While the rest of the world’s airlines throw their superjumbos in a pile, glug them with petrol, and flick a zippo (metaphorically), Qantas is winging it in the other direction.

As Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, “Qantas Airways Ltd. expects all of its Airbus SE A380s to return to the skies, a signal of confidence that demand for global air travel will recover and make the superjumbo viable again.”

“We think we will reactivate all of the A380s. We spent a lot of money on them,” Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said at a Centre for Aviation virtual conference on Wednesday. “Once demand is there, they’re going to be good aircraft.”

This comes after Qantas grounded all 12 of its A380s in June 2020, as the pandemic pulled the rug out from international travel.

Many other airlines around the world have been taking this moment to reshape their fleets, and begun phasing out the big boy.

The likes of Etihad, Lufthansa, Air France and Singapore airlines have all started reducing their reliance on the jet.

As The Points Guy reported in March, “The A380 has fallen from grace as airlines have opted to instead fly more efficient twin-engine jets like the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350.”

“Things got so dire that last year that Airbus announced it would be permanently ending production of the A380. At the moment every A380 in the world is grounded, with the exception of those operated by China Southern Airlines.”

Australia is an isolated continent, however, and many of Qantas’ grand plans for the future still involve the A380. Perhaps linked to this is that the A380 is one of the most popular jets among passengers around the world, thanks to it providing arguably the smoothest ride on a commercial aircraft, as well as the space for features like bars and lounges.

On that note: Joyce said on Wednesday that the vaccine rollout in the U.S. and U.K – both big markets for Qantas – are positive signs for a bounce-back in traffic on Australian long-haul routes.

Emirates, another proponent of the jet, “has said its fleet could return next year after vaccines have rolled out globally,” Bloomberg reports.

Simple Flying reports that Joyce “remains confident that the borders will open up in October this year,” after which time, “the 787 will be picking up the slack from the loss of the A380 and 747.”

“Our plan was at the end of October, if the international borders were to open up, we could start 22 of the 25 destinations we had pre-COVID with smaller aircraft, smaller premium seats on it. And we think that’s sufficient to make good money and the economics work on that business,” Joyce said.

As for the A380, the expectation is still that demand won’t be high enough until 2024.

“We know the demand will come back, it’s just a matter of time … We’ve had this forecast for some time that we don’t see that occurring until ’24. That’s directed our strategy by saying that we park the A380s.”

If the planets align though, Joyce also said: “If demand comes back earlier, we can reactivate the A380s within three to six months. That’s the level of flexibility we have.”

Australian and International Pilots Association (AIPA) president Murray Butt was interviewed by The Australian earlier this year. On the topic of long haul travel he said: “There’s a lot of pent-up demand for international travel.”

“Once borders do reopen, it will be interesting to see how quickly that moves.”

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The post Qantas Bucks Airbus A380 Trend, Backs The Superjumbo For The Long Haul appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

French luxury fashion powerhouse, Dior has just launched a sophisticated line of men’s beachwear, perfect for summer. The collection is a collaboration with American painter, Kenny Scharf, renowned for his contributions to the 1980s New York art scene, and features playful prints brimming with Scharf’s zest and flair. The capsule has everything from shirts, to swim shorts, sunglasses to sandals; practically everything one could ever need during summer to look resplendent and charming.The Beachwear Capsule by Dior is a fusion of their renowned vintage elegant apparel & sportswear and will infuse your wardrobe with “joyful energy”, with its rich colour scheme of royal blues, ocean greens, playful purples and timeless whites. For a cool summer look, that’ll make you look effortlessly put together, you really can’t look further than the stylish pieces in Dior’s Beachwear Capsule.Shop Dior’s Beachwear Capsule

The post Dior’s 'Beach Capsule’ Is A Must Have Menswear Drop For Summer appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

