A graduate of The Whitehouse Institute of Design, Nicola began her 30 year career as a fashion stylist. This included editorial and advertising stills, runway shows, music videos and styling celebrities such as Heath Ledger, Bryan Brown, Guy Pearce and Abbie Cornish.

Looking for a new challenge, Nicola decided to broaden her skill set by exploring the film industry, and proceeded to become one of Australia’s leading costume designers. She then upped the stakes and moved to Los Angeles in 2010, to pursue her dream of working in Hollywood.

Throughout her career, Nicola has designed award-winning feature films, TV series, and more than 250 television commercials. Her work spans major studio productions including Rogue starring Sam Worthington, alongside internationally acclaimed independent films such as Wolf Creek, The Darkness starring Kevin Bacon, Walking Out starring Matt Bomer and Bill Pullman, and The Osiris Child starring Rachel Griffiths. More recent projects include the C*A*U*G*H*T series on STAN featuring Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon, and the feature film Beast, starring Russell Crowe, Luke Hemsworth and Daniel Macpherson.

Nicola’s passion for making a difference inspired her to further expand her horizons, working as a Personal Stylist with private clients. Her goal was to help people create an internal shift through external transformation, but also ensure it was done in a conscious way.

Nicola’s styling approach was based around sustainability and reducing the fashion industry’s devastating footprint on the environment. She also donated a percentage of her fee to a charity of her client’s choice. This enabled her to not only make a difference in her client’s lives, but also create a positive impact on the planet.

Nicola is now based back in Sydney, Australia and is currently developing her own elegant, ethical and eco-friendly kaftan brand “Nicola Dunn”, which will launch in September, 2026.