging taste, loving Janis Joplin, Stevie Wonder, jazz and blues. Nina’s early ambitions were clear. At eleven, she knew she wanted to be both a psychologist and a DJ. ‘I was always fascinated by human behaviour, she explains. ‘When I DJ, I channel my emotions and the power of music through my sets. My body becomes a conduit for the sound. Initially pursuing a degree in psychology and graduating with top honours for her final project, Nina’s path took a detour when she was scouted as a model and introduced to Instagram. ‘Instagram became a new medium for my self-expression,’ she says. Her distinctive style and magnetic personality quickly built a substantial following, thrusting her onto the fashion scene.

In 2019, Nina co-founded Midnight Cosmetics with a former partner, crafting a brand that embodies her holistic beauty philosophy and merges Scandi aesthetics with Mediterranean botany. ‘Midnight was born from my desire to create products I could fall in love with.’ The brand’s natural formulations, developed in collaboration with a family business in Barcelona, highlight her commitment to sustainability and wellness. ‘It’s cool and curated, very special and representative of my identity’, she adds. Midnight’s product line includes four perfumes inspired by Casa Pablo, a dreamily nostalgic house in Formentera. ‘Each scent captures a moment in my life on the island’. Nina could have stopped there but instead she co-founded Cycle, a fashion platform with a unique twist on sustainability. ‘Cycle is about giving clothes a second life’, explaining that the curated garment collection can be purchased and after six months, customers can decide to keep or return (on them), promoting a circular fashion economy - a model that perfectly aligns with Nina’s commitment to reducing fashion waste and championing ethical consumption. They also developed a DDP (Digital Product Passport) to track each product’s lifecycle, providing transparency about its environmental impact across Europe. With an innate sense of style that spans music, fashion and beauty, Nina’s philosophy and aesthetic defy easy classification. ‘I am constantly evolving and my style is too. It’s a very eclectic mix which is empowering. I guess I feel best mixing tomboy elements with a touch of sexy. And I always need to be ready for anything.’

Photography: Will Vendramini
Styling: Ilaria Norsa

Stylist assistant: Gaia Fusarini
Hair: Gianluigi Gargaro @theagencyaldocoppola
Make-up: Corina Smith @smack_ibiza
Local producer: Daniela Natale
Photography assistant: David Arnoldi