The only thing that’s possibly wilder than getting in a car with Lewis Hamilton is keeping track of his experiments in style.Hamilton is not only Formula One’s most successful competitor (potentially of all time) but he’s also one of the sport’s most stylish gents. If his race record and star power didn’t already make him stand out among the grid of drivers, his love of luxury couture, niche streetwear and bright colours sure does.Hamilton often gets favourably compared to Michael Schumacher but his latest outfit naturally brings to mind a comparison with a set of movie characters… And not necessarily a favourable one, it must be said.Stepping out ahead of practice at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola, Hamilton rocked a washed-out Christian Dior ensemble consisting of a matching jacket and pair of trousers, as well as a pair of in-demand Dior x Air Jordan 1 sneakers.It’s not a bad outfit per se, but with Hamilton letting his dreads loose, it reminds us of ‘The Twins’ from the 2003 sci-fi action film, The Matrix Reloaded. Talk about taking the red pill…

The Twins are a pair of ghost-like villains who appear in one of the franchise’s most memorable moments, the freeway chase scene. While most of the Matrix trilogy was filmed at Fox Studios Australia in Sydney, the freeway scene was filmed at the decommissioned Naval Air Station Alameda in California – the producers having constructed a 1.5-mile freeway on the base’s old runways specifically for the film.The outfit’s got us asking ourselves: is Hamilton considering a second career as a movie star? There’s some precedent for that, actually. Hamilton has cameoed in the Disney/Pixar films Cars 2 and Cars 3, as himself and as a voice assistant respectively.RELATED: Daniel Ricciardo Drains Half Court Monster In Impressive NBA Training DebutAll jokes aside, we actually quite like the outfit. Hamilton has a real flair for patterns and knows how to make a statement. It’s a damn sight better than the boring team uniforms or uninspired athleisure looks we normally see from F1 drivers off the track.The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola kicks off this weekend, with fans keen to see the rivalry between Hamilton and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen heat up. Like last year, we’ll see multiple Grands Prix in Italy in 2021, with the Italian Grand Prix proper set to take place at Monza on the 12th of September.

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The post Lewis Hamilton Secretly Auditioning For Matrix Sequels With Futuristic Fit appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

There is a running joke in Sydney that you need a passport to cross the Spit Bridge (the four-lane road that connects the Northern Beaches to the city).Being from the Northern Beaches, I have at varying points in my life delighted in (and been infuriated by) this ‘insular peninsula’ stereotype.On one hand, it provides a comforting sense of identity.On the other, it’s never nice to be a trope.Case in point: once, when I was 18, I was deeply offended when a Newtown uni student looked at me and said: “You’re such a beaches kid.”Ouch.Likewise, when I was 19, on our way home after a night out, a dude looked at my group of friends and yelled to his mate: “Look – it’s One Direction!”I’ve not felt at home in the city (or worn rolled up beige chinos) since.At the same time though, I’ve always craved to be accepted in both locations.My goal? To enjoy the “f*ck off vindication” of looking like a lazy, privileged, surfer – feeling in on a secret the rest of the world doesn’t get – but also enjoy the smarmy sense of belonging a hipster feels in a library. Or something.After a few years abroad (then a few more years back on the beaches) at the start of 2021 I finally decided to face my demons.I moved to Erskineville, which is, depending on who you ask, the boring man’s Newtown, a relaxed leafy enclave, or “a place with slightly fewer needles lying around than Surry Hills.”Here’s everything I learned in my first 30 days of being an Inner West cliché.

You need a bike

When in Rome…

House plant garage sales are a thing

 

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On the Northern Beaches you might flog off your old books, clothes and surfboards. In the Inner West it’s all rusty bikes and pot plants.There are also entire shops dedicated exclusively to selling house plants. I used to wonder how they make money but then I started thinking one might look good in my room…I’ve also realised that house plants lend your house a nice vibe (during the rare moments they aren’t dying or leaking water everywhere).

