Isabela Grutman & Vita Sidorkina Reveal The Power Of A Modern Woman

Isabela Grutman & Vita Sidorkina are redefining what a power woman looks like in 2025 as they star on the Haute Living February cover. The post Isabela Grutman & Vita Sidorkina Reveal The Power Of A Modern Woman appeared first on Haute Living.

Feb 12, 2025 - 18:03

Isabela Grutman & Vita Sidorkina Reveal The Power Of A Modern Woman

LEADING BY EXAMPLE

ISABELA GRUTMAN & VITA SIDORKINA ARE MIAMI’S MOST INFLUENTIAL WOMEN, REDEFINING WHAT SUCCESS MEANS IN THE MODERN ERA.

Photo Credit: Danny Cardozo

IF I had to define Isabela Grutman and Vita Sidorkina in one word — admittedly, a challenging task given their dynamic, multi-faceted lives — I would keep returning to one word: rare. Grutman and Sidorkina possess a unique, infectious energy — both separately and together — that you seldom encounter.

Case in point: in November, after wrapping up our long 10-hour shoot, the day was far from over for Grutman and Sidorkina. As I said my goodbyes, they eagerly began planning content for the new Isa Grutman Jewelry collection. Sidorkina playfully tried on the jewelry while Grutman shared her favorite pieces. It was in this moment that I truly began to appreciate the rarity of these remarkable, unstoppable women.

We often hear about the concept of the power woman in today’s society, as women continue to break through traditional gender barriers, challenge stereotypes, and pave the way for future generations. Grutman and Sidorkina are not only embracing this role but also redefining what it means to be a power woman in the modern era.

With a successful modeling career spanning over 20 years, Grutman has always considered fashion an integral part of her life. Today, she is the founder of Rangel, her namesake sustainable and contemporary clothing brand featured in major retailers like Shopbop and Revolve. She is also the founder of the fine jewelry brand Isa Grutman. Both brands weave Grutman’s DNA throughout, revealing who she is as a person. “When I was 17 years old, I studied fashion design in college, and that is when I learned a lot,” Grutman explains. “Because I was modeling, I didn’t have the opportunity to sew or start my own brand, but it was always something I knew I wanted to do. During Covid in 2020, I bought a sewing machine and started making clothes for my daughters. I began purchasing fabrics, cutting, and sewing on my own, which led my friends to suggest that I start a brand.” Thus, Rangel was born.

Photo Credit: Danny Cardozo

“Rangel is my last name,” she continues. “It is the name my mother, grandmother, and sisters carry. For me, it was important to use that last name as it reminds me of all the strong women in my life.”

Rangel is a tribute to Grutman’s Brazilian roots. In fact, she produces everything in Brazil and Portugal, ensuring that all materials, from fabrics to packaging, are sustainable. “I wanted to create a brand where women feel good about themselves,” Grutman says, a smile spreading across her face, revealing her immense pride in the brand. “I wanted outfits that women could wear both during the day and at night — something easy to wear that doesn’t require overthinking. Rangel is designed for women on the go.” The brand proves to be the true testament of a label founded by its ultimate customer.

Two years later, in 2022, Grutman launched Isa Grutman, honing in on her other passion. “At the same time, I always had a passion for jewelry because for me, jewelry is generational. It is something that will stay with you forever, that you can pass down to your kids, and so on. I created Isa Grutman Jewelry to have pieces that carry memories and stories around them — things that could stay with us forever,” Grutman says.

A strong sense of purpose and intention drives Grutman’s namesake brands. While she is deeply involved in the daily operations of both brands, she also plays a vital role in the non-profit organization Style Saves. Founded in 2011, Style Saves focuses on providing essential goods, such as school supplies and mentorship to the youth, with the goal of enhancing academic achievements.

“We started Style Saves with 500 kids nine years ago, and now we are serving 15,000 kids. Every year, we see a high demand for school supplies and backpacks when we open registration, which often leads us to close registration within just two days,” reveals Grutman. Though each year brings new goals and bigger impacts, Grutman is particularly proud of this year’s achievements. “This year — while it may seem like a small thing — I am very excited that we will be providing the kids with two polos instead of one. I’ve always thought that one polo is not enough. When you think about it, that means an extra 15,000 polos, and we manufacture everything ourselves,” she continues. Alongside founder Rachael Russell Saiger and an incredible team of volunteers, Grutman has dedicated her time outside of her brands to fostering a greater impact.

