Cindy Rostron

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height: 176/5'9"
shoe: 38
hair: dark brown
eyes: brown
agency: Chadwicks (Sydney)
instagram: @rostroncindy07

chadwickmodels | vogue​

 

[Mea Culpa]

vogue
Vogue cover star Cindy Rostron & model Perry Mooney on the power of mentorship for First Nations models

JONAH WATERHOUSE 16 MAY 2022

Rostron and Mooney were paired up as part of First Nations Fashion and Design’s mentorship program, with Mooney teaching 16-year-old Rostron what to expect at her very first fashion week.

Only on its second year, the First Nations Fashion + Design show has become one of the most-anticipated events of Australian Fashion Week. Celebrating the best that our First Nations fashion designers and artists have to offer, the 2022 show was a nationally-observed spectacle, with fashion fans clamouring for a ticket to the show at Carriageworks in Sydney/Eora Nation.

A year ago, 16-year-old model Cindy Rostron was a world away from events of this spectacle, growing up at Maningrida in the remote Northern Territory. Flash forward one year, and Rostron has already scored an editorial in Vogue and appeared on the cover of the magazine's May 2022 issue. She also wore one of the closing looks at FNFD’s celebratory runway extravaganza.

As a young model, the impact of mentorship can’t be understated. For her debut Australian Fashion Week outing, First Nations Fashion + Design paired Rostron with 26-year-old Meanjin-based model Perry Mooney, who became a guiding force for Rostron on all things modelling before the First Nations Fashion + Design show.

Hours before Rostron and Mooney took to the runway at the FNFD show, which was resplendent with collaborative looks (Mooney in a look by Paul McCann and J’Aton Couture, and Rostron in a gown by Charlotte Bedford and Romance Was Born), the duo spoke to Vogue about the importance of mentorship in the modelling industry, their industry experiences, and the power of learning and experimenting in an environment surrounded by Mob.

Rostron and Mooney with Elaine George, Vogue's first First Nations cover model. Image credit: Getty Images

What made you both want to be involved in the FNFD program, and how did the opportunity come about?

Perry Mooney: “I’ve been working with the crew since before they were FNFD; I met Grace [Lillian Lee] when I was 19, so that’s seven tears ago. It was incredibly influential for me because I’d never done anything modelling-wise before I met her. Being in that space with her and getting to experiment by myself, and being thrust into [shows], that was my first taste of what our organisation actually does now.

“It wasn’t FNFD [back then], but it’s kind of always been FNFD. I always put my hand up for doing shows, I’m really passionate about what it is we do, and how we can create space for Mob. I get to meet amazing people like Cindy in and around, because people have flown here from Alice Springs and Victoria. I came from Queensland—we all come from different areas, and it’s nice to come together.”

Cindy Rostron: “I met this Mob at Barunga last year, and I love what they’re doing.”

Often the best mentorships allow for learning and knowledge to flow both ways—what are the best lessons you’ve learned from each other?

Perry: “I’ve watched the way Cindy walks and it’s so effortless. For someone who started modelling last year, a lot of people take a long time to get to that point, and she does it so effortlessly and [learned] it so quickly. To watch her command a space the way that she does, especially on the runway, inspires me to be able to go out there and do the same.”

Rostron in a gown by Charlotte Bedford and Romance Was Born. Image credit: Getty Images

Cindy: “[Perry has] good mentoring. I’ve learned a lot of skills—I’m still learning about this whole thing, [so] it’s good that I’m with Mob, and that we’re connected, so we can communicate with each other.”

Perry: “Yeah, we’re able to experiment together. Because that’s the whole point of this space, to make sure Mob feel safe and comfortable taking risks and trying new things, because for a lot of people, especially the young ones who’ve applied to be in this, this is their first time—their first show is Australian Fashion Week.”

Cindy: “This is my first time in this city!”

Perry: “It’s a really special moment, so to be able to walk with them and provide some sort of support and help they might not get anywhere else, is really important. To be able to help Cindy out with that sort of stuff has made me feel good. But [Cindy], you’ve taken it in your stride, anyway!”

Mooney in a gown by Paul McCann and J'Aton Couture. Image credit: Getty Images

Cindy, you’re on the cover of this month’s Vogue Australia—how have things changed for you since the May issue?

Cindy: “It’s changed everything, it’s changed my whole career and my life. Just looking forward to what’s gonna happen next.”

How would you describe your relationship with [fellow cover models] Elaine George, Magnolia Maymuru and Charlee Fraser?

Cindy: “They are great—they encourage me, they’re awesome.”

The cover of Vogue Australia's May 2022 issue, starring Elaine George (left), Magnolia Maymuru (top middle), Rostron (bottom) and Charlee Fraser. Photograph: Jess Ruby James.

Cindy, tell me about the outfit you were wearing on day one of fashion week—what did that outfit mean to you?

Cindy: "It’s beautiful and represents Torres Strait Islanders and Aboriginals together.”

Rostron in an Erik Yvon dress on the first day of Australian Fashion Week 2022. Image credit: Getty Images

Have you always been interested in fashion?

Cindy: “Always! Since I was young, I was always doing little bush fashion [shows], me and my cousins always would go out and cut paperbark trees and make a dress, something creative, and pretend we were in a big crowd. I just always wanted to be a model since day one.”

Rostron on the set of Vogue's May cover shoot. Image credit: Marley Morgan, Barefoot Wandering Photography

What do you both hope for the future of First Nations fashion?

Perry: “For me personally, what I hope for is that we saturate the market. We haven’t been out here like this ever, in terms of eyes on us, and the fact that we made such an impact last year. Just to saturate the market is probably the dream, but authentically and with purpose, and to be able to share it with other people.

“I’ve said before that being able to wear other Mob’s designs shows that we can take pride in each other, and we’re able to help tell that story. That’s the main thing for me—just making sure people know who we are, where we’re from, and what we’re doing here, and how we’ve always been here.”

What do you wish organisers of events like Australian Fashion Week would understand when it comes to diversity, and what would you do differently?

Perry: “Possibly letting it happen a little bit more. Because we had the Indigenous Fashion Projects show—I don’t know if you were able to go to that one, but that was beautiful. Some of the models that walked in that show are walking in this one as well, and it was so exciting feeling the electricity of them walking out in front of us—it was unlike anything else, because I’d never really been to another show before that I hadn’t been in. To be sitting there and cheering them on… this just needs to keep happening. We need more and more and more of these.

“That’s the main thing, I would just hope that there’s more opportunities for more Mob to get out there and do their thing, and for us to be able to sit there beside them and cheer them on.”

 

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