GRITTY PRETTY
“So I just jump in?” Elyse Knowles asks playfully before running at full pelt towards the sparkling blue swimming pool at our Byron Bay location. The answer – absolutely not – escapes me as I contemplate how best to tell the hair and makeup team that they will need to start from scratch. When it looks as if she’s about to commit to the dive, knees bent, ready to spring into action and propel her body into the water, instead, Knowles stops, turns and laughs. I, on the other hand, breathe out an audible sigh of relief. “Just kidding,” she says with a smile.
That’s Knowles for you. Part loveable Aussie larrikin, part professional, she has the ‘girl-next-door’ thing down pat.
The model-turned-reality-TV-star’s poolside practical joke proved to be a thought provoker. “Should we actually do it?” Later, as our cover shoot in the Byron Bay hinterland drew to a close, Knowles did hop in the water – fully clothed, but this time with a little bit more warning – and the rest, as they say, is history.
At 27, Knowles has been modelling for most of her life; she started shooting catalogues as a 10-year-old. On set, she moves through the room with a quiet sense of confidence. She knows her angles; she knows her body; she knows what works for her; she knows what doesn’t. As a child, she was timid in nature but felt at home in front of the camera. “I was always the shy girl,” Knowles says, looking back on the early days of her career. “Then, I’d get in front of the camera and I’d feel comfortable for some reason.” With chiselled cheekbones, legs for days and a sunny disposition, with the benefit of hindsight, it seems inevitable that she would forge a successful career in entertainment.
“I always say: you do you and I’ll do me… I’m going on this journey and I’m happy and I’m proud. I’m going to keep going, even if someone doesn’t like it.”
The transition from catalogue model to one of Australia’s most in-demand faces is tricky; most girls don’t make it. It’s hard to pinpoint the exact moment that Knowles’ big break occurred. However, there’s one thing we know for sure: her profile skyrocketed in 2017, when she and partner of seven years, Josh Barker, were cast on Channel Nine’s popular home renovation show, The Block. Before long, Barker and Knowles emerged as both fan favourites (the couple’s @joshandelyse Instagram account has amassed an impressive 194,000-strong following) and darlings of the judging panel (their home was one of the highest-scoring in the show’s history). While Barker’s building expertise certainly helped, it was the pair’s hardworking, no-nonsense approach and Knowles’ playful, down-to-earth personality that shone through. Not only did she put her head down and get the job done – Barker and Knowles won the series, taking home a cool $547,000 – but she also won over the thousands of Australians who tuned in each night.
“I’m trying to help the environment the best I can; I can’t do absolutely everything, but I can do something.”
Fast forward to now and at this point in her career, Knowles has been afforded the luxury of being able to pick and choose her pursuits. With a few top-tier ambassadorships under her belt – she is the face of AVEDA in Australia and an ambassador for both Myer and TAG Heuer – this model citizen is careful to align herself to brands that share her values. Day to day, Knowles’ concern for the planet has led her on a personal quest to reduce her single-use plastic consumption – “I’m trying to help the environment the best I can; I can’t do absolutely everything, but I can do something” – so an alignment with AVEDA makes sense. With roots in Ayurveda and holistic beauty, AVEDA has been a champion of environmental responsibility since its inception in 1978. “We share the same values; they understand me and I understand them,” Knowles says of her relationship with the brand. “Whether it is my hair or my skin, I try to be conscious of what I’m using.”
With almost 900K followers on Instagram – a significant chunk of those being young women – Knowles is undoubtedly in a position to influence. This is something that weighs on her mind. “I feel a big responsibility to be a good role model,” she says. “To be a positive one, to educate and be a positive light.” Despite her success, Elyse is generous and unaffected – just as her online presence suggests.
Speaking of social media, don’t let Knowles’ bright and shiny feed fool you; the road to the top has been a long and winding one. “Back in the day, you had to prove who you were, you had to prove you were a good model, you had to prove you could move and look good,” she says. “So now, I have this whole burst of confidence because I know people are booking me for who I am.”
“It wasn’t an easy run to get here,” she continues. I nod and probe a little further: “There must be a lot that people don’t see?” Knowles agrees, “They see the end picture of what I have now and think how lucky you are and why don’t I have that. [It’s] hard to deal with because people are lucky in different ways, which is why I always say: you do you and I’ll do me. And whatever journey that takes you on, well done and I hope it goes well; I’m going on this journey and I’m happy and I’m proud. I’m going to keep going, even if someone doesn’t like it.”
In the first half of 2019, Barker and Knowles – both born-and-bred Melbournians – upped and moved to Bryon Bay. Initially, the couple pitched it to their friends and family as a sabbatical. “I knew I could fly back and forth [to Melbourne and Sydney],” she explains, “but we didn’t know if Josh’s job would work.”
Not long after the dust settled, Barker and Knowles realised that the much slower pace of Northern New South Wales could prove to be a permanent relocation. The laissez-faire lifestyle suits the happy-go-lucky pair. “[In Byron Bay], everyone seems to ask how you are or at least smile when they’re walking past. It’s something I admire about the people here; everyone cares and everyone is uplifting.” The atmosphere is far less competitive than Melbourne where the vibe is more along the lines of “move out of my way – I’m coming through,” she says with a laugh.
Now, these two serial renovators are seeking a permanent place to call home: “We’re looking to find our dream house, land, location. I feel like everything happens for a reason, so we’ll just wait patiently, trying to find something magic for ourselves.”
“Back in the day, you had to prove who you were, you had to prove you were a good model, you had to prove you could move and look good. So now, I have this whole burst of confidence because I know people are booking me for who I am.”
Just recently, Knowles celebrated her 27th trip around the sun. I share that I am the same age. At this admission, her face lights up and she beams at me wide-eyed, exclaiming, “We’re old!”.
It’s an age where you suddenly become aware that the big 3-0 is looming. “I just keep thinking that my mum had me at 28 and oh my gosh, I need to get going,” she says. “I want one or two kids by 30.” Not that Barker and Knowles are ‘trying’, per se: “I just don’t want to wait until too late in my life. I’d rather put family first and then career.”
As for wedding bells? For the record, they’re not in a rush. “Who knows! I might have a kid first! Josh doesn’t like talking about getting married; he very much likes his own rule book and I’m totally okay with that, too. I think we’re on our own journey and we’re happy at the moment.”
So, what’s next for this fashion darling? You didn’t hear it from me, but she has a new top-secret project in the works. Knowles is keeping mum on this one. However, she did say: “A lot of people come and ask if I can be a part of their [fashion] brand – but for me, that wasn’t right. I wanted to do it all myself, which is 20 million times harder but I’m willing to do it so it’s all of me and not someone else’s.” We’ll leave you (and your imagination) with that.
