FEATURE

OH, ATOMIC

Mel Jarnson is a versatile creative, influenced by her rich cultural background and nomadic lifestyle.

A captivating presence, both on set and off, Mel brought her atomic energy and spirit to our latest issue. Together, we delve into the realm of make-believe, exploring her thoughts on acting, storytelling, and the impact of her global upbringing.

A woman with dramatic makeup and a voluminous hairstyle, wearing a red jacket, against a red background.

Jacket Hermes
Earring Harlin Jones

Talent MEL JARNSON
Photography LEVON BAIRD
Direction LUCY JANE BRAND
Styling ERNEST ANDREENKO
Hair SOPHIE ROBERTS
Makeup SEAN BRADY
Video OLIVER ROSE
Styling Asst EWAN BELL
Lighting Asst CONRAD WAINWRIGHT
Digi Op SHAN STEWART
Video Asst WILL BROWN
Production ALICE.D
Studio LUNAR STUDIOS

A black and white photo of a woman sitting with one leg crossed over the other, wearing sheer black thigh-high stockings and fashionable shoes, holding a decorative object near her face, with a textured scarf around her shoulders and a small star tattoo on her arm.

Scarf Wynn Hamlyn
Shoes Prada
Ring Phoebe Hyles for Nicol & Ford

Fashion model wearing a beige and black jacket, a black pleated skirt, black tights, and black boots, with hair styled in an unusual updo.

Coat Sandro
Bodysuit Mariam Seddiq
Shoes Sportmax
Earrings Alinka

ALICE.D What drew you towards acting?

Mel Jarnson I was the extroverted little teapot devouring kindergarten and nursery shows. I loved making people laugh and was that annoying, overbearing kid in the playground putting on unsolicited musical performances for my poor friends and teachers. I was madly in love with Heathcliff and Aragorn, and I thought I could ride in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang one day—there was no distinction between fiction and reality. Once I got over the fact that it’s not real (which I honestly still haven’t), I realised that a career in make-believe made the most sense.

ALICE.D Tell us something unexpected about your acting and creative process?

MJ I need to know my scenes back to front, upside down, the right way and the wrong way. This can get tedious for whoever is tasked with helping me prepare. I think it’s the one bit of control in what I often find to be the unpredictable, intimidating environment of a film set.

ALICE.D How did your nomadic lifestyle influence you?

MJ I grew into a fiend for niche dishes, and I get wildly emotional when I’m reunited with them. I cry over food quite a lot.

Nine black-and-white portraits of a woman with curly hair making various facial expressions and hand gestures, wearing a designer blouse with embellishments, against a plain background.

Gown Albus Lumen
Earrings Simone Rocha
Ring Harlin Jones

A black and white photo of a woman with short, styled hair, wearing a shiny, dark jacket and a corset, sitting against a black background with a bright geometric light behind her head.
A woman in a sheer black lace dress stands in front of a large red circle background, with a black and red lighting effect.

ALICE.D How has travel transformed your perspective?

MJ I grew up moving every 3–4 years, so that became the norm for me. It makes it strange to be in the same spot for more than a couple of years. I feel very lucky to have had the privilege of seeing so much from an early age; it gave me multiple languages and a deep love for nature and wildlife. I became passionate about the correlation between globalisation and its effects on social dynamics and issues, as well as its consequences for the environment—especially in fast-growing economies. I think being from and raised in a developing country amplified my fixation on these issues, particularly with all the moving around; I saw how things could be, in both ideal and very unideal ways.

ALICE.D Why do you think creativity/storytelling is important for the world?

MJ We as humans are made to tell stories, it’s intrinsic to our species. And as trite

as it sounds, it just makes the time we have more beautiful.

ALICE.D Where do you find inspiration?

MJ I randomly get a lot of inspiration from architecture and gaming.

ALICE.D What advice do you have for aspiring creatives?

MJ I can’t actually remember who said this, but I remember hearing this one quote in high school and I still really love it “the way to succeed is to double your failure rate”.

A woman with curly hair is striking a pose, wearing a beige dress and black platform shoes, with red-orange abstract streaks in the background and the word 'ATOMIC' written in large red letters across the bottom.

Dress Mariam Seddiq
Shoes Matea Gluscevic
Earrings Harlin Jones

A woman with unique black eyeliner makeup, wearing a black jacket, posing against a bright orange background.
A woman with curly black hair wearing a sleeveless black and gold dress, posing with one hand near her face against a plain light background.

Dress Zimmermann

Jacket Kourh
Corset Sportmax
Short Beare Park

Dress Nicol & Ford
Cuff Acler

Shirt Prada

Two mannequins dressed in cream pleated dresses with red accents, posed against a plain wall.

Jumpsuit L'IDEE Woman
Choker Matea Gluscevic

A woman with short hair and dramatic eye makeup, crouching against a green background, wearing a brown dress with pearl embellishments and tall brown leather boots.

Dress Albus Lumen
Bralette and Skirt Courtney Zheng
Shoes Miu Miu

Fashionable woman in a gray skirt and blazer with black gloves and floral-embellished boots, posing against a gradient orange-pink background.

Jacket and Skirt Sportmax
Gloves Mariam Seddiq
Earrings Acne Studios
Shoes Matea Gluscevic