The humble cardigan has proved to be not so dowdy after all, as it endures another season at the top of our wishlists. The versatile staple is, nowadays, crafted in increasingly polished iterations, with a luxurious cashmere button-up proving the ultimate layering piece, or a printed cardigan an easy yet eye-catching statement.
While an overarching inclination towards more relaxed silhouettes still reigns supreme, this season the breadth and variance of knits mean you are encouraged to gravitate towards whichever suits your existing wardrobe and aesthetic preferences best.
Here, we have compiled some of the most stylish cardigans for your consideration.
Standing proudly on the water’s edge of Sydney’s Gunnamatta Bay, this sprawling family residence was designed to reflect the sensibilities of those residing within — an Australian husband and Spanish wife and their three young daughters. Born from a collaboration between Jorge Hrdina Architects and the renowned Akin Atelier design (most known for its high-end hospitality and retail fit-outs) this house, much like its owners, harmoniously pairs a laid-back, Australian aesthetic with a sleek, European vibe and the result is truly delightful.
Lounge Chair by Pierre Paulin for Artifort, 529 Rio Coffee Table by Charlotte Perriand for Cassina from Matisse.
With the owners inspired by a mid-century, Brazilian sensibility and wanting their home to capture the feeling of a luxurious, boutique hotel, the brief called for a creative and custom approach. Considering the home’s seaside location, the team at Jorge Hrdina focused on connecting the house to its surrounds, grounding it in its coastal landscape via materials like sandstone, concrete and timber and maximising the abundant natural light that would bounce off the undulating bay.
The five-bedroom home virtually cascades down to the water, with 14 transitional levels — 10 of which make up the house itself — providing a spacious, flowing floor plan that affords the family of five plenty of opportunity to enjoy time together or time to themselves.
Mr Chair by Mies Van Der Rohe for Knoll from Studio Italia.
Flos Snoopy Lamp by Achille & Pierre Giacomo Castiglioni for Euroluce from ECC, F598 Groovy Chair by Pierre Paulin for Artifort.
Inside, Akin Atelier utilised a foundation of polished concrete, walnut timber, rattan and bronze on which was added warm, textural details, pops of colour and intriguing, often well-known furniture pieces (think Faye Toogood’s Roly-Poly Chair, a Castiglioni Snoopy table lamp and a Pierre Paulin Groovy chair in cream bouclé).
There is a simultaneous strength and softness to the interiors here; the former communicated via colourful marble (each bathroom is rendered in its own tone), bold art, solid timber lines and unapologetic material layering; the latter, created using sumptuously curved furnishings and rounded joinery. By embracing the idea of contrast, the team at Akin Atelier has perfectly captured the intriguing dichotomy between the owners’ Australian and Spanish roots — which is part of what makes this home feel so inherently unique.
Counterweight Rectangle Sconce by Fort Standard for Roll & Hill from ECC.
Highlights include the spacious master bedroom, which, from its incredible views, generous ensuite, walk-in-wardrobe and separate sitting room and study, feels like something you might expect to find in a high-end hotel; the poolside bar, made from polished form concrete and rounded stone and set into its own recess on the side of the house; and the daughters’ bathroom, rendered entirely in Norwegian rose marble.
From the outset, this spectacular residence delivers a masterclass in colouring outside the lines. In playing with how various tones and tactile layers might fit into a home that is both mid-century-inspired and inherently contemporary, the designers discovered a middle ground that has resulted in this warm, inviting and unique ‘forever’ home for a discerning family to cherish.
Clockwise from left: Haberdashery by Molly Timmins from Sanderson Contemporary, 1968 Table by Gallotti&Radice from ECC, Flos Snoopy Lamp by Achille & Pierre Giacomo Castiglioni for Euroluce from ECC.
Clockwise from left: Ming’s Heart Chair by Poltrona Frau from Studio Italia, Sea Fog Paint from Resene, Typography Staff Wall Sconce by Rakumba from ECC, 529 Rio Coffee Table by Charlotte Perriand for Cassina from Matisse.
