Elite cliques, cashed-up VIP: Who’s who of Qld’s ‘it’ crew
Queensland’s elite ‘it’ crew is an interconnected web of identities from various industries, who mix and mingle at local events. Their secret dealings to boost each other’s profiles and clique culture has become part of the game. Full list: Queensland’s top 30 ultimate ‘it’ crew.
Lifestyle
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Brisbane has always maintained its small town complex and the social clique in southeast Queensland is considered even smaller to those in the thick of it.
The interconnected web of identities mix and mingle at local events and often collaborate on projects, trade ambassadorships, appear on each other’s podcasts or spruik each other to their enviable numbers of social media followers.
While it’s an ever-changing list, from fashion to fitness, music, social media and television, this is the ultimate guide to who’s hot in the industry, how they got there and who to keep an eye on around town.
Social/ Models
ELLIE GONSALVES
She’s a Wildlife Warrior with an acting credit in Dwayne Johnson movie Fighting With My Family and a recent Celebrity Big Brother star.
The model and actor, with 1.2m followers, is one of the southeast Queensland corner’s most influential social figures.
Gonsalves is the Loreal Pro ambassador, ran her own fitness app and co-founded athleisure brand 9186 Collective, which means her influence stretches across beauty and wellness, fitness, food and fashion.
Always styled to the nines, she’s a popular name on any guest list.
TAMMY HEMBROW
With 14.1m Instagram followers, Hembrow is one of the best known Australian influencers.
She founded clothing label Saski Collection as well her TammyFit app and promotes her successful businesses to her huge following – while showing off the luxury lifestyle and the Bentley it has afforded her.
Now engaged to retiring ironman Matt Poole, the duo are regular guests on the Gold Coast social scene.
Her sisters, Emilee and Amy, often join them, as influencers themselves and co-owners of local beauty brand Sskin.
ALLI SIMPSON
Dabbling in singing, acting, modelling and presenting as well as stints on numerous reality TV shows, Simpson is never short of an ambassador opportunity home on the Gold Coast.
She moved back to Queensland after spending much of her teenage years in Los Angeles with her famous brother Cody.
While sharing the ups and downs of her life to her 1.2m followers, she promotes fashion, beauty, music and lifestyle hacks.
ISABELLE MATHERS
A model on the rise, Mathers, who is signed to agencies in Brisbane and Sydney, shares her workouts and exclusive collaborations with brands to her 1.6m followers, as well as enviable getaways to Qualia Resort on Hamilton Island and Byron Bay’s Temple Farmhouse.
Along with model sister and lookalike Grace Mathers, they are quickly rising the influential ranks on the Gold Coast.
TESS ALEXANDER
The former Miss World Australia turned model and presenter is a fixture on the local social scene. Working with Queens Plaza and Mercedes Benz Brisbane at the Breakfast Creek Lifestyle Precinct – works she shares with her followers – she’s a regular face across the city’s fashion market.
JETT KENNY
The surf lifesaving son of Olympians Lisa Curry and Grant Kenny was somewhat of an accidental model when he signed with an agency and fronted a campaign for City Beach.
It wasn’t long before he was walking in a star-studded David Jones season launch in Sydney and lining up campaigns and ambassadorships, including at the Magic Millions Carnival.
The reality TV offers soon followed in droves and, while also continuing his sport, his influence has steadily grown along with it.
Music
AMY AND EMMA SHEPPARD
While their family band Sheppard – alongside brother George – has performed at the likes of The Ellen Show, the AFL Grand Final and Eurovision – Australia Decides, the sisters have also leveraged their profile to become fixtures of the Brisbane social scene.
Amy’s positive body image campaign, Kiss My Fat Ass, saw her become a muse in the Brisbane Portrait Prize while Emma is the new My Valley ambassador.
Meanwhile their support for local designer label White Label Noba saw them both walk the catwalk at Brisbane Fashion Festival in 2021.
THE VERONICAS
From fashion collaborations to charity work, festival gigs, reality TV appearances and even their own MTV reality show, twin sisters Jessica and Lisa Origliasso have been leading Brisbane’s IT crowd for the better part of two decades.
