1. Maya Angelou Writing

I found this on Substack today. posted it a couple of weeks ago. It’s a photo of May Angelou, laying on a bed, writing by hand, with a dictionary, a thesaurus, and a Bible beside her.

Lately, I’ve been hyper-focused on the concepts of intellect and wisdom as I’m working on a written theory about A.I., class, and humanity.

The gist is, to no surprise, we’re losing it. Humanity is losing intellect. Humanity is losing wisdom. And a friend of mine who is a photo journalist once told me that the breadcrumbs of today's problems were captured in the photos of yesterday.

At no point did I ever think I’d yearn for a time when it was commonplace to require and draw upon a dictionary or thesaurus in the way I feel like it was when this photo was taken.

It’s a photo that’s stayed with me.

2. Chishuru, London

I recently had the utmost pleasure of visiting Chishuru in London with my friends and when I say utmost, I cannot stress it enough.

Chishuru is a restaurant owned by Adejoké "Joké" Bakare. A self-taught, Black, Nigerian, woman chef who has gained the titled of the first Black woman to own a Michelin-starred restaurant; Chishuru. And boy, is that a very well earned Michelin star.

The culinary experience is unreal. The drinks, the set menu, the desserts, the hospitality!

I think about it often.

They do suya nights on selected days during the week and I’m quite literally yearning to go back.

3. This Phrase

“You tried to turn me into a clown so I made it into a circus.”

LOL.

I was walking through Shoreditch, London, this week and as I walked by I heard this woman shouting this phrase. I shouted “FACTS” as I walked by. Was she talking to me? No. But she turned around and said back to me, “EXACTLY”. We shared a laugh and I kept it moving. I am now obsessed with the phrase because it can mean so many things!

And yes, yes she was.

NB: The image used is an oil on canvas painting by Georges Rouault from 1912 titled ‘Clown’.

4. Old Navy Ad

In another life, I feel like I would have been an ad executive in marketing. I find so much joy in very well executed ads and I think if you’ve read enough of my Fifth Edits you’ll have noticed my appreciation for them.

So as you can imagine, the Old Navy ad that was released this week immediately shot to the top of my list of ads to research.

It’s just so much fun!

The cast was perfectionnnnnnnnn. Cardi B from an entertainment standpoint is almost always a good choice, but the influencers they cast? Not even just influencers, the perfect selection of influences was *chef’s kiss*.

5. Psalms 139

Have you read Psalm 139 before? Specifically verses 1 to 18?

I hadn’t read the whole chapter in full until this week.

I opened my Bible and there it was. Yup, just like in a movie, right before that big bellowing voice, that’s really just Morgan Freeman, says something profound.

All of that didn’t happen but the Bible passage really was just right there staring at me. So I read it. And it’s changed my life.

And I think it’s because, although there aren’t very many wise men in the world today unfortunately, I recently heard a true wise man say that a believer of God must learn two things before they learn anything else;

1 - God as love
2 - God as a father

And that once you learn those two things, you’re set to learn the rest. It immediately made me feel left out because all of a sudden I questioned if I knew those two things. Then I stumbled upon Psalm 139 and I immediately feel like I’m beginning to learn very quickly about these two things that I hadn't realised I understood so little.

It’s a really good chapter. I recommend the read.

See you next Sunday, T.

1. Frida Kahlo

I went to the Frida Kahlo exhibition at the Tate Modern in London this weekend and stared my ignorance in the face.

I knew Frida Kahlo was a big deal, but if I am being completely honest, I also thought she was a little overrated.

I knew of the unibrow. I knew of the flowers. I could recognise the image associations. The iconography. I thought I knew of Frida Kahlo. But I was deeply unfamiliar with Frida’s game.

What surprised me most was just how broad her work was. I had somehow boxed her into one aesthetic, when in reality her artistic practice was constantly evolving. The range genuinely stunned me.

Then there was her.

She did not strike me as someone who took nonsense from anybody. There was a fearlessness to her that jumps out of the work and all the varied statements she made in all the varied ways.

And then I realised something that embarrassed me even more.

For some reason, I had always placed Frida in the 1960s.

But to find out she’s a woman of the 1920s?! Mad.

A formidable woman. And one I now understand far better than I did walking in, which is why exhibitions remain one of my favourite ways to experience this life I have.

2. The AP Bamboo

Ok, a short but eerily satisfying story.

Last Thursday, I went to visit my favourite watch dealer in London. Great guy. We chatted a little business before he asked me what was currently sitting at the top of my watch wishlist.

I gave him my top three. One of them was the Audemars Piguet Bamboo.

But with where the market has pushed the price, I’d more or less accepted that it just was not worth it anymore. Plus he spoke of just how rare they are to come by these days.

Fast forward exactly one week.

Ring ring.

“Tobi, you’ll never guess what someone brought in to sell today.”

“It’s a Bamboo.”

Now, it still has to go off to the watchmaker before anything happens, but when I tell you I’ve been obsessed ever since...

I have looked at every photo. Every angle. Every tiny detail of this thing. The watchmakers of the 1980s really knew what they were doing.

The only thing that has bothered me about my search? I could not find a single photo of one on Black skin. Or skin of any other colour really. Which feels oddly strange, no?

So... does this mean I have to buy it now? Consider it market research?!

3. The BMW i7

BMW.

I have driven several of them. I’ve also spent enough time on British roads to know exactly how BMW drivers are perceived.

I get it now. Well... at least when it comes to the BMW i7.

I’ve been driving one around for the last week and I have fallen in love. Unexpectedly.

It is a big car, but never once has it felt cumbersome. Everything about it feels effortless. The ride. The steering. Even the door handles. Everything on and around this vehicle is the smoothest I’ve ever experienced on an electric vehicle.

And I’ve driven a fair few electric model. Tesla. Mercedes. Porsche. Mustang. Range Rover. MG (the worst ever, don’t bother with this one).

Nothing has felt quite like the i7.

The technology inside is ridiculous. The ambient lighting. The theatre screen that glides from the ceiling. One evening last week, a friend and I climbed into the back with some ice cream and just watched tv simply because... we could.

That is the kind of car the i7 is.

I also was not prepared for just how much attention it attracts. People stare. People ask questions. People want to know more about it.

It is unapologetically big. Slightly gaudy. Completely confident. And somehow, my self-proclaimed introverted self has not minded one bit.

So... is it completely ridiculous for me to buy such a big girl car? Because who was the one that said it’s for the boys?

4. Alek Wek’s Hands by Arseny Jabiev

A few months ago, I created a Pinterest folder simply titled “Great Images.”

It is one of the best things I have done in a long time. Quite often I’ll come across an image that completely captivates me, but I do not always have the words to explain why. I just know I want to come back to it. Again and again.

That folder has quietly become my brain’s visual diary. This week, I added another.

A photograph of Alek Wek’s hands, captured by Russian photographer Arseny Jabiev, who is now based in New York.

I still cannot fully explain why I am so enamoured by it.

Maybe it is the richness of her skin against the background. Maybe it is the choreography of the hands. Maybe it is the repetition of three frames.

I genuinely do not know.

What I do know is that I have looked at this image more times than I can count this week.

And that alone feels reason enough to share them with you.

5. It’s a Privilege to Feel Deeply

I came across an Instagram carousel this week that has stayed with me every single day since.

Specifically the third slide. It reads “It’s a privilege to feel deeply, because it means you were made in His image.”

And you know what? Absolutely.

Coincidentally, I’d been doing a lot of reflecting this week on a couple of relationships in my life. At the beginning of that reflection, I began beating myself up a little bit for feeling so much. Caring so much. Loving so deeply.

And that is such a crappy way to think. So to stumble across these words felt like the live and direct reminder I did not know I needed.

To feel deeply. To be a lover girl in every sense of the phrase. With my family. My friends. The people I choose to let into my life. That is not a flaw.

That is exactly what God ordained me to be.

Do things always work out? No. Is love always received in the way you hoped? Also no. Because sometimes all that is required is love people well and keep it pushing.

But I do not think I will ever feel bad for feeling deeply again.

I am just grateful that I can.

See you next Sunday, T.

1. Gérald Genta: Vibration of Color

From a horology standpoint, Gérald Genta hardly needs an introduction. He designed two of the most iconic watches ever made: the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and the Patek Philippe Nautilus. Those two silhouettes alone cemented his place in history. But this week reminded me that, although he was a phenomenal one, he was so much more than a watch designer.

For almost a week now, the HENI Gallery in London has been exhibiting Vibrations of Color, a collection of Genta’s paintings (if you’re reading this before 1 July, hurry!).

I stayed there for almost four hours. Because I was trying to understand the man as much as I was trying to understand his works.

Here was someone who could have comfortably lived inside the thing he was already revered for. Instead, he painted. Constantly and boldly. Without worrying whether it ‘fit’ his reputation or whether people would understand why he was indulging in that medium.

He simply made things.

I walked out thinking less about watches and art, and more about myself. There has been something I have wanted to build for the last couple of weeks. Something that feels slightly outside the lane people know me for. And for some reason, I have been hesitating.

Posthumously, we are still celebrating every way in which Gérald Genta chose to express himself. So in an afternoon where I thought I’d just go enjoy some art, a looming questions I’d been sitting on for a fortnight was answered for me.

Just build the beautiful thing.

3. NFL Behind the Scenes

In what feels like the age of the never ending conversations around AI and computer automation, even as someone deeply embedded in this industry, I becoming increasingly fascinated by human craft.

As we all should be.

The more technology promises to make things effortless, the more I find myself wanting to know how something was actually made. Who came up with the idea? What went wrong? What did it almost look like?

Which is exactly why I’ve been glued to the NFL’s behind the scenes series. I have a friend called Paula who works in the NFL and is phenomenal at what she does in PR. If this series is representative of the standard over there, it makes complete sense.

The videos feel like Netflix documentaries. The teams behind the Super Bowl walk you through the creative concepts, the production challenges, the decisions, and everything that happened before millions of us watched the final result for a few minutes on our screens.

I especially loved the one breaking down the creative behind Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance.

It reminded me that large organisations exist, at their best, to give brilliant individuals the resources to chase brilliant ideas, together.

That is the job.

Find people with imaginations that burn a little brighter than everyone else’s, give them the budget, trust them, and let them make the rest of us feel something.

3. Ralph Lauren's Spring 2027 Collection

A couple of years ago, I was in a Ralph Lauren store in New York when I overheard two guys saying the brand had “fallen off.”

I have thought about that conversation more than I probably should have. Mostly because I would love to know what those two think today.

To me, Ralph Lauren has always been the one brand that never dies. It never loses its identity.

Especially with Spring 2027. What a collection.

The tailoring. The colour palette. The confidence. It was unmistakably Ralph Lauren, but somehow still felt fresh. Just beautiful clothes made beautifully.

Have you seen it? Bloody outstanding.

4. The Patek Philippe Nautlis Lady Ref. 4700

It’s this specific reference configuration. I want one. Badlyyyyyyyyyyy.

5. New Ways for Old Thing

Every now and then, an image plants an idea in your head that has nothing to do with the image itself. That happened to me when I came across an Instagram post from @clemenceellery.

It was simply a collection of loose diamonds stored inside a pill case and the first thing that came to mind was “new ways for old things”.

There is nothing new about diamonds. Precious stones have existed since Adam & Eve were frolicking. But presenting them like that? I’d never seen it before. And I loved it. Because... why not?