You don’t have to move to Spain to experience a different way of life

I’ve previously waxed lyrical (see: Iconic French Riviera Photo Reveals Freedom Europeans Have No One Else Does) about how much better the mode de vie is in France and Spain compared to the stale, nanny-state we have over here in Australia.Turns out it may not have been Australia but the Northern Beaches. And; also turns out, though Kings Cross is now dead (was it ever good?) Erskineville and Newtown have more live music and bars than you can throw a coffee dusted Espresso Martini glass at.It’s also a revelation to realise that here, too, you can walk to a supermarket or restaurant within minutes, rather than driving or getting the bus.All that said… I still reckon Sydney’s Northern Beaches has the best brunch scene in the world.RELATED: Classic San Sebastian Photo Reveals The Secret To Spain’s Nightlife Success

Single-speed bikes are out, wood-panelled vans are in…

Despite the rampant ‘single speed’ hipster stereotypes, I have observed very few single speed bikes in the inner city. This is probably because they are impractical (something I am reminded of as I, possibly the only person in Erskineville silly enough to buy a single-speed pushbike, sweat it up the hill to Redfern every day).Also, even though everyone lives in share-houses to save money rather than get their own places… they then seem to fritter away that money on clapped out (or sometimes not even that clapped out) vans. What gives?It’s almost as if there’s a sense of community or something…RELATED: I Moved To Byron Bay: What I Discovered In My First 30 Days Of Being A Cliché  

People will judge you for spending two week’s rent on one meal…

 

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On the Northern Beaches spending money is a flex. Here it’s something to be ashamed of.

People in the city are obsessed with nature

It’s a weird reversal – outside everything is concrete, but inside everything is feverishly made to look like verdant woodland. A big change from the Northern Beaches where it’s taken for granted nature is just out the door, but then houses are all full of PlayStations and Plasma TVs.

Inner-city folk (that I’ve met) may be stingy when it comes to food, but not when it comes to sound systems…

There may not be kitchen roll or working extractor fans in most Erskineville share houses (or, the two I have visited) but there is always an expensive sound system (and everyone has Spotify Premium).

Oat milk is a way of life

 

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The best alternative to cow nip on the market? Prove me wrong.

Dumping furniture is quite the past-time

General cleanup would appear to be all week, every week…

Waiters can be judgy

I got sass for asking if I could get my Gorgonzola pizza without Gorgonzola. Probably deserved but I can’t help but mention it…RELATED: The Truth About Why Parisians Are Rude To Tourists

The Ivy is still a trek

 

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When I was living on the Northern Beaches I told myself that when I moved to the city I would make more of my Fridays and Saturdays. I have so-far failed. Last Friday after I went for dinner at Gigi’s, drank wine in the living room at home, then watched Youtube until 2am.

It is amusing to watch the different levels of political correctness clash

Is Slavoj Žižek an icon or inappropriate? Is veganism ethnocentric or awesome? Break out the popcorn; the battles are endless.

The dinner table conversations are lit

“If you want to hear how far we’ve come as a society, go back and listen to the censored versions of Eminem songs from the early 2000s and listen to what they censor and what they don’t…”From current affairs to random bands I’ve never heard of (sorry, but I still don’t get Bicep)… there’s a lot to discuss, in Erskineville, it seems.

The ‘Inner West’ world view rubs off on you

I used to laugh at Betoota Advocate memes depicting Inner West residents as red wine drinking, terrace balcony pontificating, Q&A hypocrites.But while it’s easy to condemn champagne socialists for the Hezbollah-like fervour and self-assured Tweets, the ones that put their money where their mouth is just might inspire you to remember that Keep Cup for once.

Going vegetarian isn’t so bad

In a house full of vegetarians it was somewhat inevitable. But besides the sneaky kebabs and fried chicken burgers for lunch at work I am now meat-free.

You get judged (supported?) for working too hard

While people I know in Glebe and Bondi love to burn the candle at both ends, in Erskineville I have been questioned on numerous occasions why I’m still on my laptop at 9pm.

Single-speed push bikes are not as convenient as you think

 

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At the risk of repeating myself… the Inner West may look flat… but I wish I had spent the extra hundred bucks to get a bike with three gears.

