Living The DREAM

WORDS: Greg Pride PHOTOGRAPHY Supplied

From a Sunshine Coast boutique to the runways of Athens and Barcelona, Jess Holliday has built an international modelling career while chasing an even bigger ambition of her own

It sounds like a cliche, but Jess Holliday really is living her best life.

When not dividing her time between homes in Bali and the Sunshine Coast, where she grew up, Jess, 27, is jet-setting the globe as an in-demand international model. Her Instagram feed tells the tale of her enviable lifestyle – Monaco, Barcelona, the Greek Islands, Mallorca, LA and Indonesia’s Komodo Islands. For this willowy, brown-eyed beauty, it’s a very much a case of have looks, will travel.

Test shoot with photographer Camila Mello, in Bali.

Her family was originally from Victoria but Jess was born and raised on the Sunshine Coast, the youngest of three sisters. “Growing up in a house of girls, we were always interested in that creative side of things,” she says. “We were always doing lots of art, painting and drawing and that kind of thing with Mum.”

After graduating from Mountain Creek State High, Jess was unsure what she wanted to do with her life. “I always saw myself going to university but after I finished school, I took a gap year and travelled through Europe for a few months, ” she recalls.

“I went to Sri Lanka first and met my sister there, and then I went around Greece, Italy – that coastal side of Europe – and then Morocco. It was so beautiful, but three months was long enough and I was ready to come home.” On her return, she began studying environmental science at uni. “That was the path that I thought I wanted to go down, because I was always into animals, nature and the environment when I was growing up,” she says. “I did a semester but it wasn’t really what I was expecting it was going to be, so I ended up stopping that and just going through a phase of trying to work out what I wanted to do.”

Test shoot with photographer Camila Mello, in Bali.

Jess had a stint working in hospitality before landing a job at popular coastal fashion boutique Alterior Motif at Cotton Tree in Maroochydoore. “I feel like that was a pivotal time for me,” she recalls. “I was around a lot of really nice brands, and I was working with some really lovely girls. And then at that point, I decided I was going to go to TAFE and study fashion design. “I’d always loved fashion and clothes growing up, but I went through a phase where I was quite stuck on what I wanted to do. I was talking to my older sister and she was like, ‘you should do fashion design’. She always knew I loved putting together outfits and that kind of thing. So I went and studied that for two years and I finished the course.”

“That was four years ago and I have been modelling ever since – now signed with Saint Model Management.” “My boss at the time (at the boutique) was really good,” she says. “Whenever I’d have little (modelling) jobs pop up, she would always make sure I’d be able to leave work to get to them. At that point, modelling wasn’t that serious for me, it was more or less a side hustle. “It wasn’t something that I thought I would really pursue full-time, I guess, because I just wasn’t sure how far I would go with it at that time.”

Test shoot with photographer Kate Rosenberger in the Gold Coast Hinterland.

Jess had met her partner, Noosa surfboard shaper Jimmy Crowe, around the same time and the couple decided to relocate to Bali. “We both always thought if there was somewhere overseas that we would try to live, it would be Bali,” she says. “It was a bit of a risk I guess – we both kind of packed up and headed over there, not knowing if we would have any work. We didn’t really know what we were getting ourselves into or how long we would stay there for. “Luckily, I found an agency over there and Jimmy found a job, and that’s when I guess I started to get really busy. We told everyone before we left that we’d probably only last six months, but it ended up working out, and we’ve been there ever since.”

The couple live near Canggu, with Jimmy shaping boards under his own eponymous label and Jess using the Indonesian holiday island as an idyllic base for her modelling work. “Bali is a great location because it’s not far from Australia but it’s also a little bit closer to Europe, and there are direct flights home to the Sunshine Coast,” she says.

Shoot for brand Haute Swimwear with photographer Dana Moon on the Gold Coast.

Jess’s first big overseas assignment was to the Greek island of Milos, an experience she says was “amazing”. “I went over there with a photographer and a creative team, and we took over a few different brands,” she says. “You’re kind of shooting with all the same people every day, which is nice. You get to know each other a lot better. And my partner came over for that one too, which was really great. We did a bit of travelling, so it was kind of half work, half holiday. “Milos was somewhere I’d never been to before and it was really beautiful. We did a few little boat trips and things like that.”

Jess returned to Bali before another work trip to Greece beckoned, this time to Athens. “There was an agency there that was interested in signing me, so I went over. It was all very last minute,” she says. “Two of my best friends were visiting me in Bali at the time, and I got a call while they were there from my agency asking if I could fly over to Greece within a week. “It definitely teaches you how to adapt and get used to just the unpredictability of things (in the modelling industry) sometimes.”