Craving a taste of luxury? While our appetite for pizza and burgers never ceases, our hunger for the finer things in life is undeniable. From the likes of aged steak and crayfish to gold leaf and truffle, the city’s poshest plates are a deliciously lavish affair. When nothing but the best will do, dig into the fanciest dishes in Auckland.
Mushroom & truffle bao bunsfrom The Grove The ever-popular bao gets the fancy treatment courtesy of fine dining stalwart The Grove. Its rendition sees a mushroom bao bun stuffed with truffle emulsion, pickled onions and raw mushroom for good measure. A true study of umami flavours, this is one vegetarian bite even the most ardent carnivores won’t be able to resist. Love truffles? Discover our round-up of the very best truffle dishes in town.
Onslow’s crayfish eclairs.
Crayfish eclairfrom Onslow Trust chef Josh Emett to take this bakery favourite and elevate it to delicious new heights. Instead of the expected cream filling and standard chocolate icing, a lush Fiordland crayfish mixture is spooned between crispy choux pastry. A herby hint of basil rounds everything off to create a bite-sized delight that tastes just as good as it looks.
Gnocchi Parisienne from Euro Think you know gnocchi? Euro’s latest offering from its new Parisian-inspired winter menu uses choux pastry base (rather than the traditional potato base) for a French twist on an Italian favourite. The result is rich, pillowy soft gnocchi that when paired with Fiordland crayfish ragu and a blanket of melted Emmental cheese, is lavish to say the least.
Onemata’s pāua risotto.
Pāua risotto from Onemata While pāua fritters have long been a fish ‘n’ chip shop favourite, this iconic mollusc is considered a high-flying delicacy overseas — prized as one of the most expensive seafood one can buy. In Auckland, one of the most delicious renditions around can be found at Park Hyatt Auckland’s Onemata restaurant, where it is speckled through risotto, swirling with shiitake mushrooms, miso butter and finished with an onsen egg.
Gold leaf Snickers bar parfait from SoulBar & Bistro There would likely be an uproar if Soul Bar’s beloved Snickers bar parfait disappeared from the menu, and for good reason. This dessert is decadence at its finest, taking the chocolatey, nutty flavours of the classic confectionery and transforming it into a gold-swathed work of art.
Culprit’s bone marrow.
Bone marrow with marrowmite and ‘Vogels’from Culprit Nothing says opulence quite like warm marrow scooped straight out of the bone; its rich, butter-like spoils glazing your lips with every bite. A labour of love to prepare, Culprit’s take on this meaty treat sees rendered and whipped bone marrow with marmite accompanied by housemade Vogels-style toast and a wedge of lemon.
Sanchoku Wagyu scotchfrom Botswana Butchery Tucking into a good steak is one of life’s great pleasures, as the team of Botswana Butchery prove time and time again. Its Butcher’s Block selection is brimming with mouthwatering eye fillet, sirloin and rump — but it’s the Sanchoku Wagyu scotch fillet that catches our attention every time. Pair with your choice of accompaniments — the likes of truffle and bone marrow butter and duck fat potatoes are here to take indulgence to the next level.
Ostro’s Beef Wellington.
Beef Wellington from Ostro When it comes to the luxury of putting time, effort and dedication into a dish, Ostro’s Beef Wellington would always come out on top — as it would for its exquisite execution, of course. If you think the decadent pastry encasing each slice of Wellington is heaven, wait until you take your first bite and discover the beef is perfectly cooked right the way through, meltingly medium-rare. Now that’s luxury.
Black Angus 150 day grain-fed rib-eye from The Lodge Bar & Dining While we’re on the subject of next level steaks, it’d be remiss of us not to mention The Lodge Bar & Dining’s sumptuous rib-eye. Cooked, as everything is on the menu, with utmost finesse, it is paired with a moreish sauce au poivre (pepper sauce) and all the trimmings to make sure it’ll be a meal to remember.
