JORDYN KATE AVERY
07/04/1999
BACKGROUND
Having grown up in both Australia and Hong Kong, I'd like to think of myself as a somewhat global citizen. I was born in the balmy city of Brisbane (and unfortunately still have the accent to prove it) but relocated to Melbourne early on in my childhood. When my family moved to Hong Kong for work, I was thrilled to experience a new culture as well as attend an international school. This was an extremely formative part of my upbringing where I made some of my closest friends. More recently I have been living in Melbourne, and now Amsterdam, but travel frequently to visit my family all over the world.
I was both an inquisitive and creative kid whose favourite subjects at school were always art and languages. I was constantly drawing, painting and building fairy houses in the backyard. My love for clothes stems from playing dress ups with my sister (which we occasionally still do on nights out together). My grandparents still talk about one New Year's Eve where, at the age of 10, I forced my family to dress as 'Australian Icons' and attended in my uncle's cricket uniform.
My friends would describe me as an extrovert who is quite literally never at home. I love talking to people from all over the world, and find great joy in comparing stories with friends from different backgrounds and upbringings. To be honest, I just love to yap, and often end up befriending people in very random situations; on planes, on the train and in queues for food. My love for people is very much intertwined with my interest in fashion, as I view personal style as the biggest expression of self.
EDUCATION &
CAREER
Though the majority of my education took place in Melbourne, I look back extremely fondly on my time at the Australian International School in Hong Kong. This experience opened me to so many different cultures and shaped me into the worldly, curious person that I am today. Being able to buy dumplings for lunch at the school cafeteria was also a plus.
Following high school graduation, I went straight to university to study a Bachelor of Communication Design. Though my biggest interest has always been fashion, I was naive to the fact that it was possible to pursue fashion as a legitimate career. Graphic design seemed like a 'safe' option to me. However, many lecturers throughout my degree helped me understand that I could utilise my design skills in the retail industry. This lead me to the Australian College of the Arts, where I studied my second undergraduate degree in Fashion & Sustainability.
I gained a wide range of skills at fashion school including sewing, fabric identification and how to write a business plan. Collarts was a very hands-on university which encouraged us as students to make industry connections. Thus, it was during my final year of study that I secured an internship at Walnut Melbourne, a brand specialising in both footwear and apparel for women and children. I was eventually offered a full-time Design Assistant position at Walnut where I worked for 18 months.
In 2023 I accepted a role as Product Developer in Cotton On's Footwear Team. Securing a position in a globally renown business was a dream come true, and seeing my products come to life in retail stores around the world was a huge 'pinch me' moment. As a lover of all things shoes, I was extremely passionate about working with suppliers to develop new shapes and explore upcoming trends. I later moved to the Ladies' Fleece Team where I assisted with the relaunch of Cotton On's most popular loungewear styles.
I am the queen of a side quest, the one constantly suggesting that we "just go into that shop over there for a quick look". Most recently I spontaneously found myself in Utrecht at Museum Speelklok and I had the absolute time of my life. I've also just discovered adult colouring books and dedicate my evenings to completing them whilst I watch Mormon Wives. Another random activity I have undertaken this year is waterskiing, which I was terrible at but still thoroughly enjoyed (I'll stick to the snow from now on).
Posting videos on TikTok has very much become a source of creative joy for me. My brain is buzzing with ideas 24/7 to the point where I need to write them all down. Being authentically myself has helped me build a small following, and lead to insane opportunities, like a two week creative workshop with Nike. Social media has even helped me connect with so many like-minded people since moving to Amsterdam.
Food is also a very important part of my life. Whether I'm visiting a new cafe for a matcha, trying a cuisine that I've never eaten before or shopping for chilli oil at the local market, you'll always find me where the food is (especially at parties). My Google Maps is filled with restaurants I've been meaning to visit for the last year - there are just so many good ones!
I love to fill my time catching up with friends, it brings me so much joy. If there's a weekend that goes by where I don't have at least 5 social activities planned, there's probably something wrong. I fit my boyfriend in there too where there's space in the calendar (but the girls take priority).