Jessica Gomes: ‘I couldn’t have the career I do without Nicole Trunfio and Gemma Ward’

It might have been pouring with rain but that didn’t stop 200 model hopefuls descending on the MCA in Sydney on Tuesday morning to compete for a position in the coveted David Jones spring/summer show.

While model veteran Jessica Gomes is used to the gruelling casting process, she found herself on the other side of the desk this time around. And surprisingly, she confessed to feeling some nerves for the girls.

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“It’s really interesting to be involved from this angle. You can tell who’s confident and who's here for the first time,” she tells Be. “It’s quite nerve-wracking for a lot of them!”

Gomes, who's been part of the David Jones family since 2013, said the best advice she could give the girls just starting out was to take a risk.

“I would advise them to take each experience and learn from it,” she explains.

“It’s great for them to go out and do something like this if they’re just starting out. They should just try and have fun with it. When I meet them I try and make them feel relaxed and ask them where they’re from. It’s always nice to acknowledge them.”

While Gomes now enjoys a long-standing and successful career, she says it’s important for models to learn about rejection early on.

“When you’re starting out, you’re feeling out what you do and don’t like. You have to be open to opportunities and grab a sense of what you want to do,” she says. “Rejection is tough, but it’s part of the game and you have to develop a thick skin pretty quickly.”

Gomes credits her best friends and fellow models, Gemma Ward and Nicole Trunfio, with keeping her afloat in an otherwise fickle industry.

“It’s so great that I have their support,” she explains. “They’re like my sisters. I don’t think I’d have been able to do what I have without them. I mean, we moved to New York together and we lived together in Sydney.

“They bring the fun to everything. Back then, if I had a bad day it didn’t matter because we were all hanging out together. We really had each other’s back. I miss them so much. I caught up with Gem in Byron recently and that was great. I can’t wait to see Nicole!”

Gomes was on hand at Trunfio’s recent wedding as one of her bridesmaids along with Ward – and according to the model, it was a day she’ll never forget.

“Nicole’s wedding was beautiful – just incredible,” she tells Be. “I miss Zion (Nicole’s baby son) too, he is so cute and such a little character!”

Trunfio hasn’t been the only one hitting the headlines of late though, with Ward appearing in Fergie’s brand new music clip this week.

“Gemma is such a hot MILF,” Gomes laughs. “She looked amazing and so cool. I was so proud of her.”

On the flipside, Gomes acknowledges that not everyone in the industry is so supportive – when Be brings up the topic of “old” versus “new” supermodels (in particular the Kendall Jenner vs Stephanie Seymour debate) she’s careful to support both sides.

“Kendall and Gigi (Hadid) are so great at what they do and so beautiful, but they’ve both been raised in that world,” says Gomes.

“For me, the definition of a supermodel is women like Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Claudia Schiffer, Cindy Crawford …I mean I get goosebumps when I say the name Cindy Crawford! They’ve been plucked from obscurity and they’ve had to follow a journey that has moulded them into a supermodel.

“I can’t say enough great things about the social media models of today but I think they’ve had an easier time of it.”

With that, it’s back to the casting chair for Gomes, who greets every model with the charm and air of grace she’s known for.

While it’s the first casting for a lot of the models, they all seem to have the same attitude of ‘if it’s not me, so be it.’ Is Gomes’ sage advice already taking hold?

“Today’s been a great experience,” Cassidy Schivone, 21, tells Be. “I don’t see the other girls as competition though, because David Jones have a certain idea of what they’re looking for – and if I’m not it, I’m not it.”

When Be asks fellow casting judges, Anna Plunkett and Luke Sales of Romance Was Born, what they’re looking for, they’re quick to say diversity is top of mind.

“When we cast our own shows, we’re always looking for a diverse mix of girls and personalities and nationalities. It’s really important to us and our brand,” says Sales.

“It’s something we’ve always been conscious of. I notice it a lot when I get packages from modelling agencies – there isn’t that much diversity, and it’s something that’s bothered me for a while.”

Plunkett adds that the duo always look out for girls that obviously look after themselves.

“We want girls that seem healthy and have nice skin and aren’t too skinny,” she says. “There’s also men this time around which is something new for us – but very cool!”

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As for who they’d most like to see in the new Romance Was Born collection?

“It’s weird because I always say Cate Blanchett but she’s already worn our stuff!” laughs Sales. “I would say her again though, because how can you possibly top Cate Blanchett?”

The David Jones spring/summer show will take place in August.

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