Hope and Glory: Otis Hope Carey
One of the most feted names in First Nations art, is supercharging his profile with a new Christian Louboutin collab.
Walk a mile in the footsteps of Otis Hope Carey: his work now sells for five figures, one of his murals takes pride of place at Chris Hemsworth’s Byron mansion, and he has already notched up a string of high-profile hook-ups with the likes of Longines and Ruinart. It’s hard to imagine that until barely a decade ago the First Nations artist had yet to handle a paintbrush.
The Gumbaynggirr-Bundjalung man, who still lives and works out of NSW’s Northern Rivers, credits painting with saving his life, presenting him with an outlet during an ongoing battle with depression. What was meant initially as a constructive escape, a simple way to calm the neurons and quieten the senses, has instead changed the former pro surfer’s life.
Having spent most of his childhood on the waves north of Coffs Harbour, Carey turned inward to examine his own culture and heritage, embracing his clan’s totem, the gaagal (or ocean), as a running theme throughout his work. Very quickly, his contemporary takes on these millennia-old symbols began earning him plaudits. “His work is a profound exploration of cultural identity,” says Edward Woodley of Sydney’s China Heights gallery, a long-time host of Carey’s work. “His art is deeply rooted in storytelling—connecting Country, ocean and spirit—while challenging perceptions of Indigenous art in modern contexts.”
Carey speaks to us from his studio in the surrounds of Byron Bay. The excitement in his voice is palpable, as if every twist and turn his career has taken so far is an entirely novel one for him. Since debuting in galleries, his work has found its way onto boards from cult surf-meets-design brand Haydenshapes, Ruinart Champagne bottles and, most recently, a line of wristbands for Swiss watchmaker Longines. Now, in his most conspicuous partnership yet, he’s been tasked with designing a series of footwear and accessories as part of Christian Louboutin’s Autumn/Winter 2025 campaign—the first Indigenous artist to affiliate with a luxury entity of this size and stature.
The collection utilises several of Louboutin’s most iconic silhouettes as a framework for Carey’s art. He submitted around a dozen pieces from his previous works. Six made the final edit, with Carey tweaking and re-evaluating his designs along the way. Playful flourishes from the artist’s own signature tendrils further invigorate Carey’s work, lending it a distinct high-fashion edge; the gaagal prints, already reimagined by the artist in flashes of electric green and textured orange, are embellished with spikes and crystals.
“The whole process flowed organically,” Carey says. “They [Louboutin] were pretty lenient and let me have free rein on how I was going to re-interpret my work while keeping its main themes.”
The items themselves provide an unorthodox, eye-catching tableau. Some of the most iconic stilettos and boots from Louboutin’s women’s line are featured, as are loafers, sneakers and leather goods for all genders. For Carey, already a fashion disciple who spent his formative years working in warehouses for brands like Ksubi, it was a tantalising prospect.
“The weirder the shape, the more excited I got about my art on it. I love shapes where it’s initially quite hard to imagine my artwork, for instance, shoes and bags. It was fun for me to break that down and visualise how that was going to work and what kind of artworks and colourways I needed to paint for it to sort of all sync together and flow.”
Already a trailblazer, Carey now finds himself indirectly tasked with one of his most important roles yet: introducing First Nations art to a global audience.
Gaagal, a symbol and a totem dear to Carey, will now go under a high-fashion spotlight, subject to scrutiny by commentators and customers who may not have any knowledge of the art form whatsoever.
“I’m so nervous for people to see it,” Carey admits. “People in the fashion industry are ruthless. At the same time, I’m proud that my culture can have a rippling effect. It’s so important for successful Indigenous creatives to maintain that connection to their culture and share that.”
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Omega Just Unveiled 9 Watches in Its New Constellation Observatory Collection
The line-up shows up a bevy of metals and colours, too, as well as two new calibres.
Omega’s latest watch is in a universe of its own.