If we were to tell you that our human anatomy shares at least 50 percent of the same DNA as another living organism, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Apes, definitely. Chimpanzees, sure. Pigs, maybe — at least in the case of a certain indelicate former US president. But mushrooms? Not quite.
Surprising to many, a mushroom shares over half of its genetic makeup with humans due to a shared common ancestor — one which branched away from plants some 1.1 billion years ago.
This means that humans are more closely related to mushrooms than many plants are. And while this may seem like an unnecessary piece of trivia, it’s far more important than you could ever imagine.
This genetic connection has led to mushrooms playing a pivotal role in medical research, with around 40 percent of all pharmaceuticals being derived from mushrooms — everything from Penicillin to anticancer treatments — and that’s only the tip of the iceberg.
While the majority of us may believe that mushrooms are nothing more than a delicious accoutrement to pasta, pizza or steak, the humble fungi have so much more to offer. Said to be able to help with everything from immunity support and cognitive function to energy and relaxation, the broad applications of the recently anointed ‘superfood’ are vast and promising, and it’s largely due to how many species there are.
The fungi family is extensive, with more than 1.5 million varieties discovered, of which a small percentage serve as mind-bending psychedelics and an even smaller percentage are lethal. The rest, however, exhibit a seemingly endless stream of benefits.
Helping us gain a better understanding of the idiosyncrasies of mushrooms is renowned author and entrepreneur Tero Isokauppila. This self-professed fungi fanatic is championing the mushroom movement and has propelled the cap-topped saprophytes into wellbeing stardom following the launch of his superfood company, Four Sigmatic, in Finland.
Since its US debut in 2015 the holistic start-up has won the world over with its impressive range of innovative mushroom supplements, which have been featured everywhere including Forbes, Vogue and Gwyneth Paltrow’s health-centric Goop.
Isokauppila grew up foraging for mushrooms with his brother and physiology professor mother in Finland (where his father was an agronomist) and when he decided to run a marathon, he used the knowledge he had acquired of wild foods and the human body to help in his training.
It was during that time that he stumbled upon the cordyceps, a particular type of stamina-boosting mushroom that not only vastly improved his training, but also inspired the idea that was to one day become his business.
While the newly-found mushroom was stimulating for the body, however, the same couldn’t be said for the tastebuds. So before long, the Finnish foodpreneur began searching for a simpler, more palatable way to consume it. Thus, mushroom coffee was born — not too surprising given Finland’s well-documented fondness for java (the country is the biggest consumer of coffee in the world).
Described as a “fruity, medium roasted cup of coffee,” Isokauppila’s brew promises no lingering fungi flavours, no jitters, no morning crashes, and no funky stomach repercussions either.
Plus, for those who aren’t partial to a cup of Joe there’s an array of other salubrious beverages on offer, including hot chocolates, elixirs (perfect for smoothies) and mochas all spiked with one ‘shroom or another.
But with so many different types of mushroom out there and an equally comprehensive number of products, it can be difficult to know where to start. Isokauppila’s advice?
Begin your journey with the main four: Cordyceps, Lion’s Mane, Chaga, and Reishi. Reishi, often referred to as the ‘Queen of mushrooms,’ while still relatively unknown in the Western world has been used in the medicinal systems of Asian countries for years.
Not only can it boost the immune system and help to reverse liver damage, but the fungi is also described by Isokauppila as “the sleep and stress” shroom, thanks to its properties as an all-natural sedative. (You can find this in Four Sigmatic’s Mushroom Cacao Mix, which serves as the ultimate nightcap.)
Lion’s Mane is another species to note and is set to be your brain’s new best friend. The small, round, ivory-coloured mushroom, topped with cascading icicle-like spines similar to the strands of a lions mane, is an all-natural nootropic proven to strengthen memory, help with concentration and boost creativity. It is also, according to this mushroom maverick, “one of the only foods to have neuroprotective properties.”
