Nicole Warne

In just six years, she has grown her passion project, website Garry Pepper Girl, into a fully-fledged career as a model, e-commerce entrepreneur and fashion consultant. In 2015, she made history by being the first Australian blogger to ever land the cover of a major fashion magazine, featuring on the front of Elle Australia’s July issue.

Back in 2009, Warne was balancing a job with two internships at Grazia and Harper’s Bazaar Australia, when she decided to drop it all and run Gary Pepper Vintage, a blog and e-bay store selling vintage clothes, full time. Within six months, it had been registered as a company and Warne was shifting 250 items a week. As the site’s popularity soared, Warne fast became a fixture at fashion shows around the world, admired for her quirky, colourful, feminine sense of style.

Since then, Warne has become the poster girl of bloggers that have succeeded in turning their blogs into brands. “Blogging isn’t just blogging anymore, it’s a business,” she told The Coveteur. With this in mind, Warne renamed her site Gary Pepper Girl and in 2012, made the decision to scale back her e-commerce store to focus on more personal endeavours.

Signed to IMG in 2013, Warne has modelled for the likes of Roland Mouret and walked in (and hosted) Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia. She has also been featured on the cover of Nylon, Elle Australia, Miss Vogue and Lucky magazines. She has also collaborated with luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, Dolce and Gabbana, Lane Crawford, and Chanel ready-to-wear most recently.