We Went Down To Brazil So Cristiano Faluba Could Heat Up Our Swimsuit Issue!

Cristiano Faluba may be the gorgeous cover model for Instinct’s annual Swimsuit Issue, but make no mistake—there are brains behind the brawn. Th is handsome young designer works at Tátil Design, one of the most awarded and respected design agencies in São Paulo, Brazil. There, the 29-year-old divides his time between the branding and design teams, putting his talents to work for clients such as Procter & Gamble, Nokia and Natura. It’s an impressive gig, especially when you consider that Cris just moved from his small hometown of Belo Horizonte, in the state of Minas Gerais, to São Paulo late in 2009.

We enlisted the aid of a writer based in Brazil to dig a little deeper into our cover model’s life and to translate Cris’ sexy Portuguese tongue into words we could swoon over.

INSTINCT: How do you feel about being the cover boy of a gay magazine from the United States?

CRISTIANO: It feels quite surprising, since I’ve never modeled before. I used to think that you can have only one profession instead of doing different things at the same time, but I guess I was wrong. And it is happening in a good moment, since at the end of 2009 I told myself that I would not let any good opportunity go by without giving it a try. So here I am, starting 2010 with something totally unusual for me.

Do you have a boyfriend or a partner?

In October 2009 I ended a six-year relationship, which for me was quite a marriage. But there are no hurt feelings. We ended it because we were on different pages. But believe it or not, I am not single anymore. I got into another relationship less than a month after that.

So you are a serial dater?

[Laughs] I don’t know if you can call me that, but yes, I do like to date...but not someone random. My current boyfriend was a friend. I’ve known him for five years. He is from my hometown, and we both were heading to São Paulo, so he called me and offered me a ride. And that’s how it all started. During the five-hour drive we got to know each other better, and I realized I wanted to know him more and more and spend more time with him. So we went out that night, and since then we have been dating.

Wanna know what else makes Cris feel alive? Pick up the February Issue of Instinct Magazine and read (and most importantly, see) more from this Brazilian boy.