Jasmine Stefanovic talks motherhood, Karl and successful shoe business
In her first in-depth interview ever, Jasmine Stefanovic opens up about the joys of motherhood, her successful business and how it felt when her relationship with Karl made her the most talked about woman in Australia.
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In her first in-depth interview ever, Jasmine Stefanovic opens up about the joys of motherhood, her successful business and how it felt when her relationship with Karl made her the most talked about woman in Australia.
How long have you been with your husband Karl Stefanovic?
Three-and-a-half years. And married nearly two years in December.
Tell us more about your younger years. Where did you grow up and go to school? Brisbane. I went to Brisbane Girls Grammar. I loved it. If I lived in Brisbane, [daughter] Harper would be going there.
I think that school is about women supporting women, and I’ve always been brought up like that.
What was your first job?
I had a few jobs through university. I studied behavioural studies, sport science, nutrition and event management, but then I left for modelling to travel and live in Hong Kong, Singapore, London and New York. I loved travelling and meeting new people, that was what modelling was for me.
How did you get into modelling?
I was actually scouted when I was in the DOLLY Model Search, it was the same year Miranda Kerr won, 1997. My friends entered me into the competition and that’s when modelling started for me.
To be fair, I was more interested in volleyball and sports, and didn’t come back to modelling until I was 20 because I saw it as an opportunity to travel.
How did your modelling career inform the woman you are today?
You have to have strength to model I think, and belief in yourself while doing it and getting turned down for things. It gave me the strength not to worry about what everyone else thought of me, and only to worry about what people who knew me thought of me, rather than everyone else having an opinion.
Modelling gave me a thick skin, made me focus on the important things, and who you truly are instead of worrying about what people think or who they want you to be. It taught me you have to have a lot of self-love and belief in yourself to be in this industry, and surround yourself with a lot of strong, supportive women.
Did you ever let that excitement of modelling and mixing with famous people get to you?
No, I am so not the stereotypical model. Neither are my friends. I sifted out amazing friends in the industry and they’re still my friends now. No-one cared that much about the celebrity side of it, everyone was doing it to get by with regular money coming in. Modelling wasn’t our main focus, but it served a purpose.
Why did you leave your life in LA?
I loved it there and would have stayed, but I met Karl and moved back to Australia. Karl and I met through friends at lunch one day. I had been mainly back and forth from overseas from the age of 20 and had no idea how popular Karl was in Australia.
So I was in shock when he used to get chased by paparazzi when I would come home for a visit from LA. I remember turning to him one time and saying, “What’s going on? You’re not Brad Pitt.”
At what point did you give up modelling and move behind the scenes in fashion, launching your shoe business Mara & Mine with your friend Tamara Ingham?
Tamie and I met through an ex-boyfriend of hers. We became really close friends; she was styling and I was modelling. And at the time, going to castings and shoots, they only had the ballet flat or thongs, and we saw a space for cool, stylish flat shoes.
We wanted to get something that you could work [and] play in. Tamie and I were sharing an apartment and so that is where it all started, sketching up designs on our lounge-room floor. Tam and I have such a special relationship because we’ve kept our friendship through living overseas together, working together, socialising together... we did everything together and we still do.
I think that’s rare, that we can keep that bond and friendship as number-one and then also have a business together.
We have been doing this for eight years. Even though it looks glamorous from the outside, going to events and dressing celebrities, Tamie and I work so hard and it’s taken a long time to get to where we are – it’s not an overnight success. We started it from nothing and we’re really proud of what we have built.
Do you feel more comfortable behind the scenes than in front of the camera?
Oh my goodness, way more comfortable behind the scenes. I think I’m introverted to a point and then extroverted with people I’m comfortable with. Modelling was fine because I didn’t have to talk. I could put on an outfit, stomp down the catwalk, stomp back and not worry about what I had to say or do, or how people might judge me.
I love being behind the scenes. Mara & Mine, which is a combination of the last half of our names – Tamara and Jasmine – is a brand created by women for women. At its heart, it is about empowering women.
