NOW AVAILABLE: Welcome to an even more delicious Wanted

Ed's Note

It feels good to be 20 again. Notwithstanding my lower back’s daily betrayal of this assertion, on the work front the thought remains as exciting as the night in November 2024 when we celebrated two decades of your favourite magazine. Please do excuse us, but we are going to be in a celebratory mood for a while yet.

And why not? The precarity around us — in all its tragic absurdity — dare not take all our joy. As I settle into the new year, I am determined to dive into all the pockets of joy I can find. A meditative walk at dawn, handwashing the car while listening to Sade, taking a whipping from my teenage son at one-on-one basketball, reading Kiese Laymon’s southern blues in the afternoon shade or sipping a double espresso at an empty café with no laptop in sight.

My career in journalism is only a few years older than Wanted and I do not take for granted the privilege of still being able to think, plan, predict, get excited about ideas, and execute intentionally in a medium tangible to at least four of the known senses. And, so, it was some months ago that we challenged ourselves to reimagine what we were doing and how we presented it. It was clear that, at this stage, the exercise would be of the non-invasive sort, a little refresh to take us into the new calendar.

Our evolution will be ongoing, encompassing all our platforms. You may recall that we launched the Wanted Podcast recently. The multi-pillar audio experience sees our editors, contributors, and experts in discussion about everything from art and timepieces to beauty and luxury. This year, we are doubling up on your audio pleasure with new voices, topics, and experiments.

This and other digital interventions have seen our online audience grow over 150% year-on-year. With the public launch of the much-anticipated Most Wanted Club next month, we take our influence into an exciting new arena where we not only report on luxury experiences and events but also offer access to them directly to you, our loyal readers. Go to mostwantedclub.africa to unlock your new world.

So, coming back to this issue, a few things to look out for. Our creative director, Anna Lineveldt, has sprinkled some fairy dust over our design, layout, and typography for a fresher, brighter, sometimes bolder but at once restrained look that whispers true luxury. Up front, we have allocated more space to beauty and fashion in our Style Notes section.

We’ve tapped our food columnist Steve Steinfeld to add our drinks pages to his portfolio, leading to a delicious and boozy focal point in our Navigator section. We now have an expanded automotive section, adding planes and boats (and, in other months, motorcycles) to our usual array of beautiful cars. And we bookend it all with a delightful new column from the editor of our Watches, Jewellery, and Luxury annual, Aspasia Karras.

I invite you to come along on this ride with us — and don’t be shy to let us know what you think, whatever your impulses may be.

NOW AVAILABLE | Page through the February 2025 issue of Wanted and enlarge for easy viewing:

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