Allow them to introduce themselves.

What do you do? I’m founder and creative director of the men’s swim and resortwear label Commas. My star sign is … Capricorn – the ambitious and hard-working goat! I think Capricorns are also supposed to be wise, but from what my partner’s told me, Geminis are much wiser. My greatest achievement thus far is ... Definitely Commas representing Australia at Pitti Uomo. In fact Commas was the first swimwear label to do so, which still amazes me given that we’re the beach nation. What is your most defining trait? I talk a lot! The title of my autobiography would be … It’d have to be something classy like Stephen King’s On Writing, except mine would be On The Phone. Which word or phrases do you most overuse? I probably say “Commas” and “call you back” 80 times a day. To truly understand me you must know that … I’m actually really simple. The quality I admire most in a person … The courage to throw your hat in the ring and give something your all, while also striving to do something better than how it’s usually done, even if it’s harder and the pay-off’s not as quick. My biggest fear is … It’s a toss-up between synthetic fabrics and sharks. Who are your heroes in real life? Eddie Aikau, the legendary Hawaiian surfer and lifeguard who was famous for tackling (and rescuing people from) the biggest waves. Also my mum and my dad. What is your idea of happiness? Honestly, I’m not sure. As I get older I’m realising there’s so much more to life, that happiness is something to enjoy when it visits, but that there are other cool things to work for and appreciate.

What do you do? Oh man! I don’t know – I’ve been playing a lot of music lately. My star sign is … A stubborn bull. My greatest achievement thus far ... I started a new project this year named Velvet Trip. We just recorded our first album, I’m very excited and nervous. I’ve never taken the lead in a band before now. What is your most defining trait? I honestly have no idea, I’m sorry. The legacy I hope to leave behind is … A whole lot of lurrrveee! The title of my autobiography would be … All my life I was 12ft tall; and told my tales just the same. Who are your heroes in real life? My mama and papa! They’re amazing people. Is that too cliché? Which word or phrases do you most overuse? “How are you?” I usually kook it and ask twice. Always a nice awkward one. Sometimes my brain works quicker than my mouth or vice versa. “Helloareyou” is a pretty good example – although, if spoken fluently enough, it kind of sounds Hawaiian. Or, “Catch it easy”. Take it easy and catch you later in one. Patent pending haha! What is your idea of happiness? Watching my friends and family shine. To truly understand me you must know that … My mind floats away a lot. It’s nothing personal. I spend a lot of time in my head. Not in a dark way, I just like to use my imagination. Is that weird? Who cares.What talent would you most like to have? I wish I was quadrilingual. What an incredible talent. My biggest fear is … Social pressure (the negative kind). My greatest joy comes from … Performing for people. I still get nervous as hell, such an adrenaline rush. The quality I admire most in a person … Love.

Samuel Barrie
Musician and Model @ Chic Management

What do you do? To put it simply, I love to create. Right now I’m focusing a lot of my energy in making a visual LP, combining my passion for music with my passion for film. My star sign is … I’m a Libra. My greatest achievement thus far ... Currently my greatest achievement would be finishing a lot of the music for my LP, titled The Death of a Horseman. The legacy I hope to leave behind is … When I’m gone and people think of me, I want them to feel compelled to strive to see what heights they can reach. The title of my autobiography would be … I’d probably name it Why me?!, due to all the interesting ups and downs I tend to experience. No spoilers for now, just know that it’s a saying I tend to think a lot in various situations. Positive and negative. Who are your heroes in real life? I’m a big fan of innovators like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Kanye West and Tyler Perry. What is your idea of happiness? Happiness comes in moments, I don’t really chase it as we don’t really have to. What talent would you most like to have? I’m really, really horrible at dancing, so dancing would just be amazing. My greatest joy comes from … Knowing I’ve moved someone positively with either my work or my life. I can’t really explain why but it just encourages me to be better and keep fighting harder.

What do you do? Wine team at 10 William St. My star sign is … Pisces. My greatest achievement thus far is ... Turning my biggest passion into a fulfilling career. What are your defining traits? Passion and enthusiasm. The title of my autobiography would be … Who Says You Can’t Win Them All. Who are your heroes in real life? The farmers eschewing chemicals and industrial scale. The shop owners and restaurateurs who support those farmers. Which word or phrases do you most overuse? “Who says you can’t win them all.” What is your idea of happiness? Living off the land. The legacy I hope to leave behind is … To have encouraged more people to care about the provenance of what they eat and drink. To truly understand me you must know that I … Need my sleep. What talent would you most like to have? Growing fruit and vegetables. My biggest fear is … Heights and snakes. My greatest joy comes from … Friends, family, wine, food and music. All together preferably. The quality I admire most in a person is … An open mind.

What do you do? I’m a furniture designer and maker. My star sign is … Sagittarius. My greatest achievement thus far ... Self-employment. What is your defining trait? Endeavour. The title of my autobiography would be … I can’t imagine being so arrogant that someone would read it, so that’s got me stumped. Who are your heroes in real life? Malala Yousafzai, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Finn Juhl. Which word or phrases do you most overuse? It is what it is. What is your idea of happiness? Peace of mind. What talent would you most like to have? Linguist. My biggest fear is … Anxiety. My greatest joy comes from … My blue heeler Roscoe.

"An understanding of the growers, the land from which something came, the importance of sustainable agriculture and the beauty of artisan product is the message I want to spread." - Andy Ainsworth.