It also made me realise something about myself.

Over the last few months I’ve slowly been finding my way back to a more joyful version of myself. A big part of that has been exercising my free will again. Following curiosities. Letting ideas breathe instead of asking whether they “make sense.”

I know it sounds like a stretch to say that a well art directed Instagram post about diamonds made me re-evaluate my life. But it kind of did.

It reminded me that so much of creativity is not inventing something entirely new. Sometimes it is simply taking something old, familiar, even ordinary, and presenting it differently.

The people in your life. The work you make.The hobbies you have. The way you tell your story.

Old things.

New ways.

I think there’s something really beautiful about that.

See you next Sunday, T.

1. Ralph Souffrant

Ralph Souffrant is one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever seen.

He has one of those faces you never forget.

I’d seen a social media video about him a couple of years ago but this week my algorithm fed me a video that was longer, and it led me down a rabbit hole of admiration for this young man. He’s special.

That’s all.

2. Bobo & Wild, Shoreditch

In the last few weeks, I’ve visited Bobo & Wild twice.

Two separate breakfast and lunch dates. Two different friends. Both of whom independently suggested the exact same place to meet. What are the odds?

What is even more interesting is that both conversations ended up being some of the most important I’ve had all year. The kind that require attention. Care. Grace. Patience. The kind where you genuinely listen to someone and, in return, feel genuinely heard.

I have always believed that setting matters. Sometimes as much as the conversation itself. Certain places create the conditions for honesty. For reflection. For connection.

Bobo & Wild feels like one of those places.

I’ve only been twice, but both experiences were exceptional. The menu is impressive. The food is even better. But what really stood out to me were the people. Of course the people I went with were special, but so were the staff, and the strangers we met, and the casual conversations that somehow find themselves between the bagels and açaí bowls. Everyone and everything was lovely.

I have never particularly wanted to live in East London. But if there was ever going to be a reason to move, it might just be the proximity to this place.

3. Pink Dials

Earlier this week I posted on Instagram that I have become a little obsessed with pink stone dials on watches lately. And by a little, I mean feral.

The problem was that my late night Chrono24 doom scrolling kept serving me Rolex after Rolex with pink stone dials, so I genuinely thought my options were relatively limited.

Then I posted about it on Instagram. Within hours, more than twenty people had sent me photos, references, screenshots, auction listings, and watches I had never seen before.

And suddenly my obsession grew wings.

What I think I love most is the contradiction of it all. A watch is, at its core, a functional object. A tool. Yet a pink stone dial somehow transforms it into something playful without sacrificing elegance. Serious without becoming boring.

It is an oxymoron on the wrist.

And the deeper I go, the more I realise there are far more examples than I initially thought. Which is both wonderful and terrible news for my bank account. Mostly wonderful.

4. The Music Is Black: A British Story

An impromptu trip to East London this weekend led me to The Music Is Black: A British Story at the V&A East. It was not my idea to go, which makes me even more grateful that it was suggested to me.

It was beyond incredible. In fact, I think it has become one of my favourite exhibitions I have visited in recent years.

What makes it so special is how personal it feels. Black British history is often overshadowed by that of our American cousins across the pond, particularly when conversations turn to music. But this exhibition is a powerful reminder of just how significant Blackness has been, and continues to be, to the story of Britain.

The experience itself is beautifully designed. You are given headphones on entry and, as you move through the exhibition, the audio changes as you navigate through the space. Different stories, different sounds, different moments in history. It is immersive in the truest sense of the word.

Although I was surrounded by people, I felt completely absorbed in my own world while somehow feeling connected to everyone around me at the same time.

Did you know Doug E. Fresh is British??? Oh the things I learned at this exhibition!

I left feeling proud, inspired, and far more informed than when I arrived. Please, please, please go and see it!

5.The New York Knicks

Nothing else to say!

(two separate New Yorkers that I love dearly have made me do this, I hope everyone is happy.)

See you next Sunday, T.

1. Zara Larsson Talking About J Hus

Sometimes I can be strangely oblivious to certain things. Not in a reckless way, I just genuinely do not pay attention to things that do not concern me or the world at large, significantly. Pop culture falls into that category more often than not.

So yes, I knew the name Zara Larsson. But did I actually know much about her? Not really. That changed slightly this week when I came across her speaking to Rolling Stone about something that does concern me: J Hus.

She described Did You See as one of the best songs ever made.

And I do not know why, but hearing this blonde haired, blue eyed Swedish woman speak so specifically and passionately about J Hus felt both surreal and deeply satisfying to me.

But what really got me is that she understood the song properly. The intention, the feeling, the significance the song holds within Black British culture.

It reminded me how much I loved Did You See in the first place. And now, naturally, it has been back in rotation all week.

2. Anok Yai for British Vogue, June 2026

At this point, British Vogue has been running laps around Vogue US for years. I think we all know that. But this June 2026 cover with Anok Yai? They really outdid themselves.

The immediate draw is the photography by Rafael Pavarotti. The saturation. The contrast between deep shadows and bursts of colour. Every image feels rich and cinematic. But what really completed it for me was the writing from Chioma Nnadi.

Without regurgitating it, because journalism deserves to actually be read and not reduced to Substack summaries, I loved how the feature lets us understand Anok from the perspective of the supermodel she genuinely is. Not just aesthetically, but personally. The inclusion of her parents added a level of intimacy that fashion features often miss. It felt warm. Human. And honestly, that kind of depth has been missing from fashion media for a very long time.

Phenomenal cover. Phenomenal feature.

British Vogue continues to give us something worth far more than its £3.99 price tag in my opinion.

3. Björk’s Venice Biennale DJ Set

I rarely experience jealousy.

But when your friends FaceTime you from Venice and the flipped camera reveals Björk DJing in Louise Trotter’s Bottega, topped off with the most outrageously good oversized red mohair and feather hat by Myah Hasbany… how could I not?

Björk performed a DJ set this week celebrating artist Ásta Fanney at the Venice Biennale, and honestly, kudos to whoever thought to book her for this.

Even through FaceTime, the set was incredible.

The atmosphere and the energy of it felt electric. Although, from what I could see, the crowd was not giving it nearly enough. A little too still for my liking.

Either way, Björk was spectacular. The outfit. The music. The vibes. Even the way the whole thing translated through the screen of my iPhone 15.

And honestly, there is also something really beautiful about having friends who know exactly when to FaceTime you because they know you would have loved being there. Priceless.

4. The 4 In The 5

Speaking of friends, these are some of my favourites.

Not my actual friends, but they have absolutely become the internet’s and I am obsessed.

Four gorgeous women living across the five boroughs of New York decided to make a TikTok and Instagram account documenting their lives with the Sex and the City theme song playing in the background?

Yeah, sign me up immediately. It is so genius in its simplicity.

And more importantly, it is fun. Which I think we are missing a little bit these days online. Everything feels so optimised, overly polished, or deeply self serious. Meanwhile these girls are just gorgeous, fabulous, driven, free, and outside.

And it works.

They have only been posting for a matter of weeks and already have hundreds of thousands of followers. Which honestly feels deserved. The internet can still recognise joy when it sees it.

I could not be happier for a bunch of strangers. I am truly a fan.

5. Audemars Piguet x Swatch

The biggest collaboration of all time? I think so.

Swatch teaming up with Audemars Piguet to release a line of more affordable watches has had the entire world talking. And I mean the world. Not just the internet. The internet simply documented and amplified the chaos.

I have been talking to people about this collaboration since Swatch started teasing it a couple of weeks ago because, referencing something I mentioned earlier in this edit, this is fun. Or at least it is supposed to be.

In isolation, AP and Swatch collaborating like this gives popular culture another thing to collectively obsess over. But beyond the hype, it is also just smart. Really smart.

This feels like a brilliant way for Audemars Piguet to introduce younger generations to the brand early. Today’s Swatch buyer could very easily become tomorrow’s AP retail client.

Things have become a bit of a circus over the last few days. The queues, the crowds, the security issues, the dramatics. But I am choosing to focus on the original intention behind it all. Excitement and curiosity.

And honestly? Good for them.

See you next Sunday, T.

1. Kehlani’s Album

Baby girl, come to the front and collect your Grammy. Again.

I do not think I have all the words for this, but I will try… Kehlani’s latest album is nothing short of spectacular. And I mean that very seriously. It feels like something we have not had in a long time. A return to that first version of mainstream R&B that defined the 2000s and early 2010s.

We have had great albums since then, of course. Leon Thomas, Robert Glasper, Ty Dolla $ign, have all given us bodies of work that come close. But it is not quite the same. This is.

And I am so glad she self titled it. It feels earned. It feels definitive. If this album alone was her legacy, she could genuinely close up shop and still be remembered as I think she’s intended to be.

Look at the features! Brandy, Usher, Lil Wayne, T-Pain, Missy Elliott, Lil Jon. And then layered with the newer generation like Cardi B and Big Sean. When last have we seen a lineup like that on one album?

But even beyond the features, the solo tracks hold their own. Completely. It is a no skips album. I am still in shock by it even though it’s been on constant repeat for the last week.

I mentioned Folded in a previous Fifth Edit when it was released, but I did not expect her to sustain that level genius across 17 tracks. The consistency. The rhythm. It feels like 2016 again. And I am calling it now. This is where summer starts.

I even bought the vinyl. I am so serious.

2. Emma Grede’s Book Roll Out

I do not think I have ever paid this much attention to a book rollout before. And yet, here we are.

I have not read the book. I have not even bought it yet. But the way Emma Grede has positioned herself over the last couple of weeks needs to be studied in thesis format.

In a time where book sales and general literacy are in decline, she has managed to make a book feel culturally relevant again. Not just something you read, but something that is heavily engaged with considering all the social conversation surrounding the concepts in the book.

The hosts she chose to speak with. The interviewers. The outfits. Even the venues for her dinners and conversations. Nothing felt ill considered. It was curated in a way that made you pay attention, even if you were not initially interested in the book itself. And that, to me, is the real achievement.

Because if this is what it takes to get people to care again, to be curious again, to actually pick up a book, then more people should be doing this.

She did a very, very good job.

3. This Chanel Fit

Matthieu Blazy sent his genius down the runway for Chanel’s Cruise 2026/27 collection this week and honestly… what do you expect me to say?

It’s fantastic.

But let’s get specific. Look 16.

A friend texted me, “this is a Tobi fit,” and I could not agree more. It feels like a future version of me already realised. Fully formed. Styled. Walking with intention.

What a look.

More broadly, Matthieu Blazy is doing something really special at Chanel. It feels fresh without being disruptive for the sake of it. This is what clothes should look like in 2026.

Which is exactly why Business of Fashion calling it the hottest brand of the year makes perfect sense.

4. Ayoade Bamgboye

I fall in absolute love with funny people. Making me laugh is like taking the M25 to my heart.

So imagine my week discovering the absolute joy that is Ayoade Bamgboye on the Off Menu podcast. A podcast I had never even heard of before this week.

In hindsight, I can now see that I have come across clips of Ayoade before. Little moments here and there. But I had never properly stopped to watch or listen.

That changed this week. I spent an hour with that episode and found myself consistently laughing. Proper laughing. The kind that catches you off guard.

She is a natural.

People who are inherently funny, without trying too hard, are my favourite kind of people. And honestly, I think that applies to most of us.

