Natalie Gruzlewski
Media Identity
Natalie Gruzlewski has become one of Australia’s most popular faces since joining Channel Nine Queensland in 1999. In 2011, Natalie hosts’ series six of the smash-hit franchise THE FARMER WANTS A WIFE, a post she has held since 2007. She continues to travel and report for GETAWAY whilst also fulfilling her NINE NEWS commitments. Growing up on the Gold Coast, Gruzlewski first came to Channel Nine’s attention through her role as host of Prime Television’s Surf TV. With experience and knowledge on how to read the ever-changing beach and surf conditions, she joined the Nine Gold Coast News team to present the weather. Establishing herself quickly as a professional and respected presenter, Gruzlewski broadened her Gold Coast reporting responsibilities by becoming host of the Queensland-based programs, Saturday Extra and Gold Coast Weekend. Natalie’s nationwide career took off in late 2002 when she began guest-presenting stories on GETAWAY. In 2004, Gruzlewski became a regular face on GETAWAY and continues to report from some of the world’s most exciting destinations. 2010 saw Natalie join the NINE NEWS SYDNEY team, presenting the weather and filing life-styles stories.
Justine Cullen
Editor, Shop Til You Drop
Starting her career as Editorial Assistant at teen magazine Girlfriend straight out of school, it only took Justine Cullen three months to realise admin wasn’t her greatest skill and talk her way into a promotion in the fashion and beauty departments. She moved to London in 1995, working at BBC Worldwide’s The Clothes Show magazine, returning home a few years later to be the launch Beauty Editor of B magazine. Justine spent three years running the beauty department at marie claire where she cemented her reputation as one of the country’s best beauty writers, before moving to ACP as Deputy Editor of Dolly. After a stint juggling babies with a successful freelance career, writing for publications such as Sunday, CLEO, Cosmo, Body and Soul and Yen, Justine returned to ACP in 2005 as Beauty & Style Director of SHOP Til You Drop and in 2006, launched the highly successful brand extension SHOP Weddings and SHOP 4 Kids, now a quarterly magazine with a unique cult-following that continues to surpass all expectations. Justine became Editor of SHOP Til You Drop in 2008, leading the magazine to its highest ever readership and circulation results. Under her editorship, the magazine won the Australian Magazine Awards prize for General Excellence Lifestyle and ACP Magazine of the Year in 2009. Justine lives in Bondi with her two sons, Milo and Iggy.
Terry Biviano
Shoe Designer
Jo Casamento
Journalist, The Sun Herald
As the celebrity writer for The Sun Herald, Jo’s Gossip high profile column in the S Section has become a must read with her fresh style, insider’s knowledge and enviable contact book. She has a weekly spot with John Stanley on 2UE as well as appearing regularly on Sunrise and The Morning Show as well as Foxtel’s The Playlist. Jo’s name is synonymous with Sydney’s celebrity scene, breaking and and covering hundreds of Sydney’s most read stories. Her column is a must read for those inside and outside of the industry. A former highly commended Cadet Journalist of the Year, Jo has also worked for The Australian, The Sunday Telegraph as a fashion and social columnist and wrote The Daily Telegraph’s hot page 13 gossip column and then launched their gossip column – Sydney Confidential. She was also a regular panellist on Ten’s Beauty and The Beast alongside the late Stan Zemanek and Doug Mulray, and a regular entertainment reporter on 2GB and 2UE. She had a weekly spot on Kyle and Jackie O’s Hot 30.com and also featured on Foxtel’s The Know among her many other engagements as a media identity. Seven years ago, she changed direction entirely, swapping celebrities and canapés for nappies and sleepless nights of a different kind. Twins Maximus and Matisse are now Seven-years-old and she has another daughter Allegra, 5. Jo embraced motherhood whole heartedly, throwing herself into the role thoroughly before being wooed back into Sydney’s social scene by the The Sun-Herald.
