Meet Gen Z’s new rising A-list stars of business, fashion and entertainment
Some were born onto the A-list and others have made it their own way. Meet Australia’s rising Gen Z power players, who are making a name for themselves.
Lifestyle
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Some were born onto the A-list and others have made it on their own. Meet Australia’s next-generation of movers and shakers, who are making a name for themselves in business, fashion, beauty, modelling, design, art and media.
From social media star Harry Jowsey to the Australian-born Netflix executive who is taking on Hollywood and an accessories designer who skipped her gap year to set up her own jewellery brand, these Gen Zs are making moves – and landing major deals and wins at a young age.
This young gun power list reflects of the rise of “hustle culture” among 20-somethings in 2023.
No longer locking themselves into a single “traditional” career, Australian Bureau of Statistics data found 194,000 young Aussies aged between 15 and 24 are working more than one job.
It’s a trend reflected in many of the names included in this list – including Silk Cartwright – a ceramist, content creator and designer, and Emma Pillemer, who runs her eponymous accessories brand “Emma Pills” as well as her own Instagram feed as an influencer.
“Overall there has been an increase in the number of Australians working multiple jobs … with recent figures showing a record high of 947,300 — or 6.6 per cent of the workforce,” a report released by LinkedIn Australia stated.
“Before 2020, this number remained stable between 5 per cent and 6 per cent.”
Social researcher and Gen Z expert Claire Madden said the Gen Z cohort was “quite savvy at leveraging the opportunities they can see in today’s business landscape” and had “been raised with sophistication and an ease in how to use technology”.
“They’ve seen what’s possible – they’ve seen influencers rise from being their next-door neighbour to someone who is incredibly influential online,” Ms Madden said. “They have seen start-ups excel past traditional businesses. They have seen that there are different rules of the game in how to get ahead now.”
Ms Madden said Gen Z were hustlers who had a more open-minded approach about their careers. “They [recognise the] ways people have built influence in the past aren’t the only ways to do that now,” she said.
“They have seen the loopholes that social connectivity and global platforms have given them, and they have seen opportunities that previously weren’t there.
“Many Gen Zs love having a side hustle. They’re not limited in a linear thinking kind of way.”
Emma Pillemer
Age: 22
Known for: The accessories designer grew up in Vaucluse and leads a jet setting life, taking her from Sydney to Los Angeles. She has built her own jewellery brand, Emma Pills – with an influential investor (bikini mogul Natasha Oakley), and commanding between $100-$200 per piece.
Pillemer started the business in 2020 – then aged 19 – and with her parents matching the money she saved to launch the brand. “They were very happy for me not to go partying in Europe and put it towards a business,” she said. Pillemer has recently been rubbing shoulders with social media elite including YouTube star David Dobrik on a recent trip to LA, where she attended Taylor Swift’s “Eras” Tour.
Georgia Danos (nee Geminder) and Bella Geminder
Ages: 29 and 25
Known for: Their grandfather may have been worth $5.5 billion but Georgia Danos (nee Georgia Geminder) and Bella Geminder – the granddaughters of late Visy tycoon Richard Pratt – are coming into their own. Georgia launched Gem, a non-toxic oral care brand offering toothpaste (made without parabens and triclosan), landing a retail deals with Mecca and Woolies, as well as Boots pharmacies in the UK. Bella is a model and influencer, who is signed to US-based agency, DT Model Management. Their mother is billionaire Fiona Geminder – of Visy and Kin – while her father is businessman, Raphael Geminder, the founder of the Pact Group Holdings. Georgia is expecting her first child with her investment director husband, Matthew Danos.
Tatiana Ippoliti
Age: 25
Known for: The daughter of prominent Melbourne fertility specialist Dr Lynne Bermiester, Tatiana Ippoliti is following in her mother’s footsteps. The 25-year-old launched Fertility You, a line of fertility vitamins, and is in the midst of relaunching the brand (she started the business aged 22). Ippoliti’s mother – who has been dubbed the “fertility queen” – operates Melbourne-based fertility clinic, Number 1 Fertility, which counts Olympia Valance and Brit Selwood among its patients.
