She is about to grace the runway at the Melbourne Fashion Festival but 20-year-old Nakita Robinson of Peak Hill said her first modelling job was a little unexpected.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
"I didn't know about it actually, it was a surprise, my sister signed me up," Ms Robinson said.
"I was a couple of years ago. It was just a little job with Darkies Design. That was pretty good.
"I wasn't too confident. I had to wear heels which I wasn't used to. I was pretty much a tom boy growing up."
Ms Robinson said modelling was something she hadn't thought of before she started but she was now determined to make it into an international career.
"I was really sporty but my family, my aunties had always said I was going to be a model one day," she said.
As an Indigenous model Ms Robinson has spoken previously about her desire to break down stereotypes.
"When you see magazines everyone kind of looks the same. I want them to go 'she's got dark skin, maybe I can do that too'," she said.
"Not many girls actually have the confidence. They kind of expect one look."
She said she wanted her achievements to inspire other young girls to go for their dream.
After the first job Ms Robinson said her modelling pretty much came together.
After Darkies Design she entered the Dolly magazine model search.
"They emailed back saying I had potential. They wanted me to send more photos so my cousin took some of me posing," she said.
"Unfortunately I didn't make it any further but I did get a lot of positive feedback."
Ms Robinson was contacted by two agents who were both interested in signing her.
"They told me the negatives and positives but I was still in year 12 and I wanted to focus on my HSC," she said.
Even without an agent Ms Robinson has no shortage of achievements to her name.
"I modelled for Canberra's biggest fashion event Fashfest. It involved travelling to Canberra every weekend for a month but it was all worth it in the end," she said.
She was also the first Indigenous model to be a cover girl for Big Ink magazine.
Ms Robinson said she was always nervous before a show but it faded when she was on the runway.
"You feel so confident and you feel good about yourself," she said. Through it all Ms Robinson said her family were probably her biggest fans.
"I've definitely had a lot of negatives but I've also had a lot of support," she said.
When she's on the runway for the Indigenous Runway Program as part of the Melbourne Fashion Festival, Ms Robinson said her parents, a few cousins and some friends would all be there cheering her on.