Jess Tangri is a multihyphenate who not only models (for an actual flawless example see above); she also designs, styles, dances, and somehow still manages to be the most cool/chill human being. Honestly, we’ve got all the proof below.
Spotted by our long-time pal Chris over at Stone Street, Jess has been creating a world of her own alongside launching her modeling career. Right now, she’s locked in on a move to Sydney which she’s “super nervous” about. But every challenge has its silver linings; for her it’s being able to connect with Sydney’s dance community, “[I’ve] always admired the dancers and choreographers in Sydney. I’m kind of awkward still, but I want to lock in until I can dance like a professional.”
When she talks about Naarm, it gets deep. “I really found that I was free to be so inexplicably myself.” That freedom translates into how she interacts with clothes and the narratives she creates, “I like to look at the clothes or the styling and imagine what type of character I think would be wearing the look.” So, it tracks that her dream runway moment is the fantastical Christian Dior FW1997 by John Galliano. “The models are fun, sexy, full of personality, and interact with the crowd watching.”
The part of our chat we can’t stop thinking about? When she casually mentions she’s launching her own label, Enter Averno. Maybe the perfect way for the rest of us to tap into her cool-girl factor… Consider this our official notice: we’re paying attention, and you should be too.
It’s so special to shoot with you right before you move to Sydney; how are you feeling about the shift?
Thank you! I was so excited to be apart of this shoot, before I go, too. It’s my first editorial publication and was such a great team, I’ve been wanting to work with Ruby and Cecile for what feels like forever. Honestly, I am super nervous [about the move]. I usually love a bit of change, but I think I have really found a home in Melbourne/Naarm. But I am excited to find my new home in Sydney and for all the opportunities to come.
What do you think you’ll miss most about Naarm?
Definitely my friends and the community here. I am really lucky to be able to say I am surrounded by people who I love that inspire me every single day. Moving to Naarm from Canberra, I really found that I was free to be so inexplicably myself.
What are you most excited for in Sydney?
The dance community! I take heels classes, and have always admired the dancers and choreographers in Sydney. I’m kind of awkward still, but I want to lock in until I can dance like a professional.
You’re currently studying fashion design, how does that influence the way you approach modelling?
I like to try and communicate with the designer or stylist if there was a vision or character for the particular look I’m wearing. If I can’t, I like to look at the clothes or the styling and imagine what type of character I think would be wearing the look, which influences my walk or my posing.
I’m really interested in the story behind the brand or the campaign, how they work, and I find embodying a character in my head really communicates in the image or on the runway.
How did you get into modelling? Can you tell us the story of how you came to be signed to your agency?
I had done a couple jobs in Canberra when I was younger, and also when I moved in Melbourne in 2024, but it was May 2025 when I got signed. My friend Bree has always been my number one hype girl for modelling and had sent me STACHE Hair’s casting call for their poster campaign. They did a blonde transformation, and Chris from Stone Street saw a BTS from the shoot and scouted me. The timing was perfect since I was already in Sydney at the time styling a runway for the brand She’s A Designer. My uncle Stephen took my digitals, and then a phone call and a day later I was in the office and signed.
This shoot features independent designers from both cities, are there any local brands you’re loving right now?
I’m a huge fan of Maroske Peech, I think their designs really tap into that little girl inside of me who used to want to be a ballerina. I was excited to be able to wear so many of their pieces for this shoot. One of my all-time favourite local designers is Wackie Ju. Jackie doesn’t produce ready-to-wear collections, but ever since I first moved to Melbourne I’ve really admired her work. A Sydney designer I really love the work of is Arielle Manon. She’s still quite small but I really love her designs.
Do you notice a difference between the fashion scenes in Melbourne and Sydney?
I think that Sydney has more opportunity if you want to work with a larger label, although the work can feel a bit more commercial. Melbourne definitely has more cool, niche, underground labels, but you can find a fair few of them in Sydney too.
Do you remember the first outfit you wore that really felt like you?
It was recently, during a fitting for a shoot that I’m doing very soon for a brand which I am really really excited for. I can’t give away too much, but I’m wearing a very sexy bodysuit with this cute little felt hat, waxed denim and my favourite heels which I had brought along just in case.
If you could walk in any designer’s show (past or present), whose would it be?
Christian Dior FW1997 by John Galliano. I’m a huge fan of Galliano’s work for Dior, and I love the tone behind that show. It was actually introduced to me as a reference when I walked for KARLAIDLAW in MFW 2024. I was working for her at the time, and she was my second modelling job in Melbourne. I think since I have watched that runway exclusively almost 100 times. It’s not your usual catwalk; the models are fun, sexy, full of personality, and interact with the crowd watching.
What are you most looking forward to for the rest of 2026?
I really want to focus on modelling as much as possible this year and for as many years as I can. I’m excited for the new opportunities to come and to see just how far I can take it.
I am also looking forward to focusing on my own brand, Enter Averno, which I kind of impulsively soft-launched. I don’t talk about it as much as I should, but I’ve got some exciting shoots I’m planning myself and am really looking to dedicate a lot more of myself to my own passions and pursuits this year.
Photos: Ruby Styles
Fashion: Cecile Huynh
Beauty: Lutèce Ludbey
Fashion Assistant: Daisy Fae Fielding
Photo Assistant: Kelly Lim
Features Editor: Chloe Hill
Jess Tangri is represented by Stone Street Agency
Shot on Location at Blue Ball Room
We acknowledge the Bunurong Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples of the Eastern Kulin Nation as the traditional owners of the land on which this shoot took place.
