Journal

Aligned with the winter solstice, Matariki signals not just a new year, but a return to the cycle — a time to rest, reflect, and reconnect. Time, in te ao Māori [the Māori world], does not simply move in a straight line. It spirals, it returns, it remembers. 

To echo the values of Matariki — to gather, to connect, to nourish body and spirit — we have bundled together some offerings from our Sans Wahine to inspire just that: a return to rhythm, to intention, to whenua and whānau.

Named after Janus — the god of transitions and all beginnings, January is a time when our sun expresses optimal energy, but that doesn't mean we have to... Our January mood board is inspired by gentle acts that slow us down, in honour of Ruhi the summer star that rests on our earth. 

Our focus for January is to activate our senses with the sounds of Bollywood, the taste of homegrown tomatoes, and the aroma of natural beeswax. We navigate the practice of resolutions with a dollop of humility and humour. Because a fresh year demands bright rituals, but two-headed Janus will remind us to gather our momentum from opposing directions — a nod to both the future and the past.

The idea of wellness only becomes interesting when it is intersected with science, when the term starts to take on the shape of wholeness, and the body is treated as such. And any veteran health practitioner will agree that whole-body wellness begins in the gut. Hence our devotion to Sans Sustenance recipes, and our ongoing collaborations with Seasonal Prescription giveaways with [The Gut Co]. 

Since coming together with Pernille Jensen, naturopath and founder of [The Gut Co.], Sans [ceuticals] founder Lucy Vincent swears by her supplements, in particular, the [Repair Formula] and [Vegan Protein]. Two powerful powder-form blends that feed the body's deep systems, and nourish with only the essentials, on continuous rotation in Lucy's kitchen. 

Below, we speak with Pernille about her pantry's must-have staples, how she likes to incorporate a glass of wine, and achieving gut health for radiant skin.

A Détacher means to be detached, as in: to detach the label from the garment. A sentiment not only suggestive of the practicality of obtaining a piece of clothing and putting it to use, but also the values of the designer behind it who prefers for you to shop with intention and not buy things because of the label and its social association. 

Artist Ana Kras visited Mona at her home, just before A Détacher showed a finale collection at New York Fashion Week. The ending of this chapter stems from Mona’s personal desire to step back and focus on other creative projects. We feel lucky to have caught Mona in a moment of change, a time where she is allowing her intuition to guide her.

You might recognise Mekdela Maskal from our beautiful recent campaign imagery. But modelling is just one part of the wide-ranging work this intelligent and generous-spirited woman does.

A trained journalist, she has worked with Open Newsrooms to help local communities understand and participate in the news process more effectively, and is the Engagement Editor for Covering Climate Now, which works to increase and improve climate change journalism. One aspect of her work that drew our particular interest is in the little-understood realm of food justice – or food apartheid, as it’s increasingly being called.