we love dan and dan loves...

Dan Ahwa is a young stylist who has been generating some buzz in the industry for a few years now. He styled the Jaeha, Salasai and Sera Lilly shows at New Zealand Fashion Week last month, and he also works as the fashion editor at Pulp magazine. Not bad for a 24-year-old. We like him for his talent, but also because he doesn't seem to take the whole fashion thing too seriously. Plus he has great taste. Dan tells us what he's into right now...

1. Carrying my stuff in Ecsotype Bags
I used these bags in Jaeha's show at ANZFW 2008 because I thought they looked cool, Sabine Pound from Ecsotype in Australia let me keep a couple. One style is called 'School' and is bisected leather duffel, and the other one is a classic threaded duffel bag. The leather is soft and they're comfortable to wear and carry all my gear around.


2. Flicking through album covers on my iPod Touch
I can’t get through the day without my iPod Touch. It organises my music and acts as a personal organiser as well as letting me surf the net and play games when I’m bored. The picture isn’t of actual my iPod, I don’t have any Macy Gray on mine...

3. Rama Rung Song on Jasmine Rice from Wok N Noodle
My flatmates Carmel and Simon got me hooked on this place. It’s the best noodle bar in Auckland (in my opinion) and their Chicken Rama Rung Song on jasmine rice is dope. The guy that takes my orders is a bit fresh, and I always imagine getting into a kung fu fight with him. His picture is on their website. 61 Normanby Road, Mt Eden

4. Menswear styling by Nicola Formichetti
I prefer styling menswear as it is a lot more interesting for me, and Nicola Formichetti always inspires me with his menswear direction. This guy is the fashion director at Dazed And Confused, Japan Vogue Hommes and contributes to Another Magazine, V magazine and Arena Homme Plus. He also does a lot of major campaigns for diffusion labels like Uniqlo, MCQ and D&G as well as styling runway shows for Gareth Pugh and Kim Jones. He does high-end meets street wear really well and his work is always impeccable.

5. Watching Wassup Rockers on DVD
This film is about a group of teenage Latino skateboarders who get up to mischief one day when they make a trip from the ghettos of south central L.A to Beverly Hills. It’s directed by Larry Clarke and includes cameos of Jeremy Scott and Janice Dickinson. Me and my mates like to quote lines from the film, with Mexican accents.

6. Reading Acne Paper
This Bi annual publication is from Sweden and I like it because it focuses on one theme per issue and explores it quite well, without the interruption of advertisements. Its printed on newspaper stock, and the articles/interviews are always a good read. The fashion shoots are pretty timeless too.

7. Holidaying in Samoa
I have some family here and I try make it over at least once or twice a year. The picture is from Lalomanu beach, which is a good 4-hour drive from Apia, the main city centre. I stayed in one of their beach huts for a week and it is the best place to unwind and get away from Auckland.

8. Drinking American Whiskey
I’m not sure where I developed my taste for American Whiskey, I think the first time I had it was when I was on holiday in Samoa and my cousin who owned a bar at the time gave me some Southern Comfort when I was 15. I prefer it to Scotch and like it straight up on the rocks. Jack Daniel’s is another favourite. My mates hassle me because it’s a bit of a grandpa drink, but I don’t care.

9. Reading The House That Crack Built by Clark Taylor
I read this book a few years ago when I was living in the U.K on a GAP year and I was helping out as a librarian at the school I was at. The story reads out like a nursery rhyme with a hip-hop beat, and the illustrations are cool too. It talks about the problem of illegal drugs from the people that harvest them to its victims.

10. Listening to my sister’s laugh
I have only one sibling, a 5-year-old sister called Simorina. I like her laugh because it sounds like a mix between Alvin from ‘The Chipmunks’ and Miss Piggy’s snort, sped up. She’s a good person to talk to when I need a break from fashion stuff, and always has the best advice.