A photo taken at Sarakiniko, Milos (Greece).

Jess worked in Athens for six weeks, “staying in model accommodation with about six other girls”. “It was just little dorms, so it was definitely interesting, almost like a school camp or backpacker hostel,” she says with a laugh. “They’re just tiny little apartments, so you’ve often got two or three girls in just one bedroom. So many cultures, so many different personalities, but it was a super-interesting and really cool experience.”

After Athens, where she modelled at Athens Fashion Week, a Spanish agency reached out and Jess travelled on to Barcelona for another month of modelling. “I loved Barcelona – it’s one of my favourite places in the world, especially for work,” she says. “There are so many different brands there and the vibe was totally different to Athens, so it was really nice to get the contrast between the two. “One of my favourite things about modelling is travel. You get to meet so many different people, and wherever you go, everyone has such a different way of expressing creativity. “You go to photo shoots, and every photographer is so different in the way that they do things, you just learn so much. And it just opens your eyes a lot to the different visions that people have, which is really nice.”

Test shoot with photographer Jacob Frazer in Athens, near the Acropolis.

Jess also enjoys the contrasts of her work, from modelling swimwear in Bali to high fashion in Europe. “I’d travelled to Europe previously but it’s a very different experience when you’re there just working. You don’t get as much downtime to yourself; you’re just running from spot to spot,” she says. “I feel like in Australia and in Bali, you have a lot more time for yourself when you’re not working. Whereas over there, if you’re not working, you’re going to castings every day. When I was in Athens, some days I was going to seven to 10 castings. “Athens is a big city and you have to get yourself from place to place by yourself, so it definitely teaches you to fend for yourself and helps build your confidence.

Shoot by photographer Sydney Symons for brand Wild & Pacific, in Bali.

After a hectic period of travel, Jess has spent more time in Bali and Australia this year, working closer to home – spliced with a trip to Monaco in June. “I’ve just been going between Australia and Bali every few months,’ she says. “I’ve been in Australia a lot more this year than I would’ve planned. I  was planning on spending most of my time over in Bali and doing a few little visits here, but it’s definitely flipped itself around. But it’s good. It’s nice coming home, and there’s been plenty of work here.”

Jess has worked with brands including Nude Project (Spain), Michael Hill, Triangl Swim, MWL Bridal, Peppermayo, Vacay Swimwear, Atolea Jewellery and Cleonie, while she has aspirations to shoot for the likes of Bec & Bridge, Rat & Boa, Sommer Swim, Frankies Bikinis and Realisation Par.

A photo taken of a street in Barcelona.

Asked to nominate her fashion icons, Jess says she looks up to the likes of 1990s supermodels Claudia Schiffer and Giselle Bündchen. “I’m always looking at different inspirations but if I was thinking about model inspiration, I feel like I tend to be drawn towards that ’90s supermodel era,” she says. “Looking back at the runway fashion there, it’s just so timeless and effortless, that whole era. Outside of that, I’m inspired by a lot of other kinds of people too, especially women who’ve built careers beyond their modelling such as (former Victoria’s Angel model and actress) Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.  “I think that’s really important. I really admire especially women who have their own creative direction and aren’t afraid to evolve, or who’ve gone and created something else for themself after modelling as well.”

A photo taken in Monaco.

On that note, Jess has her own ambitions beyond modelling. “I really want to have my own fashion brand,’ she says.  “When I moved over to Bali, because at that point my modelling career hadn’t really taken off yet, I was going over with the intention of starting a brand and then I got too busy with modelling.

“It’s something I’m still working on, but I just want to do something that reflects my own style and that I can put my own creative input into. “I feel like from all of my modelling and travelling, I’ve taken in a lot and been exposed to a lot of different influences. So I’d like to one day be able to bring that together and put it into something that’s my own.”

Shoot for brand Peppermayo in the Gold Coast.

For now though, Jess continues to live the dream as a globetrotting model. “I love it, I’m so grateful for it,’ she says. “I feel like it’s brought me so many opportunities and the ability to go places that I never would’ve thought about going if it wasn’t for modelling.

“Obviously I won’t be able to model forever but it’s definitely something I want to do for as long as I can. You have hard days but even they’re rewarding. And on the good days, it kind of makes you wonder how lucky you are to have this as your job.”

To Book Jessica contact Saint Models Management