Glynis Traill-Nash
Fashion Journalist – The Sunday Telegraph
Glynis Traill-Nash has established herself as one of Australia’s most highly regarded fashion writers and commentators. She has become a front-row fixture at fashion shows and events and her engaging, informative – and opinionated – writing has endeared her to readers of a number of publications including The Sunday Telegraph, Grazia, Harpers Bazaar, The Sun-Herald and In Style. She is currently Style Editor of the Sunday Telegraph. In addition to Australia, Glynis has covered fashion weeks in New York, Paris, Milan, Berlin and Auckland. In recent years she has become a regular media fixture, appearing on Project Runway, Today, A Current Affair, The Morning Show and Mornings With Kerri-Anne as a fashion spokesperson, as well as being a guest commentator for a host of radio shows. Whether it’s translating trends, critiquing celebrities or revealing the realities of fashion, Glynis is the go-to person for the inside word on the world of fashion..
Elle Halliwell
Journalist – The Sunday Telegraph
Entertainment and fashion writer Elle Halliwell covers the city’s hottest events as well as writing her weekly columns, J.Mo and Elle with Jonathon Moran, and celebrity style breakdown, Code Red. Elle’s career has taken her overseas reporting on global entertainment and fashion stories, and seen her interview international stars including Oprah Winfrey, Good Charlotte, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Cate Blanchett and Miranda Kerr. Elle is a regular guest commentator on Seven’s Sunrise, The Morning Show and 2UE and hosts weekly online fashion segment, Code Red TV.
Melissa Hoyer
Media Identity
Melissa Hoyer has developed into Australia’s leading and most respected and credible lifestyle, fashion and pop culture commentators in print, online, on television and radio. Melissa is a regular commentator on style and pop culture issues on TV shows like The Morning Show, Sunrise, Weekend Sunrise and Today Tonight and is also part of the regular, nightly panel show on politics and current affairs, Paul Murray Live on Sky News. Melissa has written for Grazia magazine; In Style; The Australian’s ‘s ‘Media’ section; the Sun-Herald newspaper and is the contributing online editor for magazine Procter & Gamble, Rouge (www.rougemag.com.au) and has her own lifestyle and pop culture blog at http://melissahoyer.blogspot.com Melissa also is the regular social/lifestyle/pop culture commentator on 2DayFM’s Kyle and Jackie O show, also shooting videos for the Austereo and 2dayfm website. Melissa  also writes a weekly wrap-up column each Friday about all things ‘social’ and ‘media’ for the industry bible, Mediaweek.
Peter Morrissey
Fashion Designer
Renowned fashion designer, businessman and entrepreneur, Peter Morrissey has been at the forefront of the Australian Fashion Industry for over 25 years. Peter has successfully crossed over to the mainstream with his latest venture, an exclusive range in department store Big W. Cementing his dominance in the cut-throat world of fashion since 1997, his chic, beautifully cut, sophisticated designs secured him a place as a major fashion player on the world stage. With his fashion philosophy “I want to Fashion people’s lives, not just their wardrobes”, his clothing has been worn by A-list stars including Nicole Kidman, Elle MacPherson, Helena Christensen, Jerry Hall, Dame Edna, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Megan Gale, Kylie Minogue, Jon Bon Jovi, Chris Isaac, Geoffrey Rush, Michael Hutchence and INXS. In collaboration with entrepreneur Bruno Schiavi, Peter has created an exclusive range called Woman By Peter Morrissey and Man By Peter Morrissey for Big W. Uniting with a common goal to create affordable style Peter and Bruno continue to break new ground with their highly accessible designer wear. The range has been available in Australia since October 2009 and there are further plans to launch this range in Europe and the US in 2012 In August 2011 Peter was thrilled to announce that he is again the sole owner of the MORRISSEY brand. MORRISSEY was created by Peter and a group of designers in 1997 which was subsequently backed by Rene Rivkin. The brand was sold to the Oroton Group in 2000 until M Webster Holdings bought the brand in 2006. Peter continued to be involved as a brand ambassador without having the ultimate control of the label. Peter is now exploring opportunities to rebirth the once iconic MORRISSEY label while continuing his successful range Man & Woman by Peter Morrissey available at Big W.