Because who does not want to be experiencing head back, stomach ache, laughter like that? Exactly.

5. Homes in Mexico (Casita MX)

I put this one last because I know it is going to send you down a rabbit hole.

Mexico City is sitting right at the tippity top of my travel hit-list and I cannot wait to go. But what I did not expect is how obsessed I would become with the homes there.

CDMX has some of the most incredible interiors I have ever seen. There is something about them that hits a very specific part of my brain. The part labelled “peak creative design.”

And that became very clear this week when I discovered Casita MX.

I have been home bound for the second half of this week and every time a friend has texted me asking what I am doing, the answer has been the same. I am on casitamx.com.

Hours. Gone. Completely lost in it.

The level of creativity. The restraint. The confidence in the design choices. It is all too good.

I had to share it with you.

See you next Sunday, T.

Another week, another Watches & Wonders.

Yes, the annual Watches & Wonders rolled around again this week and it was intense. Audemars Piguet returning after a six year hiatus, Cartier releasing a series of bank breaking timepieces, and just an all round very exciting week for the world of horology. I unfortunately could not make it to Geneva this year but this will be the last time I say that! I swear! Shoutout to Malaika, WristCheck, and Charity who kept me updated in real time with everything happening in watch world.

And since watches consumed my entire week, it only felt right to dedicate this week’s Fifth Edit to my top five from the fair. Now, a disclaimer; this is a very personal list. I base my preferences on what I personally enjoy and what I would realistically want to buy, not just technical complexity, rarity, or what the watch bros think is correct.

So I do not want to hear anything about why I did not include some 50mm Jacob & Co flying diamond spaceship.

Are we aligned? Great. Let’s proceed ☺️

1. Audemars Piguet Établisseurs Galets (ref. 75220BA.OO.7522BA.01)

If you know me, you know I am an Audemars Piguet girl to the coreeee. My first ever big girl watch was an AP and I have been loyal ever since.

I also have a great relationship with the team, which makes this one even more special. I had the pleasure of previewing a number of AP releases last year, including the Établisseurs Galets, and I am genuinely so proud of them for this. It is a truly unique masterpiece that a few decades from now my children are going to be in Japan looking for and calling a vintage classic.

People love to criticise AP for staying too close to the Royal Oak, but let’s be serious, between this, the Neo Frame re-release last year, and the releases of the Établisseurs Nomade and the Établisseurs Peacock at the same time at Watches & Wonders this year, none of the “big three” (Rolex, AP, Patek) are giving this level of variety. Call me biased, I don’t mind.

Everything about this watch has taken up permanent space in my brain, and rightfully so.

2. Rolex Oyster Perpetual Green Stone (Ref. 276208-0002)

The fact that this comes in a 28mm dial is exactly why it is here. Something for the girls? Too good.

I will be honest, Rolex felt a little underwhelming this year. Nothing felt particularly new or exciting. It was very… Rolex. Which I guess is the point. When you are number one and printing money the way they are, you are allowed to take your foot off the gas occasionally.

But this? This I really liked.

3. Patek Philippe 50th Anniversary Nautilus Desk Clock (ref. 9586-001)

I picked this purely because it made me pause.

A desk clock. Not a wristwatch.

Having already seen some alternative timepieces coming from AP, I assumed they would dominate this lane. I did not expect Patek to step in so quickly.

At the end of the day, it is still a Nautilus, so nothing radically new in design language. But I really like it as a desk object. And to no surprise of everyone, the boys love this regardless.

18K white gold. Limited to 100 pieces. Sunburst blue dial. Baguette-cut diamond hour markers, just under one carat in total.. To know me is to know that I like two things on my wrist: white gold and baguettes.

So yes, it had to make the list.

4. Grand Seiko ‘Mystic Waterfall’ 44GS Spring Drive (ref. SBGZ011)

This is a phenomenal watch. Arguably the best release from the entire fair.

Limited to 75 pieces, as it should be. Etched platinum case. Transparent caseback. Crocodile leather strap. Just ridiculous levels of detail.

Grand Seiko is basically asking for my first born child at this point. And yes, I know the fellas have their issues with quartz watches; “it’s too basic”. But they will need to get over it, especially here. Some incredible watches use quartz movements. Including this one.

Now, £75,000?

Grand Seiko said we are going to PAY for this watch. And honestly? Good for them.

5. Cartier Privé Crash Skeleton

I had to end here. Naturally.

This is the popular kid walking into class. Everyone already knows it is that good. The Crash is iconic and the skeleton dial only pushes that further.

I think the rarity is starting to annoy people a little, which makes it even funnier to me. Because I have yet to meet a watch person who does not love this design.

Cartier also deserves credit for the rollout. The way they broke down the components, the imagery, the storytelling around the watch itself. It felt generous. It let people really understand the craft some arguably the most coveted product piece in their catalogue.

It looks like most people will never own this watch, but we can all appreciate it. And sometimes, that is enough.

See you next Sunday, T.

1. The New Yorker: Sam Altman Investigation

Guys, I’ve been quite literally obsessed. And I really mean it this time.

First of all, did someone light a fire under New York this past week? Because everything coming out of the big apple is week is unreal. Especially with The New Yorker, the level of investigative journalism coming out of there had me stopping mid walk just to read. I could easily have three out of five entries this week dedicated to them alone. But let’s focus on the one that has the tech girls shaking.

The Sam Altman investigation.

I usually suggest you read, watch or listen to something every week. This time I’m not suggesting. I’m telling you.

If you are anywhere near the tech world, you know who he is. And if you have been paying even a little bit of attention, you know something has felt… off. Like something is constantly brewing just beneath the surface when it comes to Mr. Altman.

So enter Ronan Farrow and Andrew Marantz.

They did not just report. They went deep. Properly deep. The kind of work Gen Z call “boots on the ground journalism,” and for once that phrase actually feels accurate. The interviews. The access. The range of voices they pulled together. It all builds into one of the clearest pictures of Sam Altman I think the public has ever been given.

The article is wild.

And I am intentionally not telling you anything about it. Because this is not me recommending it. This is me insisting you go and read it.

If you do not have a New Yorker subscription, I will pay for the first ten people who ask me after this goes live.

Yes. It is that good.

And honestly? Is it too far to say Farrow and Marantz deserve a Pulitzer for this?

2. Daniel Caesar – Moon (Violence) featuring Jonathan Majors

People have a lot to say about Jonathan Majors.

Actually, people don’t say much at all anymore.

Since everything that happened with him publicly a couple of years ago, it has felt like the world quietly, but quickly, dropped him. But this is not an edit about that.

Because what is undeniable is the talent.

Jonathan Majors is a prodigious actor. And even if his work is not spoken about in the same way anymore, you cannot ignore it when you see it.

Which brings me to Moon (Violence).

A short film, I think. A piece of art, definitely. Created by Daniel Caesar and Jonathan Majors. Two artists who, in their own ways, have had complicated public relationships with their audiences.

I will not get into that either.

Because my only point here is this moved me.

It is not something that guides you neatly from start to finish. It does not explain itself. It sits with you and asks you to meet it halfway. To find your own meaning.

It feels more like spoken word than song. More like cinema than a music video.

Two artists coming together and making something that feels honest, unresolved, and deeply intentional.

Some of the best art I have seen all year.

3. The Michael Jackson Cast for ESSENCE Magazine

Am I the only one quietly excited about the new Michael Jackson film?

Because let’s be honest, we have seen this story before. Many times. Some of us lived through it in real time. So no, I am not expecting anything radically new from the narrative.

But I am loving what it is creating around it.

Specifically, this cast. And even more specifically, Colman Domingo, who I have the softest spot for.

ESSENCE did a full editorial on the cast and it is exactly what you would want it to be. Beautifully shot, intentional, and full of presence. The kind of imagery that reminds you how important good print work still is.

You also have Nia Long in the mix, which already elevates things.

Shot by Dalvin Adams, and honestly, it is just sensational.

Nothing more needs to be said.

4. The New York Times Investigation into Bitcoin’s Founder

This is exactly what I meant earlier when I said something has been going on in New York this week. In the best way.

The New York Times also dropped an investigative piece, alongside videos, digging into one of the biggest questions in modern tech. Who is behind Bitcoin?

Now, the creator of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto, is famously anonymous. That is the whole point. A decentralised system with no central figure. No face. No leader.

But… eek… I think they might have found him.

And I also think he might be doing a terrible job of denying it.

The person in question, Adam Back, ended up dialling into a podcast conversation with the NYT’s lead investigator John Carreyrou to address it. Which only added more fuel to the fire, if we are being honest.

This is another example of journalism that completely pulls you in. The kind that makes your brain spin a little. The research. The persistence. The access.

It is all so fascinating.

Again, I am not suggesting. I am telling you.

Go and read it. Go and watch it.

5. The Best Cartier Santos I’ve Ever Seen

I randomly came across this on Instagram from someone called William Reid.

A Cartier Santos. But not just any Santos.

Santos de Cartier.
I’m assuming 47.5mm.
Skeleton dial.
Chrome everywhere. Part of me wants it to be white gold but it’s likely steel or platinum.
Supposedly a limited, numbered release. As expected.

Outstanding horology.

That all.

See you next Sunday, T.

1. Kevin Sabo’s Work

Do you know who Kevin Sabo is? And have you seen his work? Or better yet, his utterly invaluable creations?

Because I had not. Until this week.

I came across him on Instagram, which remains, at times, the gift that keeps on giving. And I fell in love. Again, yet seriously.

What struck me immediately is that his work made me feel other things. Not just admire what was in front of me, but recall entire worlds. It felt like Love Jones (1997). It felt like Boomerang (1992). It felt like 80s and 90s Black America in a way that is hard to explain but impossible to ignore.

Yet Sabo is a Caucasian American man with a cheeky smile. Isn’t that trippy? Having so much talent you can drum up feeling in innocent bystanders some 4,000 miles away. There is something about his work that is boldly beautiful. Familiar yet unexpected. It carries a cultural sensitivity and emotional depth that just is.

Naturally, he has now joined the very long list of artists I am working hard to spend all my money on.

2. Fefe Naa Efe by Africa 70 and Fela Aníkúlápó Kuti

I love this song.

Fefe Naa Efe by Fela Aníkúlápó Kuti and Africa 70 has been on repeat a lot this week.

It took me right back to a very specific time. The nine months I spent at Vivian Fowler Memorial College for Girls, a story for another day. I remember my seniors singing it. Boldly. Strongly. With a kind of confidence that only makes sense in hindsight. But I had never actually sat down and listened to it properly.

Until this week.

I had a spare four hours, a spring clean to do, and put on a Fela playlist. And there it was.

The song starts off so charming and playful. Then it opens up. The references. The range. The way Fela pulls in different cultures and influences. For someone so proudly and unapologetically Nigerian, I had not realised how much he nodded to other African tribes and traditions within his music.

It caught me off guard in the best way.

3. Zendaya’s Fashion Press Run for The Drama

Across the red carpets, there was a through-line: something borrowed, something new, something old, something blue.

She wore a piece previously worn by Cate Blanchett. She balanced archival with fresh. She threaded colour and meaning through each look. It felt considered from start to finish.

This is what I love about fashion at this level. It is not just about wearing something beautiful. It is about intention. About layering meaning onto something that already works.

And of course, Law Roach is part of this. I have said it before and I will say it again. Those two are cosmic magic. And they prove it every single time.

