It was such an inspiring pleasure to sit down with Jacqui de Jong, a dynamic individual whose journey from a cattle farm in rural Australia to the glamorous world of fashion and acting is nothing short of remarkable. Jacqui’s story is one of courage, reinvention, and unapologetic self-expression.
Jacqui de Jong, photographed by Johnny Valdivia.
She has broken away from the expectations placed upon her as a lawyer, transitioning into a multifaceted career that now includes acting and modeling in New York City—all while embracing her creativity and redefining what it means to be feminine and successful. This interview delves into her incredible journey, her inspirations, and the ways she continues to shatter stereotypes while encouraging others to do the same.
You're from Australia. Whereabouts in Australia are you from, and how did your upbringing shape your personality and path toward fashion and creativity?
So, I grew up on a beef cattle farm three hours out of Melbourne, one of the major cities. I went to a boarding school in Melbourne. But I grew up on a farm; it was like a very wild environment, a lot of land to run around on and do things like jumping into dams and swimming. So, I feel like, as a child, I always had this crazy streak. My mom got me a big Barbie doll collection, and she used to take me to the thrift stores and show me unusual fashion. So, I always had that influence, beginning when I was on the farm. That ultimately led to me experimenting with fashion on Instagram, and then one day, I woke up and thought, "You know what, it's New York Fashion Week; I'm going to go to some model castings for the fun of it." I ended up getting cast in ten shows, and I didn't have any experience. I thought, "Why not?" There's something in me that wants to express, have fun, and put myself out there. That was my entry into fashion. It started from the farm.
You went to school in Melbourne, and you went to Melbourne to study law?
Pretty much, yes. I won a scholarship to go to a prestigious boarding school [in Melbourne], left home at thirteen, and I did well when I was there. Then, I won a scholarship to study law at a law school in Melbourne. After that, I won a scholarship to study law at Cambridge. It was kind of like a domino effect - it just kept happening. At the time, it felt very organic, like life was leading me rather than the other way around, so I went with it. But, at the same time, I had this feeling that there was a part of me that I wasn't fully exploring.
Jacqui de Jong, photographed by Johnny Valdivia.
Going through that more institutionalized path, the wild side [of me] was always there, but I had to rein it in. That only just kept happening the more I was studying and working. I felt like I got to a point where I was like, "I feel like I'm not being me. I feel like there's something in me that I have to unleash." It was some kind of creative, expressive side.
What got you into studying law initially?
I think when I was young, I liked reading and writing, and that was something that I was good at, but on the creative side. In an academic setting, that can translate into high academic achievement. I always did well in school, and I thought, "If I'm good at this, maybe I can make a career out of it."
Once you start being good at something, you feel external pressure as well, say from parents, teachers, or lecturers, to sort of keep going and see what the next best thing is. For me, I felt like I had achieved the pinnacle of my career, in the sense that I went to Cambridge and worked on Wall Street. But I still had this emptiness, like there was something missing.
Going back to Melbourne – Melbourne is known for its rich fashion and influencer culture. How do you feel that being in Melbourne influenced your appreciation for creativity and fashion? Was that your first experience in realizing this could be more than a passion—perhaps a career?
My creative side began when I was a child. My mom got me this really big Barbie doll collection, and she used to take me to the thrift stores and show me unusual fashion. So, I always had that influence, beginning when I was on the farm. When I went to Melbourne, it showed me that people celebrate this kind of thing. I wanted to be a fashion designer at one point because there was a famous design school called RMIT.
Jacqui de Jong, photographed by Johnny Valdivia.
I remember I went and checked out RMIT, and it was something that I really wanted to do. The city itself showed me that having that richness in culture is valued and important, and I feel like the whole city is founded upon that. It showed me that it's [fashion] not just something to appreciate, but something you could pursue.
Earlier, you mentioned stereotypes and breaking molds. What specific stereotypes about women, careers, or societal expectations have you encountered, and how have you worked to redefine those narratives in your personal and professional life?
