Stunning makeover: Robert Irwin as you’ve never seen him before

All grown up, aged 18, Irwin stars in his first ever fashion shoot, and opens up about navigating life without a father figure, finding someone special and the glare of the international spotlight.

As the son of Australia’s beloved croc hunter Steve Irwin, Robert Irwin has lived much of his life in the shadow of his dad, who died before he had even turned three.

Navigating life without a father figure is a challenge for any teen, let alone one who’s had to do it under the glare and scrutiny of the international spotlight.

But now, at the age of 18, Robert is ready to step out of his khakis and into his own for his first ever fashion shoot, photographed exclusively by Stellar on location at his family’s Australia Zoo on the Sunshine Coast. And crikey, he looks good!

“I’ve actually become known as the fashionable Irwin,” Robert Irwin boasts with his trademark enthusiasm and humour.

The teenager’s older sister Bindi and mum Terri often playfully tease Robert about his trendy wardrobe so he’s relieved neither is on set for his Stellar shoot.

“If my family were here, they’d definitely be giving me some heat from it,” he laughs. “They like to joke about my ‘shants’ or short pants. But I think we can confirm that shants are fashionable, right?”

Still, Robert feels most himself in his Australia Zoo khakis; a uniform designed for comfort rather than aesthetics.

“My dad wasn’t exactly a fashion icon, but he was iconic just in the fact that he made khaki cool,” Robert says.

“I feel an incredible sense of pride when I put my khaki uniform on in the morning and it feels normal – more normal than anything else I wear.

“Because it’s my everyday and I feel this connection to dad. I feel this connection to my family and this sense of purpose. That’s what fashion can do. It’s empowering.”

Robert Irwin: “I’ve actually become known as the fashionable Irwin.” Picture: Christopher Ferguson.

A natural risk-taker, Robert isn’t afraid to experiment with his clothing, either, because, as he says, “When I am wearing something that is stand-out fashion, people aren’t going to recognise me as much.”

It’s one of the tricks he picked up from his famous father who, he says, had rock-star level fame in America, where fans would throw themselves on the roof of Steve’s car to get his attention.

“He had an alter ego called Glenn Glamour,” Robert confides.

“He would put in false teeth, a wig, this ridiculous multi-coloured trench coat, the weirdest pants and really sketchy sneakers.

“And that’s how he would get around the zoo and no-one would notice him because he was just wearing the most ridiculous thing. So, ironically, the more exciting and experimental you are with your fashion, the less people will recognise you – at least for me.”

By comparison, Robert doesn’t see himself as a celebrity. His reasoning? He can still go out to the pub with his mates (it’s strictly lemon squash for Robert, though, he doesn’t drink because “life’s dangerous enough with animals”) or he can live out of the back of his van on a solo road trip up the coast.

“I can still go out and do things on my own,” he says.

“And when people recognise you, the nature of what we do – we’re not Kardashians – they’re not just like, ‘I want to get a selfie with you.’

A lot of the time, it’s people coming up to say thank you for what you’re doing.

“[They say] ‘Thank you for inspiring our kids to want to get into the field of wildlife or they want to be a zookeeper, or my kid loves crocs because of you’.”

Robert wasn’t even three years old when his father was killed at the age of 44 by a stingray while filming a documentary on the Great Barrier Reef in 2006. Though his own memories of Steve are scarce they are all packed with “pure joy”.

“My earliest memory, and one of the few really distinct memories that I have of my dad, is of the mornings when he would take Bindi and I on his motorbike – he’d stick me up the front – at the Zoo because we lived at the property,” he recalls.

“He would go 100 miles an hour because this was before it was open, and we’d do all our [animal] checks and then pick up some ice-cream … and that was how we would start every single day. I remember it so vividly. I am so lucky that the memories I have of Dad are just so fun.”

Robert Irwin: “I want to forge my own path.” Picture: Christopher Ferguson

Robert Irwin: “[Walking Bindi down the aisle] was Dad’s job. That wasn’t mine.” Picture: Christopher Ferguson

It’s in the last two years that Robert has felt his father’s absence most acutely and says he has thought many times, “Man, I wish he was here!

“Because I am sort of stepping into adulthood, having turned 18, and navigating that is hard enough [but] when you are in my situation, and you don’t have a father figure to guide you through, it’s really hard.”

But Robert is ready to embrace what comes next.

“I definitely want to experiment and try new things,” he says.

“I want to forge my own path and I’m really passionate about photography. I love being behind the camera. I am working on a coffee-table book with my photography that I’m going to be releasing later this year.”