Chaga, native to Isokauppila’s home country, “has incredibly high antioxidant elements,” while Cordyceps helps to support energy, stamina and athletic performance — both appear in the Four Sigmatic’s Instant Mushroom Coffee, but the list of mushrooms with magic properties doesn’t end there. Those on an aesthetic quest should acquaint themselves with the shiitake and the maitake — the first of which is believed to be a powerful skin booster, while the latter, proven to aid weight loss and digestion.
The thick-bodied Porcini mushroom contains more protein than any other commonly consumed vegetable and can help to settle down inflammation, while the petite-capped Shimeji is used in some treatments for asthma. The Turkey Tail mushroom boosts immunity and fights disease and the long-stemmed Enoki contains a plethora of antioxidants. It’s clear that when it comes to the mushroom kingdom, no two are quite the same.
While there are many wellness-boosting fads that come and go, it seems that mushrooms are offering something far more tangible than the usual trends. “Humans and fungi have been working together synergistically for thousands of years,” explains Isokauppila, “and although this may seem like a trend to the Western world — it is anything but.”
Whether you’re looking to expand your culinary horizon or just switch up your morning brew, it seems you need to be jumping on the mushroom wagon. They’re ultimately the true panacea, and they’ve been underfoot all along.
These local wellness brands are also making the most of mushrooms:
Mother Made: Kiwi best friends Emily Blanchett and Jessica Clarke were driven to create Mother Made after living overseas where functional mushrooms are prevalent. Their 100 percent natural, organic mushroom powders are sustainably grown, stylishly packed in recycled cardboard and are targeted for a variety of needs from pepping you up in the morning to helping relax you at the end of the day.
Misty Day Plant Potions: Nutritionist, naturopath and herbalist Rachel Dawson channels her wealth of holistic knowledge into creating Misty Day’s comprehensive powders and tinctures. Harnessing the power of functional mushrooms, she mixes them with other potent ingredients to increase the wellness boost — her Power Potion, for example, supports healthy heart function, energy and stress relief with beetroot powder, ginger, Cordyceps extract, Eleuthero herb extract and Astragalus herb extract.
“It’s strange to sit down and say, ‘oh well I’m going to be an author now’,” Meg Mason tells me of the transition she had to make from magazine writer to fully-fledged novelist over the last few years. “For me,” the New Zealand-born, Sydney-based author continues, “the prize was definitely writing fiction and it felt like such a lofty goal… it was hard to think of it as something I could just do.” But do it she has, and to a level that most writers can still only dream of.
It was with her third book (and second novel) Sorrow and Bliss, that Mason seemed to find her literary feet, penning what she describes as a 350-page confession from a place of wild abandon, truly believing that no one would actually read it.
This came after a year-long false start which had seen her struggle to write a novel that, in the end, even she didn’t like. “The harder I tried, the more I could see that effort on the page,” Mason says, “and I could feel my confidence bleeding out.” Ironically (but, as is so often the case) it wasn’t until Mason relinquished the expectations around her new work, that it was able to morph seamlessly into the narrative that has since captivated so many.
“There were a couple of things that let me suspect that Sorrow and Bliss was different,” Mason divulges, “for one, I still really loved it at the end of the two years it took me to complete, and for another, I had found the whole process of writing it such a joyful experience.”
A book that is told through the self-effacing and humorous voice of its searingly honest narrator, Martha, Sorrow and Bliss handles heavy topics like mental health and the dissolution of a marriage with a balanced, relatable realism. It is the way Mason has confronted her tough subjects with an energetic, almost light humour that has seen this novel find such quick success — and not just with the everyday reader.
Last year, after an impressive bidding war, Mason finalised a deal with New Regency that would give the US-based production company the rights to turn Sorrow and Bliss into a film.
And considering that it was the company responsible for such blockbusters as 12 Years A Slave, The Revenant, Birdman and Bohemian Rhapsody among many others, Mason was so confident in New Regency’s ability to adapt her story with respect that she is leaving the screenplay up to them too.