4. Homecoming x Nike TN

I really like this one.

The Homecoming x Nike TN just feels right. The shoe itself is clean, but what I appreciate most is everything around it.

Huge nod to Grace Ladoja. First African woman to have a footwear collaboration with Nike. Very, very cool.

What I enjoyed is the intention. Not in an over serious way, just in a way where you can tell thought has gone into it. The creative direction, the rollout, the references. It all feels connected.

And the Nigerian influence? Done properly. Not over explained. Just there if you recognise it. Which, for me, is always the sweet spot.

It is a good shoe. But more than that, it is a really good moment.

5. The Song of Moses

This week is Holy Week. The Super Bowl for Christians, so it was game time for me.

It has been a beautiful week. One that has left me feeling deeply humbled and grateful as we moved toward Good Friday and now Resurrection Sunday. I am not a preacher, so I will not attempt to be one here. But I do want to share something.

Exodus 15, verses 1 to 19. The Song of Moses.

This is what Moses sang to the Israelites after they crossed the Red Sea. And I struggle to even describe how weighty those words are. I tend to read the NKJ or NLT versions. Every time I read it, I get goosebumps. It feels alive. It feels powerful. It feels like victory in its purest form.

And if you really want to feel it, listen to Dunsin Oyekan reading it in Who Is Like You – Live, around the thirteen minute mark. The way he delivers it. The conviction. The emotion. It quite literally brings me to tears.

I hope you read it.

And I hope it makes you feel something.

Happy Easter folks ❤️🐣

See you next Sunday, T.

1. Coinbase’s ‘Your Way Out’ Ad

Whoever is ultimately responsible for choosing the creative direction of ads at Coinbase needs to be studied. And paid accordingly. Because that person is worth more than their weight in gold.

I have spoken about Coinbase ads in previous Fifth Edits and I will continue to do so because they simply do not miss. I struggle to think of a modern company that consistently puts this level of creativity, and frankly budget, behind work that is this good.

This latest one, Your Way Out, was created in collaboration with Isle of Any and directed by Oscar Hudson. Two exceptional decisions. But the real magic is in the execution.

Because tell me why it looks like and is presented as CGI. It looks hyper digital. 100% artificial. Like it has been rendered to perfection. But it has not. It is real. Real people. Physical sets. Hand painted elements. Costumes that have been manually designed and built. A fully constructed world that only feels synthetic because it is that well art directed.

That level of craft is rare.

The whole concept leans into this idea of breaking out of a simulation. And instead of relying on heavy visual effects to communicate that, they did the opposite. They built the simulation by hand. Which somehow makes it feel even more unsettling, more believable, more immersive.

There is something deeply satisfying about watching work like this because it reinforces something I believe strongly. Human creativity, even now, is still and will forever be wildly expansive. Beyond what we think is possible. Beyond what we try to automate.

And this is coming from a crypto company.

Not a legacy fashion house. Not a historic film studio. Not one of the usual creative powerhouses we expect this from. Just a company making a decision to invest in craft, in direction, in artistry. Just very good, very intentional work.

2. LPM’s Sweetcorn Salad

For years, I have said that LPM sits comfortably in my top three restaurants of all time. And I stand ten toes on that.

But I have also been very honest about why. It is one thing. The sweetcorn salad.

It is so simple it almost feels offensive. You can see every ingredient on the plate and convince yourself you could recreate it at home. For the longest time, I tried and got close. Recently, I finally got it right.

Nailed it.

And now I am eating it almost every day with no plans of slowing down.

I posted a picture on Instagram and immediately realised I am not alone in this obsession. Which made me feel justified. And also generous. Because I am now going to share the recipe.

And before anyone asks, I have it on very good authority, that the original LMP chef has co-signed this and does not mind it being shared. Which is slightly insane.

Here it is:

• 1 tin of sweetcorn, rinsed and air fried at 150 degrees for 4 minutes (I use M&S 326g tin)

• 100g pomegranate seeds (I use M&S Pomegranate Rubies)

• 2 stalks of spring onion

• 2 tablespoons of yuzu juice (I use Yutaka Yuzu Citrus Seasoning)

• A small pinch of salt

• A small pinch of cracked black pepper

Mix it all together and thank me later. Simple. Perfect. Addictive.

3. Blake Fielder’s ‘We Need To Talk’ Interview

I want to approach this one gently.

Blake Fielder is, whether people like it or not, a part of British musical history by way of Amy Winehouse. For years, most of what we thought we knew about that history came through the lens of British tabloid media. And we all know how that goes.

This interview shifts something.

I will be honest. I was not the biggest listener of Amy Winehouse’s music. But I have always understood how important it is. How important she is. Her story is layered, complex, and deeply human. And for the first time in a long time, this interview feels like we are getting closer to a version of that story that is not distorted.

Blake is vulnerable here in a way that is difficult to watch at times. Honest in a way that most people, even now, would struggle to be with that level of public visibility. And that honesty changes the tone completely.

What stood out to me most was the compassion it invites. Not just for Amy, but for Blake too. For anyone who has struggled with substance abuse. For what that looks like when it exists within love, within friendship, within marriage. Under pressure. Under scrutiny.

It is moving. It is uncomfortable. It is sad. But it is also very human. And I think that is what makes it worth watching.

4. Sabrina Leder Allan’s Welcome Party ‘Afters’

My favourite beast is a bride with a creative eye and and an insane budget.

So let me introduce you to Sabrina Leder Allan.

She recently got married and, for her welcome party, commissioned her wedding planner to create a surprise after party for her guests. Read that again. An after party for the welcome party.

Do you see what I mean now?

The scenes were stunning. The art direction. The lighting. The tiny details that most people would overlook but that somehow pull everything together. It all felt considered. Intentional. Beautiful.

This is what happens when creativity is taken seriously in all elements of life.

People like Sabrina feel like the kind of people who got A stars at school any time a project required imagination. The brief could have been anything and somehow they would have turned it into something exceptional.

And this was exactly that. Not just a party. An experience.

5. Delroy Lindo’s NPR ‘Fresh Air’ Interview

I know. I have spoken about Sinners more times than I can count in these edits. And I will likely continue to do so for many years to come. So please, just hear me out one more time.

Delroy Lindo’s Fresh Air interview? Everything we needed.

What I loved most about it is how much it gives without feeling like it is giving too much. You learn about the film in an even deeper way. The characters. The choices. The cast as people, not just performers. It adds texture to something that already felt rich.

And then there is Delroy himself.

A reminder, in case anyone forgot, that beneath that unmistakable presence and now very American cadence, that is a man from Lewisham, London. You can feel it. In the way he speaks. In the rhythm. In the grounding.

There is something about conversations like this that feels archival. Not just promotional. Not fleeting. Something you will return to years later to understand the film, the moment, and the people behind it more fully.

And credit where it is due, the interviewer was excellent. The questions were thoughtful, precise, and gave Delroy the space to reflect properly. Not rushed. Not surface level. Exactly how these conversations should be handled.

This is the kind of interview that lives on.

Apologies this one is a little late. But better late than never, right? See you next Sunday, T.

1. Short Curls, Black Women

I think I go through phases with what I find deeply beautiful. Not that the beauty itself changes, just my focus does.

Right now, it’s hair.

But not just any hair. Short, curly hair on Black women.

Wow.

Women. Black women.

Over the last week I feel like I’ve seen some of the most beautiful Black women with the most incredible short curls and coils. It has genuinely made me itch to call my hairdresser to take shears to my own precious strands.

What I love most is the slow but steady appreciation for natural Black hair we’ve seen growing over the years. Alongside every other way Black women choose to wear their hair on any given day. Because if we’re being honest, it’s all brilliant.

But something about these short strands has put me in a trance this week. The shape. The texture. The confidence of it. And then some women go and dye it? Good Lord.

If I do end up cutting my hair, just know it was this particular moment in time that pushed me over the edge.

2. Sinners BTS Hair & Makeup Tests

This week I’m featuring something about Sinners again. But for good reason. Really good reason.

Earlier in the week, through the Instagram page of his production company Proximity Media, Ryan Coogler took us all back to film school. He posted a series of previously unseen videos from the cast’s hair and makeup tests.

If you haven’t seen them yet, I truly cannot explain how much you need to. Especially because I’m not going to explain what happens in them. But trust me when I say they are captivating.

They immediately reminded me of the video Coogler released shortly before Sinners came out last year, where he personally walked us through filmmaking, how the film was shot, and the technical decisions behind it. I genuinely believe that video single handedly helped propel Sinners into the upper echelon of one of the best films ever made in Hollywood.

And now he’s done it again.

One thing I love deeply about people is when someone is passionate about something and takes the time to share it. That kind of passion is contagious. It feels like magic.

Ryan Coogler is an exceptional filmmaker. Watching these behind the scenes videos made everything he explained before click into place. Seeing the characters come to life for the very first time in those tests was remarkable. And if that feeling can travel through a 6.1 inch OLED iPhone screen, I can only imagine what it must have been like to witness it in the room.

Never in my life have I wanted to be a filmmaker.

Until I experienced Ryan Coogler.

People like that are rare. And I hope moments like this continue to remind everyone why Sinners, and everybody behind it, deserve every Oscar that comes their way.

3. Hagen Espresso Bar

I do not usually like to share my ‘local’ go-to spots because social media, yes even Substack, has a way of spoiling good things. But some places are simply too good to keep to oneself.

Today, that place is Hagen in St John’s Wood.

I LOVE it here. The coffee is immaculate. The sweet treats are genuinely drool worthy. I am currently enduring a sugar free diet and even then they manage to have options I can nibble on without breaking my own rules. By the staff and people that I meet at the St John’s Wood branch are especially my favourite.

I have also been trying to slowly divest from the obvious major coffee chains in London and support places like this, and independant shops instead. I am irrationally proud of that effort.

If you ask me what is good here, the honest answer is everything.

But do me one favour; the next time London decides to bless us with double digit weather again, go to Hagen. Pick up your coffee of choice with someone you enjoy speaking to, walk through Regent’s Park, and take a moment to enjoy the simplicity of life.

4. The Chosen

I have been completely obsessed with the TV show The Chosen.

Late last year I was struggling with connecting to reading my Bible, and a good friend of mine suggested I watch it. The show is largely biblically aligned and does something quite special. It brings the scriptures to life in a way that feels more accessible than anything I’ve ever experienced in my 33 years.

It took me a while to actually start it, but the FBI agent clearly listening to my phone kept serving me ads for it across every platform imaginable, so eventually I gave in.

And boy, was I hooked from episode one.

Beyond the fact that it tells the story of Christ, it is simply very good television. Even if someone has never opened a Bible, the storytelling, the characters, and the production stand on their own.

But the real impact for me has been spiritual. Shoutout to my friend, because it pushed me right back into reading scripture with urgency. I found myself flipping through my leather bound Bible again, revisiting the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John with a level of attention I had never given them before.

I do have one small qualm. The actor playing Jesus is biblically inaccurate. But I will let that slide because the overall production is strong and the cast, especially the extras, is far more diverse than I expected.

5. Women

Today is International Women’s Day and I spent it exactly how I like to spend most meaningful days. With family.

Coincidentally to celebrate other things, we met in an overflowingly full house. Immediate family, extended family, some friends of the family, the whole affair. Naturally the conversations went everywhere. Dating. Celebrity culture. Food. Fashion. The usual debates that somehow only families can hold with both passion and laughter at the same time. Damn, I love my family.