Adding to the usual growing pains of young adulthood was the huge financial toll that the global pandemic took on Australia Zoo. Without tourists streaming through its doors, Robert says it fell to his mother – who he and Bindi refer to as “wonder woman” – to keep things ticking over.

It was also during this challenging period that Bindi, now 23, finally wed her long-time boyfriend Chandler Powell in March 2020 before welcoming their first baby, daughter Grace a year later.

“It’s been very hard time from a business perspective,” he reflects.

“And also, for all the [missed] milestones.

“The year before last I walked my sister down the aisle, and you do that sort of stuff and think, ‘That was Dad’s job. That wasn’t mine.’ So, it’s just these bittersweet moments that you get all the time.”

Above all else, these tumultuous times have enabled him to fully appreciate how his mum Terri, now 57, raised two children on her own and ran a zoo all while grieving the loss of Steve.

“We’re not about making profit, we are about making the world a better place, so it’s a difficult business to manage at the best times,” Robert says.

“She’s sailed us through Covid effortlessly, and she’s had to be Mum and Dad. She’s the coolest person I know, the most caring person I know and the most intelligent businesswoman on the planet.

“Whenever times are really tough, and I wish Dad was here, I just think about how proud he would be of Mum.”

Robert is equally close to sister Bindi. Like any siblings, the pair have their fair share of arguments (though usually its over “dorky stuff” like which was the largest animal to ever walk the Earth).

Now happily married herself, Bindi urges Robert to hurry up and find his special someone, too.

“She’s like, ‘You’re 18, Robert, what’s going on? Pick up the pace!’” he chuckles.

“By 18 she and Chandler had already been together for a couple of years. So, it happened pretty quick [for Bindi to find love]. But that doesn’t happen very often.

“So, I’m still looking. I am in no rush. It’ll happen when it happens.”

Robert Irwin: “I wish Dad was here, I just think about how proud he would be of Mum.” Picture: Christopher Ferguson

Robert Irwin: “I am in no rush. [Love] will happen when it happens.” Picture: Christopher Ferguson

Powell, 25, and Bindi met after the Florida native caught Bindi’s attention during a 2013 visit to the sanctuary. And it appeared history might be repeating itself when an American fan propositioned Robert during a recent live show at Australia Zoo.

Ever tactful, Robert sidestepped her request for his phone number, saying, “I was very flattered by this lovely Australia Zoo guest. It certainly means a lot!

“While I wasn’t able to give out my personal details, I really appreciated having a conversation with someone who definitely had a great interest and passion for the Zoo and my message.”

Powell, on the other hand, has fitted seamlessly into the Irwin family and Robert hopes his future partner will one day do the same, joking, “If they’re not ready to don the khaki and go feed crocs? Mate, it’s not happening!”

He’s also discovered new joy in being the “fun uncle” to one-year-old Grace, admitting he isn’t as strict as his older sister.

“I’m like, ‘You want that lolly? Go for it! You want to climb that tree? Go for it!’” he laughs.

“I did say to Bindi, she’s gotten to an age now where we should try putting her in with some snakes and crocs. And Bindi is like, ‘No, that’s not happening. We’re going to start small with some koalas and some echidnas and, when she can walk and talk, then we will look at it.’

“But I have those [Irwin] genetics, I guess.”

“I mean, my very first interaction with a crocodile was when I was a month old and dad took me in and fed a croc,” he says, referencing the infamous incident in 2004 during which Irwin held his then infant son, Robert, in one arm while handfeeding a chicken to a 4m crocodile during a live performance.

“It was a little bit controversial … I’m not going to go into the whole croc thing, and this is the last thing I will say on it: if I ever have a kid, I am going to do the exact same thing,” he says both passionately and matter-of-factly.

Growing up at the Zoo has not only given Robert confidence in front of crowds, cameras and crocs (though he admits to being scared every time he’s inside an enclosure). It has also helped him to feel connected to his dad.

Robert Irwin stars on the cover of this Sunday’s Stellar. Picture: Christopher Ferguson.

The usually smiley wildlife warrior becomes emotional describing how strangers’ anecdotes have helped him cope with his ongoing grief.

“Everyone’s really passionate about making sure that if they have a story about Dad then they share it with me.

“I love when people – even people who don’t work at the Zoo but who met Dad – come up and say, ‘Hey, I met your dad and here’s the story.’

“Every time I see a new piece of footage or a photo that I hadn’t seen before, or someone tells me a story I get a little piece of him,” Robert continues.

“And that means a great deal to me.

“It hits you hard … And all of a sudden, I can slide right back there.”

Originally published as Stunning makeover: Robert Irwin as you’ve never seen him before