“Sorrow and Bliss will be challenging,” she tells me, “because its time span is massive, and it has been written as an internal monologue, which is hard to translate onto film. I would like to do a screenplay one day but this isn’t the one I want to learn on.”
For Mason, then, while Sorrow and Bliss continues to grow, it’s time to move on to something new. “I’m writing a new book,” she says, excitedly, “and it feels like I’m back at the beginning. I don’t want to write another book like Sorrow and Bliss, I want to explore other ideas that will force me to learn. So now, it’s just me and a word document, feeling weird about my job,” she pauses, “but I’m constantly grateful. Someone is going to make me do a real job if I stop being able to do this one, and I’ve managed to avoid that for so long, so I just have to keep going.”
Meg’s 5 Favourite Books Owls Do Cry by Janet Frame “For its beauty, for the way it plays with form, for Frame’s concerns as a writer which, having read this book first in my late teens, clearly made a huge, lasting impression on me and I am similarly obsessed (without being similarly gifted!) with family, loss, motherhood, memory, madness. (And especially at the moment, for the connection to New Zealand.) The thing that was most striking to me when I picked it up again last year, twenty years after that first reading, is how incredibly brave it was. A woman writing in Palmerston North in the 1950s being as bold in style, as completely unconcerned with the rules and, it seems, no thought for who the audience might be.”
Brother of the More Famous Jack by Barbara Trapido “This novel came out in 1982 but feels so contemporary. It’s the one that when I was setting out to write Sorrow and Bliss, I thought of as the goal as far as mixing humour and pathos in the same book/paragraph/single line. The beautiful female protagonist loses a baby in the course of the narrative and yet, you come out of it thinking of it as a funny book which is quite an astonishing feat.”
Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill “A few pages into reading it, just after it came out in 2014, I remember having to pause because I was so overwhelmed with the sense of having found the perfect book. It’s incredibly short, yet manages to capture the beginning, middle and end of a marriage. I have read it so many times and there is always something new in it that needs screenshotting.”
The Complete Patrick Melrose Novels by Edward St Aubyn “This series deals with the darkest possible subject matter; the protagonist is a heroin addict and survivor of an abusive childhood, but he’s still — to flip that whole topic on its head — incredibly likeable. I don’t think I could ever read the books again but I remember roaring through them the first time. If I could write anything as compulsive one day, I’d be incredibly happy.”
Fox 8 by George Saunders “I have no idea how you even sit down and begin another novel when your previous one just won the Booker Prize. This is Saunders’ follow-up to Lincoln in the Bardo and it is the most hilarious, amazing, surprising thing I’ve ever read. Just a few thousand words, told by a fox who has learned to speak English, all spelt as a fox might spell. It seems so light and funny to start with and then absolutely catches you out at the end with its huge emotional import.”
There is something about Casa Aviv, designed and executed by CO-LAB Design Office, that — even without having stepped foot inside — reminds you to breathe. Perhaps it’s the setting, a dense, leafy site near the glistening waters of Tulum beach and just a stone’s throw away from the area’s famed cenotes (natural pools).
Or perhaps, it is more to do with the house itself which, from its calm, stoic architecture to its earthy, textural palette, is a place that promises to connect those residing within to their abundant, natural surroundings.
Really, it is the potent combination of both of these things that has resulted in this exquisitely peaceful villa, where contemporary design has been given an understated twist, cultivating sophisticated spaces that feel unpretentious and refreshingly simple.
Given the long, slender nature of Casa Aviv’s site, the house itself was constructed in two parallel bars, one single-storey, the other spread over two levels. The upper level contains two, intimate bedrooms connected by an elevated walkway that overlooks the more public spaces on the ground floor, which includes an uncomplicated (but beautifully-finished) kitchen and two ensuite bedrooms on one side, and double-height dining and living rooms on the other. The latter is one of the villa’s standout spaces, thanks largely to its direct connection with the swimming pool and garden via tall, pivoting glass doors that seamlessly bring the outside in.