Gail Elliott
Fashion Designer
GAIL ELLIOTT rose to fame in the 1980′s and continues today to enjoy a stellar career as one of the world’s top models. Gail has enjoyed an incredibly rewarding career shooting editorials, covers and advertising campaigns for magazines including Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, Elle and Marie Claire. Gail has also walked the runways for all of the most talented designers – Gianni Versace, Calvin Klein, John Galliano, Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Ralph Lauren, Gucci, Prada and Marc Jacobs to name a few. As well as worked with photographers such as Mario Testino, Steven Miesel, Patrick Demarchlier, Arthur Elgort, Craig McDean, Peter Lindberg and JC. As a teenager in London, Gail began modelling at the behest of her ballet teacher. She was quickly signed by an agent and went to Japan, where the 17 year old matured into a professional model, learning to speak Japanese along the way. A year later she arrived in New York and promptly booked her first job with Steven Meisel. More than 20 years later, Gail continues to travel the globe on modelling assignments using the opportunity now to gather inspiration for her ever growing fashion label – Little Joe Woman.
Joe Farage
Fashion Designer
Joe Farage, Founder and Managing Director of FARAGE, established the brand in 1998 after noticing a gap in the Australian market for quality tailoring. “It was always our aim to establish and build a premium brand, that is proudly handcrafted in Australia and which draws on the heritage of tailoring.” Farage currently has six boutiques including an online flagship store and has gained a reputation amongst fashion experts for its cutting edge tailoring and textiles.
Natalie Chapman
Fashion Designer
From a young age, creativity has flowed through the veins of this talented designer. Immediately after completing high school and fashion design college, winning a number of competitions along the way, Natalie began the daunting challenge of building her own independent brand. Designing and fabricating for boutiques across Australia, she was known for her quirky and versatile silhouette designs. In 2010 Natalie was invited to join a team of Australian designers to showcase her collection in New York at G’Day USA New York fashion showcase. Her designs have been circulating in the media both in Australia and USA. 2011 saw the launching of her first custom print collection “ROCKPOOL” at the Ivy Pool, Sydney. Many saw this as a first real big step for her brand. Natalie continues to manufacture in Sydney, ensuring her brand stays Australian made. 2011 also saw the launch of her online boutique www.nataliechapman.com.au. With the online boutique launch, Natalie started building her team, introducing sales representation in Sydney to continue the brand growth across Australia. Internationally, Natalie has PR representation to expand the growth in the USA. “WARRIOR” is her second custom print collection that was launched commercially through both film and photography. She worked with a large team of industry professionals to create her strong vision of the raw Australian Outback look, complimented with the fashion forward NATALIE CHAPMAN “WARRIOR” woman style. The bodysuit was the standout design for the campaign which has become Natalie’s signature piece. Natalie’s styling from the campaign has already led to expressions of interest from international pop music icons for music videos to come.
Victoria Cheatham
Jewellery Designer, Lotus Mendes
After designing jewellery for herself for the last 15 years self taught jewellery designer Victoria Cheatham from Lotus Mendes was chosen to showcase her first coveted collection “Delivering A Decade Of Madness” at Rosemount Australian Fashion Week in 2011. From here she has achieved unprecedented national and International success. From being in demand in nearly every Magazine publication nationally Lotus Mendes is now becoming a household name. Every piece created has a powerful meaning and an inner strength to it. By definition Lotus Mendes pieces ultimately want to empower, provoke and individualise peoples ideas and conceptions of how accessorizing yourself with precious jewlez you can create your own unique being. Victoria aims to create an awareness of self-uniqueness and self-acceptance and individualism through her pieces. Through her label Lotus Mendes Victoria ultimately wants to deliver an understanding that through the magical nature of jewellery and the power it possesses that you can create your own world, your own successes, you create who you want to be. There are five acts of life within the Lotus Mendes brand. They are RESPECT, TRUST, LOYALTY, LOVE, and HONOR. These acts of life exude her passion for life, her creativity and what her ability to design is all about.
