NEW ISSUE: A comedy of errors

Ed's Note

My first assignment for Wanted — over a decade ago, if memory serves — ended disastrously. Working as a communications consultant and freelance writer/editor, I had been asked to profile the founder of a novel South African men’s grooming brand. That entrepreneur was Tsakani Mashaba, then the force behind Michael Mikiala Man (MMM), a multi-product skincare range tested and formulated for African skins (MMM is no more, but Mashaba went on to found the luxury fashion and accessory brand Hamethop, which recently showed at New York Fashion Week under the Jaguar-supported #GiveHerACrown initiative.

I linked up with Mashaba at her office in Maboneng when that part of town was the tide-turning spark Joburg had been pining for, and what had been scheduled for an hour, with a hard stop, rolled over into three. By the time I left, we were finishing each other’s sentences and she was my client. I was to consult across her communications channels, presenting an ethical dilemma: could I still profile her, knowing that I was now on the payroll? I chose the ethically sound route, but my 11th-hour withdrawal from the assignment was acknowledged sans any kind regards from Wanted HQ.

Some years thereafter, I bumped into then editor Jacquie Myburgh at an event. I was, as my 13-year-old would chirp, in full rizz mode, charm oozing out of my ordinarily introverted pores. It worked, as she promptly tapped me for an interview in the erstwhile “Power Dresser” section. The failed profiler was to be the profiled, but on the morning of the shoot, the Wanted curse struck again and I almost added the title of failed interview subject to the list. The details are muddy now — save to assure you that things were beyond my control — but I made the team wait for over an hour and had to scrape the bottom of the rizz barrel to shift the mood on set.

That episode was a distant memory when, in the first quarter of 2021, on a random day, doomscrolling on the gram, I came across my predecessor Sarah Buitendach’s farewell post and my eyes lit up. I went into sleuth mode, quizzing my contacts at Arena for more information. The job spec would be shared in due course and the search for a new editor would be rigorous. I was ready, but on the morning of my first interview — a virtual affair in front of a panel of a thousand — my Wi-Fi failed me. I took that cruel sorcery badly, convinced that the gig of a lifetime wasn’t to be mine.

When the call from HR came after the rescheduled interview, I was fully expecting commiserations and my CV to be “kept on file”, but the curse had been broken and I was about to jump into the hotseat. Over the past three years, it has been a thrill casting an eye over luxury in its many guises: from the simple pleasures of slow mornings and the smell of newsprint to conscious travel and masterfully crafted finery.

A big part of our universe is dedicated to guilty pleasures, at once enabling them enthusiastically and pondering their sustainability, in every way imaginable. We locate the bleeding edge of horology, design, and fashion in the culture and our social fabric, asking lyrically the questions that purveyors and consumers should be asking themselves.

We cannot always square the circles of indulgence with responsibility, but it is our absolute duty to try, as we veer towards a progressively dreamy place where we are all free to enjoy the finer things in life with the least possible harm being inflicted on human and planet. Add to that cracking good writing, the very best photography, and meticulous design — this has been the balance that has set us apart from pretenders, and diving into the archives for this issue has underscored just how successful and difficult to mimic this formula has been.

I called upon erstwhile publisher (and current Wanted Watches, Jewellery, and Luxury editor) Aspasia Karras, fashion director Sharon Armstrong, and former Wanted editors Gary Cotterell and Sarah Buitendach to share with us the stories, moments, and shoots that defined their years in this world. The nostalgia is palpable, but the sense that something new hovers on the horizon is undeniable and, in 2025, we will be exploring what a refresh of your favourite read may look like. These are exciting times and we hope you stay on the ride with us.

NOW AVAILABLE | Page through the December 2023 issue of Wanted and enlarge for easy viewing: 

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