But the one thing that unanimously went triple platinum was how incredible the women in our family are.

And really, how incredible women are. Full stop.

The last couple of years have been some of the most trying of my life. I am blessed to know some amazing men, that is true. But if I am being honest about who carried me through, who sat with me, who prayed with me, who refused to let me fold, it was the women.

My mother.
My sister.
My cousins.
A very small handful of extraordinary women I call friends but who are really just chosen family.

Men are cool. But women have an absolutely insane monopoly on my love.

International Women’s Day will never be enough. One day could never capture the scale of gratitude I feel for the women in my life. I cannot repay them for what they have given me. Women I have known for the last year. Women I have known my entire life. I just pray I get to know and love them for all the years I have left.

Happy International Women’s Day.

And before I go, a quick piece of trivia I love: Waterloo Bridge in London is often called “The Ladies’ Bridge.” Between 1939 and 1945, while men were off fighting World War II (that they started), it was largely constructed by women. Not only that, it is the only bridge in London completed on time and under budget.

I know that’s right.

See you next Sunday, T.

1. Solange for AnOther Magazine Spring/Summer 2026

Solange is my favourite kind of celebrity. We rarely hear her talk these days, but we see her in all her glory often. A woman of few words but immense impact, and her cover for AnOther Magazine Spring/Summer 2026, shot by Gabriel Moses, is a perfect example of that.

The images are poignant. I implore you to check them out and really take them in.

I love the hair in this shoot. Her signature curls, but in a platinum blonde that feels both unexpected and completely right. Perfectly captured by Gabriel, every frame feels like it was inevitable rather than staged.

But also, credit to Moses, man. This guy’s work rate is unparalleled. And for someone so young, so Black, so incredible, and from London? Can you get second hand proudness? Because I have it in abundance.

A few months ago, I saw that someone had done a shoot attempting to replicate his style. I don’t recall the details, but I do recall clearly the discourse on Twitter. People were quick to call it out and establish that you can use all the same tools and tricks you want, but if you’re not Gabriel Moses, it’s not a Gabriel Moses shoot. And I thought that was so powerful. Because that’s not just technique. That’s authorship.

I’ve studied these photos of Solange over the last couple of days and now I can’t imagine them looking any other way.

Black art done well.

2. Fadekemi Ogunsanya, a Finalist for the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize 2026

The Loewe Foundation is one of the very few foundation organisations that I have sincere respect for. Almost entirely because they consistently champion a genuinely diverse selection of artists. Not diversity as a gesture. Diversity as a standard.

I’ve really begun to notice how many institutions mishandle the consumer art experience by neglecting to make it representative enough. It hit me properly last month during Art Basel’s first edition in Doha, Qatar. It was easily the most diverse collection I’d seen put together by a major institution of its kind, and it recalibrated what I now expect from everyone else.

So yes, I got excited when the finalists for this year’s Craft Prize were announced this week. Particularly one.

Fadekemi Ogunsanya’s selected work is a hand-embroidered and beaded quilt created using Adire Eleko, a traditional Nigerian resist-dyeing technique historically used as a visual language for communication, symbolism, storytelling, and mythology.

What I find remarkable about this piece is that every single stage of its creation carries a lineage. Nothing is decorative for the sake of it. The lafun, the indigo pits, the Yoruba script, these are not aesthetic choices. They are inherited ones. And to see that level of cultural intelligence recognised on a global stage by a foundation that actually understands what it’s looking at? That matters.

3. Audemars Piguet Vintage Cobra

I visited the new Audemars Piguet House in London this week. Four floors of impeccable attention to detail and beautifully considered interior design. I could do a whole month of Fifth Edits on that visit alone.

But my biggest takeaway, as you can probably imagine, was a watch. Not just any watch. This watch. A variation I had never seen before. A vintage AP Cobra with diamonds, rubies, and all of my dreams sitting quietly behind the glass.

4. Brent Faiyaz’s Porche

Or at least I think it is.

Brent Faiyaz posted a carousel on Instagram this week that caught my attention faster than my thumb could double tap. And as much as I wanted to sit and stare at him, the Porsche 911 993 Speedster tugged at me because frankly it is almost as beautiful as he is.

I’m not entirely sure why it captivated me so much, but I’ve spoken about cars in at least a couple of other Fifth Edits, and my position hasn’t changed. I deeply appreciate vehicles that break away from the mass production assembly line; the black interiors and the limited factory default colours that we’re forced to selecting during showroom strolls where everything starts to blur into the same thing. This car rejects all of that. It’s sexy. It’s simple. And I want you all to see it.

Added bonus? In one of the images, Brent is sitting on the side of the Porsche wearing a gold Audemars Piguet Royal Oak with a rare turquoise stone dial. My #1 hit list kettle.

What more eye candy could a girl have asked for in a single post on Mark’s app?

5. From the BAFTAs to the NAACP Image Awards

I won’t dwell too long on this because the discourse has been extensive, but I do want to acknowledge it.

Last week at the BAFTAs, a racial slur was directed at Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo while they were on stage, by someone who has Tourette syndrome. I understand the nuance of the situation, and I have empathy for all involved. But two things can be true at once. It was involuntary, and it was still deeply painful. What frustrated me most was not the moment itself but what followed. The BBC were involved in way too many malicious shenanigans. They had every opportunity for this to not have been aired because they still managed to remove references to “Free Palestine” and other ticks from during the ceremony that night.

So when the NAACP Image Awards aired a week later, the timing felt almost poetic. This year’s theme was “We See You.” And they meant it.

Sinners swept. Jordan and Lindo were celebrated. Regina Hall opened the evening by recognising them as kings to a standing ovation. Quinta Brunson looked into the camera and said, “We see you. We’re behind you. Love you.”

This is why the NAACP Image Awards matter. Not as a consolation or a counterpoint, but as a space that has existed for fifty seven years to honour Black excellence on its own terms, in its own house, without apology. The BAFTAs reminded us how fragile inclusion can be when it’s grafted onto institutions that weren’t built with us in mind. The Image Awards reminded us what it looks like when it’s the foundation.

See you next Sunday, T.

1. My Father’s Shadow

This week I finally watched My Father’s Shadow. Twice.

I try very hard not to be dramatic. I come by it honestly, my mother is dramatic personified, so I work overtime to stay measured. But this film has quite literally changed me. Deeply. Profoundly. It is a masterpiece.

Wale Davies & Akinola Davies Jr have created something so important that even though I am sure they understand its weight, I do not think they will ever fully grasp it. That is not flattery. It is fact.

After the first screening, I called my mum. No spoilers. Just urgency in my voice. The kind that says, you need to see this. I then messaged Akinola Davies Jr himself to tell him that after months of press, interviews and anticipation, I finally understood the gravity of what he had been sitting on. He told me something simple. Everyone should see it, but most importantly, our parents.

We both share truly Nigerian parents.

So the second viewing of this week was with my mother and her twin sister. It was an entirely different experience. The film is set in a period from years ago, not only a time I didn’t live through, but a time I didn’t even know of. My mum sat beside me and quietly whispered, it was all real. She was there. And then for hours that evening she began to tell me stories from her own life that I had never heard before.

In that moment, the film stopped being distant art. It became a bridge. Between generations. Between memory and inheritance. Between the Nigeria I think I know and the Nigeria my parents experience.

I cannot stress enough how important this film is. It is not just cinema. It is documentation. It is conversation. It is healing in ways I did not expect.

I will watch it again and again and again. At least 2 more times next week I’m sure. It is the kind of film that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

If you have not seen My Father’s Shadow yet, please go. Take your parents if you can. And tell me everything you felt.

2. Kerry James Marshall’s Vignette

Back in January, I went to see the Kerry James Marshall exhibition at the Royal Academy with my favourite exhibition partner in crime. It has very easily become my favourite exhibition of the last few years.

Powerful does not even begin to cover it.

There are artists you admire. There are artists you respect. And then there are artists who rearrange something in your brain. Kerry James Marshall sits firmly in that last category for me.

But one work in particular lodged itself into my spirit: Vignette (Adam & Eve).

The scale. The tenderness. The technical precision. The way he renders black skin with such depth and sovereignty. It is one of those paintings that refuses to let you move on politely to the next wall. You stand there. You circle back. And you think about it days later.

The original sold for over one million dollars, which feels both astronomical and completely correct. And while I am not Jeff Bezos, I am also not above making serious enquiries when something will not leave my mind.

So I did.

After weeks of replaying the work in my head, I bit the bullet and made a proper enquiry into obtaining an official print (lol). Because if I cannot live with the original, I can at least live with its echo.

Now that I believe an official print will soon become something I can share with those that sit within my living spaces, I feel a strange sense of calm paired with excitement. Like I have made a decision that aligns with who I am becoming. There is something about choosing to live with art intentionally that feels grown. Deliberate.

Kerry James Marshall, you have secured a permanent place on my art Mount Rushmore. And soon, on my home wall.

3. Demna’s Gucci Jeans

This is trivial. Possibly a little obnoxious. But I am obsessed with these jeans from Demna’s Gucci 😅

At 1am this morning, my friends and I spent a very serious twenty minutes debating whether my wardrobe actually needs them. Not casually. Seriously. Full analysis. Cost per wear projections. Outfit mapping. The works.

The conclusion? Yes.

But I have to try them on first. Because denim either becomes a wardrobe staple or denim humbles you. There is no in between.

So we will see what this new week brings.

4. A$AP Rocky, Nas & Ray-Ban

The A$AP Rocky and Nas Ray-Ban ad made me smile this week. Not because it was revolutionary. Not because it needs a thesis written about it. It was just cool.

The clear nod to and mention of Belly in there was so smart from those behind making this ad a reality. If you know the film, especially that iconic blue toned opening scene, you catch it immediately. The lighting. The mood. The styling. It is subtle but intentional.

What I liked is that it did not feel heavy handed. It was not screaming nostalgia. It was more of a ‘of course’ reference. Rocky and Nas referencing a visual world that shaped so much of late 90’s black American culture, with a brand that has been culturally relevant for 90 decades, just makes sense. It feels earned. And Ray-Ban leaning into that aesthetic works surprisingly well.

It is not deep. It is not trying to be. It is just well executed and culturally aware. And I love when things are simply done well.

5. Ẹni tó dúró tini nígbà ìpọ́njú ni ọ̀rẹ́ òtítọ́

‘One who waits with someone during a difficult time is a true friend.’

This week I had a moment where I genuinely thought I was living inside my own version of The Truman Show. I was on the tube, minding my business, when I suddenly leaned forward, looked left and right, and almost checked the ceiling for cameras. That is how precisely timed it felt.

An aunty, by ethnicity alone, calm, softly spoken, and on the phone to someone I will never know, she whispers “ẹni tó dúró tini nígbà ìpọ́njú ni ọ̀rẹ́ òtítọ́”.

Yet, it felt like it was for me.

I had been thinking a lot about my friendships this week. The ones that anchor me. The ones I need to pour into more intentionally. The ones that might need mending. Just all of them. And when she said that Yorùbá adage, it landed as both instruction and reminder.

It was meant for me to expect that kind of presence from my friends. And it was meant for me to offer it just as fully.

It is a strange time in the world. Joy feels quieter in our conversations. Sorrow feels louder. And that shift has unsettled me. But maybe that is exactly when this proverb matters most.