The Swiss watchmaker just unveiled its new Constellation Observatory Collection today, the next step in its Constellation lineage and the first two-hand hour and minute timepieces to ever earn Master Chronometer certification. And if you were paying attention to any of the dazzling watches spotted at the Oscars this year, you would’ve caught a glimpse of the new line already: Sinners star Delroy Lindo rocked one of the models on the Academy Awards red carpet, giving us a pre-release preview of the collection.
Developed at Omega’s new Laboratoire de Précision (its chronometer testing lab open to all brands), the collection houses a set of nine 39.4 mm watches. The watches underwent 25 days of scrutiny there, analysed via a new acoustic testing method that recorded every sound emitted from the timepiece to track irregularities, temperature sensitivities, and more in the name of all things precision. (Details such as water resistance and power reserve are also thoroughly examined.) This meticulous process is all in the name of snagging that Master Chronometer label, meaning that the timepiece is highly accurate and surpasses the threshold for ultra-high performance. The Constellation Observatory Collection has now changed the game, though, thanks to its lack of a seconds hand.
“Until now, precision certification has required a seconds hand,” Raynald Aeschlimann, president and CEO of OMEGA, said in a press statement. “The development of a new acoustic testing methodology has made that requirement obsolete. It is this breakthrough that has enabled us to present the Constellation Observatory, the first two-hand watch to achieve Master Chronometer certification.”
In addition to notching its place in history, the collection also debuted a new pair of movements: the Calibre 8915 and the Calibre 8914, each perched on a skeletonised rotor base. The former’s Grand Luxe iteration will appear on the 950 Platinum-Gold model in the collection, which offers up that base in 18-karat Sedna Gold alongside a Constellation medallion in 18-karat white gold with an Observatory dome done in white opal enamel surrounded by stars. The second Calibre 8915, the Luxe, will find its home on the other precious-metal models in the line, either made with the brand’s 18-karat Sedna, Moonshine, or Canopus gold seen across the case, the hand-guilloché dial, and, of course, the movement itself. (Lindo chose to rock the Moonshine Gold on Moonshine Gold iteration, priced at approximately $86,000, for Sinners‘s big night at the Oscars.) As for the Calibre 8914, it can be found in the collection’s four steel models.
Each model is a callback to myriad design features on past Omega models. That two-hand dial, for one, comes from the 1948 Centenary (the brand’s first chronometer-certified automatic wristwatch), while the pie-pan dial (seen in various blue, green, and golden hues throughout the line) and that Constellation medallion caseback both appear on watches from 1952. The star adorning the space above 6 o’clock also harks back to 1950s timepieces from Omega. And to finish off the look, you can opt for alligator straps in a variety of colours, or perhaps a gold iteration to match the precious-metal models; the brick-like pattern on the 18-karat Moonshine bracelet was also inspired by Omega watches from the ’50s.
We’ll have to keep our eyes peeled for any other Constellation Observatory timepieces (or any other unreleased models from the brand) at the rest of the star-studded events headed our way this year—perhaps the Met Gala?
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Best Combustion Supercar: Ferrari 12Cilindri Spider
A modern classic in the making, combining naturally aspirated power with elegant restraint to deliver performance that feels as refined as it is visceral.
In a year when carmakers of all persuasions sheepishly extended hyperbolic electric targets, it’s fitting that the monastic puritans of Maranello—who, lest we forget, won’t finally yield to the sin of battery power until October with the Elettrica—opted to make combustion their major power play.
As an uncertain future of AI omnipresence barrels towards us, the 12Cilindri—an analogue, open-topped tribute to Ferrari’s late-’60s/early-’70s grand tourer, the Daytona—represents a defiant fade into the past, a pause for breath, a fleeting return to The Good Times when nascent technology provoked excitement rather than existential dread.
Guiding this automotive nostalgia trip is, as the nomenclature suggests, a naturally aspirated 6.5-litre V12 engine, generating an unceasing wave of power as it sears towards the 9,500 rpm redline with relative nonchalance. That’s because the 12Cilindri is not a mouth-foaming attack-dog. It scales performance heights with the refinement of the finest Italian works of art; its “Bumpy Road” mode facilitates comfy al fresco GT cruising, and even the imperious powerplant is mannerly at most speeds.
