Renata Maciel dos Santos was born in Brazil on February 11, 1981 in Florianópolis, Brazil. She was discovered on a bus travelling home from school when she was 14 years old by the Mega agency in Brazil.

From there, the Brazilian model craze took hold, and Renata emmerged onto the fashion scene along side fellow Brazilians of Gisele Bundchen, Isabeli Fontana, and her good friend Ana Beatriz Barros. She has posed for famous brands such as Versace, Polo Jeans, Espirit, and many more. She has modeled for Elle, Vogue, Marie Claire, Giorgio Armani, Calvin Klein, Gianni Versace and Ralph Lauren.