Georgia Hatzis
Jewellery Designer, Love From Venus
Since launching her label three years ago, Georgia Hatzis is enjoying international recognition as the jewellery designer renowned for her unique approach for creating colourful, strong yet spiritual fashion statements. With a growing list of celebrity fans including Elle Macpherson, Jesinta Campbell and Olivia Newton-John, love from venus is a brand obtaining great momentum. With a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of California, Georgia Hatzis has spent the vast majority of her life immersed in the jewellery, textile and fashion industries. With fashion experience working in the Visual Merchandise team of Macys in the United States, the Melbourne-born, Hatzis has spent three years developing the company from a start-up business to a highly successful fashion brand with more than 200 local and international stockists. “The key to the success of love from venus,” says owner/designer Hatzis, lies in its humble beginnings. “I started by creating beautiful yet meaningful jewels for my closest friends and from those first pieces the jewellery found it had a magnetizing energy of its own. Love from venus has now evolved into a sophisticated label but the brand essence and original energy still remains constant.” Now, as the protagonist of her own label, love from venus, has become a high-fashion meets spiritual jewellery brand which combines traditional beading with a fresh contemporary aesthetic. Hatzis is poised to become the foremost authority on Australian jewellery design. Combining her love of fashion and sense of style with experience in Philosophy, Fine Art, Crystals and the study of Metaphysics, Hatzis created love from venus which she creates along side her husband, Robert. Hatzis has future plans for Australian department store representation to meet the growing demand and continued expansion in the United States and Internationally, where she his already stocked in boutiques the likes of, Eau Spa, The Ritz Carlton in Palm Beach, Illusions, The Hamptons, New York and The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in Canada. “Enjoy the journey of success now, never wait to be happy otherwise you will never get there,” is the motto by which she lives. Hatzis is deeply spiritual and highly values mediation and chakra clearing practices,“I believe in having a balance of both the physical and the mental, both are not separate from each other, our body works as a whole.”
Carlotta Moye
Photographer
Although never formally taught photography I think I’ve been taking photo’s all my life. What started out as a hobby taking snaps of school friends at lunchtime soon became a passion…and then a profession. I can’t draw or paint, so taking photo’s was the only way I could take art class and pass. I loved capturing moments on film; one of my high school major work photo’s was of a kid caught up a tree crying! I wasn’t until I landed a job as a fashion assistant at Cleo magazine in 1987 that I thought about Fashion photography. Sure I’d seen pictures in magazines but I never really studied them. Working with guy’s like Graham Shearer from day one was such a blessing. I could stand back and watch the way he used his personality and passion to direct the models. You look at his images and you see that the model feels safe in his hands. But not all photographers had that magic and it wasn’t until 1990 when I became a fashion editor at Dolly; and was booking my own photographers that the frustration of not directing my own shoots took over. After 4 years at Dolly started booking myself for editorials I was passionate about and soon I was getting calls from other magazines. It was time to leave the magazine and go out on my own. It was the era of the Supermodels and I wanted to shoot them. My first booking was for Cosmopolitan, ten pages of swimsuits and a cover and by 1996 I’d shot Claudia and Linda Evangelista. The biggest influences for my pictures are the places I travel to and the people I photograph. Something magic happens when you arrive in a country like Cuba to shoot 5 stories over 2 weeks or have only 2 hours to shoot Kylie Minogue who has the flu and should really be in bed. You can’t plan these pictures, you have to let the moment influence you. I completed my directorial debut on a documentary about Mercedes Australian Fashion Week in 2001but I plan never to give up photography there’s always something special about capturing THE moment…Snap!
Jo Ferguson
Fashion Stylist
Jo Ferguson is a freelance fashion director and stylist; along with imperative knowledge in fashion marketing and consulting Jo has previously worked as the fashion director for 15 years across several of the highest circulating fashion magazines in Australia. With extensive travel abroad and invaluable inside knowledge of the industry and its buying habits, Jo has frequently advised for women’s fashion labels and her editorial contacts regularly approach her to style their talent, consult and produce their advertising campaigns. Jo has regularly been involved with personal and corporate styling, producing fashion shows, charity events and also judges national fashion, racing and educational competitions nationally. Jo’s extensive knowledge in fashion now spreads across advertising, consulting, television, and working as a celebrity stylist for Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Mel B, Duffy, Hugh Jackman, Miranda Kerr, Mandy Moore, Hillary Duff, and Fergie.