INTERVIEW with Stefania Di Maria || Island Haus Runway 2026 Runway Model

SD: Hi, Stefania. For my readers who don’t know you yet, can you please introduce yourself?

Stefania: I’m Stefania Di Maria, originally from Sicily, and I’ve called Australia home for the past 18 years. I’m blessed with a beautiful family — a husband, two children and two dogs — and I work for the Queensland Government as a Digital Preservation Specialist, where I currently manage a team.

My academic background is a reflection of my curiosity — I have a Bachelor of Philosophy, studied Information Management, and more recently have been exploring Psychology. Outside of work and family life, I’m passionate about fitness, spirituality, the arts and creativity — but most of all, I’m passionate about life itself.

I’m naturally curious and always eager to explore, try new things, step outside my comfort zone and challenge what I think I know. I love unlearning, evolving and continually discovering new perspectives and new versions of myself.

SD: Describe your personal style of clothing?

Stefania: My personal style isn’t particularly easy to define because it’s constantly evolving. I love changing things up and, rather than identifying with one particular image of myself, I enjoy the freedom to express different sides of who I am through what I wear.

I’m Italian, so fashion has always been a strong part of my cultural identity. I can move from completely casual to very dressed up, depending on my mood, the occasion or simply what inspires me. But the fundamental rule is always the same: I need to feel good in it. Clothing is like a second skin — you should feel comfortable, confident and completely yourself in it.

Over the past few years, I’ve also become much more drawn to circular fashion. I love hunting for unique treasures and discovering pieces with a story, so my style often evolves organically depending on what I find. I think that’s what makes fashion exciting for me — there are no fixed rules, and I’m always happy to branch out and explore something new.

SD: When did you know you wanted to be a model?

Stefania: I don’t think I ever consciously decided that I wanted to be a model. When I was younger, I modelled for a few years, but it happened more by serendipity than by intention. Then I stopped, and life unfolded for decades without modelling being part of it.

A few years ago, though, something in me resurfaced. I casually decided to do a photoshoot to build a portfolio, without any real intention of pursuing modelling beyond that. But then, one step led to another and the path gradually began to open up.

I’ve come to believe that when we put our minds and energy towards something, life has a way of meeting us there. The modelling path has become clearer and stronger with every step.

So, I guess I didn’t know I wanted to be a model — I slowly remembered that there was a part of me that already did.

SD: If you could talk to your ten-year-old self, what would you say?

Stefania: I love this question. There are so many things I could say to my ten-year-old self: You are loved. You are beautiful. You are capable of anything. Believe in yourself, because one day your dreams will become memories.

But then I think about it a little differently. Perhaps that little girl needed to experience self-doubt and uncertainty. She needed to be humble in her not knowing, because that became part of her journey towards discovering those truths for herself.

Some things simply cannot be understood because someone tells you they are true — they have to be lived and experienced. She needed to walk through the uncertainty to discover that she is loved, that she is beautiful, and that she can create whatever life she chooses.

It hasn’t always been an easy journey, but perhaps that’s what makes it so meaningful. There are some truths we can only truly know once we have lived our way into them.

SD: What has been your most favourite photoshoot to date?

Stefania: This is hard because there are so many to choose from. But if I’m honest, my favourite photoshoot is probably the one I really didn’t plan.

Matt from Lucid Dreams Imagery and I got together with no real plan or preparation and simply met one afternoon for a sunset shoot. That morning, I happened to find a couple of beautiful pieces at an op shop and put them together, and somehow it all came together from there.

There’s something beautiful about allowing yourself to go with the flow. When there’s no pressure to make everything perfect or to have every detail figured out, there’s a freedom to create, experiment and simply respond to the moment.

And sometimes, when you let go of the plan, the flow takes you somewhere far more beautiful than you could have planned yourself.

SD: What are you most excited about for Island Haus Runway?

Stefania: I mean, everything! I’m really looking forward to the energy of the whole experience and to working alongside such a diverse and creative team. There’s something beautiful about bringing organisers, models, media and production crews together around a shared vision — and seeing all those different creative perspectives intersect.

I’m also particularly drawn to the concept of Island Haus Runway because of its connection to island heritage and the intersection of culture and couture. Coming from Sicily, I have a deep appreciation for the way island cultures carry their own stories, traditions, colours, textures and ways of seeing beauty. I love the idea of exploring how those cultural influences can be translated through fashion and brought into a contemporary runway setting.

For me, fashion has always been more than clothing — it’s a form of expression, identity and storytelling. That connection between heritage, culture and creativity is what makes this experience especially exciting for me.

Tickets are selling out fast. See Stefania on the runway and buy your tickets HERE

Island Haus Runway:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/islandhausrunway/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586227610162
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@islandhausrunway

Stefania Di Maria:

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/stefania_di_maria_ware/

Photo Credits:

First Photo: Taken by Colin McLellan; Designer: Village Obsessions; HMUA: Justina Bartova
Second Photo: Taken by Lucid Dreams Imagery