For all the yesteryear romance, progressive technologies and engineering, such as a world-class 8-speed transmission, advanced electronic aids and independent four-wheel steering, are baked into the deal. The 12Cilindri’s clean, stark design somehow toggles between retro and modern; and while vaguely polarising, one can’t ignore its magnetic road presence.
In terms of aesthetics, Ferrari describes the 12Cilindri as being “ready for space”; in many ways, a fantasy vehicle that transports users to another dimension is probably what the world needs right now.
The Numbers
Engine: 6.5-litre V12
Power: 610kW
Torque: 678 Nm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
0-100 km/h: 2.95 seconds
Top speed: 340 km/h
Price: From $886,800
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Inside Loro Piana’s First Sydney Boutique
A first Australian address brings the Italian house’s textile-led approach to retail full circle.
On the fourth floor of Westfield Sydney, near the Castlereagh and Market Street entrance—in the space formerly occupied by Chanel—Loro Piana has opened its first Australian boutique. It is a significant address change for that corner of the mall, and a meaningful one for the Italian house, which has sourced Australian merino wool for decades but until now had no retail presence here.
The facade is understated—creamy, tactile, more about texture than theatre. Inside, the store unfolds across a single, expansive level divided into distinct men’s and women’s wings. The separation is clear without being heavy-handed: womenswear leads from soft accessories and leather goods into ready-to-wear, while menswear occupies its own assured territory, with tailoring and outerwear given proper breathing room. Footwear (supple loafers, luxurious slides, pared-back sneakers) is particularly strong, and the sunglasses are a quiet standout: mineral-toned frames with a disciplined elegance that feels entirely of the house.
That same restraint carries into the interiors, where the surfaces do much of the talking. Walls are wrapped in the company’s own linen and cashmere; carpets are custom, dense underfoot, softening the acoustics and the pace. Oak and carabottino wood add warmth without fuss; marble accents introduce a cool counterpoint. The effect is a composed space calibrated around material, proportion and restraint.
The Spring 2026 collection now in store underscores that sensibility. Silhouettes are elongated and fluid; cashmere, silk and featherweight merino move in sandy neutrals, creams and muddied earth tones, with flashes of marigold and pale turquoise breaking the calm. Tailoring is softly structured and projects confidence without aggression. Leather goods arrive in buttery skins that feel almost pre-lived, as though time has already worked its magic.
What distinguishes Loro Piana, particularly in a market that has grown noisier by the season, is its refusal to perform luxury in an obvious register. There are no oversized insignias telegraphing allegiance. Instead, the status is encoded in fibre count, in hand-feel, in how a coat hangs from the shoulder. It assumes the wearer knows and, crucially, does not need to announce it.
Sydney’s luxury landscape has matured in recent years; global houses no longer test the waters but commit to them. Yet Loro Piana’s arrival feels different. It is not trend-driven expansion but material logic. For a country whose sheep stations have long contributed to the house’s fabric story, this boutique reads almost as a thank-you note written in cashmere.
Photography: Courtesy of Loro Piana.
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If all you’re going to do is look at it, a leather Dopp kit from a fashion house is a fine choice. But if you take travelling seriously—and do it often, for business, pleasure, or both—such a bag will inevitably end up blemished with droplets of water or stained by errant flecks of toothpaste. Get stuck with a cavalier team of baggage handlers, and it can even get soaked in your favourite fragrance or anti-ageing serum.
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And though its clean lines and rugged construction make it undeniably masculine, its greatest feature is borrowed from women’s makeup bags. Like the best of these, BB1 unzips to lie flat, giving you unobstructed access to everything inside. Well, you and the 999 other gentlemen who move fast enough to snag one. $289
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The G-hook system isn’t just a stylish handle: You can also use it to hang the bag from a hook or secure it to your carry-on.
2. Two-Way Zipper
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3. Fold-flat Construction
BB1 opens to 180 degrees, letting you scan its 4.2-litre capacity at a quick glance.
4. Technical-Fabric Shell
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