An end of year message, and round up of nice things, from editor and co-founder Zoe Walker Ahwa
2024 felt like the end of an era. It helped that I turned 40 just as the year finished, a milestone that had me feeling more excitement than dread; I was so ready to move on to a new decade. The final year of my 30s coincided with the most chaotic year of my career straddling two industries (media and fashion) that felt like they were having separate but similar existential crises.
I also experienced some very personal things that helped put it all into perspective. I lost my job. I lost an early pregnancy. I almost lost a cat to illness. Humour, whānau and an appreciation for the absurdity of life helped me get through all of that (as did cutting off my hair and getting my first tattoo; tell me you're in crisis without telling me you're in crisis...). So, yes, my year in review is heavy on the whimsy and light on the heaviness.
Ensemble published so many fantastic things (and I read them all!) in 2024, so it was way too hard to narrow down to my 'favourites'. This is a small taste of my things that defined the year, and brought me joy. We're not sure where 2025 is going to take Ensemble, but I can't wait to share even more like this under our new indie ownership.
Girl, so confusing reviewed by 10 women, and Brat summer, but it's winter in Aotearoa
I think Ensemble has elements of brat...
The recycling, commuting and officecore shoots
These embody Ensemble's approach to fashion: based in reality rather than fantasy, fun and topical. Each took a mundane part of everyday life (taking out the bins, catching the bus) and made it hot.
Death to the 'catch up': Is modern life eroding friendship?
As someone who is guilty of going AWOL from texts/DMs/emails when I'm feeling overwhelmed, this piece by Harriet Morris spoke to me.
An afternoon with a copy of Vogue New Zealand
I was excited when Sam Brooks, whose writing I have long admired, pitched this as his first Ensemble story. It has everything I love: fashion, media, nostalgia, libraries, droll humour.
Kanoa Lloyd knows the reality of being a brown woman in the public eye
This feels like it was published a lifetime ago, not early 2024. It was a coup to have Kanoa Lloyd write this, following Golriz Ghahraman's resignation.
We have a button problem
An example of an offhand convo at our desks resulting in me saying, 'you should write about that' (Tyson's iconic BJ class story is another; sorry girl).
The Ensemble Love Line
We launched this advice column on Valentine's Day, with a number people can text or call; all of the questions are genuine and the answers, brilliant.
What is 'museum red'?
A nerdy deep-dive by Eda Tang that did surprisingly well, which made me love our intelligent and curious audience even more.
Wtf, Elle
A humdinger of an op-ed by Rebecca, who is at her best when fired up about something she cares about (toxic wellness culture, women's health, cancer, celebrity, all of the above).
The dump truck asses with dreamy tramp stamps
I love receiving stories from Constance McDonald, whose mind is truly unique. This was about those mantras on the back of Mainfreight trucks; the genius headline was by Lara Daly, our beloved former publishing coordinator.
What to do when your fave closes down
I wrote this in March, not knowing how relevant it would all still be months later when other icons announced that they too were closing.
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🥚 I adore comedian/writer/actor/whimsy king Julio Torres, so how lucky to have two new brilliant surrealist things from him in 2024. The series Fantasmas and film Problemista both left me with a huge smile on my face and a warm, fuzzy feeling inside.
🐇 Chappell Roan's Coachella weekend one performance was a revelation. The energy, the costumes, the vocals and the lofi background graphics quickly turned me into a superfan. It's criminal that the full set is not on YouTube!
🍾 I was 'sober curious' in 2024 so tried some pretty average alcohol-free wines and drinks. But Lyre's Classico Grande Sparkling and AF Drinks' sparkling wines were godsends when I was feeling left out when everyone else was reaching for champagne.
🍸 Like the rest of the world, I finally hopped on the Vanderpump Rules train (after being influenced by Rebecca). I'm fully committed and now up to season seven. Perfect reality TV.
📻 Charli xcx's Sympathy is a Knife was the best song of the year; Kacey Musgraves' Heart of the Woods was my most played; the Ethel Cain Sun Bleached Flies x Robyn Dancing on my Own mashup was the sleeper hit.
🗞️ The media was in chaos in 2024 and the industry loved covering its own tumult. And I loved reading about it. The year started as it went on with a bleak story from New York magazine following mass layoffs, headlined The Media Apocalypse. That was followed by another widely shared story with a dramatic headline, from the New Yorker: Is the Media Prepared for an Extinction-Level Event? Cool, cool, cool🫠
🍰 We've had Costco sheet cakes at a few Ensemble events and everyone has swooned over them, thinking it's home baking or by some hip new baker. Nope: it's $40 for a huge whipped cream iced sponge cake that serves 48.
🍳 I was gifted a Le Creuset non-stick frying pan and I'm not being dramatic when I say that it's changed my life.
👟 I fucked up my ankles so got into sneakers this year, and the best, most-worn pair were my green adidas SL72 OG. I bought these before they stupidly pulled their campaign with Bella Hadid.
🫦 I was worried the adaptation of Jilly Cooper's bonkbuster Rivals was going to suck, but it was fabulous. I'll be re-reading the book over the holidays.
😠 'A scornful interview with Act's arts spokesman who knows next to nothing about the arts': Steve Braunias at his absolute finest/meanest, for Newsroom.
😒 Insider Insider: inside the NZ Herald's insider empire: Toby Manhire at his absolute finest/most sardonic, for The Spinoff.
🍪 Which biscuit are you?Brand content that I shared and saved.
🪵 I saw Pauline Yearbury's incredible 60s/70s carved wooden works at the Biennale of Sydney; owning one of her pieces is a far-fetched dream because they're now going for eight times their predicted maximum at auction.
🎨 I also fell in love with the work of local painters Brunelle Dias (hyper-detailed paintings of intimate, domestic moments) and Briana Jamieson (soft focus pastel oil paintings of flowers and baking). I bid on the painting 2 Kats Looking Out to Sea by John Sturgess and was so bummed to miss out.
😻 Shop Cats was the best digital series of the year with a simple premise: each episode, host Alice Mia meets an NYC bodega cat.
🌴 Set in Palm Beach and featuring divine late 60s costumes, the series Palm Royale started out strong then went a little haywire towards the end. But I still loved it, and can't wait for season two.
📧 I subscribe to a few Substacks, but happily pay for Feed Me by Emily Sundberg. She brings both journalistic vigour and an insider gossipy vibe to the format.
🎀 I got my first tattoo (a small bow, matching with Rebecca, by Barby World) and the Aotea Kawakawa Balm was a lifesaver for treating it after.
🤳 Fellow terminally online types will know Terrence O’Connor as Charli xcx's BFF/photographer/content genius, and/or comedian Benny Drama's boyfriend. He's also very good at TikTok, and offered a BTS look into the entire brat rollout. He started doing weekly cultural digests, summing up pop culture and viral news; a highlight of the week.
🟩 Speaking of: the brat generator was simple, silly, old-school internet fun.
