For Australian model Em Stenberg, home isn’t just a place, it’s a feeling – and sometimes, it’s found in the scent of sizzling street food. “In Darwin, NT, there’s a place called Nightcliff Markets,” she recalls fondly. “In my opinion that’s where the best food in the world is. When I was younger my family and I would go every weekend – we’d only get a few things but the Asian Aunties wouldn’t let us leave without bags of free food.” That memory, equal parts generosity and flavour, remains a grounding touchstone for the rising model whose career has taken her far beyond her hometown.
Stenberg’s mornings these days start not with hawker food but with a far fluffier ritual. “Without fail, every morning my kitten, Cashew, wakes me up around 4 or 5am.” It’s a simple routine, but in the fast-paced world of fashion, small constants can feel like luxuries. Five years ago, Stenberg embarked on what she describes as her true beginning. Leaving Darwin, she settled in Sydney, where the city’s energy and openness welcomed her instantly. “I never fit in in Darwin but when I moved down I was embraced by my agents, other models and Sydney locals,” she explains. The move was more than geographic – it was transformative. “Definitely when I moved to Sydney, that felt like a fresh start.”
It’s fitting, then, that she fronts our shoot with Paspaley for their Blushing Cicada series, a jewellery line that celebrates renewal, transformation, and the delicate beauty of nature’s cycles. Just as cicadas shed their skins to begin anew, Stenberg embraced reinvention in Sydney, blossoming into her career with a newfound sense of belonging. The series itself is a masterclass in craftsmanship and storytelling. Inspired by the cicada – a creature symbolic of transformation – the designs play with light and motion. Stenberg admits one piece, in particular, left her entranced. “The earrings had wings that you could open and close, and they were absolutely breathtaking.”
Styling such bold, luminous jewellery requires restraint, she believes. “The Paspaley series is so gorgeous on its own. I would probably style it with something neutral in colour and strapless – having the jewellery the main part of the look.”
Despite her high-fashion work, Stenberg’s day-to-day style is joyfully eclectic. “A lot of my style is inspired by South Asian style. When I’m dressing up, more Japanese/Chinese street style. But in my everyday life, I dress like an 80-year-old Thai Aunty – just because most of my clothes are from my 80-year-old Thai aunty,” she laughs. That playful mix of heritage, humour, and individuality shines through.
When asked about her favourite escapes, her answer is as clear: “the seaside, I need the sea to survive.” But for comfort, she often turns to film, with Fantastic Mr. Fox holding a special place in her heart, though she admits “any movie by A24 is a yes from me.” Her friends, she says, would sum her up in three words: “silly, weird, and a bit impulsive.” Yet it’s exactly that mix of whimsy and openness that makes her such a perfect wearer of the Blushing Cicada series. Much like the series itself, Stenberg embodies change, resilience, and an appreciation for beauty found in both memory and metamorphosis.
Paspaley's Blushing Cicada series is available in-boutiques and from the Paspaley website.
PHOTOGRAPHY Jake Terrey @ Hart & Co.
FASHION Hannah Cooper
MODEL Em Stenberg @ IMG
HAIR Darren Summors @ AP—REPS
MAKEUP Cherry Cheung @ Vivien's Creative
STYLIST'S ASSISTANT Koby Dulac-Daley
CREATIVE STUDIO & CAMPAIGNS MANAGER Olivia Repaci
Feature image (left): COURTNEY ZHENG dress' PASPALEY earrings. Feature image (right): COURTNEY ZHENG top; PASPALEY earrings and necklace.
