There isn’t a more perfect muse to embody Mistress Elemental than Charlee Fraser. This young, indigenous Australian model is grounded, humble and a true free-spirit — with a very real sense of connection to the land.

Since her first season at NYFW in January 2016, Charlee has been on a steady rise to the top, thanks largely to a last-minute (and now signature) haircut given to her at the Alexander Wang show. The way in which she has handled her somewhat overnight success only adds to her allure, and also proves how truly authentic and down to earth she is.

Both cool and collected on-set, Charlee also had fun; she was in her element — a truly inspiring thing to witness.

Charlee on set.

What did you enjoy most about the MIMCO Mistress Elemental shoot?
I think this shoot has honestly been one of my favourites. The thing I’ve enjoyed most about it is that we were shooting in Australia, which is my home, in these beautiful locations that I never knew existed.

When do you feel most in your element?
I feel at one with myself when I’m in my hometown of Newcastle (New South Wales). I’m very in touch with my heritage so I feel very connected to the land there and with my tribe there also.

Tell us about your journey so far…
My journey so far has been a little bit subtle and a little bit crazy! The first few years of my career were amazing, but not very fast paced. I was working a lot at home in Australia and there wasn’t a lot of travel involved. I was doing work with some really amazing Australian labels but once my working visa for the US came through (at the beginning of 2016) I’ve just been travelling everywhere.

How was it working with Trevor King?
I’ve worked with a lot of photographers in Australia, but it’s really nice to see a fresh face who I haven’t worked with before. Trevor is great, he shoots the way that I model so everything just works really well. He shoots rapidly, with not too many pauses and we’ll often start with a direction and just go from there and elaborate. He kind of just lets me do my thing which is perfect; we just worked so well together.

Tell us about your signature hair cut...
It was cut for my very first season in January and was an exclusive look for Alexander Wang. Guido (Palau) was the hair director for that show and he decided I would look way more edgy with shorter hair. Originally this isn’t the look we went for, half way through the cut everyone said “we actually kind of like it how it is” so we just left it. It turned out to be such a significant event not only for that season, but also my career.

What are your top travel tips?
1. Be prepared physically and mentally — and stay in the right frame of mind
2. Pack for the things that you might not expect.
3. Always carry your essentials, including a schedule.