Katarina Kroslakova. Photography by Pierre Toussaint. Welcome to our Artistry issue, which celebrates those at the cultural vanguard from the worlds of visual arts, music, film and more.
Artistry is all about creativity, craftsmanship and virtuosity — qualities that are as notable within a global fashion house as they are behind an easel. This edition thus doubles as a fashion issue and is packed with shoots and profiles that spotlight major trends (sparkly fabrics, coats with shorts, anyone?) and the trendsetters behind them.
It’s interesting to me that the platitudes about work-life balance don’t seem to apply when it comes to artists. “If I counted all the hours I’ve been at Fendi, . . . I have to laugh,” Silvia Venturini Fendi tells us in “A Blurred Line” (page 84), a sentiment that rings true for her fellow designer Giorgio Armani, who shares inspirations from his life defining — and defined by — fashion (page 28). But Christian Louboutin knows how to relax. On page 68, he invites us into his Portuguese retreat, which comes complete with a “party tower”. Enough said.
We’re proud of this edition’s cover, featuring the Australian actor Jacob Elordi. A burgeoning screen idol known for “Euphoria” and “The Kissing Booth”, our cover star has just wrapped movies directed by Sofia Coppola and Emerald Fennell. Elordi, at his most dapper and expansive, talks to T Australia’s Victoria Pearson about his ambitions and the legends he hopes to emulate as his career hits hyperspeed (page 54). The intimate photographs, shot on film in Adelaide by his sister Isabella — an artist in her own right — shows his many faces, from playful and cheeky to pensive and introverted. Those room-service chips were a highlight.
This issue also sees a couple of firsts. Our new section, T Australia Faces (page 22), profiles up-and-comers from across the artistic spectrum as part of our commitment to unearth and promote young Australian creatives. Talents featured include the found-textiles artist Julia Gutman, the dancer Tsehay Hawkins, the actor Sophie Wilde and the singer-songwriter Zeppelin Hamilton.
Another first: the Australian journalist turned US-based author Lance Richardson kicks off a regular column, reflecting on the transformative qualities of a bespoke Savile Row suit (page 36). Welcome to the T Australia family, Lance.
Call it the rewards of persistence or the law of attraction, but we finally snagged Adam Scott, some two years after we put his name on our interviewee wish list. The superstar Australian golfer proved to be well worth the wait, speaking candidly about his hopes to democratise the game that made his name (page 74).
Our watches editor, Luke Benedictus, looks at timepieces that push conceptual design into unexplored territory, asking: does a watch even need to tell the time anymore (page 44)? We also check out the bars spearheading the milk punch renaissance (page 46) and feature first-rate reporting from Mark Harris, who examines the politics of male stars co-opting traditionally gay codes and styles (page 62).
Enjoy the issue and we wish you every artistic success, whatever your medium.
Katarina Kroslakova — Publisher, Editor-in-Chief
