Photos: Anupam Singh, DB Cosmetics I Design Me campaign.
You really can’t judge a book by its cover – and that expression is especially true when it comes to Auckland best friends Stephanie Rupa and Eden Pickering.
While the stunning pair has just won the inaugural Red 11 x Icon x DB Cosmetics Unsigned Model Search, you’d be hard-pressed to guess what they do for a living based on appearances alone.
Elegant Eden, 30, is an electrician. She’s the first female tradie in her family and the first woman in 41 years to qualify at her company. Meanwhile, stylish Steph, 31, is a train engineer.
The tight-knit pals first met at primary school – “We’ve been like sisters ever since” – and say the pandemic pushed them to pursue their inspiring careers. Before Covid,
Steph was working for Air New Zealand as an international flight attendant, while Eden was juggling hospitality jobs.
“I decided to become an electrician because a trade offered more stability than hospo,” explains Eden.
“But it wasn’t a complete surprise as my parents and siblings are all hard-working, physical people. My dad and brothers are glaziers and my three older sisters work in the mines in Australia. Mum and one of my sisters drive the big trucks there, so I was definitely not going to be an office girl!
“The person who’s most excited about me being an electrician is my dad. He loves telling people that I went from making sandwiches to being a sparky.”
As for Steph’s segue from the high skies to the railway tracks, she explains it was while volunteering for Civil Defence, which has long been a passion, that a friend asked if she’d ever thought about being a train driver.
“I knew so little about it – I didn’t even know trains had drivers,” laughs Steph. However, it piqued her interest and she took a chance, sitting the online test. She was later accepted for an interview and on-the-job training.
“I passed and here I am, four years later, a qualified train engineer,” says Steph. She’s responsible for driving the trains and troubleshooting if there’s a breakdown on the lines.
“Although layovers in Papakura aren’t quite the same as layovers in Korea,” she jokes, referring to her air-crew days.
Eden and Steph work in stereotypically male-dominated fields. Regardless, they see no reason why they shouldn’t also embrace fashion and femininity.
“Eden and I always have our nails done. It’s quite funny to see us in these masculine roles with beautiful nails,” shares Steph. “I’ve also been into fashion since I was young, watching lots of make-up and hair tutorials.”
Eden continues, “And Steph has taught me loads about skincare and make-up, so when we saw an Instagram post about the model search, we decided to check it out.”
Which is how on a cold, rainy day in September, they ended up at a Westfield mall on Auckland’s North Shore, excited for a new opportunity, but with no intention of actually becoming models.
“We had a coffee at the mall, then stopped by the model search pop-up. There, we took a quick photo and gave them our emails, then walked away with a goodie bag of make-up brushes and product,” remembers Steph. She felt shocked to learn two weeks later that the organisers had selected them as finalists. “We really didn’t expect to hear anything more.”
Eden adds, “It was surreal. The next stage involved a formal sit-down interview with a panel, which was not what we expected and we were so nervous.”
The organisers were only looking for one New Zealand winner. However, the judges were so taken with the duo’s energy, strength and beauty, they made an exception and chose them both.
As the winners, Steph and Eden can now officially add models to their résumés.
Both have secured contracts with Red 11 Models in New Zealand and Icon Management in Australia. In October they were whisked away to Melbourne to shoot their first job as the faces of DB Cosmetics’ “I Design Me” campaign.
As for being role models, Steph would love to see more young women in her field.
“Whatever your age, gender or ethnicity, if you have a dream, just go for it!”
Eden picks up the thread, “And don’t let other people’s fears discourage you from trying something new. Just jump in because trades are great and most people get excited when they hear I’m an electrician.”
As for the future, the friends are happy to let fate light their way.
“Covid really taught us you can make all the plans you like, but God might have other ideas,” smiles Eden. “So we’ll just stay flexible and go with the flow.”
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