They are never ones to shy away from performing Untouched, the party scene’s unofficial anthem, at an opening or two around town.
CODY SIMPSON
Since returning from Los Angeles, where he’d lived since he was 14 and dated the likes of Gigi Hadid and Miley Cyrus, Simpson and his 4.2m followers are a hot commodity on the Gold Coast.
As well as winning The Masked Singer, joining the Australian swimming squad and collaborating with his famous little sister, Alli Simpson, the singer has been popping up as a surprise performer at events across the southeast – not to mention sharing a recent enviable stay at Palazzo Versace.
Fashion
LUCY JACKSON AND NIKKI WESTCOTT
This best friend duo are the Gold Coast’s ultimate IT girls.
They united under the name We The Wild Ones in 2016, amassed a cult following on social media and co-founded their trendy fashion brand Jagger and Stone – which became a quick favourite for fashionable influencers.
They later used their following of “punters” to launch hit podcast, Happy Hour.
The show progressed to a live recording at The Star, which had a sellout crowd chanting their slogans back to them and a live performance from The Veronicas, who they also collaborated with on a fashion range.
Westcott is dating Gold Coast festival organiser and Maman restaurant co-owner Oli Frost and they are part of the Hembrows’ Gold Coast clique, meaning their influence stretches across all corners of the glitter strip.
THESSY BATSINILAS
Batsinilas is the creative director and co-founder of popular Brisbane label Sabo Skirt, alongside sister in law, Yiota Kouzoukas.
After founding the label in 2011, they have taken it New York Fashion Week and their celebrity clients include Jennifer Lopez.
The popularity of the brand – which has 1.6m Instagram followers – landed the duo on Forbes’ 30 under 30 in 2016. But Batsinilas’ influence goes beyond her label’s credentials. While sharing new season Sabo outfits in her daily life, she also uses her Instagram to share her experiences with endometriosis, IVF, and post-partum body image.
The posts have regularly gone viral while her unfiltered image of her post-baby body started a movement among local influencers, who took on the challenge and shared similar photos. With husband Giorgio Batsinilas owning Brisbane fitness company FitazFk, she created her own fitness program and then motivated her followers to join her in completing it – and stuck to it, sharing her progress on social media.
ANNABEL FALCO
Falco is the Qweekend fashion editor and Queen St Mall ambassador with a wardrobe of enviable designer goodies, as well as affordable alternatives, that she shares and styles for her followers.
While shooting plenty of campaigns and styling up-market clients, Falco has also collaborated on her own range of jewellery.
LUCY HENRY-HICKS
Henry-Hicks is the Brisbane woman behind cult favourite fashion outlet Dissh, which is a go-to for the effortlessly fashionable cliques of influencers.
With a notable circle of friends, influencers are regularly decked out in Dissh at high profile events while Dissh parties themselves are always frequented by a well regarded guest list.
CLARE ANSTEY
The Gold Coast-based stylist, who goes under the social handle Style Me Clare, is a go-to for television stars and local identities.
From Channel 7’s Liz Cantor, Amanda Abate and Kendall Gilding to Tess Alexander and Erin McNaught for Magic Millions, it’s Anstey not only styling the stars, but attending the events alongside them.
Her husband, Dan Anstey, is a popular, and well-connected, Gold Coast breakfast radio presenter meaning the pair rarely miss an invite.
KERRIE HESS
A world renowned fashion illustrator and author, Brisbane-based Hess has painted the likes of Emma Watson and Ariana Grande, at the singer’s request, while recently teasing a visit to her Brisbane home by Emma Watkins.
Her fashion art also adorns windows across Paris and London and with a cultivated and high end wardrobe of her own she is a popular guest at Brisbane social and fashion scenes, her artwork hanging in the homes of many local identities.
TV/Radio
KATRINA BLOWERS
Blowers is another Channel 7 news presenter who works far beyond her role.
A regular host around Brisbane with a vast history in radio, she uses her network of high profile friends to run successful podcast, Claiming Your Confidence. A fashion enthusiast and author, she’s well connected around town.
KENDALL GILDING
The Channel 7 newsreader has been successful in taking her influence off screen and rarely misses an invite around Brisbane.