I underestimated how much ~life~ it gives you to be where the action is

It may sound tame to those of you that consume enough Ketamine each week to kill a horse, but I’ve always romanticised my dad’s stories of skipping class to listen to Pink Floyd while eating Marmite on toast and drinking black coffee with his best mate in his high school dorm in England in the 80s.I’ve now found my version of this with a good mate (and epic guitar player) who comes around every now and then and graciously indulges my woeful attempts to improvise off the D Minor pentatonic scale.I’ve also realised how many more opportunities you end up taking to socialise and network when it’s right there all in front of you rather than an hour’s bus ride away (the day I realised this is probably the day I realised Sydney’s Inner City had corrupted me, and that I wouldn’t be heading back to live on the Beaches for a while).

I underestimated how much not being near a beach would kill me

At the risk of sounding out of touch… having to drive to the beach sucks.

Movie choices are different

It’s not so much Big Little Lies and Game of Thrones as random horror flicks from the 80s.

You get to exercise your spiritual side

I used to think being a hippie was just an excuse for lazy people to be unambitious (or to console themselves when they failed at ‘life’). But my mind is now open to the benefits of taking mindfulness seriously and pulling back to push forward.I’ve also been sufficiently convinced that there’s enough wrong with the world (and enough blinkers on the ‘way of life’ most of us grow up to be taught to value) that taking a principled stand against it all and disengaging isn’t (necessarily) a failing… and can even be seriously impressive.

People talk about their mental health more openly here (the ones I’ve been spending time with, anyway)

Like, full-on conversations. This is something I find mildly terrifying but beneficial. It may still be a while before you catch me on a Vipassana retreat, though…

Kombucha is not as big as expected

Who knew? This appears to be more a ‘Karen’ thing than a ‘Mia’ thing.

People are constantly surprised to see me walking down Erskineville’s main strip or Newtown’s King Street in board shorts and thongs

Old habits die hard…

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The post I Moved To Sydney: What I Discovered In My First 30 Days Of Being A Yuppie Cliché appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

We’re barely a quarter into 2021 but it’s already been an exciting year for watches, in no small part thanks to a particularly jam-packed Watches & Wonders.The watch industry’s most important trade show – which has just wrapped up its Geneva edition and is now continuing the fun over in Shanghai – has seen literally hundreds of watches from dozens of brands unveiled, from the titans of Swiss luxury watchmaking to intriguing independent brands and everything in between.But some of the most interesting releases, much to the surprise and delight of the watch fraternity, haven’t necessarily been from those Swiss stalwarts. Actually, it’s been the luxury fashion houses that have come up with some of the most intriguing watches of the year so far.Buying a watch from a fashion brand instead of a specifically watch-focused brand used to be considered a questionable move; ‘not the done thing’ by many watch aficionados. Recent decades, however, have seen these big luxury players invest a huge amount of time, money and consideration into serious Swiss horology – and now they can more than hold their own against the watch industry’s finest, with 2021 shaping up to be a real tipping point.We take a look at some of the most eye-catching new models from these somewhat untraditional players and explore why 2021 might just be a landmark year in this regard.

Hermès

One of the biggest releases of W&W was a completely new line from Hermès: the H08. Brimming with 70s retro vibes, the H08 is a huge departure from the French brand’s typically restrained, artistic watch offerings and a real contender in the luxury sports watch space.Ultra-legible and practical, with a 39mm cushion-shaped titanium case and the option of either a titanium bracelet or rubber strap, this is one sporty watch (particularly if you opt for the rubber in that signature Hermès orange). There’s even a reference constructed out of a super-lightweight graphene composite – Hermès clearly looking to flex their technical chops. All are powered by Hermès’ Manufacture Caliber H1837 (another flex), feature a 50-hour power reserve and are water-resistant to 100m.But it’s not just sports watches that Hermès unveiled at W&W this year. True to form, they also showed off a number of highly artistic pieces, such as the macabre yet oddly playful Slim d’Hermès ‘C’est la fête’. The dial design, inspired by a Hermès scarf from 2012, oozes real Día de los Muertos or voodoo vibes. It also emphasises that Hermès aren’t afraid to take risks, a point underscored by the radical new H08, too.RELATED: Hermès’ $7,000 ‘Mushroom Bag’ Points To The Future Of Veganism In Luxury

