INTERVIEW David K. Shields
PHOTOGRAPHY Jez Smith
GROOMING Linda Jefferyes
“We were doing it before we even had the chance to think not to. Emily and I spent hours geeking out on mushrooms until it completely consumed us – turning it into a business just felt like the natural next step, more like a release than hard work. We were simply doing what we loved.”
Whenever you meet Jessica Roimata Clarke, it’s like there’s a light entering the room with her that completely draws you in. It’s a quality that doesn’t fade under pressure – if anything, it seems to have grown from it. While some people spend a career avoiding change, Jess has built one by moving toward it.
She first stepped into view through fashion – from Aotearoa New Zealand to the world’s biggest stages, the kind of trajectory that opens doors most people never see. Modelling gave her access, yes. But it also gave her something less obvious: a masterclass in building a brand when the product is you, and by extension what you stand for.
“I think people assume the jump from fashion to wellness is a leap, but for me it felt pretty seamless. Models have basically been studying health since day one – nutrition, movement, mindset – it’s part of the job. I even did a business diploma while I was modelling, so I had the groundwork covered.”
Now she’s building something else entirely, and again, the trajectory is soaring.
Alongside her business partner Emily Blanchett and their team at Mother Made Mushrooms, Jess is putting that same instinct to work on a very different kind of brand – one built on the belief that real wellness shouldn’t be complicated, exclusive, or dressed up in jargon. Just accessible, natural, and grounded in actually understanding what you’re putting in your body.
“I believe all-natural is at the heart of today’s health, wellness, and even beauty trends. Everyone’s returning to simpler, trustworthy ingredients. That’s exactly where Mother Made sits: pure, potent, and honest.”
What’s interesting isn’t just the pivot – model to founder is a headline anyone could write. It’s how she’s done it. The same qualities that made her someone photographers and designers wanted to work with – the openness, the curiosity, the follow-through – are the same ones now earning trust from customers and partners in an industry that runs on exactly that.
At It’s Interval, we’re drawn to people who don’t announce their reinvention – they just quietly become the next version of themselves. We’d have to say Jessica Clarke is one of those people.
“I genuinely believe everyone could benefit from mushrooms – in our busy, stressed lives, it’s time to slow down, live well, and feel fabulous with a little help from nature’s super-powered herb. The mushroom.”
In this conversation, we get into why she chose to branch away from something that was still working entirely well for her, what fashion taught her that no business school could, what it’s really like building a wellness company out of New Zealand with global ambitions, and how she plans to keep Mother Made Mushroom’s soul intact while chasing something much bigger.
Because the more interesting story was never the one that made her recognisable. It’s the one she’s choosing to build now… Follow the link below to get the full picture!
Featured in It’s Interval LEGACY – view full story and more from this issue!