You might know Elle Ferguson as one half of the stylish powerhouse that is They All Hate Us and her sister Lucie as the fine jewel-smith behind the handcrafted jewellery line Babyanything. As sisters you could not find a relationship tighter than this. Partly because they are twins that just happen to be born in different years and partly because they live everyday with the same kindness and courage that their mother Kim showed the world. Taking snapshots from Kim’s time living in Byron this shoot pays homage to her, a women described by her daughters as a wild adventurer, a sun soaked beauty queen and a peace loving, ocean nurturing, style setting beach babe. Sounds like the Ferguson sisters to me.

Why is Byron Bay so important to you both?

Elle | Byron Bay is a home away from home for us… There’s something quite special and magical about Byron. Mum use to tell us the story that she gave birth to me at Royal North Shore Hospital (in green suede Charles Jordan over the knee boots) checked herself out the following day and drove up to Byron with our grandparents where we spent the next two weeks with me in a Moses basket on the beach in Byron. Nearly every holiday we had we had as a family in Byron… We would always drive or get the train and if we weren’t singing in the car mum would tell us stories of her travels in Byron… Actually come to think of it nearly every great story we have always revolves around Byron! Its pretty special too cause mum had her first business as a designer in Byron called Fallen Angles and still to the day when we bump into people they remember it…Luc | Byron is the essence of us as a family. They say people are pulled there because of its creative energy, like a siren’s song calling out to all the makers and artists to unite together in the beachside paradise. Our mum Kim heard the call and opened her own clothing store in Byron before Elle and I were born, even after she moved us closer to Sydney we still made the pilgrimage back to Byron at every chance to soak up the Gypsy spirit. We feel the same energy when we travel to Hawaii, they are very special places.

Elle | Lu and I love each other unconditionally and support each other to the end of the earth. It’s just the way mum raised us. Both of us are different in certain ways but at our core are the same. The bond we have is actually something I can’t explain in words all I know is when I’m with my sister and we hold hands I feel as though we can do anything and we will get through whatever is in front of us.

Luc | Elle and I are not just sisters, we are soul mates. Everything good about the world, I see in her.

What is it about one another that drives you crazy?

Elle | [Laughing] When we drove up to Byron at Christmas Lu’s music choices drove me so crazy we may have sat in silence for two hours of the ten hour drive.  In all honesty I’d have to say whatever drives us crazy about the other always ends up with both of us laughing uncontrollably

Luc | When we were teenagers it came to the surface how different we really were. I was really into Punk and rock music and Elle hated it. I dragged her to one of my boyfriend’s punk shows and she left 1 minute into sound check before they had even started playing! Also Elle’s OCD with her home is hard to live up to, everything has to be perfect all of the time.

Elle | I have been lucky enough to travel all around the globe with the work I do and I have never experienced a place quite like The Atlantic… I truly believe it’s built on some sort of special holy ground because it’s just the most wonderful welcoming and relaxing place. The staff that run the Atlantic feel like old friends and the layout is that of your dream home… I actually tell every person I meet that they must experience the slice of heaven that is The Atlantic Byron Bay

Luc | For us it is like coming home. There is a vibe there that just clicks when you arrive, the swaying palms and the white weatherboards are what we have at our own beachside home so it is very easy to relax. The staff there have become like family, their kindness and attention to detail means you don’t have to think of a thing, which is how it should be on holidays. Plus it is minutes from main beach and the centre of town so you can run for a swim and bite to eat and then come back to chill out away from everyone. I can’t stay anywhere else when I am up there now, the Atlantic has become part of my Byron experience.

What does style mean to you both?

Elle | That’s a hard one because I’m still trying to workout who decides if you are stylish or not? I think style is something that expresses who you are and personally I don’t think it has to be liked by everyone as long as you’re happy with your own style (says the girl that wears denim shorts the majority of her life)

Luc | Style to me is having your own vibe and portraying the best version of it. When I admire style in others it is when they have just ‘owned’ a particular outfit and looked effortlessly cool in it, whether it be a ball gown or sneakers and cut offs. I have recently recognised I have my own ‘style’ of dressing as I have just settled into wearing things that make me feel good.

Who inspires you and why?

Elle | Without a doubt my mum and my sister because every single day they inspire me to be the best I can be.

Luc | I find I take inspiration from a myriad of people now, being an entrepreneur I am constantly absorbing any knowledge I can to help me grow and manage my Jewellery business. My number one inspirations daily are my sister Elle and my mum, Kim. Elle inspires me get out of bed everyday and ‘get shit done’; she is the master of the multi task. My mum inspires me to be the best human I can be. Do set my sights as high as I want and then work to achieve it. Both women inspire me to show kindness in as many ways to others and the earth as possible.

Your both very entrepreneurial.  What words or advice would you give to women young and old wanting to follow their dreams?

Elle | Never give up, never listen to the people that say you can’t do that. Study because I believe education is extremely important no matter how old or how young you are. And believe in yourself

Luc | You can do it, age is irrelevant. Just start somewhere and keep going, when you are lying on the ground surrounded by paperwork at 3am just muster the strength to keep going. Be prepared to work hard, study even harder and never really switch off. It is the greatest reward to see that you have put something out into the world, you have made a contribution to the society and culture that you live in. Who runs the world? Girls!

TEAM
Photographer Kane Skennar | Hair + Makeup Ashlea Penfold | Styling + Creative Sheree Commerford

GROMMETS
Rasmus King | Duke Wrencher | Zion Sidoti

WEARING
The girls are dressed by Spell & the Gypsy Collective and Island Luxe