Louis Vuitton

Hermès’ great rival, Louis Vuitton, also came out with some seriously impressive watches at W&W, the most exciting of which were all variants of their popular Tambour range, the very first watch LV ever came out with.The Tambour Street Diver transforms the previously fashion-focused Tambour into a genuine dive watch, bumping up its water resistance to 100m; adding classic dive watch circular indices, an inner dive-timing bezel and huge dollops of Super-LumiNova; plus a sporty rubber strap and an array of vibrant colourways perfect for a dip in the Mediterranean. Saint-Tropez, anyone?The Tambour has also been a palette for technical wizardry this year, too. Take the Curve GMT Flying Tourbillon, the Moon Flying Tourbillon “Poinçon de Genève” Sapphire or the Carpe Diem – all incredible feats in their own right.

Bulgari

Bulgari has long been respected as a serious player in the world of fine watchmaking, in no small part thanks to its Octo Finissimo line, which has been the subject of many world firsts in watchmaking, with highlights including the world’s thinnest minute repeater and the world’s thinnest mechanical chronograph.2021 has seen Bulgari add yet another world first to the line, securing 7 consecutive years of world firsts: the new Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar, the slimmest in the world. For the first time, the now-classic ‘World First’ all-titanium model is also joined by a platinum version with a blue lacquered dial. These 40mm in diameter, 5.80mm thick masterpieces are yet more feathers in the cap of the Italian luxury house.On another note, the Octo Finissimo has also been the subject of abstract art this year, with Bulgari also unveiling the Octo Finissimo Tadao Ando. This is the third time Bulgari has collaborated with the acclaimed Japanese artist on a watch: this year’s collab features a unique, minimalist blue dial design that resembles the night sky, with a yellow gold moon at 5 o’clock.

Gucci

Some of the most exciting releases of the year have come from a brand that wasn’t even at W&W. Gucci, who was one of the first big luxury houses to invest in Swiss watchmaking back in the 70s, recently unveiled their new High Watchmaking collection for 2021: a multitudinous selection emblematic of an ascendant brand.RELATED: Gucci Releases $12 Sneakers… But There’s A CatchThese watches take the maximalist, opulent style the brand has become known for under current creative director Alessandro Michele and complemented it with equally lavish technical elements.Highlights include the G-Timeless Dancing Bees Tourbillon, which features spring-mounted bumblebees flocking around a brilliantly curved exposed in-house tourbillon movement, or the sporty Gucci 25H, with its stylish integrated bracelet and concealed crown.The real jewel in their crown, however, is the new Grip Sapphire. Not only does it feature a case hewn completely out of sapphire crystal, but it also features a novel jumping hours movement that’s brought into focus by colour-contrasted cyclops windows.

In essence, 2021 has seen all the hard work of these luxury houses finally pay off. Their watches are now more than just a technical and aesthetic match to the watch brand’s models – in many instances, they’re actually more impressive.Indeed, their status as relative outsiders has actually worked in their favour. Not constrained by their status as pure horologists – and able to draw upon a vast heritage of design and experience in the luxury space – these companies have an edge that the Swiss stalwarts don’t have. There’s also a degree of levity; of freedom that they’re able to indulge in that their watch-only competitors perhaps can’t.RELATED: The Radical Solution To Fix Rolex’s Biggest ProblemAt the end of the day, competition is a good thing. The ascendancy of the luxury fashion houses in the watch world has put the watch brands on notice. W&W was proof positive that they’re paying attention, too: releasing exciting new models with innovative campaigns and drumming up hype in a way that seems very familiar to anyone who’s a fan of luxury fashion. The influence goes both ways, it seems.Ultimately, it’s the consumer who’s winning. So cheers to that.

