More than 30 years later, George is shaping a different future for the next generation of aspiring Indigenous models by hosting a workshop at the Darwin Convention Centre.

The Blaklist: Next Gen modelling workshop is the first to be run by Indigenous Fashion Projects at the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair, and it has attracted participants from Broome to Alice Springs, Darwin and Cairns.

Looking around as the participants take their places, George sees incredible potential.

"You don't have to be that typical size eight, thin, tall, lanky, gorgeous face," she said.

One hopeful, Tiana Russell, has already been approached by a modelling scout at the city's recent sold-out Country to Couture fashion shows - as she was on her way to the bathroom.

The 19-year-old is juggling a small art and design business with casual work at Darwin seafood market Mr Barra as she tries to launch her modelling career.

It's Russell's third year on the Country to Couture runway, an experience that brings up a mix of emotions because her family is part of the Stolen Generations.

"I don't know my skin, name, my language, I don't know any of that ... I really have no education on my culture," she told AAP.

"There's a little hole in my heart, you know what I mean? There's a part of my identity I just don't know."

At the workshops, there are lessons on makeup, runway techniques and portfolio development, and George is on hand to impart all kinds of practical advice.

Always bring a scarf, so you don't put makeup on the designers' clothes. Shave your legs the day before a shoot, wear roll-on deodorant - and wipe your feet with baby wipes before going barefoot on a runway.

Walking in heels takes practice, she warns. It's advice one aspiring model took maybe too much to heart - wearing heels even while cleaning the house, George laughs.

One lesson that comes through clearly is that launching a modelling career takes more than just walking a runway - it also requires some serious juggling.

Kiani Thompson, 17, from Jabiru in the Northern Territory, is finishing off her last high school assignment while working as a park ranger in Kakadu National Park.

She would love to sign with a modelling agency, but living in Jabiru there hasn't been much opportunity for photo shoots, she said.

The workshop has gone some way to fixing that, with participants able to practice poses and check how they come across by getting behind the camera.

The Yolngu/Rembarrnga/Kunwinjku model walked the runaway at Country to Couture in a pelican-print skirt and top designed by her relatives.

"It just made me feel really proud, because I was actually out there representing my culture and my people," she said.

Thompson is also a winger and centre half-forward with the Jabiru Bombers - if modelling takes off, footy will have to take a back seat, she said.

"It feels like two different worlds, when it comes to footy we're dirty and messy, and when I do my modelling it's clean and all about hygiene."

For Darwin's Tinisha Carr, 20, the workshop has provided a much-needed dose of confidence.

She admits she's still a little self-conscious in front of the camera, and not sure how to pose - but the practice photo shoot has helped.

Working as Elaine Tanaka, George has had a three-decade career in child protection, but since returning to the cover of Vogue in 2022, her modelling has been in high demand once again.

Carr has been inspired by her career and wants to put herself out there too.

"But to do that, I need to be a little more confident and push myself - slowly, I'm getting there."

For many hopeful Indigenous models, the biggest challenge is perhaps not confidence but distance - models from remote communities can't simply catch a flight when they are needed for a fitting, said George.

The trip to an airport on four-wheel-drive tracks could take days, or they might be cut off entirely during the wet season.

George hopes Australian designers will make the effort to support these models, and says sponsorship could help too.

License this article