WA’s Nathan McGuire is making his mark on the fashion world, blazing a trail for First Nations creatives

He’s become a trailblazer of the Australian fashion industry but there’s more to Noongar-Whadjuk male model Nathan McGuire than just his looks. Signed to one of the world’s most famous modelling agencies, IMG Models, in March, he was named by GQ magazine as its ‘Face of the Future’. And the 31-year-old is determined to make his mark of the fashion world, paving the way for future generations of First Nations creatives to access one of the most influential industries in the country. “We get a lot of representation through sport and music, so I’m glad that I can open a space where mob can see themselves in fashion imagery,” he says. From his early work with Target to his historic campaign with Country Road alongside Walmatjarri/Yamatji woman Billie-Jean Hamlet, to gracing the cover of GQ as the first-ever Aboriginal male model to do so, McGuire’s rise to fame almost didn’t happen. By the age of 16, he had made it to the Western Australian Institute of Sport and played for the Perth Thunder sticks, even making it to the Australian development squad. “I actually thought I was going to be a hockey player and everything was heading that way but I had a change of heart,” he says. McGuire’s world would soon change after he was scouted on Instagram. “Fashion came my way. It was never something that I really (sought) out, it was always on the fringes of my world,” he says. “When I moved to Melbourne, I did a photo shoot with a friend who is a photographer ...she sent those images to my first agency — who I’m no longer with — but that started my career.” Full-time modelling was a long way from his humble beginnings in Perth, where McGuire grew up. “Culture was definitely part of my upbringing, it was something that was ingrained within my family. Being part of the community was something that was always there and was always part of my life,” he says. “I always had a determination, whether it was sport or whether it was my creatives and now with my fashion career, there’s always that sense of wanting to push myself.” His family name is prominent within the Noongar community but McGuire says he never faced any pressure from his family. “I had great role models within my own family to look up to. I was very aware that my family is quite prominent within the Noongar community in Perth and it didn’t give me any pressure, it gave me the inspiration to be like my family,” McGuire says. One of his inspirations is his older sister, Shannon McGuire, who made waves in the modelling industry in the early 2000s. She was the second runner-up on the inaugural season of Australia’s Next Top Model and after her successful run on the series, she became one of the first First Nations women signed to modelling agency Chic Management. McGuire says he had no guidance from any Indigenous male models during the early days of his career, so instead he sought advice from his big sister. “I was able to see someone else navigate the industry and Shannon is a big inspiration for me,” he says. “In a way, it was a blessing going in unaware of the industry because it made me not think of comparing myself to people — I came in as Nathan. I had my own identity.” That’s not to say it wasn’t tough at the start. McGuire had moved across the country and was questioning himself over his newfound profession when he was soon faced with an even bigger obstacle. “In the beginning, I was told that they didn’t know what to do with an Aboriginal boy and the implication was that they didn’t really see a space for an Aboriginal boy, so that was frustrating,” he says. “I’m thinking, I’m not an alien...but in saying that, my culture has become my power.” His uniqueness as an Indigenous male model, and his cultural connections, paid off. And while he’s worked for commercial and high-fashion brands, the lack of other Blak men in the fashion space is one of the reasons why McGuire is so passionate about supporting future male models. “I’ve had young boys say to me when they see my photographs in the store they feel seen,” he says. “The more doors that open for me, it opens up way more for everyone else...it’s important that these younger kids come in and keep repping for us.” But it’s not just on the runway or in front of the camera where McGuire wants to see First Nations representation. “Whilst now it feels like things are moving quite well for the Indigenous fashion sector, I get a bit nervous that it might come off as a trend, and that’s what in my work in fashion I want to avoid; I want to avoid our people being a trend in fashion that’s used for a story or used for a statement,” he says. “I want First Nations creatives to have autonomy over their say in the industry and having a space that is culturally safe.”