I feel like the one I've contended with the most is that if you have this entire history in one particular area – say you're trained as a lawyer, you have all the qualifications, you pass the Bar – I find that there's a stereotype that you're going to be a lawyer forever. That's just it; your whole life is planned out in front of you, and you can't deviate from that. Me, I thought, "Why?" Life should be this rich tapestry of experience where you're doing different things and experiencing different moments, creating the life that you want rather than just going about day to day according to your past rather than living life looking toward the future.
When I started exploring the creative side of modeling and acting, I found that I got a lot of pushback. Like, "Oh, but aren't you a lawyer? Didn't you pass the Bar? Aren't you supposed to be doing the law thing?" And I was like, "I want to explore other things too!"
I'm in New York City, which is such a vibrant, wonderful place to be, and I want to model and act. I don't know if my actions make other people feel insecure about choosing that kind of path, but to me, it was about staying true to myself. I'm only going to make decisions that make me happy, and if this is something that's giving me a lot of fulfillment, I'm going to go with it.
Jacqui de Jong, photographed by Johnny Valdivia.
I can tell you're determined. I feel like that shows a lot in your personality, and clearly, your personality is a mirror of your style, and your style is bold and expressive, standing out in a world often dominated by minimalist trends. How do you use fashion to reflect your individuality, and what inspires the choices behind your unique and maximalist aesthetic?
I guess for me, I've always wanted to stand out and make my uniqueness seen. I never wanted to blend in and be another face walking down the street. I feel like we're here to create and make our presence known. So, I've always tried to express that in my fashion. One way I've done that is I really love vintage fashion. I also like blending it with modern pieces to make it fun and playful.
I love vintage fashion because you can find something, and there's a very high probability that no one else has it. So you leave the house wearing this super cool dress, and people say, "Wow, that's so cool, that's one of a kind, it's different!" It's kind of the sustainable version of couture in some ways. That ties back into the first question in the sense that I love pieces that are original; they're different, and you can choose them, and it reflects that desire just to be different and original.
It seems like you know exactly who you are and where you want to go with every decision you make, which is so important because you're doing it with clarity. I'm looking at you, and I see how focused and determined you are, even in your answers. It's just raw authenticity.
That leads to my next question: how do you see fashion, style, and acting playing a role in redefining those stereotypes that you were talking about earlier, especially when external forces are trying to pigeonhole you? Like, when people expect you to be either intellectual or artistic, but no one sees the two marrying each other for some reason.
In terms of redefining femininity, for me, linking back to my previous answer, in the corporate context where I worked, there definitely is sort of a standard where most women subscribe to a color palette of very bland clothes. It's navy, it's white, or, you know, black suits. When I first started my job, I remember thinking that maybe I should go out and buy a whole heap of corporate clothes. But I didn't. I was like, "No, that's not me."
Jacqui de Jong, photographed by Johnny Valdivia.
So, I would go to my jobs wearing whatever I wanted, usually really bright, sparkly vintage things. To me, it shows that I'm expressing myself and showing my femininity in the office.
I'm a woman; I got to this job through hard work, and I'm not afraid to express that in my clothes. So, to me, those outfits would reflect that I am intellectual and smart enough to work hard enough to get here, but I also cherish and respect my feminine side and my creative, artistic side as well. So, I try to convey that through my outfits.
I love that your sense of style always shows through and that this wasn't some new revelation for you. Instead, it's always been who you are. How do you believe your experience in law and modeling translates into acting if it does at all?
It definitely does but in interesting ways. From the legal side, I have an increased sense of professionalism. Like, I understand the importance of deadlines and honoring commitments to, you know, the scene partner [for example]. If you say you're going to rehearse, let's rehearse. If we agree to do it, we're going to do it. So, I definitely understand the importance of pulling through and honoring your word.