A true friend is not just the one who celebrates with you. It is the one who waits with you. Who sits. Who does not rush your sadness or your confusion. Who stays.

From me to you, and you to your people too.

Whoever sticks with one through tough times is the true friend.

See you next Sunday, T.

taps the mic Is this thing still on?

Hello everyone. Happy New Year! It’s been a hot minute, but let me explain…

Every January for the last few years, I intentionally bow out of life as I know it and sat still. Mostly with God, but also with my own thoughts. My own desires. My own direction. It’s a reset that has very little to do with the internet and everything to do with clarity. And because of that, social media is always first on the chopping block.

Last year was my first January doing that while running this Substack, which meant Tobi’s Fifth Edit went quiet too. someone throws tomatoes

But I’m back! And this space is just as important to me today as it was on the very first day I published it. There are a few things from the last few weeks I should have covered. I’ll nod to them at the end of this week’s edit as a little bonus. A Directors Cut as you will.

For now, welcome back.

I’m really glad to be here and I’m glad you are too.

1. The ‘Sunflower’ Loewe Paseo XL

In 2025, I barely carried a handbag. I was in my hands free era. Just vibes and deep pockets. It was a phase. A suspiciously minimalist one.

That phase is now over. My neglected handbags whisper “Thank God” from their shelve.

So I’ve set a rule for myself: bar my summer and beach bags, if I do not carry any of my existing bags in H1 2026, it goes straight to eBay and into a new home. No sentimentality. No more hoarding. But if I am going to let something go, I must replace it with something new or vintage that I truly love. Not something practical. Not something sensible. Something that tilts my head.

Enter: the sunflower yellow Loewe Paseo XL.

Do you know when a bag puts you in a trance? Makes you squint at the screen. Pull your laptop closer. Double check the colour settings. Confirm that what you are seeing is, in fact, real? That was this bag.

I have loved the Paseo XL shape for a while. The softness. The slouch. The confidence of the size. But this colour? This shade of sunflower yellow is reckless in the best way. It feels like joy with structure.

Unfortunately, it currently lives behind a very aggressive “OUT OF STOCK” banner on Selfridges.com.

But I think about it often. And that, to me, is how you know it is serious.

2. Tasha Cobbs Leonard - Agnus Dei (album Hymms Live, 2022)

Context first: I believe, deeply and without hesitation, that Agnus Dei is the greatest song ever written and performed. I have argued this in wildly irrelevant settings and won. So if you would like to challenge that, just let me know.

January, for me, is intentionally quiet. I slow everything down. I unplug from noise and plug directly into gospel. It is less a preference and more a survival strategy.

Having grown up on Donnie McClurkin’s rendition, Agnus Dei has already been played in my life thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of times. But this year, Spotify Smart Shuffle did what it rarely does. It served me something sacred.

Tasha Cobbs Leonard’s live version from her 2022 album Hymns Live. Track 21 of 24. One minute and twenty five seconds long.

I almost missed it.

Her Agnus Dei is brief, but it is seismic. The riffs. The ad libs. The involuntary groans from the crowd. The way the choir swells and then dissolves. It feels less like a performance and more like a moment captured between heaven and earth.

To achieve that level of transcendence in under ninety seconds and still eclipse 99.9999999% of all music ever made?

Yes. I am confident in my argument.

And I am very grateful to be blasting it daily through my Bose headphones like my life depends on it.

3. Doha, Qatar

It had been a while since I travelled somewhere completely new. This week, I came back from Doha.

The initial reason? Art Basel’s first edition in the region. The real takeaway? The country itself.

What a place.

I owe my sister an apology because she has been telling me for years how incredible Qatar is. I assumed exaggeration. It was not. It was serenity.

Since returning, I have struggled to explain it properly. Doha is quiet without being empty. Calm without being dull. It feels considered. There is no frantic pace, no performative urgency. Just space.

Everywhere we went, the service was warm. The design was intentional. The architecture was bold without being chaotic. Even luxury there feels understated.

I came back slightly sad. Not because the trip was lacking, but because I still feel like I did not experience enough. I want to go back. Yesterday, ideally. I am already plotting the return.

There is a quote I once saw online that keeps circling my mind: “One thing I love about traveling is that it breaks the illusion that your current life is the only one possible.”

Doha did exactly that.

4. Gisèle Pelicot for British Vogue

Gisèle Pelicot is one of those names I will never forget.

When the story of what happened to her broke, followed by the trial, I felt two things at once. A desire to look away, because it was harrowing. And an equal desire for it to be seen by everyone, everywhere. Some stories demand witnesses.

Gisèle Pelicot is a woman of extraordinary courage.

To endure what she endured, and then to stand publicly, refusing anonymity, insisting that shame belongs to the perpetrators and not to her, is something that will be studied for years to come. Her name now represents more than a case. It represents refusal. Refusal to be silenced. Refusal to be hidden.

So when British Vogue put her on the cover, it felt right. Necessary, even.

The only disappointment? That it is digital only. Some covers deserve to be printed, framed, archived, left on coffee tables for decades. This was one of them.

But still, my heart is warm for her. Because this is a Vogue cover the world needed.

5. This Tweet – “Rock bottom is a trampoline.”

I do not know what it is about this tweet, but it has been a week and I still think about it multiple times a day.

“Rock bottom is a trampoline.”

It sits with me. Quietly. Persistently. Every time I revisit it, it lands differently. Some days it feels defiant. Other days it feels hopeful. On the tougher days, it feels like a reminder that the floor is not always the end. Sometimes it is tension building.

There is something so powerful about reframing what we are taught to fear. Rock bottom is meant to be final. Heavy. Immovable. But a trampoline? That implies momentum. It implies return. It implies that even the lowest point carries the potential for lift.

It is such a simple sentence, but it has been echoing in my head all week. So I am sharing it with you.

Maybe it will sit with you too.

X. Director’s Cut

The Audemars Piguet Skeleton Birds Watch. I genuinely do not have the vocabulary for this. The craftsmanship. The movement. The audacity of skeletonising something so intricate and still making it feel poetic. Just look at it. Please.

This Curry’s TikTok post. When a British corporation founded in the 1880’s decides to be witty and just a little bit petty on TikTok? I’m listening. It was sharp, self aware, and surprisingly playful. I giggled harder than I care to admit. Whoever is running that account deserves a bonus.

Jill Scott’s Colors Episode. A whole new generation discovering Jilly from Philly is doing something to my heart. Artists with true legacy still walk among us. Her voice is velvet and thunder all at once. If you needed a reminder of what musicianship sounds like, this is it.

Bad Bunny's Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show. This was profound. Not just sonically, but culturally and politically in a way that felt deliberate and necessary. There are essays online unpacking every layer and many of them do it better than I could. I just know it was beautiful to witness.

BlackBerry Movie. Over Christmas and New Year I cleared out a serious watch list, and this might have been the standout. Incredible performances. A story that feels almost absurd yet painfully real. I regret not watching it sooner. Easy 10/10.

Artworks by Danielle Mckinney. She has been on my radar for a while, but a recent deep dive changed everything. The work is far more layered and substantial than the handful of pieces most of us circulate. Quiet, intimate, and devastatingly powerful.

Fujifilm Instax Evo Mini Cinema. It is now undeniable that things used to be made better. Fujifilm knows this and leaned in. I recently had the opportunity to play with it for a couple of hours and fell in love. It feels nostalgic without being gimmicky. A beautiful piece of kit.

Nike’s Show Dem Football Campaign video. The African Cup of Nations is easily one of the most entertaining tournaments on earth. Nike reminded everyone of that and brought in the legend Jay Jay Okocha. Say less. This is how you honour legacy and culture in one breath.

See you next Sunday, T.

1. Small Boat.

I have to admit, last night at around 1am, deep in a TikTok scroll, I was influenced in a way I have not been influenced in a very long time.

A woman described reading this book in a single day, in a single sitting. She called it a “handbag book” because of how short yet moving it is. I thought to myself that I needed it, urgently. Then she described the premise; November 2021. An inflatable dinghy carrying migrants from France to the UK capsizes in the Channel. Twenty seven people die. How and why did it happen?

Small Boat is Vincent Delecroix’s fictional retelling of a very real event. One I remember vividly. One that dominated the news cycle, briefly, before being folded away into many of out collective memories.

So today, in a slightly unhinged state of determination, somewhere between church and running errands, I hunted it down. I found a Waterstones in North London, I called ahead and when I arrived they had a copy with a post-it note on it that read “Tobi with an I”.

It was a lovely small but heartwarming experience I didn’t expect whilst rushing through London, but what I also did not expect was to fall back in love with the bookshop itself.

I told a woman that worked there, embarrassingly, that I could not remember the last time I had been in a bookshop. Which is frankly shameful considering how much I read. But there I was. Running my fingers along spines. Searching alphabetically by surname. Losing time in a section arranged entirely by colour.

I went in for one book. I left with seven.

I am currently on page 62 of Small Boat. I paused reading to finish writing this. That is how invested I am.

Do yourself a favour. Go to a bookshop tomorrow.

2. Asake’s RedBull Symphonic

There is a man named Ahmed Ololade, globally known as Asake, and I genuinely believe he is one of the greatest things to come out of Nigeria. Not just recently. Not just musically. Full stop. One of the most important artists of my generation.

Red Bull clearly understands this too. Because on December 11, 2025, they hosted Asake as part of their Symphonic Live series. I heard about it from London, only a couple days before it happened in New York, and immediately felt that specific kind of regret that settles in your stomach when you already know you have missed something historic.

Asake’s catalogue was built for live instrumentation. The melodies. The rhythm. The Yoruba phrasing. The way his music carries spirit and movement. I knew instinctively that hearing it reimagined through an orchestra would be nothing short of transcendent.

Every clip I saw after confirmed it. The tweets. The shaky phone videos. The collective disbelief. Asake did not just perform. He delivered a fully realised moment. His music became something else entirely. Bigger. Deeper. Almost spiritual.

Then on Friday, the full recording was released.

And honestly? Everything I thought it was going to be, multiplied. This is not just a concert film. It is a cultural document. A piece of Yoruba legacy. Nigerian excellence captured with intention, scale, and care. The sound. The staging. The emotion. The audience. It is breathtaking.

I do not say this lightly. We may never see something like this again. It could have been held at the North Pole and if I had known in time, I would have found my way there.

If you have not watched it yet, go and do that now.

3. Nigerian Modernism at Tate Modern

Nigerian Modernism at Tate Modern is now open to the public. I have been twice already and I am fairly certain I will go at least twice more.

Before my first visit, I will admit I had reservations. Almost entirely because of the title. Nigeria, a colonised and manufactured nation, has a history so deep and layered that our modern understanding of it often feels very shallow by comparison to me. Because of that, I assumed the exhibition might lean too heavily on recent, surface level interpretations. Art that felt modern simply because it was easier to document.

I was wrong.

Within the first two minutes of stepping into the exhibition, I had to mentally repent for my assumptions. Nigerian Modernism is beautifully and thoughtfully curated. The work is rich, political, emotional, and deeply considered. It does not flatten history. It expands it.

One of my favourite aspects of the exhibition is its breadth. There is a deliberate and welcome focus on artists from tribes beyond the Yoruba. As much as the Yoruba people are large, loud, proud, and often centred, they are not all of Nigeria. This exhibition understands that. You feel it as you move through the space. It offers a fuller, more honest reflection of the country and the variation of its creative legacy.