As for Sidorkina, her modeling career began at a young age, eventually leading her to secure major campaigns, as well as features in esteemed publications like Sports Illustrated, and runway shows. “I started modeling very young, and in this industry, I’ve probably received more nos than yeses. I believe that’s one of the best gifts life could give me. I have built so much resilience from this industry,” she explains.

Photo Credit: Danny Cardozo

“I am actually very short for a model, so when I first started, I was often told that I would never have a successful career because of my height. So, I think that overcoming that was one of the best gifts to learn who I am and build my confidence,” Sidorkina reflects. Indeed, Sidorkina proved the industry wrong. Born in Khabarovsk, Russia, she had always dreamed of living in the United States, and by the age of 17, she had moved to New York City. In 2015, she landed her career-changing opportunity at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. “Victoria’s Secret and [Sports Illustrated] are two iconic American brands that I was fortunate to work with, and I am forever grateful to them for helping me in my career path,” says Sidorkina, truly fulfilling her own American dream.

When Sidorkina moved to Miami in 2017, she began to transition into content creation as a natural progression to her career, amassing a million followers on Instagram this year alone. “Content creation allows me to be a present mom, which I believe is important at this stage of my life. It also serves as a creative outlet for growing my personal brand. I do believe that if you grow your social presence online, you can really do anything you want with it,” Sidorkina reveals.

With loyal followers on Instagram and a growing YouTube channel, Sidorkina has transformed her platform into a source of inspiration. “My goal online is to inspire other women to show up just the way they are and inspire mothers to have fun at the stage they are at in [motherhood]. I also share many wellness and health tips because I experienced an eating disorder during my modeling career. Now, I have finally found peace with how I look and feel,” she shares.

As the content creation industry rapidly evolves, Sidorkina easily keeps pace. Her secret? Staying authentic. “In a way, the industry has become more saturated with so many people who create content, but now, there is a demand to be more original and consistent. In the past year, for the first time, I’ve built my own team of three people dedicated to helping me grow my online presence.”

Sidorkina has taken another significant step as she teased that she would soon launch her first fashion venture, a capsule collection of shoes in collaboration with Miami-based Argentine brand Vicson.

Photo Credit: Danny Cardozo

Grutman and Sidorkina have individually achieved major milestones throughout their careers while continually evolving and redefining who they are along the way. However, what is even rarer is their dynamic together. The two of them are shaping a new future for Miami as leaders and entrepreneurs in the fashion industry. In a sense, Miami itself is evolving alongside them. “It’s definitely refreshing to see the city grow and have
a very supportive environment. And we are supportive of the industry because when the industry thrives and there is growth, there are greater opportunities for us as well as everyone around us,” Sidorkina says.

Grutman chimes in, saying, “When I initially moved to Miami — and I moved here first in 2015,” she jokingly says to Sidorkina, “I felt like Miami was a great city, and I was very happy, but at the same time, there were a lot of aspects missing. For example, in fashion, music, and culture, a lot of little accents were missing for me. But now, I feel like there are a lot of creators here — photographers and stylists — and I’ve found my group of people who inspire me. I also met Vita when she moved here from New York. Since we both came from New York, I remember having a lot of these kinds of conversations. Now, I feel that we have a much more creative and inspiring environment.”

Sidorkina echoes Grutman’s sentiment: “Miami now has many different aspects — it’s family-friendly, but also fun and business-oriented. Finally, the city has different sides you can explore.”

[As a former New Yorker now living in Miami, I completely agree. Miami has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past several years, doing a complete 180 and creating numerous new opportunities. Yet, there is still plenty of room for growth.]

“I would love to see more of a fashion environment,” admits Grutman. “It’s important for new designers to receive more support and for local factories to be available here for sourcing. Finding fabrics and factories to collaborate with here is still hard for me. I would love the industry to grow and involve more people in the fashion community.”

Photo Credit: Danny Cardozo

Sidorkina shares a similar feeling, emphasizing the importance of a 360-degree perspective. “More brands need to come here and engage in activations. From the viewpoint of a content creator, it all functions as an ecosystem — new designers launching new brands — which creates opportunities for collaboration among these brands here for us to all work together and keep growing.”