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The post Luxury Fashion Brands’ Long-Term Watchmaking Investments Pay Off appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Just like fashion, male grooming trends are cyclical. What’s ‘dropping’ one moment is flying out the window the next, in favour of the latest handlebar monstrosity craze. High-street trends are dictated, largely, by the fashion houses or celebrities whom we idolise, before six months later it filters down to the rest of us.One such high-profile idol to suggest a way in which we should live our life is Hugh Jackman. And before you start to question his follicular choices, no, our Hugh hasn’t gone and got himself a mullet. Instead, the Hollywood megastar has recently taken to Instagram – in collaboration with Skin Check Champions – to spruik a far more important message that could potentially save your life, as opposed to simply generating a series of head-turning looks as you flounce down the street.RELATED: I Rocked Henry Cavill’s Moustache For A Month & It Was Completely HumiliatingAs any Australian is well aware, the sun we receive Down Under can be feral, and with virtually all cities receiving sunshine for close to two-thirds of each year, the amount of time we’re exposed to the sun’s harmful rays is obscene. It’s with this in mind that Hugh has reminded us we need to get a regular skin check to potentially pick up on any signs of skin cancer.

 

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As Hugh says in his video message, “If you’re like and me and you didn’t really know any better when you were young, and you didn’t wear sunscreen and you were in the Australian sun, then you need to get a check-up even more.”

“But if not it doesn’t matter who you are, next time you are with your doctor or with a specialist if you can, just say ‘can you please give me a skin check?’ at least once a year.”

Hugh has particular reasoning to promote the message to, as he signed off by saying he himself recently had a skin check which led to him needing a biopsy on his ear which found signs of cancer. Fortunately for Hugh, it was picked up early enough to be treated, and that’s the whole point of the message.

 

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The importance of skin checks is a message we’ve encouraged before here at DMARGE, speaking regularly to Jimmy Niggles, the founder of Skin Check Champions (formerly Beard Season), and promoting the message that it’s ok – and necessary – to apply sun cream to your mate’s back when you go to the beach.RELATED: ‘Save A Life A Week’: Australians Finally Taking Skin Checks More Seriously When you consider “in NSW, men over the age of 40 are 1.5 times more likely to be diagnosed and 2.5 times more likely to die of melanoma than women of a similar age”, according to Cancer Council NSW Skin Cancer Prevention Manager Liz King, getting a skin check couldn’t be more paramount.

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The post Hugh Jackman Jumps Aboard Australia’s Most Important Skin Care Trend appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

I’ve always smirked at the personal trainer contingents at my local parks and beaches. The sheep following their Nike-wearing pastor. The grunts and groans. The chatter. The coffee shop debrief. The humiliating (or so I thought) fact they couldn’t manage to motivate themselves without someone yelling at them.Then, after a few years of injuries and half-heartedly slinging myself around the gym, I found myself in a new suburb, trialling to get into a new sports team. Without exaggerating, I have improved my fitness and strength more in two or three weeks than I did in any two to three week period throughout the past three years.Much as it hurts to admit – it’s all down to being part of a group, and wanting to avoid being last (something you just don’t get with your earbuds in and light-hearted podcast on down your local gym).Take for instance a training session I had a month ago. On a day pouring with rain, after many other days pouring with rain, I turned up at a bleak looking park, boggy all through the center, and did one of the most basic but most effective workouts I have ever done.Sprinting up the hill, walking down it, then doing ten push ups. The team (myself included) repeated this process some 15 times (with the distance sprinted getting greater each and every time).It doesn’t sound like much, but this equates to 150 push-ups (and a whole lot of lactic acid in the legs).Not bad going for someone who hasn’t done more than 10 consecutive push-ups since 2018. Though I was sore for almost a week after this, I can now (four weeks later) pump out 20 push-ups in a row on demand if I need to.

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Though you don’t want to be pushing yourself to extreme levels every time you train (see: Undertraining Is The Secret To Building Muscle; This Shredded UFC Fighter Proves Why) training in a group can have a huge impact on your psychology.A 2020 study published in the Journal of Social Sciences found that people are drawn towards the exercise behaviours of those around them.RELATED: ‘Gyms Are The New Nightclubs’: The Real Reason Australians Are Flocking To Boutique Trainers In 2020A 2016 study published in the journal Obesity found the actions of the type of individuals you spend time with tend to rub off on you.

