Who is Jessica Hart?
August 1st 2009 13:05
She's been dubbed the next Miranda Kerr, has been a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model and has already done major ad campaigns for labels like Seafolly, Esprit and Guess, but still the name Jessica Hart is not a famous one... yet. I suspect that less than a year from now, the young Aussie stunner will be a household name: she's already one of the most sought-after faces (and bodies) in the modelling world, and has just been signed with iconic lingerie company Victoria's Secret. Sounds familiar...
Like Miranda Kerr before her, Jessica began her career by winning the Dolly magazine modelling competition, and found herself instantly in demand. She left school at 15 to pursue her career full time, building up her portfolio in Europe before moving to New York with her long-time boyfriend, musician and fellow Aussie Nicolas Potts. Since then, she's worked practically non-stop, but it wasn't until her first Guess campaign in 2007 that she started gaining some recognition in the highly competitive world of modelling. "It was something I had hoped for and wished for," the 23-year-old said.
It took a little more than just hoping and wishing, however: in order to get the job, Hart gatecrashed the casting! "It was a bit cheeky," the gap-toothed cutie admitted. "I was casting next door (for Motorola) and was waiting for my girlfriend. When she came out, I was like, 'Let's go for it'. The photographer called the agency. They wanted to test me, which was uncommon, on the beach in Hawaii. A week later I got the campaign."
By far the biggest moment in Hart's career so far has been her photo shoot for the 2009 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. "I was so excited!" she told the magazine. "It was honestly the most exciting thing that's ever happened to me. I'd been in to see [the editor] three times, once a year for three years so I was definitely dying to get the job. I was almost getting to the point where I started to feel a little bit silly because they'd already seen me twice before and I didn't know if it was going to be different. It's always hard to keep going in and be like, 'Do you like me now? Do you like me now?' It feels good to get it after the third time," she said.
In March 2008, she graced the cover of Australian Vogue magazine, and since then has done work for Triumph, Cue, Gap Body, L'Oreal, and most recently Seafolly, for their 09/10 Summer swimsuit range. Her long limbs and perfect figure make her the ideal candidate for underwear and bikini modelling, but Hart admits that she works hard to keep it that way. "I work out a lot," she told Sports Illustrated. "I'm not about to be one of those girls who say it comes naturally. I work really hard at maintaining everything and I generally eat well."
While she's never known any other kind of work, Hart is realistic about her job, saying that modelling is not physically or mentally draining, but can cause some emotional strain at times. "No, it's not that hard, we get on a plane, we get to work, we get all our details given to us and there's nothing we ever have to really think about. We're told exactly where to go and at what time and when we get there there's always food and everything we need. We put our clothes on, we take our clothes off and we shoot everything and go home," she says. "[But] emotionally it's a little bit different. You're always alone. You can never plan anything; you're at everyone else's beck and call. You have to be happy and smiling on the days you might not be happy or want to smile. Those kinds of things are not easy."
Hart's funky sense of style has not gone unnoticed, and she's already looking to expand her resume with some fashion designs of her very own - but is keeping it on the down-low for now. "I'm in talks with people to design my own line of clothes in collaboration with a charity, but I can't say much on that right now," the blonde beauty told journalists in June. She'll be sticking with modelling "for as long as I can hold out in this business" and intends to eventually settle down back in Australia... but that will be some years away yet. "I feel I've got a lot more to do and a lot more to go in my career," she said. So do we, Miss Hart.
Perfectly imperfect
Like Miranda Kerr before her, Jessica began her career by winning the Dolly magazine modelling competition, and found herself instantly in demand. She left school at 15 to pursue her career full time, building up her portfolio in Europe before moving to New York with her long-time boyfriend, musician and fellow Aussie Nicolas Potts. Since then, she's worked practically non-stop, but it wasn't until her first Guess campaign in 2007 that she started gaining some recognition in the highly competitive world of modelling. "It was something I had hoped for and wished for," the 23-year-old said.
It took a little more than just hoping and wishing, however: in order to get the job, Hart gatecrashed the casting! "It was a bit cheeky," the gap-toothed cutie admitted. "I was casting next door (for Motorola) and was waiting for my girlfriend. When she came out, I was like, 'Let's go for it'. The photographer called the agency. They wanted to test me, which was uncommon, on the beach in Hawaii. A week later I got the campaign."
She does sexy too...
By far the biggest moment in Hart's career so far has been her photo shoot for the 2009 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. "I was so excited!" she told the magazine. "It was honestly the most exciting thing that's ever happened to me. I'd been in to see [the editor] three times, once a year for three years so I was definitely dying to get the job. I was almost getting to the point where I started to feel a little bit silly because they'd already seen me twice before and I didn't know if it was going to be different. It's always hard to keep going in and be like, 'Do you like me now? Do you like me now?' It feels good to get it after the third time," she said.
Her Vogue cover
In March 2008, she graced the cover of Australian Vogue magazine, and since then has done work for Triumph, Cue, Gap Body, L'Oreal, and most recently Seafolly, for their 09/10 Summer swimsuit range. Her long limbs and perfect figure make her the ideal candidate for underwear and bikini modelling, but Hart admits that she works hard to keep it that way. "I work out a lot," she told Sports Illustrated. "I'm not about to be one of those girls who say it comes naturally. I work really hard at maintaining everything and I generally eat well."
A photo from the Seafolly catalogue
While she's never known any other kind of work, Hart is realistic about her job, saying that modelling is not physically or mentally draining, but can cause some emotional strain at times. "No, it's not that hard, we get on a plane, we get to work, we get all our details given to us and there's nothing we ever have to really think about. We're told exactly where to go and at what time and when we get there there's always food and everything we need. We put our clothes on, we take our clothes off and we shoot everything and go home," she says. "[But] emotionally it's a little bit different. You're always alone. You can never plan anything; you're at everyone else's beck and call. You have to be happy and smiling on the days you might not be happy or want to smile. Those kinds of things are not easy."
A model family: Jessica with younger sister, Melbourne-based model Ashley Hart
Doing the event circuit
Jessica hearts rockstar chic
Hart's funky sense of style has not gone unnoticed, and she's already looking to expand her resume with some fashion designs of her very own - but is keeping it on the down-low for now. "I'm in talks with people to design my own line of clothes in collaboration with a charity, but I can't say much on that right now," the blonde beauty told journalists in June. She'll be sticking with modelling "for as long as I can hold out in this business" and intends to eventually settle down back in Australia... but that will be some years away yet. "I feel I've got a lot more to do and a lot more to go in my career," she said. So do we, Miss Hart.
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Here's hoping she doesn't get into the whole boob-flashing thing that Miranda's been doing lately. I was quite sad when I saw that, I reckon it's beneath her.