I am genuinely grateful this exhibition exists in this way. And I strongly encourage you to visit. Then tell a friend to visit. And tell them to tell someone else too.

4. Kudu

I swear this will not become a food blog. I just have people in my life I really enjoy yapping and eating with, which is how I ended up becoming mildly obsessed with Kudu this week.

Another honest admission: I was sceptical at first. Mostly because of the narrative around the owners and how it is marketed. But recommendations from people I trust will always override my internal eye roll.

On two separate occasions, people I know and respect told me the same thing. They go to Kudu just for the bread. They book a table, sit at the chef’s counter, order three portions of bread and three different butters, ask for the bill, tip, and leave. I simply could not ignore that level of conviction.

So I went with a friend who entertains my eating habits. And yes, it lives up to the hype.

The steak on the first night of Mother Nature’s visit was transcendent. The potatoes were perfect. The prawns, the chicken, the entire menu honestly. Thoughtful, confident, and deeply satisfying even if it’s trying very hard.

I am going again next week. If you see me there, say hi.

5. When the Use Case Finally Clicks (Meta’s RayBan Glasses)

The Meta Ray Ban display glasses made it into my Fifth Edit a couple of months ago when the Meta team first announced them. I remember saying then how good I thought they were. And I still stand by that. They are, without question, one of the most impressive products Meta has ever created/owned. Hardware or software.

But the uncomfortable truth is that for a long time, I did not fully understand who they were actually for.

That question is the backbone of my professional life. At any given moment, I am surrounded by five to ten pieces of technology that work beautifully, are technically impressive, and make engineers very proud. But the real question is never how well it works. It is always who needs this and why.

That has been the lingering issue with the Ray Ban glasses. Phenomenal product. Questionable everyday necessity. At least, that is what I thought.

Then I saw this video this week where a woman bought a pair for her visually impaired husband for Christmas. And it shook my world.

Watching someone use technology not as a novelty, not as an accessory, but as a tool that fundamentally changes how they move through the world is deeply sobering. The glasses describe what is in front of him. They help him navigate social settings. They give him a level of independence he did not have before. Things that would normally require another person are now discretely handled by voice created by hundreds of thousands of lines of code.

This video has single handed reframed the product for me. And more importantly, it reframed the question I ask myself constantly as someone who builds technology.

Sometimes the use case is not about convenience. Sometimes it is about dignity, access, and quality of life. And when technology gets that right, everything else fades into the background.

This video did that. It reminded me that asking who this is for is not just a product question. It is a responsibility.

See you next Sunday, T.

1. Dave & Kano - Chapter 16 Video

Dave released the video for Chapter 16 this week and I know he did because he knows it’s all we really wanted to see.

Simplistic at first glance, but riddled with symbolism that would have my GCSE English Lit teacher and A Level sociology teachers somewhere beaming with pride. I caught so many layers, so many visual cues, so many choices that were clearly intentional. It made me think, properly think, in a way music videos rarely invite us to anymore.

I’ve always liked Dave, not necessarily because his sound aligns with my usual taste but because of how seriously he takes his craft. The discipline, the detail, the narrative precision. It has always been there. And you feel every ounce of that in this beautifully executed single shot video.

I appreciated this so much because the music video as an art form is dying a slow, painful death. We are very far from the era of Hype Williams and the golden age of iconic visuals. So when something like this appears, shot with purpose and stripped of gimmicks, it hits different.

Shoutout to the director, the elusive Harrison Adair, because this was masterful.

And my final sentence belongs entirely to Kano. Wow. The man that you are, K. A.

2. Lina Stores

Apparently I have been living under a rock because until this week I had never heard of Lina Stores. So everyone else seems to know that they do great pasta and even better vibes? Ok cool.

Anywayyyyyy…

I ended up at the Lina Stores Marylebone location for a very impromptu dinner with a friend I adore, and it turned into one of those rare, soul-shifting conversations you only get a handful of times a year. The kind that makes you forget what you ordered because the moment itself was that good.

And to be fair to Lina Stores, the food holds its own. It really is that good. The energy is warm, the staff are lovely, and everything coming out of that kitchen tastes like it was made by someone who cares.

I’m going back tomorrow because I want more of everything.

3. Morozova Kristina and the FOMO of Good Design

I stumbled across the Instagram profile of Russian spatial designer Morozova Kristina this week and immediately fell into a rabbit hole. Specifically a table setting she created back in September. She described it perfectly herself:

Cleanliness with details. Difficult location. Kilometres of fabric. The complexity of two day assembly. Measuring every centimetre in search of perfect lines. Minimalism that does not forgive mistakes.

She was not exaggerating. The precision, the restraint, the technical discipline behind the softness of the final visual is unreal.

There is something very specific about designers who can create a space that triggers genuine FOMO. Not the performative kind rooted in social signalling, but the kind that exists because something is so beautifully executed you can feel it. Because the work is worth being felt.

4. A Wedding Cake

This is random, but I came across this wedding cake on Instagram this week and it hasn’t left me. Technically, there’s nothing really special to it. Yet it’s incredibly special.

I don’t know, that’s just magic to me.

5. The Irish Online Safety Video

I have not been able to stop thinking about the Irish online safety video that dropped this week. I have watched it several times now and each time feels like a new punch to the chest, in the best and most necessary way. I have said for years that children do not belong on social media. Not in theory, not in practice, not in any watered down version of the digital world they are often forced into.

But this video articulated my point in a way I have never managed to without spiralling into the usual tech jargon. It is stark. It is uncomfortable. It is painfully accurate.

I saw a few headlines calling it terrifying. And sure, it is. But what is more terrifying is the reality it reflects. We have normalised a world where children are documented, tracked, exposed and fed into an attention economy they never asked to be part of. All under the guise of being cute or harmless or part of modern parenting.

This campaign cuts right through that delusion.

What makes it brilliant is that it doesn’t rely on data charts or long reports. It doesn’t need to. It shows you the truth in a way that makes you sit with it. It forces you to confront the fact that a child’s digital footprint is not a personality trait or a quirky online moment. It is a lifetime of privacy that someone else chooses on their behalf.

See you next Sunday, T.

1. Olubowale Victor Akintimehin aka Wale

I think I crowned Wale my favourite rapper about ten years ago, and I stand by that choice with my whole chest. He is well known yet shockingly undervalued in the music industry. So when he released his new album this week after a four year hiatus, I felt genuinely grateful. I am still making my way through it, but I am so happy this man has given us a new body of work to sit with.

What I love most about Wale is that he delivers foolproof, guaranteed, good music. I almost hesitate to limit him to the word rapper because although he does not tout production credits or instrument mastery that some people use as a shortcut for legitimacy, Wale has an ear that is unmatched. He glides between Hip Hop, R&B, Soul, Afrobeats, and whatever else he feels like, and he never misses. Sonically, he has never failed me.

But the reason he made my Fifth Edit this week is because people finally saw him the way I always have. I do not know the full origin story, but Twitter had an organic and very successful moment of giving Wale his flowers. Maybe it was the album rollout. Maybe nostalgia is having its quarterly resurgence. But that corner of Twitter I used to love collectively gushed about him. They spoke about the exact things I have always admired and so much more.

It was beautiful to see someone other than a drunk Jay Z show him love. And even better to see Wale receiving it in real time on my timeline.

My scandal free, double entendre savant.

2. The Virgin Mary by Greg Yuna

Over the last year I have fallen deep into my jewellery era. Not volume, but intention. Craftsmanship, longevity, and pieces that feel like they will live with me for decades. My saved folders on Instagram have been working overtime. But this Virgin Mary piece by Greg Yuna and his team, made for Nigel Sylvester, stopped me clean in my tracks.

This is not just jewellery. It is an art piece. The shapes of the stones, the colour choices, the arrangement, the balance, the sheer intricacy of it all. I genuinely cannot wrap my head around how this was put together. And that is the part I love most. When someone masters their craft so fully that the work feels both impossible and inevitable.

Greg Yuna has essentially created a new branch of mosaic chains and pendants with this piece. What really excites me is that it feels like a modern reimagining of the Jesus pieces that rappers made iconic in the 2000s and 2010s. This carries the same cultural weight but feels elevated, refined, and quietly powerful.

I love it so much that now I am rethinking what my next jewellery piece should be. Not that I am about to spend Greg Yuna money, but I know for a fact that basic jewellery is not going to cut it anymore.

3. Potato Chip Sugar Cookies

This one is wildly random but hear me out. I have never in my life seen an image of food that activated me the way these potato chip sugar cookies did when I stumbled across them on Alexis Dunlap’s Instagram this week. I am genuinely obsessed. How has this not been a thing already? Sweet, salty, crunchy, soft. The duality is insane. I can practically hear the bite. Give me fifteen of them right NOW.

4. Meghan Markle for Harpers Bazaar

This one even surprised me. I love a bit of royal mess as much as the next person but I would not call myself a Meghan Markle obsessive. Yet this Harpers Bazaar shoot made me double back. Five times! Specifically that nonchalant shot of her in the monochrome cream look. It is straight MONEY. I have never seen her look this good and it feels effortless. Pure ease, pure confidence. Kudos to the stylist, the photographer, the creative director on set. Everybody understood what needed to be done.

5. The She’s So Lucky Podcast with Beatrice Dixon

There is an awesome woman called Les Alfred who hosts a podcast called She’s So Lucky. She interviews other brilliant women and recently she sat down with Beatrice Dixon, the founder of Honey Pot. This episode is outstanding and I cannot recommend it enough.

Beatrice is someone I have known from afar for a while, but a single video snippet from this episode pulled me straight into her world. Afar was no longer an option. Now I will say, there are a couple of things she mentions that I do not personally agree with, but there are easily a hundred things I do, and that is the beauty of the conversation. She is honest, grounded, and wildly intelligent.

My favourite sound bite:
“I can’t just let money be the motivation. Honey Pot serves a lot of people. We make products that are very important in peoples lives. They’re very personal. When there’s such a beautiful symbiotic relationship, like the ones that we have with the humans that we serve, when making a decision about who you’re going to partner with, it wasn’t necessarily a decision of selling my soul, it would have been like selling Honey Pot’s soul. That can’t just be owned by anyone. Money is important it’s not that important.”

A woman who understands her purpose and protects it with intention. A must-listen.

See you next Sunday, T.

1. Apple’s New Opening Graphics Video

Apple dropped the behind-the-scenes footage of how they made their new intro graphics, and it’s one of the most beautiful love letters to manual craft I’ve seen in the last 3 years.

The entire thing was done by hand (glass, light, reflection, refraction) no CGI, no AI. Just precision, patience, and some of the most talented visual designers in the world. And in a time where everyone is shouting about automation, Apple essentially said the biggest “we’re good, thanks” to AI.

They’ve been getting a lot of criticism lately for being too quiet in the AI race, but people forget that this is the same company that built one of the most sophisticated ecosystems in the history of business. Craftsmanship, restraint, and longevity are part of their DNA. They don’t need to scream innovation, they simply show it.

The irony is that after watching the BTS, the intro video suddenly feels a thousand times more impressive. That’s the beauty of creativity, product, and art: when you see the hands behind it, it resonates differently.

So yes, put some respect on Apple’s name. They’re still the benchmark.