Connection between the house and the garden was clearly an important design aspect for CO-LAB, where the landscaping is brought right up to the exterior windows, and verdant motifs are replicated and repeated inside, the two ideas reaching their pinnacle on the residence’s rooftop terrace, where large furnishings, potted plants and panoramic views create a tranquil, private oasis.
This relationship has been capitalised on elsewhere too, including in the home’s east-to-west aspect, which allowed the designers to take advantage of the prevailing winds and direct a gentle but revitalising breeze through the interior spaces. Spectacular views of nature are offered in abundance, thanks to cleverly-deployed apertures, plenty of glass and north-facing skylights that allow lights and shadows to interact inside and serve to reinforce the idea of celebrating the natural world that lies just beyond the walls.
This idea is continued in Casa Aviv’s grounded, earthy palette and refined finishes. From the striking, black terrazzo flooring (which was custom-made on site) to the walls made from concrete masonry units and finished with hand-polished cement, to the timber accents and charred cedar carpentry, every element of this villa has been assiduously designed to balance opulence with openness and temper luxury with an air of laid-back cool.
More practically, part of the brief given to CO-LAB was a requirement that Casa Aviv’s quality would withstand the comings and goings of guests, to ensure that it could also double as a holiday rental. This idea of durability and low maintenance permeates the villa’s design, from its easy tones to its sturdy materials and the restrained way it has been decorated, and is part of what makes this residence so universally appealing.
At its core, Casa Aviv is not the reflection of one person’s aesthetic, and is certainly not the vanity project of an architect, designer or client with a vision to make an indelible statement. Instead, it is a place that almost anyone might envisage themselves loving, and is the perfect setting for an escape into the wild.
Ensuring our first tracks make a bold first impression, these men’s and women’s pieces have been designed with avid skiers and nonchalant snowboarders in mind. From practical jackets to snow-proof pants to onesies that promise to have people’s heads turning, here is how winter’s favourite sport is manifesting in our wardrobes.
Clockwise from left: Fendi FF monogram ski trousers from Farfetch, Double cashmere scarf from Prada, Knit wool hat from Gucci, Madeline sweater from Muse, Ryder one piece from Perfect Moment, Moncler Black Patty Chelsea Boots from SSENSE, Chlo x Fusalp Hooded Ski Jacket from Net-A-Porter.
Clockwise from left: Clement Triclimate® Jacket from The North Face, Burton [ak] Hover GORE-TEX 3L and Leather Ski Gloves from Mr Porter, Moncler Grenoble Logo-Appliquéd Stretch-Fleece Half-Zip Ski Base Layer from Mr Porter, The North Face Whimzy Tube from Superette, Smith I/O Mag Goggle from Snowcentre, GORE-TEX snowboard jacket from Prada, Unisex Mountain Mission Bear Helmet Black from Perfect Moment.
With the arrival of winter, we all change our wardrobes by subtracting shorts and crop tops and adding jumpers and coats, but many of us are also tempted to mix up our skincare ensembles by editing out sun protection.
While the effects of the sun’s UVB rays are reduced in winter, with less chances of sunburn and redness, UVA rays continue to penetrate the skin. UVA rays are responsible for up to 95 percent of the UV radiation reaching the earth’s surface, can penetrate glass and clouds, are responsible for accelerating signs of ageing such as wrinkles and dark spots, along with skin cancers, and continue to cause damage in the colder months. To break it down, your skin is still suffering thanks to the sun in winter.
That’s why dermatologists recommend that you use sunscreen year-round and apply extra protection if you’re planning a trip to the ski slopes, where UV levels are higher and the snow is highly reflective. Don’t forget to reapply sun protection throughout the day and pay attention to lips, hands and other exposed body parts.
Here are our picks of sunscreens to keep your skin safe in winter.
