Aina Velasco
Aina Velasco is a Spanish model, stylist, creative director, and founder of the vintage fashion brand am pm.
Based in Barcelona at the moment, she is known not only for her distinctive vintage-inspired aesthetic but also for her deep sensitivity to art, fashion, and storytelling. A passionate reader, Aina brings the same quiet intensity and curiosity to books as she does to her creative work—blending style, mood, and meaning with a rare intuitive touch.
Note 01 A book you love
Norwegian Wood by Murakami made me feel very close to the story and the characters when I read it. The way Murakami talks about youth—the emotional contradictions of those years, loneliness (the kind we seek and the kind we don’t), and that constant feeling of not quite finding your place—really resonated with me. I think I saw a bit of myself in all three main characters.
Note 02 A book to help others
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion really struck me. Even without having experienced a loss like hers, it brings you closer to what it means to lose someone you love. There’s no sentimentality or embellishment—just her, sitting with her pain.
Note 03 A book that influenced your work
I read The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction by Walter Benjamin at university, and I think it had more impact on me than I realized at the time. It’s an essay from the 1930s, but his reflections on the value of the unique and the authenticity of what we create as humans/creators are still incredibly relevant today—especially when we think about the role of technology in the creation, distribution, and consumption of visuals.
Note 04 Why did you start reading
I’ve always been an avid reader, since I was little, mostly reading novels. But in my last years of school, a teacher introduced me to contemporary poetry, and I’d say that was a turning point—it opened up a whole new genre I hadn’t explored.
Note 05 A quote
It’s not exactly a quote, but I always return to the final lines of Mary Oliver’s Wild Geese:
“Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting —
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.”
It feels like a hug, a remedy for anxiety—a whisper from the universe reminding us that we belong, simply because we exist.
Note 06 Where do you like to read the most?
On a plane, during a long flight without Wi-Fi. It feels like time pauses, and I can truly lose myself in the story.
Note 07 A must-visit place for book lovers
Paris is the city, but it’s hard to choose just one spot:
GALIGNANI - for books in english
OFR - for magazines and art books
LE FEU FOLLET - for special editions or thoughtfulgifts
VOLUME (3rd arrondissement) - perfect for architecture and interior lovers; a recent discovery from a friend.
Note 08 A book as a gift
One Hundred Years of Solitude — I think it has something for everyone, and every time I reread it, I discover something new. The last book I received was a biography of Yayoi Kusama.
Note 09 A book to your younger self
Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan. I read it as an adult, and I think Cécile and my teenage self would have understood each other perfectly.
Note 10 Aina’s nightstand?
Several hand creams, a notebook for last-minute thoughts, and right now, Historia del corazón by Vicente Aleixandre. I need some romance and sensitivity before falling asleep.
Note 11 A character you love
That’s a tough one! Maybe Midori, from Norwegian Wood. She’s authentic, brave, and capable of finding happiness despite the pain she’s been through.
Note 12 Your ideal book dinner
I’d host something at home with Joan Didion, Mary Oliver, and Rachel Cusk. I’d let them get to know each other and quietly take it all in.
Note 13 My bookmark is...
I always fold the corners of pages, sometimes at the top, sometimes at the bottom. Sometimes to mark my place, other times to find a passage I want to return to. Every now and then, I pick up books I’ve already read and reread just those pages. I love doing that.
Note 14 If you were to write a book,
who would you dedicate it to?
To my mother. She always encourages me to pursue the things that make me happy and not to let them go. If I ever wrote a book, I know she’d be there cheering me on every step of the way.