ISSUE 6 Spring 2015 ESCAPES with action BY TOM BARBER beach fitness & fashion essentials for your summer calendar Monaco Grand Prix // Wimbledon Royal Ascot // Festival of Speed THE WWW.ADOREUM.COM featuring Ben Cohen PAGE NEW STORE ALBANY 10-12 BURLINGTON GARDENS LONDON, W1S 3EY 10-12 Burlington Gardens, London, W1S 3EY 149 Sloane Street, London, SW1X 9BZ Tel: +44 (0)20 7493 8939 WWW.PICKETT.CO.UK EDITOR’S LETTER Up until my late twenties I played rugby for a Lon- don team. Nothing serious; a few chaps after a bit of ruck, some adrenalin and a beer, but we were on the league tables. What surprises many is that I was a prop forward and I get that now. Meeting with former England rugby player, man-mountain and new found philanthropist Ben Cohen, our latest cover star, served to illustrate the level of our team’s mediocrity and the distance that lies between amateur and professional. The two can’t really be compared anymore. It’s the difference between work and play. Sport has become increasingly accessible to the extent that it’s as much about lifestyle and health as it is about competition and winning. The ‘waif’ look is out, today it’s all about ‘fit’. As we have found via this edition of the magazine, sport is in growth mode. It’s immersed into nearly every fashion collection, new generation health clubs are opening on every corner and it’s practically impossible to holiday without being pushed into a pair of trainers or a tight-fitting-something. I look around our office and see that there are few people not touched by our new infactuation with sport. There are surfers, weightlifters, marathon runners and more. This is no fad. In line with Sport England’s ‘This Girl Can’ campaign, sport is for everybody. It’s a way of life. Brett Gregory-Peake, Editor. JONATHAN GLYNN-SMITH has HUGO CAMPBELL-DAVYS is AMANDA DAVIES is a British ANISH BHATT is founder of been shooting men and wom- the Founder of Urbanologie, the sports presenter on CNN Interna- Watch Anish; a social media en’s fashion for over 15 years. invitation only, curated lifestyle tional. She has worked on a range and digital media powerhouse He travels extensively finding guide, providing members with of live sporting events, such as the specialised in luxury lifestyle inspiration from wherever he personalised news, knowledge Cricket World Cup and US Open for and luxury watches, with over a goes, bringing a true narrative and information on what’s hip the BBC and CNN. Amanda pro- million followers, working with to the story. He has held exhibi- and happening in and around duced the Sky Sports News coverage brands such as Patek Phillipe, tons in London and Paris. London. of the 2006 World Cup, Berlin. Richard Mille and Hubolt. SOPHIE MATHEWS is a writer, TOM BARBER is the co-found- MICHAEL J CHRISTIAN lived FREDERIC DE NARP, CEO of fitness expert and brand and prod- er of multi award-winning and worked in Europe & Southern luxury leather retailer Bally, was uct consultant for action sports and Original Travel; a tour operator Africa before joining Chartwell Es- brought on in 2013 to lead the lifestyle brands. As an ex profes- based in London specialising tates in 2012, a private brokerage brand’s turnaround. Frederic sional kiteboarder and windsurfer, in luxury tailor-made holidays and advisory service for UHNWI has over 25 years of experience she now uses her experience to around the world. Tom is also and their families operating on the working with luxury brands break the divide between action the Travel Editor for Esquire discrete acquisition and disposal including Cartier, Harry Winston CONTRIBUTORS sports and mainstream industries. Magazine UK. of property-based assets. and Frederic De Narp. ADOREUM MAGAZINE | SPRING 2015 3 PROFESSIONAL SPORTING “CAREERS HAVE A SHELF LIFE; I COULDN’T CARRY ON UNTIL I WAS SIXTY FIVE, I HAD TO FIND MYSELF AND START AGAIN IN MANY WAYS.” On location at The Club at Café Royal, London. Ben Cohen is wearing black Fornham T-shirt, New Circuitmaster Jacket and Dalwood boots, all from Belstaff. Photography by Jonathan Glynn-Smith. Q&A with ben cohen In keeping with his performance as one of the highest point scorers in England’s rugby history, Mr Cohen has his sights on new and exciting horizons. We discuss his adrenalin pursuits post retirement, his foundation, Strictly and male grooming. YOUR UNCLE PLAYED FOOTBALL FOR more about having that sense of isolation understand that it can happen anywhere, ENGLAND IN THE SIDE THAT WON and space. I have journeyed through Amer- whether that is on the sports