Mecca Cosmetica To Save Face SPF50+ Superscreen Oxybenzone Free Formula from Mecca, Josh Rosebrook Nutrient Day Cream from Inès, [W.]+ Protective Fluid from Sothys
Ultra Violette Queen Screen Luminising Sun Serum from Sephora, Emma Lewisham Skin Shield from Spring Spa
Shiseido Clear Suncare Stick SPF 50+ from Smith & Caughey’s, Suntegrity 5-in-1 Tinted Sunscreen from Inès.
He is the highest point scorer in international test rugby, a three-time International Rugby Player of the Year, and is widely touted as the greatest first five-eighth to ever play the game, but Dan Carter’s stellar career has been defined by more than just his achievements on paper.
His role in cultivating a sense of teamwork (in every team he has played for), his unparalleled resilience under pressure and the culture of winning he has whittled down to a fine art are all integral to Carter’s legacy and — now that the All Black great has officially hung up his boots — are coming to the fore as key parts of his post-rugby life, too.
“I’ve known that I wanted to finish playing rugby for a while now,” Carter tells me, “but being in lockdown in New Zealand with my family put everything into perspective.” He continues, “I just realised that I didn’t want to sign another contract overseas and I didn’t have the drive to play rugby here… so I knew I was done.”
For Carter, the need to explore new challenges coupled with a desire to spend more time with his young family, drove the decision to retire just shy of 39 years old, prompting an outpouring from the international rugby community of congratulatory odes to his historic career and lamentations that he was leaving the sport on which he had such a significant impact.
“To be able to retire on my own terms, with my body feeling fit and healthy so that I can still run around and play with my kids,” Carter says, “I feel very fortunate. Not every rugby player gets that kind of retirement.”
Indeed, life after retirement is looking bright for Carter, even if (by his own admission) he is still figuring it all out.
“For the last 18 years, my purpose has been to be the best rugby player in the world… that’s what would get me out of bed in the morning,” he explains, “so when that finished, I had to look at what my purpose was now, and how I could take what I had learned playing sport at the highest level and put that to use in other areas, like business.”
Surprisingly, the skills Carter honed as a sportsman are not only translatable to other fields, but fields that at first, feel far removed from the rectangular green ones he is used to.
“I’m doing some work with Oxford University,” he tells me, “they have an entrepreneurial centre for their students called The Oxford Foundry, and I’ll be working with them on an ongoing basis, helping to mentor some of their young students and lending my knowledge and learnings around leadership to the programme.”
He was also recently asked to speak to Oxford University’s surgical team, explaining how he addressed the correlation between their internal dynamics and those of the teams on which he had played, like the All Blacks.
“Whether you’re a sportsman or a scientist,” he says, “everyone is trying to succeed, and we all have pressures on us. Given my experience working with teams on the field, I think I can help bring a good perspective and speak to the ideas more broadly…. and it’s exciting,” he continues, “I feel like a whole new world is opening up.”
In a similar vein, Carter was also recently asked to address the scientists working tirelessly on creating the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine. “I talked to them about performance under pressure and resilience,” he says, “to try and help them with what they’ve been going through over the last 10-or-so months.”
And while vaccine creation might feel a world away from professional sport, that feeling of having to perform under pressure is universal. In Carter’s case, being able to share his learnings around not only dealing with that feeling but getting to a place now, where he welcomes it, is helpful to anyone, in any situation.
Dan Carter and Virgil Abloh after the Louis Vuitton Menswear Spring Summer 2019 Paris Fashion Week show.
“Building resilience is about accepting that things can go wrong, and that it’s okay to take some time to grieve before you establish new goals,” Carter tells me. “Some of my biggest learnings came when I was pulled out of the Rugby World Cup in 2011 because of an injury. So when I speak to people, I’ll tap into what I went through to deal with that disappointment before finally being part of the World Cup-winning side four years later, to offer them tools for when they come up against situations where their resilience is tested.”
More than anything, retirement has put into sharp focus for Carter the ways in which he can take his rugby experiences and all that he misses from playing professional sport, and give them new focus.
