Editor’s letter
Rebel Wilson is indeed fearless. She’s gone where few celebrities have dared to go. She has challenged the Australian tabloid press, taking weeks out of her work schedule in the US to appear in Australian courts to do so – and won. She is charming, just as funny in person as she is on screen, and continues to delight audiences as a phenomenally successful comic writer and newly minted film producer with an eye for detail (as you will read in Alison Veness’s story from page 124). We are very proud of Rebel’s first Vogue Australia cover. Make sure you watch the hysterical accompanying video (go to Vogue.com.au or our YouTube channel).
Speaking of empowered women, this month we host the third annual Vogue Codes summit aimed at encouraging more women and girls to engage with technology. We will host events in Sydney and Melbourne, including Vogue Codes Live, with fabulous activations and a free kids’ day too. In this issue we profile some of our guest speakers, including Instagram’s Eva Chen, who tells us the social media platform has taken down the “velvet rope of fashion … you could live in Melbourne or Montana and feel like you’re a fashion insider”; and Tim Brown, a former New Zealand soccer player turned co-creator of Allbirds, the must-have sneaker for Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, and beloved by Oprah and Barack Obama. The sneakers are environmentally friendly, comfortable and yet another example of the power of the right product plus e-commerce creating an overnight international success.
I have been overwhelmed by the embrace of Vogue Codes by Vogue readers and beyond. We are looking to launch this Australian initiative internationally with Vogue titles, thereby engaging more women globally in a conversation about the opportunities and challenges faced by women pursuing careers in technology, and questioning why many still don’t.
None of this would be possible without the support of Westpac, and specifically Anastasia Cammaroto and Dave Curran. They grasped the importance of creating a movement, and leveraging the reach and appeal of the Vogue brand to start important conversations and attract more young women to the ample career opportunities that exist in areas of technology. Even if you don’t work in IT per se, all work is, or will be, affected by technology and everybody will need to be tech literate. Women cannot be left behind. I thank David and Anastasia for their foresight, advice and vision. Further thanks is extended to returning partner HP, back for the third year, and committed to creating the best performing and most beautiful technology. And finally, we welcome new partner Audi, its progressive views, innovation and consistent performance makes it the perfect collaborator.
If you haven’t already bought a ticket to Vogue Codes, go online today: codes.vogue.com.au.