She regularly hosts events in the city, including race days, the recent in conversation event with tennis star Ash Barty and Brisbane Fashion Month’s finale show, which ended in designer Gina Kim naming a gown in her collection “the Kendall”.
CHRISTIAN HULL
The former radio presenter used his profile and alter ego Trish to become a popular social media identity, podcaster and comedian.
Moving to Brisbane in 2020 he’s become a popular identity around town, working with local charity Share the Dignity.
His recent advocacy against the apparent discrimination at Brisbane’s Citipointe Christian College, including appearing on national TV and radio shows to discuss the issue on behalf of those messaging him from the school, showed just how influential he can be.
CHARLI ROBINSON
The former Hi-5 presenter tried her hand on Gold Coast radio and television presenting on Getaway after leaving the popular singing group. Now in Brisbane with fiance and race car driver Liam Talbot, Robinson is a Brisbane Bullets ambassador and V8 Supercars grid lane presenter with an enviable lifestyle she shares online.
LINCOLN LEWIS
The former teen Home And Away star and son of NRL legend Wally Lewis has taken his influence beyond acting.
With plenty of ambassadorships, including the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, he has also filmed guest spots on Getaway and worked with Tourism Australia and Destination Gold Coast, leading to enviable holidays he shares online.
He also began the Fund My Challenge charity app with his high profile mates, regularly appeared on reality TV and continues acting on the Gold Coast. With an influence across TV, sport and travel, he is a longstanding and sought-after ambassador.
BREAKFAST RADIO SOCIALITES
A trend in Brisbane is for breakfast radio’s female stars to be the unofficial social ambassadors. B105’s Abby Coleman, 97.3’s Robin Bailey, 4KQ’s Laurel Edwards and Triple M’s Margaux Parker are fixtures on guest lists around town and have become sought after identities to spruik local businesses because of their influence. They are engaged with local designers and fashion labels and have their finger on the pulse when it comes to the Brisbane social scene. It is a similar theme on the Gold Coast with Sea FM’s Bianca Dye and Hot Tomato’s Emily Jade O’Keeffe never far from the spotlight.
Fitness
EMILY SKYE
The Gold Coast fitness model is among the best known influencers in the industry, running an online training and diet program, which she leverages to her 2.5m followers. She is known for her no nonsense approach to dieting, training, and living a healthy life, and shares candid accounts of her journey, including child birth and post partum fitness. She went on to co-found James Cosmetics with Gold Coast business identity Sam Mangan and is a regular face on the Gold Coast social scene.
MICHAEL RAMSEY
Michael Ramsey is the co-founder of Strong Pilates, a rowformer franchise that has grown rapidly to 50 studios across Australia – three of which opened on the Gold Coast within one month in late 2021.
Ramsey was the influential figure guiding their success.
He is a qualified personal trainer with a Masters in marketing who owned and sold six successful F45 gyms in Melbourne and Darwin, one of which was named the world’s best F45 studio three years in a row, before co-founding Strong.
His girlfriend is Aussie model Leah Johnsen and his enviable contact book and marketing skills sees a line up of influencers and sport stars filing in and out of the Gold Coast studios, including ambassador and AFL star Travis Boak.
JASON DANIEL
The founder and chief executive of activewear brand LSKD, Daniel grew the company to become a leader in the field, being named the 2021 Gold Coast Young Entrepreneur of the Year.
He once lived on the same street as Fitstop founder Peter Hull – who he later collaborated with on a LSKD x Fitstop range – and is well connected in the fitness and business world in Queensland.
He engages influencers and sport ambassadors from Dan Rich to Bree Masters and regularly hosts innovative and well attended events around southeast Queensland.
That includes the recent launch of LSKD HQ in Loganholme, a retail store and gym and home of the LSKD fitness club and LSKD run club.
PETER HULL
The Brisbane entrepreneur founded the Fitstop gym franchise in a home garage alongside Richard Bell.
A well connected personal trainer, he attributes its success to popularity by word of mouth. It’s now a business pulling in $1 million per month in network revenue, with a string of local identities involved and a partnership with the Gold Coast Titans, as well as a clothing collaboration with LSKD.
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