EDITOR’S LETTER
Julia Baird is one of the most eloquent voices of her generation and we were privileged to have her in this month’s issue. Having overcome her own serious health challenges, she wants us to think about awe – what it means, why we need it and how we can find it. Her new book, Phosphorescence: On awe, wonder and things that sustain you when the world goes dark, which features on page 120, could not be more poignant or timely.
As this issue came together, common themes of overcoming adversity and resilience emerged, which I suppose is hardly surprising given the challenges we are facing. I hope reading this month’s edition will offer you some escapism and remind you how wondrous, clever and creative humans are, starting with our cover talent for April, British pop sensation Dua Lipa.
I stopped by the Sydney studio to meet Dua just days before she performed as the star act at Sydney’s Mardi Gras. My fan-girl crush on her music aside, I was immediately struck by her warmth, intelligence and genuine nature (read Noelle Faulkner’s revealing interview from page 128). Dua grew up in Prishtina, Kosovo, where she has set up a foundation with her father to support her oftforgotten compatriot generation of young creatives; the foundation will open an arts and innovation centre there this year.
Dua acknowledges the role her music plays in the lives of her listeners, and despite her stardom exploding on powerful social media platforms YouTube and TikTok, hopes to drive a genuine closeness with her audiences through writing old-fashioned letters. What is abundantly clear is that she does not take a single fan for granted, in fact, she is quite in awe of her popularity and her impact on them.
Australian Kate Mulvany has also overcome health challenges, including childhood cancer brought upon by her father’s exposure to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War, to realise her well-deserved career success as a writer and actor, most recently alongside Al Pacino in the new series Hunters. Hers too, is an inspiring story. See page 86. Finally, young activist Daisy Jeffrey reminds us on page 170 of the importance of hope, no matter how difficult things become.
Of course, the fashion world is always full of hope, and in these pages that is captured in the guise of Virginie Viard’s new Chanel couture, which is being built anew on the legacy of Karl Lagerfeld (see page 160), and in Simone Rocha’s dreamlike work, on page 150.
It’s important that we stop to appreciate the beauty of things and wonder of people, both big and small. Indeed, we should stand in awe.