Makhosi & Thabani Mpofu
Models @ IMG

Makhosi

What do you do? I produce music, make video art and model. My star sign is … Capricorn. My greatest achievement thus far is ... Finding the people that are currently closest to me. What is your most defining trait? Sometimes I get really intrigued by a certain subject and will research it for days upon end. I guess that’s a thing my friends associate with me. The legacy I hope to leave behind is … One that shows that anyone is able to better their situation, no matter how dire. The title of my autobiography would be … The Most Wicked Man on Fire. Which word or phrases do you most overuse? “Ion do those.” What is your idea of happiness? Relaxing after striving for a long-term goal. To truly understand me you must know that … It’s not that deep. What talent would you most like to have? To be able to play music by ear. My biggest fear is … Giant deep-sea creatures. My greatest joy comes from … Creation. The quality I admire most in a woman … Personal integrity, vision and unabashed drive.

"I think I’d like to be viewed posthumously as someone who lived their life exactly how they wanted to and created something beautiful on the way." - Thabani Mpofu.

Thabani

What do you do? I spend most of my time reading manga and modern-ish literature. My star sign is … Capricorn. What is your most defining trait? If I had to pick one it would be my ability to strike up a conversation with almost anyone. The legacy I hope to leave behind is … Oh jeez, I’m not sure. I think I’d like my life to be one of adventure. I want to sit down when I’m old and look at a map and say “I’ve been there” to every country on it. The title of my autobiography would be … How and why the hell did he do that? Which word or phrases do you most overuse? I think I describe things as ‘chill’ way too much, most of the time the things I’m talking about really aren’t all that ‘chill’. What is your idea of happiness? I think happiness is just going out and pursuing what you want. Going out into the world and forging your own way. My biggest fear is … I’m generally pretty terrified of paranormal business, miss me with ouija boards and all that stuff. My greatest joy comes from … I’d say my friends. Every day they inspire me more and more. Seeing them all push each other towards greatness and work as hard as they can on their own aspirations warms my heart. The quality I admire most in a woman … That’s a very good question ... I definitely think the best part of a relationship is introducing each other to new things. I’d like someone who could show me some really cool shit I’ve never seen before and vice versa. Ideally someone who I can joke with and be goofy around.

What do you do? Photographer. My star sign is … Libra. My greatest achievement thus far ... Getting engaged to the love of my life. What is your most defining trait? I would hope humour, but it’s probably kindness. Which word or phrases do you most overuse? “Well, statistically…” The legacy I hope to leave behind is … The inspiration to work hard on what you love. The title of my autobiography would be … I’ll know the answer to this in 30 years. Who are your heroes in real life? Anybody ambitious, confident and passionate. What is your idea of happiness? Having a beautiful family and a home on some land to live slow. To truly understand me you must know that … I am always trying to improve. What talent would you most like to have? Play the piano. I’m saving it for retirement. My biggest fear is … A lack of drive or direction. My greatest joy comes from … Spending time with the people I love and respect. The quality I admire most in a man … Selflessness. The quality I admire most in a woman … Determination.

What do you do? I am a musician and a drink slinger. My star sign is ... Scorpio. My greatest achievement thus far ... Finding my way back to the hotel in Florence without a phone, address, or knowing its name, five minutes before check-out. What is your most defining trait? A silver tongue if I can manage to get my foot out of my mouth. The legacy I hope to leave behind is ... A slew of timeless songs. The title of my autobiography would be ... S.O.R.E. Who are your heroes in real life? Kylie ... Just, Kylie. My biggest fear is ... Snakes. Which word or phrases do you most overuse? Fuck it’s “Hakuna Matata babe”. I don’t know when it started but it needs to stop. What is your idea of happiness? Being your own boss and enjoying a drink afterwards. To truly understand me you must know that ... I don’t get a lot of sleep. What talent would you most like to have? Depends if the apocalypse is near. If not – tennis. My greatest joy comes from ... Songwriting. The quality I admire most in a person ... A good sense of humour.

What do you do? Musician, DJ and radio host. My star sign is … Cancer. My greatest achievement thus far ... Releasing an album with a toilet seat on the cover and still making RA’s Top 1000 DJs. What is your most defining trait? Big ears. The legacy I hope to leave behind is … Leaving the door open. The title of my autobiography would be … Hot Water, Cool Hands. Who are your heroes in real life? Mary Bryant, Hero of Alexandria, Terre Thaemlitz and James Benning. Which word or phrases do you most overuse? No worries. What talent would you most like to have? Dynamic apnea. What is your idea of happiness? Lying flat on a warm rock. To truly understand me you must know that … The ancestor of all songbirds is thought to have originated in Australia. My biggest fear is … Real silence. My greatest joy comes from … Cold water. The quality I admire most in a person … Contradiction.

What do you do? Designer. Founder of Haydenshapes Surfboards. My star sign is … Aquarius. My greatest achievement thus far ... Nothing makes me prouder than being a dad. My business also turned 21 recently, which was a cool milestone. What is your most defining trait? Curiosity. Patience. The legacy I hope to leave behind is … Innovate and design things that create a unique experience for people all over the world. The title of my autobiography would be … New Wave Vision (plug). It’s not an autobiography, but it chronicles two decades of building my brand, which I started in high school. Who are your heroes in real life? My grandfather was always someone I looked up to a lot. He really taught me to appreciate building and creating things myself. Which word or phrases do you most overuse? Frothing. What is your idea of happiness? Surfing every day and hanging with my family. To truly understand me you must know that … I’m not overly complicated. What talent would you most like to have? Craig Anderson’s surfing ability. There is no one more stylish. My biggest fear is … Confinement.  The quality I admire most in a man … Integrity and a good sense of equality whether it be in the workplace, relationships etc. The quality I admire most in a woman … Confidence and drive. I find that women have this incredible ability to multitask at a whole other level.

"My greatest joy comes from very simple things. My family. Seeing people out in the surf or on the street using something I have designed or created is always a cool feeling." - Hayden Cox.