Toes in the water, eyes on the prize. Our September digital cover girl lives life at full speed. “Go big or go home,” she says, and after one day with her you can see what she means. On an autumn morning in Rhinebeck, NY, we walked in fields surrounded by cattle and wildflowers, and got to know our new Face: Olivia Jansing.
“I want to just be able to look back on the day and realise that there wasn't a dull moment and no matter what I was doing I was surrounded by good people and the time was spent laughing and smiling.”
A true Aries (“They say Aries are very stubborn, and I'm hella stubborn”) she’s the Long Island-born, Manhattan-raised surfer who lives like a magnet to water and nature. “I had a hard time as a kid expressing my emotions and for me going in the ocean or walking through the woods was something that just centred me.” When she’s not in front of the lens you’ll usually find her in her happy place, perched on the barrel of a wave somewhere out the back. “No matter what's going on around me or in my life I can't help but have the biggest smile on my face when I’m out there.”
“It's hard to put into words how surfing feels, being on a wave it's like having 10 seconds of euphoria.”
A girl on the move, the Public School muse cultivated her passion for travel at a young age, whether cruising around in her dad’s truck - “My dad usually rents a truck that I drive. It's a massive 4-door F-150, he gives it to me so I can lug my surfboards around” - or road tripping through Costa Rica on a surf safari. “Getting to travel the world and work with amazing, interesting creative people … I love how even though I'm always modelling, every time I walk onto set there's a different vibe and environment which I love. I would hate my job if I knew what to expect every day and only worked with people who were all similar.”
“I think my friends would say I'm very loyal. Probably also that I'm honest, maybe sometimes too honest, and a good listener.”
PHOTOGRAPHY Ward + Kweskin
FASHION Bridie Gilbert
MODEL Olivia Jansing @ Next
HAIR Lucas Wilson @ Home Agency
MAKEUP Laura Stiassni @ The Wall Group using Becca Cosmetics
PHOTOGRAPHER’S ASSISTANT Eduardo Silva
STYLIST’S ASSISTANT Alexandra Miles