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Likewise, as reported by NBC News, “Researchers at Kansas State University found that people who exercised with someone they thought was better than them increased their workout time and intensity by 200 percent.”On top of that, research from the American Osteopathic Association has shown that group exercise improves quality of life and reduces stress far more than individual workouts (Science Daily).RELATED: Joe Rogan Reveals Harsh Secret To True Mental StrengthMaybe there really is something to the David Goggins, ‘do an insane workout before running an extreme marathon’ type mindset (within reason), after all?Psychophysiological responses to group training continues to be an important area of study with more results sure to show a bit of social pressure makes for both higher performance and – without the correct guidance – higher risk of injury.Now drop and give us 20…

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• World’s Fittest Man Reveals Workout Secret That Could Massively Increase Your Gains

The post Biggest Fitness Revelation I've Had In 25 Years On The Planet appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Kanye West is one of the most successful musicians of all time, but the field in which he’s arguably been even more successful is in fashion design – specifically, sneaker design.In particular, Yeezy – the rapper’s long-running creative collaboration with Adidas – has left an indelible mark on modern fashion. Sneakers like the 350 and 750 redefined what a sneaker can be, and modern innovations like the algae-based Foam Runner continue to push the envelope.But Kanye wasn’t always joined at the hip with Adidas. Some of his first collaborations were with BAPE, Giuseppe Zanotti and Louis Vuitton, but perhaps the most notable was his partnership with sportswear giant Nike, which debuted the ‘Yeezy’ moniker. The Air Yeezy 1 and 2, which haven’t been in production for close to a decade, are some of the most in-demand sneakers on the market, with colourways like the Air Yeezy 2 ‘Red Octobers’ regularly five-figure sales prices.But if you think that’s a lot of money to spend on a sneaker, you’ll baulk at the prices predicted for this pair of Air Yeezys, set to go under the hammer at famed auction house Sotheby’s in Hong Kong. A prototype pair worn by Kanye himself during his performance at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards in 2008, these were the public’s first taste of a Yeezy sneaker.In impeccable condition, these sneakers have unimpeachable provenance and a huge amount of historical significance – which is why sneakerheads (and Sotheby’s) reckon they’ll sell for well over $1 million.That these sneakers can command such a price (and attention) underscore just how much modern fashion and luxury has changed over the last two decades.

Luxury in 2021 is multitudinous, experimental, and fundamentally youthful. The 21st century has seen a blurring of high and low culture, particularly where fashion is concerned.The rise of ‘streetwear’ as not only a fashion movement but a cultural one is the defining theme of modern luxury, as is the ‘hype culture’ lifted directly from the sneaker world. And it’s Kanye more than any other figure who’s helped swell that wave. It’s the essence of his oeuvre.Kanye’s protégés have also been an essential part of this shift in modern luxury, too: Virgil Abloh, of Louis Vuitton and Off-White fame; Fear of God’s Jerry Lorenzo and Heron Preston, just to name a few… Kanye’s influence can be felt almost everywhere, particularly in the sneaker world.So we’re not surprised Sotheby’s thinks these will get seven-figure offers. If anything, we think they’re being somewhat conservative.RELATED: Influencer’s ‘Outrageous’ Disrespect For Rare $20,000 Sneakers Sends Hypebeasts Into MeltdownIf those predictions come true, these Yeezys could be up for contention as not only the most expensive sneakers of all time but the most expensive men’s shoes of all time full stop – but they’d need to beat out the diamond-encrusted Jason of Beverly Hills x Tom Ford loafers worn by Nick Cannon on the 2014 season finale of America’s Got Talent as well as the 24ct solid gold pair of OVO x Air Jordan 10s commissioned by Drake, both of which are valued at around $2 million.

