There’s something summery about Codie Young…
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Hailing from Australia’s Sunshine Coast, discovered by Summer Fisher in the Sunshine Plaza and with those red hot tumbling tresses, Codie is a breath of fresh air causing a heat wave through the fashion world in this never-ending cold spell. Squinting her huge, emerald almond eyes from the sun as the face of Marc Jacobs’ Dot, gazing out from a lush bed of pink roses on the cover of Australian Vogue or sitting exquisitely opposite Lana Del Rey in H&M’s Fall 12 film, Codie Young has well and truly captured our hearts with her innocent, fairytale stares, nymph-like physique and Pre-Raphaelite face. Often compared to the world’s first ever supermodel and Rossetti and Millais’ muse Lizzie Siddal, Codie is the blogspotting, globetrotting 20-year-old who (also like Lizzie) is a model-slash-artist and would spend her days painting had she not been as pretty as she is. Miss Young plays one of Richard Bush and Sarah Richardson’s beautiful witches in her cover shoot for The Alphabetical Issue, her fiery locks set off with silver horns and long black dresses. i‑D online take a look at Codie’s painted faces and get the low down on life off-duty.
How does it feel to follow in the footsteps of Karlie Kloss and Dakota Fanning as the face of Marc Jacobs? I wouldn’t refer to it as following in someone’s footsteps. I don’t want to be known as, or refered to as the next this model or the next that model. I just want to be the first Codie Young. But to be the face of Marc Jacobs Dot fragrance is probably my biggest accomplishment in the fashion industry so far.
Will you be pursuing your art further? I suppose it depends in what way you mean. Do I want to make a career out of it? I’m not sure. But I think eventually I will start to sell my work. Maybe I will study visual arts one day but I don’t know yet.
What would you be doing if you weren’t modelling? That’s a interesting question that I don’t think anyone knows. Maybe traveling and seeing the world, studying maybe, who knows.
If you could be photographed by anyone past or present, who would you choose? I really like Tim Walker’s work. I love how it’s very otherworldly. He creates beautiful stories and the model gets to play this very interesting character. I love doing shoots where I get to play a really unique character. When you get to be this other person that someone else has created I really enjoy it.
If you could wear the clothes from any of the shows you’ve walked in, whose would you choose? The last Saint Laurent collection was pretty amazing.
Are you in love? No I’m not in love in the sense of a significant other, which is what I feel you were referring to! But since you weren’t specific I would say that I’m in love with many things. Such as my family and friends, travelling, learning, reading and creating beautiful art. These would all be things I’m in love with.
Is that your natural hair colour? No. it’s naturally a brown/blonde colour.
What is your beauty routine? I don’t really have a set routine. Washing my face and putting moisturizer on is about as far as it goes.
What was it like shooting alongside Cara, Charlie, Louise and Magda for i‑D? It was a really nice shoot. Nice to work with other models, as models often do lots of editorials by themselves. I really loved shooting this story, I can’t wait to see it!
Text: Felicity Kinsella
Images: Courtesy of Codie Young
Bottom image: Photography: Richard Bush. Styling: Sarah Richardson for The Alphabetical Issue