pitch, in the THE 1966 WORLD CUP, WAS SPORT ica on a bike, which allowed me to see playground or in the work place. DESTINED TO BE A PART OF YOUR places I had never seen before; the sense FUTURE? Not really. My whole family are of freedom you get on a bike is fantastic. YOU REACHED WEEK 8 ON STRICTLY very sporty and I think I was quite naïve COME DANCING 2013. DID YOU FEEL as to who my uncle was in sport and YOU HAVE TWIN DAUGHTERS; WILL YOUR TRAINING AS A RUGBY PLAYER what he had achieved. I suppose I grew YOU BE ENCOURAGING THEM TO PLAY HELPED OR HINDERED YOUR DANCING up around it therefore took what he had SPORT WHEN THEY ARE OLDER? My ABILITIES? I loved doing Strictly, it was accomplished for granted. I wasn’t very wife and I encourage them to do lots of fantastic and I would do it all again in a sporty and I was never really pushed into different things to find out what it is they heartbeat. Having a sporting background doing any. Rugby happened almost by enjoy, what they take to and what makes helped in that you have a strong work accident, making the numbers up in my them happy. Whether that hobby is a ethic and that dedication to improve and school team. As it turned out, I wasn’t sport or not, I don’t really mind. I wouldn’t succeed. The flipside to that is having bad at it. necessarily encourage them to pursue a a sporting background means I wasn’t professional sports career if they didn’t as comfortable with the performance WHAT IS YOUR MOST MEMORABLE want to, it is a great career but it is a funny element of the dancing, acting as dif- MATCH DURING YOUR RUGBY CAREER world and it isn’t for everyone. ferent characters or being in front of a AND WHY? Well, obviously the Rugby camera, whereas other contestants had World Cup Final in 2003 was a huge YOU ARE THE FOUNDER OF THE BEN that experience through their careers. match in my career and was the pinnacle COHEN STANDUP FOUNDATION. WHAT In sport, we are trained to be disciplined of what I wanted to achieve. However, INSPIRED YOU TO SET UP THIS ORGAN- which helped with the technique side, but there are other moments that were key to ISATION? The catalyst for me starting meant it was harder to lose my inhibi- my rugby career, including being selected The StandUp Foundation in 2011 was tions when it came to the performance. for the right team, winning another tro- what happened to my dad, who was phy or getting a professional contract. murdered while defending a colleague WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION BEHIND in 2000. I never really mourned my dad, LAUNCHING YOUR OWN GROOMING WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE ASPECT so setting up the foundation was a great RANGE WITH ELEGANT TOUCH AND OF BEING A PROFESSIONAL SPORTS- mourning process. I have always had a BOOTS? The male grooming market is MAN? The upsides definitely weigh out huge gay following and being a profes- on the cusp of booming and I felt it was the downsides of being a professional sional sportsman meant I had the position the right time to bring out this range. The sportsman; it’s great being able to do to be able to combat the issue of bullying. younger male generation have influenced a job that you love. I was very fortunate The foundation’s main aim is to bring the market as they like to put time and to be able to make the transition from about awareness of bullying and its long effort into their appearance; maintaining amateur to professional rugby and I will term effects on individuals. We also want their hair, their beards or their bodies. always be grateful for that. Being in a job to help support organisations already out Attitudes towards metro sexuality are where I was able to craft my skill contin- there doing effective and tangible work changing now and it’s becoming far more ually and become the best player I could against bullying, whether that is through accepted and actively encouraged. be was very rewarding. appearances, media or funding. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE SPORTING DID YOU FIND IT HARD TO ADJUST WHAT PROJECTS DOES THE STANDUP BRAND? Nike, I like the way their clothes AFTER YOU HAD RETIRED? Not particu- FOUNDATION HAVE ON THE HORIZON? look and feel. The StandUp Foundation larly. I was glad to get out of rugby when We have a dinner planned in May, all has worked with Nike in supporting the I did as I felt like it was the right time for about fundraising, which we are very ex- LGBT Sports Coalition; a collection of me to make that transition. I was getting cited about.