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The honour of the most expensive shoe of all time goes to Antonio Vietri’s Moon Star Shoes, a pair of high-heels fashioned with 30 carats of diamonds, a piece of an Argentinian meteorite dating back to 1576 and a solid gold heel shaped like the Burj Khalifa. Worth just under $20 million, they make Kanye’s creps look cheap (and remarkably tasteful) in comparison.This is all making the $50 Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars I’m wearing today seem rather tawdry in comparison…

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Communists vs. capitalists. Tough vs. spoilt. Bleak vs. fun. Dour vs. shrill. If you had to personify Russia and the United States, one might be a growling grizzly bear and the other might be a conspiracy-spouting influencer.Worlds apart, you might say? Perhaps not: both defy science and distrust authority.One has a better reason for this kind of thinking, however, a recent report the New York Times shows.While the US’ death count is broadly agreed to be accurate, in Russia, “At least 300,000 more people died last year during the coronavirus pandemic than were reported in Russia’s most widely cited official statistics” The New York Times reports.

This @antontroian story manages to grimly sum up what the last year has felt like in Russia: in a climate of heightened distrust and hard-earned fatalism, Covid exacted a heavy toll, the human cost of which is little discussed or considered. https://t.co/YjYFCkk0et

— Joshua Yaffa (@yaffaesque) April 11, 2021

This is, The New York Times explains, because pandemic-adjacent deaths are not counted.

“A heart attack in a coronavirus-stricken patient, for example, would not have shown up in the official toll.”

“The low official toll has contributed to the obliviousness of Russians to the virus’s dangers in some cases – and to their profound distrust of the government’s messaging regarding the pandemic in others,” The New York Times reports.“Last October, a poll found that most Russians did not believe the government’s tally of coronavirus cases: Half of those who did not believe the tally thought it was too high, while half thought it was too low.”

“In February, another poll found that 60 percent of Russians said they were not planning to get Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, and that most believed the coronavirus to be a biological weapon.”

The upshot? As Olga Kagarlitskaya, a Russian woman who was interviewed by The New York Times, puts it: “People didn’t know the objective situation.”

“If you don’t know the objective situation, you are not afraid.”

As a Russian reverend (quoting Dostoevsky) told The New York Times, “Man grows used to everything, the scoundrel!”This attitude has seen Russians, after a fierce two-month lockdown last spring, heading back to nightclubs, restaurants, theaters and bars even as “deaths from all causes” statistics (analysed by The New York Times) show Russia saw “a jump of 360,000 deaths above normal from last April through December.”

 

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People all over the world have taken to Twitter to express their concerns about this – and it is eerie how some of their remarks could apply almost as much to Australia’s Byron Bay or America’s rust belt as they do to Moscow (showing that, even though those communities have far less reason to distrust their governments regarding coronavirus, conspiratorial thinking is not limited to Russia).

 

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“Russia’s official stats vastly undercount Covid deaths. It produces risky behavior, conspiracy thinking and vaccine refusal,” journalist Trip Gabriel posted on Twitter on April the 11th.

Russia’s official stats vastly undercount Covid deaths. It produces risky behavior, conspiracy thinking and vaccine refusal. https://t.co/QfKTvABlmH

— Trip Gabriel (@tripgabriel) April 10, 2021

“If you assume the Putin regime is lying about everything, and things must be much worse than they say, they’ll call you hysterical and paranoid. But you’ll also nearly always be right. An outrage and a tragedy,” Chairman of the Human Rights Foundation and author Garry Kasparov wrote on Twitter, also on the 11th of April.

If you assume the Putin regime is lying about everything, and things must be much worse than they say, they’ll call you hysterical and paranoid. But you’ll also nearly always be right. An outrage and a tragedy. https://t.co/Aq3yLuP5Gi https://t.co/A52bRvl2ae

— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) April 10, 2021

Here is multiple threads including the insane CNN article stating Putin was doing a great job handling covid while anyone voicing the truth in Russia was being investigated and arrested. I wrote so many threads on this https://t.co/hTPnXvQ0Rf

— Olga Lautman (@OlgaNYC1211) April 11, 2021

Aleksei Raksha, an independent demographer in Moscow told The New York Times, “It’s hard to find a worse developed country” in terms of Covid mortality. He also highlighted that Russia “has seen so many traumas.”

“A people that has been through so much develops a very different relationship to death.”

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