James Flannery
Age: 27
Known for: The son of a former Network Ten executive, James Flannery is making waves in Hollywood – behind the scenes. Raised in Sydney and with a media and communications degree from The University of NSW, Flannery – who is based in Los Angeles – worked at mega agencies William Morris Endeavor and Endeavor Content, before landing a high-profile role at Netflix in the US. The 27-year-old is an executive producer of the reboot of Australian teen drama Heartbreak High, helping propel the Netflix show’s first season to huge success. Heartbreak High was viewed the equivalent of 33 million hours within less than a month of its launch last year.
Silk Cartwright
Age: 23
Known for: Ceramist Silk Cartwright is not who you would usually associate with pottery. “I fell in love with pottery half way through 2021 and my social media journey took off from there,” the 23-year-old Melbourne-based artist and content creator said, from her studio in Brunswick East. She now has 1.3 million TikTok followers, 112,000 followers on Instagram and 181,000 subscribers on YouTube.
Cartwright, who commands $79 for a mug and up to $120 for vases from her brand, By Silk, also designed a clothing line with online fashion store, Peppermayo.
Harry Jowsey
Age: 26
Known for: Raised in the Queensland town of Yeppoon, Harry Jowsey is taking on Hollywood in a very Gen Z kind of way. A lucky break on Netflix reality show Too Hot To Handle in 2020, Jowsey – who is based in Los Angeles – turned heads for his relationship with now ex-girlfriend, Francesca Farago. Flaunting his new-found wealth on social media with lavish trips and expensive cars, Jowsey, 26, has put his entrepreneurial streak to use, becoming a successful creator on risqué social media platform, OnlyFans, and a model, fronting a campaign for White Fox, which landed him three billboards on Sunset Boulevard, and a cover of US Men’s Fitness magazine. He’s also landed a coveted guest twice slot on influential podcast, Call Her Daddy, and launched a line of scented candles, dubbed “The Ritial”.
Sam Guggenheimer & Izzy Armitage
Ages: 21 and 23
Known for: With nearly 200,000 Instagram followers between them, BFFs Sam Guggenheimer, 21, and Izzy Armitage, 23, co-created the podcast and rising media brand, Just For Girls. The pair, who are based in Elwood and Toorak, tackle issues facing Generation Z listeners, from debating the merits of Grey’s Anatomy to dating hacks, with a humorous take on life as a 20-something. Guggenheimer is also an AFL WAG, dating Western Bulldogs player Caleb Poulter. Before shooting to internet fame, Armitage was once an All-Stars cheerleader.
Maggie Hewitt
Age: 28
Known for: Now based in Sydney, New Zealand-born fashion designer Maggie Hewitt is behind one of the most talked-about emerging fashion labels in the industry, Maggie Marilyn. The 28-year-old has dressed the who’s who of ‘it’ girls from Sydney to Los Angeles, including Meghan Markle, former First Lady Michelle Obama, and supermodel Kendall Jenner, and staged a much-Instagrammed runway show in May as part of Afterpay Australian Fashion Week. Launched in 2016, Hewitt’s label – which is based in Paddington – is carbon-positive and has a sustainability focus.
Lucia Hanna
Age: 24
Known for: Making a name for herself on Instagram and TikTok, Melbourne-based fashion designer Lucia Hanna co-founded the label, With Harper Lu. Now 24-years-old, she launched the brand in 2019 with a focus on “elevated ready-to-wear premium collections”. Each item is ethically and sustainably manufactured in Australia, with ethics and the environment firmly on her agenda. Hanna – who lives in Richmond – shares snapshots of her stylish life on Instagram, including her recent trip to Italy, where she shot her own designs on the streets of Milan and Rome.
Sophia Vantuno
Age: 21
Known for: The sister of Aussie bikini mogul Natasha Oakley, Sophia Vantuno was a bridesmaid at Oakley’s Italian wedding to Sydney businessman, Theo Chambers. Los Angeles-based Vantuno – whose mother is former Miss Universe Lynette Oakley – has worked for her sister’s swimwear brand, Monday Swimwear, and is a model in her own right, represented by mega agency, Ford. She also works as a digital creator, with 175,000 followers on Instagram.
Originally published as Meet Gen Z’s new rising A-list stars of business, fashion and entertainment
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