Grutman and Sidorkina have become names that are synonymous with Miami and its culture, establishing themselves as true role models and, more importantly, changemakers. As they inspire thousands of women in Miami and around the world, perhaps their greatest inspirations are their daughters.

Motherhood is undoubtedly one of their most important roles, both challenging and rewarding at every stage. I sit in awe when we discuss motherhood and the idea of balance — a concept that they both find amusing.

“The concept of balance does not exist,” Sidorkina states. “It’s about finding what works for you personally. Even today, as I was driving here with feelings of ‘mom guilt’ on my way to our cover shoot, I realized it was about accepting and living through emotions while pursuing my passions. It is important to remember that a mom’s job is not just to be at home with the kids, taking care of basic needs; it is our job as moms to show our girls that when family life starts, your career and passions do not end. It is essential to evolve and continue to chase our dreams. For me, it is important to lead by example to show our girls how we evolve as individuals outside of family life. That is our duty.”

Photo Credit: Danny Cardozo

Adds Grutman, who also has two young girls, “It’s inspiring for our daughters as well. It’s our responsibility to show them that they can do anything they want to do in their life and achieve their goals, work hard, and do what they’re destined to do.”

In a rare moment during our interview, Grutman and Sidorkina share a warm hug, supporting each other while discussing how to navigate this so-called balance. There is so much love between the two; it’s both palpable and inspirational.

In recent decades, it has been outside of the norm to find people who genuinely support and celebrate others’ successes in the fashion industry. For Grutman and Sidorkina, it’s really special that they found each other.

“One thing about Vita that people don’t know is that she is very straightforward,” says Grutman, lovingly, of course. “If I want to ask a real, honest opinion, I go to her. At the same time, it is inspiring to me because that is someone I want to be — I want to be someone who is direct and forward. And for my brands, I always look up to Vita because she is so stylish and inspiring.”

With a smile spreading across her face, Sidorkina adds, “Let me tell you a few things about Isa. She was one of the first people I met here, and I feel like we’ve gone through similar stages of life together — everything from motherhood to business. And one thing about Isa is she is never competitive with you. She always wants you to win; it is so rare to find in a friendship a person who genuinely wants to cheer for you.”

For Grutman and Sidorkina, the foundation of their happiness lies in the support system they’ve created in Miami. “I am just so proud of the friendships I have built here in Miami,” Sidorkina says. “It is one of my biggest achievements — I am confident in life knowing I have this support system no matter what happens.” Grutman gives Sidorkina a squeeze, and echoes her thoughts, saying, “I am very lucky to have a group of girls here. When I am overworked or overwhelmed with life, they are my grounding.”

Photo Credit: Danny Cardozo

I can confidently say that these two women embody my definition of the modern power woman today. For Grutman, the ultimate power woman is someone who has the confidence to speak up for what she believes in. Sidorkina, on the other hand, believes that power women can take many different forms. “I have so many women around me who inspire me in different ways — Isa, as a businesswoman, is not scared to pursue her dreams and goals. Then there are my friends who are stay-at-home moms, and that, too, requires a powerful woman. One thing that unites us all is the confidence inside, knowing that you are on the right path and that your vision is clear. To be a power woman, you are fulfilled in your own life and the circumstances you are standing on.”

The idea of the power woman has certainly evolved and manifested in various personas. Reflecting throughout this interview, feeling inspired myself, I have to take the opportunity to ask our cover stars what advice they would give to their younger selves.

“I would say, don’t be scared of your own path. It takes a long time to build who you really are, so don’t judge yourself or be scared to take risks. Life will pivot you and take you another way — just don’t be scared of things taking time,” Grutman says. She reveals this lesson as she reflects on the patience she personally needed while building her empire, adding, “When I started modeling at 13 years old, I had a clear vision and confidence inside that I would go far in modeling. I believe that if you approach anything with confidence, you can pursue anything.” Sidorkina concurs, sharing that she fought for so long to detach from her original ‘plan,’ which ultimately turned out to be the best decision she ever made. “It’s also good to draw a plan, but it’s more important to be flexible as to where life takes you. It’s good to have a plan, but let your intuition guide you,” she says.

There is no linear path, no one-size-fits-all, to finding success in life. However, Grutman and Sidorkina have put forth a new definition to the power woman in 2025.