On the modeling side, it's interesting because I found that until I started modeling, I had really low self-confidence, even though I had high qualifications and strong academics. I always felt that I wasn't good enough. After Fashion Week, I started working with a runway coach. His name is Darrell Belton, and he was the one who showed me that you can stand tall, face the world, hold your shoulders back, and look people in the eye. It was crazy because only through working with him, understanding my body, and working through the exercises did I feel like I could look people in the eye and stand tall. It was interesting because even though I had all these qualifications and experience and labels on LinkedIn that said I was this fabulous lawyer, it wasn't until I started modeling that I gained a strong sense of confidence and self-awareness.
Was your biggest challenge maintaining a sense of self while navigating through all these things? What would it be in your words?
I would say it was finding and understanding my true sense of self. I think for so long, I have defined happiness and success by external standards. People who are not directly in, say, your field of work or walking in your shoes can have a stylized or glamorized version of something. Looking in, why would you want to do anything else [than being a] lawyer? And, I think I used to really define myself by those standards. Like, if my friends were saying, "Oh, that's so cool, you're a Wall Street lawyer… you should just do that."
Jacqui de Jong, photographed by Johnny Valdivia.
I could feel, though, there was a conflict in myself, like I wasn't happy. I was happy to an extent, but I knew that there was something else in me that I wanted to express, experience, and create. Coming to terms with that was probably my biggest internal struggle. And, accepting it – like, you know what, you can have all this success, and it's okay that you're not happy. You can acknowledge that you're not happy, and that allows you to do something about it. So, that's when I was like, I'm going to start being creative. I'm going to meet more people. I'm going to put myself out there. I'm going to learn how to be confident and start valuing my own happiness and how I feel, not how outside forces and external standards think I should be feeling. I feel like I really know myself now. I'm a lot more intuitive through just zoning in on that truth flame.
You sound like you're in tune, that's for sure! I know you mentioned the runway coach earlier. Do you have any other people that you feel like, whether it's in fashion, in your life, or maybe even in law school, that inspired you to take this journey of self-actualization?
It was definitely my mother. She inspired that love for fashion in me at a very young age. You know, for, like, birthdays and Christmas, she would take me to a toy store and say, "Jacqui, these are beautiful collectible Barbie dolls. You can have one special present for Christmas that's going to be one of these Barbies, and we're going to start a collection." So, I'd go to the toy store and look at the different options and pick out which ones I wanted, and she'd have her input on which ones she liked. Now, I have a really big collection because I just loved that it was something creative and different. I didn't want other things. I wanted to keep expanding my collection. She would also take me to vintage stores and thrift stores and show me that we're not just going to buy what everyone else is buying at Target or something; let's go find something different.
Also, growing up on a farm, I find that my mom inspired this intense sense of fearlessness and curiosity. There'd be really big swamps where I grew up, and she'd encourage me, like, "Jaqui, run out into the storm and feel the rain on your face and roll around in the puddles and just be crazy. Do that; you're going to feel so great!" She was always inspiring this curiosity, like, don't hold back. You have an impulse. Just act on it. And then we'd do crazy things like go swimming in the middle of the night, with the moon out, in a big lagoon on the property.
So, I feel like she always has encouraged my creative pursuits. Even when I was studying law, she would remind me, "Jacqui, I know you want to be a fashion designer." She's always nurtured and inspired my love for the creative.
Jacqui de Jong, photographed by Johnny Valdivia.
That's awesome. It sounds like this has always been you, as if there was not much need for discovery. Like you've just been yourself the whole time. I mean, swimming in a lagoon and rolling around in the rain is almost the same thing as running around in New York City.
That's true. I've considered running out and rolling around on the ground here!
Going back to what you said before, you’ve mentioned your love for Barbie and vintage clothes. What was it about these influences that sparked your creativity, and how do they continue to shape your approach to fashion and self-expression?
I think with Barbie, what I loved was, you know, you could get a couple of dolls, and each one came with their own outfit. But then, naturally, if you took the doll out of the box and took all the outfits out, I know that's not the best for collecting, but in terms of having fun with the dolls, you could create all these different outfits. There was, to me, this wonderful creativity, and I used to have these competitions with my sisters where we'd have a fashion show, dress up our dolls, and have a vote on who was the most stylish or the most creative. I think what spoke to me was just the ability to create, with a lot of different options, and that you didn't have to just stick to what the doll was wearing. If you wanted to dress her up, you could mix and match and borrow things from other dolls. And then I had some vintage doll outfits from thrift stores, and then I'd incorporate those.
