MAXIM Australia

Hello Sophie, tell us about yourself and brief life story so far. For the first few years of my schooling life I lived in far North Queensland in a small rural town where I got heavily into netball, swimming and most importantly musical theatre. For my high school years my family and I moved to Townsville where I continued my passion for theatre and sports while trying to stay diligent to my study. After graduating I gained the opportunity to go to Newcastle University to study Diagnostic Radiography, all the while still playing sport and discovering new things like scuba diving, rock climbing, surfing, sky diving and working two seasons, in my uni break, at the snow and learning how to ski. What do you like to do in your spare time? I…

“We’re not just talking the talk, but we’re walking the walk. And I want to keep it that way.” Few car brands can rival BMW’s cultural cachet thanks to its iconic Art Car series. For more than 50 years, the German auto giant has sporadically tapped world famous artists to transform a real-life BMW vehicle into a one-off art piece. Artists who have taken part in the initiative read like a who’s who of the mid-20th century to early 21st century art world and include Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Frank Stella and Robert Rauschenberg as well as contemporary artists like David Hockney, Jeff Koons and Jenny Holzer. The most recent addition to the club was New York-based contemporary artist Julie Mehretu, who unveiled her take on the BMW M Hybrid V8 racecar…

We all know someone who can lift the entire weights room but can’t seem to get out of their own way. We also know someone who is lightning fast, yet a slight breeze could knock them over. But what is far less common is the annoying but devastatingly dominant mofo who possesses that rare combination of both strength and speed. And that is POWER by definition — equal parts strength and speed. In geek talk this equates to work/time. In Laymen’s terms, it’s simply the ability to move heavy loads quickly. The problem when training to be all powerful is that it often comes with a higher risk of injury — think Olympic Lifting gone bad. And whether you’re a weekend warrior or a seasoned athlete, injury is the enemy. Enter…

Welcome back, Katie. Tell us a bit about this latest photo shoot. We shot at Nellis Sand Dunes in Nevada, USA, but the vision was heavily inspired by my recent time in Dubai. I spent three weeks there and the landscape, luxury and energy of the city left such an impression on me. Sounds amazing. Yes, I wanted to channel that same opulence and mystique into this shoot – something that felt both untamed and extravagant. The golden dunes, the sun reflecting off the sand, the contrast between softness and power… it all came together perfectly to create a moment that feels straight out of a dream. Are there any funny anecdotes you can share about it? Let’s just say the desert had its own agenda that day. At one point, we kept getting interrupted…

Hawthorn had an easy win over Collingwood in the first week of the 2012 finals and then had a rest before the scare of its life against Adelaide when Taylor Walker put the Crows within a goal with a minute left on the clock. It held on though and went into the grand final as the favourite, only to be beaten by a more accurate Sydney Swans. Hawthorn held an 11-point lead when ex-Roo David Hale goaled at the 2m 21s mark of the final quarter, but that was the last major for Hawthorn. In that time, Sydney kicked four goals two to take the game away from Hawthorn who could muster only five behinds, most of which were gettable. The Hawks had thrown that one away and, a bit like…

For over 15 years, British label Orlebar Brown has been sartorial shorthand for elite resort wear. The brand was created in 2007 by photographer turned designer Adam Brown, who quickly set about elevating poolside fashion for men to new heights. To achieve his vision, Adam created a distinctive visual grammar for his brand that nods to a bygone era of gentlemanly swimwear while remaining thoroughly modern and functional. Orlebar’s piece de resistance remains their classic Bulldog shorts, or as they’re better known the original ‘shorts you can swim in’. Still, the label has evolved way beyond just swimwear and now takes guys from the cabana to cocktail hour in style. It’s no wonder Orlebar Brown pieces have been a staple in all three seasons of HBO’s White Lotus. The label, which has…