Photography and thrift shops: 'We’re not just rugby players'

Red Roses and Harlequins player Ellie Kildunne is keen to stress that rugby isn’t what defines her. She is passionate about photography, social media and simply talking about life off the field. Not to put too fine a point on it, but her approach is a refreshing change from how these media opportunities usually go.

Kildunne certainly doesn’t look like your average rugby player when she’s not at training. The 24-year-old shows up to her media interview all smiles, not in the official kit that all the other players have on around the English team hotel but dressed in clothes she’d acquired from thrift shops she’s visited in New Zealand.

Kildunne is in the country for the WXV 1 tournament, one that she’s lit up with some excellent play on the field. But while she’s excited about the challenge that awaits the Red Roses in a rematch of last year’s Rugby World Cup final against New Zealand, she’s more than happy to chat about almost anything else – starting with her outfit.

"Every time I wear something, someone asks if I've got it from a thrift shop or where I've got it from," she says.

"And for me, fashion is becoming something that's got progressively more important because we're in uniform a lot of the time. I really like being able to express myself through wear and have that individuality, not just on the pitch, but off the pitch as well."

After scoring a try in their 45-12 defeat of Canada (her fourth in three matches against them this year) and setting up two more with some beautiful, weaving runs, Kildunne certainly has made her statements about rugby on the field. So, she’s more than happy to launch into what she’s doing off it.

"Whenever we come to new town or city, I check out the stalls that you wouldn't be able to find elsewhere. There's quite a few here that I've been popping into and I'm going to pop into this afternoon just to be able to switch off.”

She’s wearing a vintage coat with a Chinese design, with a retro 90s Stussy cap attached to her pocket. They’re items of clothing she was drawn to because they belonged to someone else once, someone with a life different to her own.

"That was from up the road," she says proudly about the hat, an item that would bring nostalgic memories from people her parents’ age.

"I needed a hat because my hair wasn't looking great, I think it was like £7 as well, a steal!

"That’s the fun thing about vintage clothing, it’s telling you a story about what you are wearing. Yesterday I was wearing some Thai boxer shorts. Even that’s got a story behind it, someone competed in those.”

It’s likely she’ll be sharing the outfit on her Instagram page, something that she’s put a great deal of effort into. The aesthetic is tight – graded images and well thought-out composition from someone with an eye for a photo.

"It comes quite natural to me, I think, because I'm very sure of my image and my values and who I am,” Kildunne says of social media.

"We have a pretty cool lifestyle. I'm playing a game that I love with my best friends, so that's one thing that people see. But I'm a big believer that we're not just rugby players. A lot of people who watch the games and see us on the England Instagram that view us as just as a player, and but there's a whole other life outside of that.”

While she was sidelined with injury, Kildunne picked up a camera and became part of her club Harlequins' media set up, taking pictures of her team mates for use on personal social media accounts.

"Our own social media shows the other sides to us, the things that people wear, the music people listen to…showing a ‘picture on the picture’. And it’s so strong. It reminds you why you do everything.

"Because like I said, rugby's just one part of my life right now. So all the other things are awesome and I really love photography and videos or just to showcase personalities."

The ability to inspire is never far from Kildunne’s mind.

"If you don't like rugby but you think ‘she seems like quite cool person on Instagram, she might be funny’, you might come down to the game to just meet that person. So, if I'm not inspiring the next generation in rugby, I want to inspire people.

"I want people who are not athletes to be themselves and to express themselves in a way that they're comfortable with. And I hope that that's kind of what my social media portrays too.”

Social media, especially for younger athlete, does have its pitfalls. Kildunne says the way she utilises it is a constant evolution, but something she is less concerned with. After all, she’s from a generation that has had it inbuilt into their lives more than anyone else.

"I think when I was a bit younger, I was always very conscious of what I was posting and how that would be viewed. But I think now, I know my values, I know who I am and it's easy to click unfollow if you don't like it."

It’s that point of view that helped get Kildunne to where she is now. She was inspired to pursue Sevens after stints in 15s and rugby league, by what she’d seen on social media.

“I remember seeing and watching over and over the players come from the 2016 Rio Olympics and I just thought, I want to be part of a team…I want to be doing what they’re doing. It wasn't done by GB Rugby or the Olympic Instagram, it was by the girls. So, you saw the personality come through way more. And so that is just what I want to do, I hope that’s what I've been able to create.

Kildunne will no doubt be a part of interim coach Louis Deacon’s side to take on New Zealand at Mt Smart Stadium this Saturday night. Until then it’s training and likely thrift shop visits in Auckland. You won’t have to look far to see what she’s been up to, either!