Heather Inwood started her modelling career after turning 60 and is fronting high fashion campaigns

A 67-year-old Australian model who was told she was ‘too old’ for the industry when she was just 33 is now landing campaigns with some of the biggest brands in fashion and beauty. 

Heather Inwood was 62 and nearing retirement from her career in retail and hospitality when she took the plunge into modelling again after seeing an ad on TV about an agency that represents models aged over 30. 

In the five years since, Heather has had her face splashed on advertisements all over the world. 

The mature-aged model from NSW hopes her images are making older women feel confident, represented and more comfortable experimenting with modern-day fashion trends.

Heather was told she was ‘too old’ for the modelling industry when she was just 33 years old and struggled to land jobs because of her petite 5-foot-two frame

After spending more than 50 years in and out of the fashion industry, Heather said she is glad to see attitudes towards older models change. 

‘Senior age women, in particular, have been labelled as seen and not heard, as if we no longer matter and have no place in the world of advertising,’ Heather told FEMAIL.

‘Finally the demand for mature-age models is forging ahead thanks, in part, to the demand from the public for diversity in all aspects of advertising and to advertisers for being brave enough to make the change. I celebrate the changes.’

The demand for diversity has come a long way since Heather, who is originally from New Zealand, did her first modelling job at just 16.  

The five-foot-two beauty posed for a photographer as part of an art exhibition but she couldn’t find an agency to represent her as she said they had ‘little interest in petite, shorter women’.

Heather started modelling at 16 but couldn’t find an agency to represent her as as she said they had ‘little interest in petite shorter women’

‘By the time I reached my early thirties, I was told I was too old, Still I wouldn’t listen,’ she said. After being rejected by agencies, Heather ‘reluctantly’ decided to shelve her modelling career

‘I could never understand this as all women no matter how tall can model hats, blouses, makeup and beauty products,’ she said.

‘So I decided to freelance, which gave me the freedom to confidently work within my comfort zone. By the time I reached my early thirties, I was told I was too old. Still I wouldn’t listen.’

After being knocked back by yet another agency, Heather ‘reluctantly’ shelved her modelling career.

Through the 1970s and 1980s, she managed fashion boutiques then moved into hospitality before flipping houses with her husband. 

As she was about to retire, Heather saw an interview on TV about Silverfox Management, an agency that represent models over the age of 30 and decided to give modelling another shot.

At 62, Heather applied at Silverfox management, an agency that represent models over 30: ‘My passion for modelling had been stirred up so I took the leap, applied and was accepted’

A highlight of Heather’s new-found modelling career was a shoot for Sydney-based global fashion brand Meshki set in The Pinnacles in Western Australia

‘I was inspired at the thought of really pushing the boundaries for senior-aged women. We had been ignored in the advertising industry for too long. I wanted an interest that would challenge me,’ she said. 

‘My old passion for modelling had now been stirred up so I took the leap, applied and thankfully I was accepted on the books.’

Heather has modelled for big name brands including Mecca Beauty, Sephora Beauty, Camilla & Marc, The Iconic, and Camilla.

‘I try to have fun on all of my campaigns. Laughing relaxes me and I have been lucky to work with many crew members, stylists and photographers who genuinely enjoy their work,’ she said. 

A highlight of Heather’s new-found modelling career was a shoot for Sydney-based global fashion brand Meshki set in The Pinnacles in Western Australia.

Heather has also been seen in beauty campaigns in Singapore, New Zealand and across Asia which she said has been ‘very surreal’

In late 2022, she walked for The Iconic’s Runway X show which celebrated ‘self expression in all its forms’ – an experience Heather described as ‘pure fun’

Heather hopes women seeing her in advertisements will feel inspired and not fear ageing. ‘I want senior women not to be afraid of their retirement years but embrace them’ 

The images were later used on billboards in LA and Heather has also been seen in beauty campaigns in Singapore, New Zealand and across Asia which she said has been ‘very surreal’. 

Aside from print, she’s also walked the runways for fashion shows. 

In late 2022, she appeared in The Iconic’s Runway X show which celebrated ‘self expression in all its forms’ – an experience Heather described as ‘pure fun’.

And while Heather exudes an positive attitude and self-assurance, she said she can sometimes struggle with confidence.

‘My biggest challenges are hurdles I put in place myself. I am very unforgiving of myself and I want to be sure to do my best for each campaign,’ she said. 

‘Confidence can be hard to find for so many of us but I think if you never give yourself a chance then you will be miserable. For me, I need to know that I have made an effort, even if I have failed.’

Heather hopes women seeing her face in advertisements will help them embrace rather than fear ageing.

‘I want senior women not to be afraid of their retirement years but embrace them’ she said. 

‘It’s a time to free yourself and enjoy all the things you want to do for yourself, to remember those hobbies from your youth and relive them.’