If you would have asked Maxi Marie Peters 10 years ago what her future career held for her, modeling would not have been the obvious answer.
Born and raised in Germany, Maxi graduated from business school seven years ago and started her career in finance. It did not take her long before she realized that the office life just was not for her. She knew there was more out there for her to explore, so she decided to take a different direction in her career.
Maxi returned to the classroom, this time studying art direction and photography. As she was involved in her studies, she said others would often ask her if she had modeled. While she did dabble in modeling throughout her time in business school, she never considered focusing on it as a main career.
As she made her home between Miami and New York City, and more people encouraged her to begin a career in modeling, she said she decided to devote more attention to it as a serious career. Since then, she said, she has never looked back. She said her new course of study had really helped her realize she had different talents and interests she wanted to further develop.
“When I started my degree in art direction and photography, working behind the camera made me realize how much I enjoy being creative,” she said.
Now the 28-year-old spends much of her time in front of a camera, showcasing elite brands such as Prada, Oscar de la Renta, Skims and Givenchy.
Maxi has also been featured on the cover of the internationally-acclaimed magazine Harper’s Bazaar. Her photo shoot was accompanied by an editorial featured in the publication in August of 2022. She said the experience was one of the biggest accomplishments of her career to date.
She said her background and interest in art direction and photography along with her modeling skills have helped her appreciate the entire process around her career – from fashion styling to the beauty regime, from the location selection to the strategic poses she creates for the end product.
She has found social media as the perfect opportunity to further her career and fashion interests. She is active on Instagram, @maxi.mari, where she features her travels, especially between New York and Miami, highlighting fashion and everyday life.
“Instagram is a great way to showcase your work to potential clients and to connect with people in the industry,” she said.
Maxi said she is hopeful for future opportunities to be featured on the cover of other magazines, but she is also looking toward the possibility of other adventures that await her. She is working on other avenues for her career aside from modeling.
With the experience both behind and in front of the camera, Maxi said in the next 5 years, she would like to put her business degree and background in finance to good use and perhaps start working on her own business.