It's really made me see that life is about creating. Every day, there's a way to make your life special if you put your mind to it and are open to opportunities. That's what spoke to me about Barbie and the little vintage doll clothes.
What upcoming events or projects are you excited about? Do you have any future goals that you'd like to achieve? Or do you ride the wave and see where you land?
Well, I started going to acting classes with David Gideon, who's my teacher. He is a method-trained actor. He directly worked with Lee Strasburg and was the director of the Lee Strasburg Institute. Now, he's doing his own thing and his own classes. That's been the most life-changing, fabulous experience as well. It just taught me to, again, express myself and be true to who I am and what I am feeling. I've been in the class since late January, learning method acting techniques. I have a few short film projects I'm working on. So that's an exciting process that I'm looking at. With modeling, I walked in New York Fashion Week, and I'm working with some independent designers today.
I was at a fitting at FIT for a show that they're doing. I kind of take life as it comes, and I like to surrender to opportunities. Maybe I won't get a lot out of something, but, you know, I can try to see where it leads without any expectation and wanting something to come out of that.
For women seeking to carve out their own paths in their creativity, education, or careers, what advice can you share from your life story that might inspire someone else to think, "You know what, I can do that"—whatever "that" may be?
I have a guiding quote, "Be fearless in pursuit of what sets your soul on fire," by an American film director called Jennifer Lee. That has always inspired me. If you want to do something, commit to it and be fearless. Who cares if you succeed? Who cares if you fail? You tried it – that was something that you wanted to do – act on it. Another quote that I kind of live by is "act first, think later." Don't overthink things to the extent that you freeze. Usually, that first impulse that comes to you that's what you really want to do. So try to act on it in some way, without judgment or analyzing it before it even happens. My message to anyone who's trying to explore something creative or, like, carve out a niche is to act and see where it leads. You'll usually find that the path will unfold in an organic, beautiful, spontaneous way that you could never have even imagined just by you taking that first step.
I have to ask you about New York. What has your transition to living in New York City been like coming from a farm in Australia? Being in one of the biggest metropolises in the world, where so many people have dreams, aspirations, and goals, how has the city inspired your journey in fashion, acting, and creativity?
It's fabulous! And honestly, what inspires me is the spontaneity of the city. It encourages that sort of, like, living in the moment, rolling with life, just seeing-where-things-go kind of attitude, which I feel is very inherent in me, but I think this city has brought that out more.
Jacqui de Jong, photographed by Johnny Valdivia.
So, obviously, you have to be careful. But I found that random spontaneous things like that can come about if you have the willingness and the ability to embrace opportunity when it comes. Of course, with a level of caution, really magical things can happen. That's what I love about New York City: the spontaneity.
Jacqui, where are you right now, and what are you about to do after this call?
Right now, I am in this acting theater rehearsing Arthur Miller's "A View from the Bridge." I am going back to East Hampton because I'm chilling out there for a little bit. I'll probably get on the bus and rehearse my lines. I have a Japanese monologue that I'm working on because I study Japanese.
What? You study Japanese?!
Yeah! It's just another thing that I studied throughout high school and university. I'm always inspired to make the most of the moment and do something creative. So, I've got a long bus trip back, and that's what I'm going to be doing!
And just like that, I had to let Jacqui go. But we might have to do a part two because I can't just let her leave us on this Japanese cliffhanger! It's true to who she is, though, always looking for some new way to express herself most unconventionally to us, but to her, it's completely natural. It's refreshing to see a woman setting out to define her own form of femininity rather than what some people perceive as appropriating masculinity. A vibrant personality and a multipotentialite, do not make the mistake of thinking that this woman is aimless. If you ever catch yourself thinking she's making a mistake, remember that you do not just get into Cambridge on a whim. I trust this woman is someone special, and I cannot wait to see what's in store for her in the future!
Comments