That’s really our ethos: that you can be free to be yourself and be a strong empowered woman that travels the world, works hard and likes to look good and be unapologetic about that. That is what we stand for. We’ve put everything into the business. That is our motivation. When you throw everything at something, you want it to be a success.
How have things been through COVID with the business?
Through COVID we’ve gone back to the brand’s DNA – we are focusing on our signature designs that are comfortable at home: slides, slippers, sandals. We shut our flagship store through the height of COVID in NSW and focused on developing our e-commerce as a whole.
The biggest change for us was that wholesale accounts cancelled, but our day-to-day customers were our biggest supporters, so we’re really grateful.
Can you talk about your personal style? You strike me as someone who can look fashionable in trackies and slippers as well as jeans and a T-shirt.
I don’t know about that, but thank you, I’ll take it. I’m feminine in my style, but then I love a suit or a structured outfit as well. I’m a bit more classic, maybe with a twist of something new or different, like a polka dot or pop of colour or something floral. I am not scared to try something new.
Has your style changed since you’ve become a mother?
I guess you’ve got to tone things down a bit as a mum because it is about practicality and function when you are looking after someone. Your body changes, too. I’ve got my Spanx on and you can’t have your cleavage out because your boobs are about to hit your chin.
You’re a very private person and this is your first proper interview through a lot of intense media interest. How have you coped with that interest?
I think having good family and friends around me and, of course, my husband. I think the hardest part was dealing with misconceptions and untruths. You just have to focus on the people that know you and love you. I want the focus to be on my business and those achievements, not on what I am wearing or who I am married to.
I love to work with other creative women. That inspires us to create for Mara & Mine. It gives us new ideas, and collaborating with other creatives, I think, just expands your whole platform, business and creative aesthetic.
Your daughter Harper May is just over five months old. How have you found motherhood?
It is the best thing I’ve ever done in my life. It is so rewarding. Harper is my angel. She is the happiest baby. I’m probably biased, but she is pretty gorgeous. She even wakes up singing instead of crying. And then I look over in her cot and she’s beaming this gummy smile at me.
That is my morning and I think to myself “Hell yeah, this is amazing.” I’m very lucky. I’ve always wanted to be a mum. Our daily routine is playing, eating, feeding, feeding, feeding. Loving Harper is an all-encompassing love – I feel it on every level. I feel very blessed.
Karl must have to get up really early to co-host Today. How does that factor into your routine?
It is actually good because when he goes to bed early, I want to go to bed and Harper wants to go to bed, so we’re all going to bed early. And then when he gets up I’m up feeding Harper, around 4am, and that’s when he goes to work.
If I’m struggling or had a bad night where I was up a lot, he’s home by 10am, which is a huge help. Karl helps a lot, he is very hands-on and I feel lucky for that.
What does the future look like for you and Karl?
Just focusing on our families and appreciating these special moments with our baby girl, which are going so quickly already.
Today you are being announced as a Friend of the VRC [Victoria Racing Club] for the Melbourne Cup Carnival 2020. You and Karl have been to the races together, what do you love about it as an event?
It is just the best day where you get to dress up, so everyone feels great. The excitement is palpable. I love going to Flemington for race week – seeing my friends and family, having fun, it’s the best.
We aren’t doing that this year because of COVID, obviously, but they have adapted. Instead of Fashions on the Field, celebrating at home it will be Fashions on Your Front Lawn – and I just love that. I appreciate the tradition of what you wear on each different day.
I think tradition is important. It gives you direction and makes you more creative. It has been a tough year for so many with coronavirus. I like the idea that the racing carnival is bringing people together all over the country and Aussies all over the world.
We all really need to support Victoria right now, and the good thing is now everyone has a ticket to the races. You could say that the Melbourne Cup is the race that restarts the nation. I like that idea.
Do you have a favourite memory of going to the races?
A couple of years ago when Karl and I went, Karl was secretly going to propose to me, so he invited all our friends and family to Melbourne – there were 50 of us – but I looked in the safe and saw the ring box, and it ruined the surprise. We had a laugh about it, though, and it was the best races I’ve ever been to because everyone we love was there with us.
For all the information about this year’s Melbourne Cup, visit cupweek2020.com.au.