1. Who are you?

My name is Dan Ahwa, and I'm an Auckland-based journalist working for The New Zealand Herald, specifically in my role as Creative Director and Fashion Director for Viva. I also contribute across our suite of magazines including Canvas and Reset and the wider Lifestyle Premium team covering the intersection of style, culture and luxury. I am also a stylist and brand consultant working with a diverse range of brands and companies.

2. What does the public know best about you?

Most likely through my work at Viva and my role as a champion for our local fashion industry.

3. Tell us about one of your greatest achievements?

My greatest achievement is really my joy which is to help mentor and foster emerging talent and creatives. In terms of professional achievements, I suppose one moment stands out and that was having the rare honour of styling former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern for her debut cover for British Vogue's September 2019 edition, photographed by the legendary late and great Peter Lindbergh. Jacinda wore a few pieces from London-based New Zealand designer Emilia Wickstead, and the issue was guest edited by the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle. It's a moment I will always remember. 

4. Are you a cotton, linen or something else person?

I'm very much a soft cotton person with a silk pillowcase.

5. Do you sleep in black or white or colour?

Always colour.

6. Describe your perfect bed?

My perfect bed is something custom and spans the breadth and width of a room. I'm not embarrassed to say, but Kourtney Kardashian's gargantuan bed is often something I think about. 

7. Does size matter, when it comes to beds?

The bigger the better. 

8. What is your must-have bedroom extravagance?

It's a Rain Rock Creek candle from Luke Edward-Halls' collection for Profumo Luchino from Faradays. A beautiful old-world scent that makes our bedroom smell indulgent. 

9. Tell us about the most memorable bedroom you’ve slept in.

A canopy style bed with beautiful Egyptian cotton at the Goldeneye Resort in Jamaica. Something about it felt very serene, with its own private terrace and outdoor shower. 

10. What’s your favourite bedroom story?

It's possibly sleeping in the Rhodes Suite at Otahuna Lodge in Christchurch. There's a Victorian fireplace and a private verandah; a sitting room, inglenook seating for reading. King Charles and Queen Camilla stayed in the exact same room when they visited, as Duke and Duchess of Cornwall, in 2019 and prior in 2012. I think it's funny to have slept in the same bed as them and to have even used the same bathroom.  

11. What’s your favourite bedtime story?

Anything by Brothers Grimm. I think my ultimate favourite is The Bremen Town Musicians which sparked a love of animals from an early age. Rumpelstiltskin used to always terrify and enamour me in equal measure. My grandmother used to always tell me stories of Samoan myths which I will forever treasure. 

12. Have you eaten spaghetti carbonara in bed? If not, what’s the best thing you’ve eaten in bed?

Not quite, but there's something about hotel room service cheeseburgers that taste much better in bed with a glass of bubbles. 

13. What present or past figure would you like to be serenaded or entertained by?

A live performance of Weyes Blood would be a dream come true

14. Watch, listen or read, what are you currently consuming in bed?

TikTok is like having cliff notes for the day in news, so I usually scroll through for my daily debrief and to also have a laugh. Keeps me young. I'm also listening to a great music podcast called Are We on Air?, a weekly interview series by Arman Naféei exploring the life’s soundtrack of global cultural figures and personalities within the fields of music, film, art, fashion, life and culture. My favourite to listen to so far is with designer Rick Owens, whose wry, LA sense of humour comes across really well; along with our own Zane Lowe, whose insightful conversation about life and the music that has helped shape it, is as diverse and interesting as the people he has interviewed over the years. Music is really important to the way I create and it’s comforting to finally find a podcast I can actually connect with. 

15. What are your relaxation night time rituals?

I usually have some tea with a drop of CBD oil or CBD honey, listen to some music and turn on our galaxy light. It's mesmerising to zone out to.

16. Have you ever made a hot water bottle cover? Do you make art in bed?

No. Bed really is a sacred space for sleeping, sex, and zoning out with snacks. 

17. Pillows; fluffy or flat, 1,2 or more?

I have a curved Ecosa pillow - just the one - which supports my neck perfectly. I have another which I like to have between my legs. I'm not a fan of big obnoxious pillows, they have to be sensible. 

18. Blankets or duvet, why?

Duvet with maybe an added blanket on top. Duvets are just so much easier to deal with. I'm not into flat sheets either, and I loathe how hotels fold all the blankets into the mattress. As soon as I get into bed, I kick them out so I don't feel like I'm being imprisoned in my sleep. 

19. Do you have cold feet when going to bed?

I usually have my socks on so my feet are toasty, then I kick them off after 20 minutes. 

20. Night owl or morning lark?

I am a morning lark for sure. As soon as I hit the sheets at night I can fall asleep at the drop of a hat. But I wake up most days around 5.30am to go to the gym. Dawn is my favourite time of day and is a time of day that I feel most connected to the world - both physical and spiritual.

Nighty night.