Jessica Gomes: ‘I didn’t think my look would work in Australia’

WHEN retailer David Jones came knocking on her door, model Jessica Gomes was taken aback. She had been told years ago her look would never work for the Australian market.

Jessica Gomes: “I love coming back to Australia. It will always be home.” (Pic: David Mandelberg for Stellar)

THE smell of hot chips wafts through the retro-chic house in Sydney’s Coogee where Stellar is shooting model Jessica Gomes. The catering has just arrived and Gomes, in full make-up and with clips holding her dark hair in place, is drawn towards the fries.

“I’m allowed to have potatoes [on the Paleo diet],” she muses as she grabs a large handful. “But I guess that probably doesn’t mean deep-fried...”

Deep fried potatoes are fine from time to time. (Pic: David Mandelberg for Stellar)

After showing the crew her favourite YouTube videos (among them Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt in Playground Insults), she suggests sitting out on the patio for our interview before jumping in front of the camera to nail her first look.

“Oh god, this weather is amazing,” Gomes sighs. “I miss this. I miss the bird sounds, the ocean, the air — the simplicity of life here. I love coming back to Australia. It will always be home.”

“I miss the bird sounds, the ocean, the air — the simplicity of life here.” (Pic: David Mandelberg for Stellar)

Even so, 2018 marks a dozen years that Gomes has lived in Los Angeles. But while she loves her life there, she also relishes the semi-frequent trips back home for her engagements as a David Jones ambassador. Gomes tips her head back for a second and closes her eyes, soaking up as much of the autumn sun as she can while reminiscing.

“I was actually introduced to the world as a David Jones ambassador at the 175th birthday [of the department store], so it was almost exactly five years ago,” she says. “Of course, so much has changed, but it’s still just such a privilege to be part of such an iconic brand.”

On the eve of David Jones’s 180th birthday, Gomes is celebrating Australian fashion and the institution’s milestone in a shoot for Stellar that features layers of structured coats and feminine dresses — an ode to the runway trend of “modesty” dressing as a form of female empowerment.

“It’s still just such a privilege to be part of such an iconic brand like David Jones.” (Pic: David Mandelberg for Stellar)

The 33-year-old credits the retailer for her success in Australia, explaining that she may be in high demand now, but that wasn’t always the case. With Chinese and Portuguese heritage, the young model from Perth struggled to get noticed at a time when Anglo faces were the norm. When she relocated to Singapore, and later South Korea, Gomes found a new audience that couldn’t get enough of her.

Her appearances in TV commercials led to more modelling gigs, and once she had saved up enough money, she made the move to New York. A reality TV series (My Name Is Jessica Gomes) aired in South Korea in 2009, and eight Sports Illustrated features followed — the record for any Australian model.

With Chinese and Portuguese heritage, the young model from Perth struggled to get noticed at a time when Anglo faces were the norm. (Pic: David Mandelberg for Stellar)

Yet when David Jones came knocking, Gomes was taken aback. “I never thought my look would work for the Australian market — that’s what I’d been told all those years ago,” she says. “But David Jones is all about celebrating diversity. And that is needed — because then other brands follow suit.”

A movie buff since childhood, Gomes has also turned her hand to acting, with a few film roles already under her belt. In her most recent, she played Owen Wilson’s wife in the 2017 comedy Father Figures. Always up for a laugh (or a prank), Gomes says that she spent her time on set being the “annoying foreigner”, making co-star Ed Helms eat spoonfuls of straight Vegemite and “just torturing everyone, really”.

“I never thought my look would work for the Australian market — that’s what I’d been told all those years ago.” (Pic: David Mandelberg for Stellar)

Gomes is also focused on growing her natural skincare line, Equal Beauty, which she released early last year. Her plate is full — and that’s just how she likes it. “I’ve always wanted to do more. I’ve always wanted to get out there and see things, say things, be creative and tell a story.” But for the next few moments, at least, she is just happy to keep basking in that glorious Australian sunshine.