“It feels like I’ve never left,” Gale says. Despite having modelled for beauty giant L’Oréal and acting inMad Max:Fury RoadandThree Thousand Years of Longing,most Australians who remember shopping before the internet associate Gale with David Jones.
“It’s a great testament to the relationship we had. I’ve received so many messages of support from customers.”
The catwalk comeback for the store’s 185th anniversary celebration follows the nostalgic casting of French actor Catherine Deneuve in a Cartier campaign,52 years after her first advertisement for Chanel perfume,and the familiar sight ofveteran supermodels Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell posing for luxury labels Bottega Veneta and Boss.
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First modelling for David Jones in 1995,Gale was the store’s runway star from 2001 until the arrival ofsupermodel Miranda Kerr in 2008,remaining an ambassador until 2015.
“People like nostalgia,feeling sentimental and remembering good times,” Gale says. “That time I was at DJs was a great time.”
WithDavid Jones this week reporting revenue of 9.3 billion rand ($750 million) for the six months to December,more than quadruple its annual sales in 2019,chief executive Scot Fyfe is running with an optimistic approach.