He had his first taste of this when a stint living in Paris opened him up to the world of high-end fashion. Having established a relationship with luxury juggernaut LVMH, Carter was asked to conduct a Q&A with a conference of Louis Vuitton’s global GMs, in which he realised just how much his experiences around building a culture, encouraging strong vision, a mindset of growth and the importance of work ethic and humility were as applicable to the work of those in the audience as they had been to him in his career.
In the subsequent years, Carter continued to build on his interest in fashion, collaborating with LVMH on projects (like his monogrammed rugby ball) and sitting front-row at some of the company’s most important fashion shows (like Virgil Abloh’s debut as the menswear designer for Louis Vuitton).
When asked whether he’ll be putting his name to anything in the fashion sphere now, Carter remains equivocal but excited. “It’s still early days, but I have few projects on the go around retail, fashion and design which will be unveiled later this year” he says, not giving too much away, “I really enjoy working in this space.”
Of course, Carter will continue to work alongside a number of entities with which he has longstanding affiliations, and as he tells me, takes his position as someone who can make a real impact, seriously.
“I have an amazing platform to give back, and so will continue to focus on the foundation that I started with Richie McCaw and Ali Williams, iSport, as well as continuing in my role as an ambassador for UNICEF, both here and globally.”
Despite having already had a significant impact on a whole new generation of rugby players, Carter is aspiring to something similar in his post-retirement pursuits. But don’t expect this to be Dan Carter 2.0.
Rather than seeing his new opportunities as some kind of rebrand, Carter is simply seeking to redirect his influence, carrying his cache over from the insular world of sport to an assortment of projects that feel timely and intriguing. It is rare to encounter an ex-sports-star so willing to step outside their comfort zone.
In fact, Carter’s transition presents as a unique study of a sportsman for whom sport certainly won’t be the only defining career point and whose legacy will likely extend well beyond the bounds of rugby alone.
“I feel like I’m right back where I started,” Carter says, “before my first test match, and I need to get comfortable with being uncomfortable because that’s where the biggest growth is.” He continues, “if it’s all too easy over the next 10 years, I can tell you I won’t be achieving much, so I’m excited for the challenges that lie ahead.”
They may have been around since 2014, but NFTs exploded recently, as an extension of the Wild West world of cryptocurrencies. So, what exactly are non-fungible tokens and do you need some?
What are they? An NFT is a unique digital asset, bought and sold online and built in a similar way to cryptocurrency. The non-fungible aspect basically means its totally unique, unable to be interchanged with something of its kind — unlike something like bitcoin, which is fungible, and can be traded like money.
NFTs are not currency, however, they are used as the digital answer to collectables, such as digital art, buying unique digital assets such as the first tweet made by Jack Dorsey and exclusive one-off sneaker designs.
Paris Hilton collaborated with digital artist Blake Kathryn to create a range of NFTs.
Here’s the catch… Say you bought an NFT for an artwork, you’re not actually buying a physical piece of art, you’re buying a digital file of the artwork. What you’re paying for is a certificate of exclusive ownership, the “digital bragging rights” as Forbes describes it, and for many collectors, this is just as exciting.
There is a way you could display an NFT like an artwork, however, given that they are largely built around digital art. Infamous heiress Paris Hilton has jumped on the NFT bandwagon with gusto, having sold over $1.11 million of her own, and also has NFT artworks she has purchased displayed on digital screens in her home — just like something out of The Jetsons.
Mason Rothschild and Eric Ramirez’s animated ‘Baby Birkin’NFT.
Big money moves… The phenomenon is no small thing — the NFT for a purely digital artwork by artist ‘Beeple’ sold recently at Christie’s for a record-breaking $69.3 million USD, the third biggest sale of any artwork by a living artist. An NFT for a 3D animation of an Hermès Birkin bag (printed with an image of an unborn baby) also just sold for the equivalent of $23,500, which is more than an actual, physical Birkin bag retails for.
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