Rare look inside Jodhi Meares’ new life in Byron Bay as she unveils The Upside campaign: ‘I don’t get bored or lonely’

After years in the spotlight, fashion designer Jodhi Meares explains why she left Sydney for Byron – and the reason she is ‘not really a party person’.

A year ago, Jodhi Meares made a decision that changed her life. After a decade spent living in the countryside of Hawaii, the fashion designer and model had eventually moved back to Sydney to spend more time with her family and friends.

But city life just wasn’t cutting it for her anymore.

“It’s wonderful to go to events but I’m not a big party person, never have been,” Meares tells Stellar.

“I’m not really a fancy restaurant person. I mean, Sydney is the most beautiful city, and I love it. But for living, I don’t find there’s a lot for me to do there.”

And so she opted to go back to the hinterland – only this time on a newly purchased property outside Byron Bay. Now, instead of shops and restaurants, she is surrounded by papaya trees, a dog named Soda Pop, and her latest obsession: cows.

“I’ve got five cows,” she explains. “I’ve called them the Ramoons, after [punk rock band] The Ramones. So there’s Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee, Marky and Tommy. Joey is a beast. He’s naughty, and he escapes. But he is secretly my favourite.

Jodhi Meares has spoke to Stellar about her new life in Byron Bay. Picture: Simon Upton for Stellar

“I love feeding my cows. I didn’t know that I’d be in love with them as much as I am.”

For Meares, 54, this lifestyle offers a sweet spot that affords her the solitude she prefers.

“I don’t get bored or lonely,” she says.

“I suffer from other things but not that. Sometimes I have to ask, ‘How many days has it been? I need to just go somewhere and speak to another human…’”

Contrary to what others may perceive, she says she doesn’t crave the spotlight – even if it craved her from a young age.

Listen to a new episode of the Stellar podcast Something To Talk About below featuring Glennon Doyle:

Meares, who grew up in a coastal town in southern New South Wales, kicked off her modelling career at the age of 14. Two years later, she became the face of Moove milk.

Even so, she says, “I never really loved having my photo taken. It has been a means to an end. I felt very lucky to be able to do it because I wasn’t sure what I was going to do when I was young. And school and I didn’t get along that well. So I grew up in the modelling world.”

She went on to appear in surf magazines and glamour campaigns, and even had a stint as a singer with the dance-pop band Euphoria in the early ’90s. In fact, music still holds a special place in her heart.

“It’s just such a gift to this world,” she says. “Music has got me through, I think, my toughest days.”

The Upside designer is on the cover of Stellar. Picture: Stellar

Picture: Simon Upton for Stellar

The spotlight burned stronger when Meares launched swimwear label Tigerlily in 2000, with celebrities like Cameron Diaz spotted wearing her designs. A year before that, she had married Australian billionaire James Packer.

Even after they split in 2002, and she sold Tigerlily to Billabong, the intensity didn’t die down.

The uneasiness she felt with the attention wasn’t helped by her turn as host of Australia’s Next Top Model in 2007 and 2008; she withdrew from hosting the live finale because of nerves.

“I’m definitely a behind-the-scenes person,” she explains. “I’m a true introvert. I like to be able to watch people. I find people really interesting. And being in the public eye wrecked that a little bit.”

Ultimately, Meares found peace and privacy by retreating to the hills of Hawaii

“I was pretty tired [after selling Tigerlily]. There were so many learning curves,” she says. “So I bought a house in Hawaii and I was thinking, ‘I’m 38. What am I gonna do? I’m too young to retire.’ I didn’t think I wanted to get back into the rag trade. I thought I wanted to do something else.”

It was while she was dividing her time between Hawaii, Sydney and New York that the seed for a new business was planted.

She spoke about admiring supermodel Elle Macpherson, who she worked with recently. Picture: Don Arnold/WireImage

An avid yogi, Meares noticed the growing popularity of athleisure wear. The notion of creating her own brand was keeping her up at night. During the day, she started making sketches and pulling together ideas.

“It kept knocking at me and made me think: I’ve got one more in me. And also, I don’t know how to do anything else,” she says. And so, in 2014, The Upside was born.

Now, a decade on, that brand has been seen on the likes of Victoria Beckham, and supermodel Elle Macpherson has collaborated with Meares on its latest campaign.

Ahead of that launch, Meares fulfilled a dream by interviewing Macpherson for an exclusive Stellar cover story earlier this year, in which the former supermodel discussed everything from family, fame and loneliness to music and lessons she’s learnt along the way.

Recalling how she asked for one of Macpherson’s comp cards on the day she joined Chadwick Models in 1986, Meares revealed in the interview: “You were and remain my favourite model. My 15-year-old self is doing the wildest happy dance in absolute reverence for this moment.”

“She’s a phenomenal woman,” Meares says now, reflecting on the opportunity.

“Elle doesn’t have to do these things. I thought it was just very special.”

When she launched Tigerlily, there was no need for the brand to have a social media account. There was no online business.

‘It’s important for your business to stand on its own.’ Picture: Sam Tabone

Today, both are the backbone of The Upside. And yet Meares has chosen not to be the overtly public face of either.

“I’m very proud of my companies and my work, but I keep a bit of arm’s length because it’s important for your business to stand on its own,” she explains.

In fact, the mention of her line prompts Meares to start heralding the work of her team. If she’s good at anything, she says, it’s employing good people around her.

“I know my strengths and I’m confident in my strengths – but I also know my weaknesses. I don’t micromanage and I don’t need to be all over everything if

I really trust someone’s expertise,” she says, adding that her designer and CEO from her Tigerlily days remain with her at The Upside.

It’s a family business, too: her younger sister Sophie, whom she affectionately calls “Boo”, serves as brand manager, and her brother-in-law works in operations.

“I know a lot of people say don’t work with family. I’ve had the opposite experience,” Meares says.

“We’re really close anyway, so we can talk through things and come up with strategies and solutions and sort of figure it out.”

All of this means Meares can base herself at her farm – which is just a short drive from the beach – and come back to Sydney once a fortnight. If her sea-change seems idyllic, well, she encourages others to try it, too.

“I recommend that if anyone is thinking about it, just do it. If you can. Obviously it’s difficult at times. I don’t have children, so it’s easier for me. But I’d recommend having experiences, because you can change your mind.”

As to what the future holds, Meares is keeping her focus on the brand (and, of course, those cows). But perhaps more importantly, she’s eager to keep doing what she can to keep her peace. “Peace is a very worthwhile pursuit. Happiness is fleeting. But with peace, you know it’s there,” she reasons.

“You can keep it. It’s somewhere to turn to. Resilience is also important. I think peace and resilience are very worthwhile things to cultivate.”

Listen to a new episode of the Stellar podcast Something To Talk About below featuring Glennon Doyle:

The Upside’s spring/summer collection featuring Elle Macpherson is available from Wednesday.

See the full cover shoot with Jodhi Meares in today’s Stellar, inside The Sunday Telegraph (NSW), Sunday Herald Sun (Victoria), The Sunday Mail (Queensland) and Sunday Mail (SA). For more from Stellar, click here.