2. Abbas, 1993 — Women of the People’s Defense Force

This week I came across a series of photographs that stopped me completely. Taken by Abbas in 1993, they show women volunteers training for the People’s Defense Force in Khartoum, Sudan. The images are extraordinary.

They’re powerful in composition, yes, the light, the movement, the symmetry of discipline and defiance, but beyond the artistry, they carry the kind of historical depth that only photojournalism at its best can achieve.

It’s been thirty-two years since these images were taken, and I’m only just seeing them now. That, in itself, says something about how narrow the globally recognised artistic lens still is. We often recycle the same visual narratives from the same parts of the world, while works like these, profoundly human, beautifully composed, and culturally significant, remain hidden in archives or forgotten publications.

In a moment when Sudan is once again in crisis, these photographs take on new meaning. They remind us of resilience, of womanhood under pressure, and of the quiet heroism that often goes undocumented.

This is why our idea of art needs to be broader. Photography like this deserves to be studied not just as documentary record, but as fine art, because it holds beauty and truth in equal measure.

3. The White House, When It Had Taste

Someone who goes by @tinapunk on Threads posted a carousel titled “Let’s take a moment to remember when the White House had taste…” this week and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.

The images capture a level of cultural sophistication that feels rare today. Rooms that were warm but intelligent, political yet deeply human. It’s nostalgia, yes, but not the unhelpful kind that blinds you to progress. It’s the kind that reminds you that some moments in time were, quite literally, designed better.

My favourite image? Obama, seated beneath a Susan Rothenberg painting in the White House private residence, looking every bit like the man he knows he is. The composition alone, the colour, posture, light, feels cinematic.

We often now talk about nostalgia as indulgence, but sometimes it’s a form of gratitude. A way of remembering that beauty and power can coexist, and occasionally, did.

4. The Restrooms at Alba

I celebrated my birthday this week in several ways, although all planned last minute, hopping from place to place and having the unexpected great moments with people I love deeply. One of those stops was Alba in Knightsbridge. The food? Fine. The interiors? Stunning. But the bathrooms? Obsession-level.

I can’t explain it, but I went in there four times during dinner just to look again. The stonework, the symmetry, the sink layout are all perfection. I was so enamoured I forgot to take a proper picture, so you’ll have to settle for this accidental one.

If you ever find yourself at Alba, please go, and then tell me I’m not overreacting.

5. Zohran Mamdani

Zohran Mamdani becoming the mayor-elect of New York City this week has brought me indescribably joy. I don’t live in New York anymore (for now, at least), but I know for many of those I know that still do, this is a huge win.

One of my favourite adages is “when America sneezes, the rest of the world catches a cold.” I just hope this time, even if it’s only New York that let out a little hachewww, the ripple carries far.

See you next Sunday, T.

1. A Brutalist Beauty

If brutalism ever needed a poster child for timeless design, it would be Hotel Marcel in New Haven. A building that’s as unapologetically brutalist as it is quietly poetic.

Originally designed in 1970 by Marcel Breuer, the Bauhaus legend behind the Wassily Chair (the most popular piece of furniture in my home), it was first home to the Armstrong Rubber Company (and later Pirelli). For years it stood empty, it was a concrete monolith watching over the highway, until it was brilliantly reimagined into what is now Hotel Marcel, the first net-zero energy hotel in the U.S.

It’s the kind of place that reminds you why brutalism matters: honest materials, pure geometry, form without apology. Every line is deliberate, every shadow earned.

It’s one of those rare structures that proves good design doesn’t age — it just waits for the world to catch up.

2. GitHub’s Raspberry Pi Badges

This one’s tech specific so brace yourselves… GitHub hosted its annual developer conference this week, and their attendee badges were actual Raspberry Pi computers. Yes, full functioning mini computers worn around your neck.

It’s so nerdy. So wonderfully, unapologetically tech. And I love it.

It got me thinking about how brilliant that idea could be outside of tech. Imagine if design conferences had badges that doubled as tiny sketchpads. Or property conferences where your badge displayed live architecture renders. Or snack expos with badges that light up when you walk past something spicy.

The possibilities are endless, and honestly, I think the world needs to have a lot more fun with things like this.

3. Nike Shox Z

I need to check with you lot because I might be in too deep, but I’m currently obsessed with the new Nike Shox Z. It’s one of those releases where Nike runs the same silhouette into the ground with a hundred colourways, and somehow, every single one of them works.

The burgundy and pink, the silver and grey, the black and red… they’re all doing something special. I can’t even explain it properly, but the balance between nostalgic early-2000s energy and futuristic detailing feels spot on.

I’m in my interesting shoe era at the moment, a loud rebellion against years of minimalism and the fear of someone screaming and pointing “what are thooooosssssseeeeee” at me. And these definitely pass the vibe check.

What do you think? Are we loving them or am I just blinded by good design and a well-timed drop?

4. Tangent Lamp by Relvãokellermann

There’s something so satisfying about design that feels both mathematical and emotional. The Tangent Lamp by Relvãokellermann does exactly that.

It’s built from a single metal tube resting tangentially against a circular base, using geometry as both structure and poetry. No screws, no hidden tricks. Just balance and precision. The result is a lamp that feels impossibly simple yet deeply considered, the kind of object that changes the mood of a room without ever asking for attention.

It reminds me why I fall for industrial design over and over again; when form, logic, and restraint all quietly meet to make something beautiful.

5. Thee Joe Freshgoods

Every now and then, someone you’ve got to give credit where credit is due even for people who have been doing what they do best for a long time. In this case, it’s Joe Freshgoods (Joseph Robinson) for me.

This week, he opened his Community Goods Recreation Center pop-up as part of his ongoing collaboration with New Balance, and honestly, he continues to prove why he’s one of the best to ever do it. He’s a constant reminder of what this whole “culture” thing is really about.

The footwear itself? Outstanding. Some of the best designs New Balance has released in years. But what really sets Joe apart is his unwavering commitment to people. He builds experiences that feel grounded in community, not commerce, still satisfying both. The spaces he creates always feel like love letters to Chicago and to the kind of neighbourhood energy that shaped him, even when in Paris.

A lot of people in fashion and e-commerce are. Joe Freshgoods is the hype. Because he keeps showing us what integrity, intention, and influence look like when they coexist.

See you next Sunday, T.

1. First Thing’s First, Grace Wales Bonner.

This week’s announcement hit like a bolt: Grace Wales Bonner has been named Creative Director of Hermès menswear, with her first collection set for 2027. A Black British woman now leads one of luxury’s most sacred houses.

Hermès stock jumped following the announcement. Because whether it’s said quietly or not at all, hiring Black women has always been a wise decision.

This move isn’t just symbolic; it’s smart business and design integrity in action.

Wales Bonner, you’re a bona fide creator of one of the best independent fashion labels and now, a major-house legend. Even before your first collection has been seen. Women like me, everywhere in the world, are deeply proud of you.

The industry just got a little smarter because of you.

2. Every Single Thing Ernie Barnes Made

I had the pleasure of attending Art Basel Paris this week — though, let’s be honest, it’s always a pleasure. I went for a mix of work and leisure, but the entire thing ended up feeling like pure joy. Art Basel is a playground for me, but this time something truly life-defining happened.

I came across Ortuzar’s booth and immediately froze in front of a painting I’d never seen before yet somehow felt deeply familiar. I asked one of the gallerists, and that led to a conversation with Zack from Ortuzar that genuinely shifted something in me.

The piece was Street Song by Ernie Barnes; a $1.5 million work of art that appeared in the iconic TV series Good Times. I thought I knew Barnes’ work well, but that 30–40 minute conversation taught me otherwise. Zack told me stories, shared context, and layered history over what I thought I already knew. The same Ernie Barnes that Eddie Murphy once referenced in his Jimmy Kimmel interview, the same genius whose work anchored The Sugar Shack in Good Times and later Sinners.

Then Zack did something I’ll never forget, he handed me a book that technically doesn’t exist. The Ortuzar ‘catalogue’ of Earnie Barnes’ work that they have ‘handled’. Only three were ever made. Page after page, it was a world of Barnes’ work that I had never seen before. My jaw was on the floor the entire time. Then Zack said I could keep it.

Zack said something that stuck with me: even at $1.5 million, Ernie Barnes is still undervalued. He’s absolutely right. Barnes painted movement, rhythm, soul — and time.

Something magical happens when you fall in love with an artist’s work. It doesn’t leave you. It lingers for days, weeks, and if you’re lucky, for life.

I’m putting it on record now, owning an original Ernie Barnes is one of my top three life goals. And when I do, trust me, you’ll hear about it first here.

3. BMW x Art Basel

Keeping to the theme of Art Basel, I’d be remiss not to include BMW in this week’s Fifth Edit. BMW and Art Basel have partnered for years now, and I think it’s one of the best brand executions I’ve ever experienced.

If you weren’t aware, certain Art Basel ticket holders qualify for the BMW Experience. It’s essentially a luxury chauffeur service from the fair’s Grand Palais venue to anywhere in Paris. Yes, anywhere.

(FYI this service is actually available at every Art Basel around the world)

So, on one of my early days at Art Basel, I finished a meeting at the fair around 3 p.m. and decided I deserved a reward for my hard work: a trip to The Row in Paris’ 1st arrondissement (we’ll get to that in a minute). BMW assigned me a driver and one of their newest vehicles to whisk me through the city in absolute luxury.

I used the service a few more times during the fair, and honestly, it changed the experience completely. On my final ride — a smooth journey to Gare du Nord in a 2026 BMW i7 — I was handed a card from BMW. An exclusive invitation, valid anywhere in the world, offering a two-day loan of any BMW of my choice.

Let’s be clear: this is marketing. But my God, it’s good marketing. Because now I want a BMW i7. Or an i4. Or an i5. These are the cars that carried me around Paris, and it’s hard to forget an experience like that.

I’m sold. Well done, BMW.

4. The Row Finally Got Me

I want to preface this by saying that I fully agree with the ongoing theory that The Row is a social experiment.

With all due respect to the brand — and as a millennial who grew up with the Olsen twins as part of my cultural upbringing — I’ve never quite understood The Row or its cult-like following. But when I say that, I am not talking about their eel loafers.

I’ve been a sneakerhead my entire life, though loafers have made the occasional cameo over the years, and increasingly so recently. Last week, a friend and I made a pact to both buy The Row’s eel loafers, because no matter how much I try to ignore it, every single design decision on that shoe is perfect. Every single one.

So, there I was in Paris (again) and thought, let me just see them in person. And, of course, I’m told there’s one left in my size in the world, and I’ve got one hour to get to another boutique to grab them. At that point, it felt like divine intervention.

So yes, The Row, I may not fully “get” the brand, but whatever magic they conjured up in those loafers worked. I’m converted. And now, officially, obsessed.

As I type this I’m now thinking that maybe that’s the real genius of The Row? It doesn’t try to convince you. It lets you arrive at obsession on your own time? Or maybe it’s just consumerism *shrug*.

5. Little Baobab

This one’s short because I need you to understand me quickly and clearly:

If you’re in London, go to Little Baobab. NOW!

Order anything or everything off the menu and thank me later.

Actually, no, message me for my address so you can send me an order of the Chicken Dibi and the Chocolate Millet Cake with the Peanut Caramel Sauce.

That’s the only kind of thanks I need.

See you next Sunday, T.