GQ UK 02.2022

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CONTENTS

February

GQ World Behind the Scenes
With the People Who
50 Ways To Activate Your Wardrobe. . . . .. .. . . ... .. . .. 31
Make GQ
How Do You Make An Iconic Watch?
Put It On An Iconic Athlete. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Contributor

K AMARU USMAN Is The Most Dangerous Fighter
In The World. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Watches And Furniture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 OLIVER FRANKLIN-WALLIS
Watches Worthy Of A Leading Man. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Feature Writer
Cold World: Six Winter Olympians Profiled. . . . . . . . . 58
What You Can Learn From The Ageless Athlete. . . . 65 Franklin-Wallis is a freelance writer based in London and a
The Coolest Places To Disappear To This Year. . . . . . 93 lifelong Liverpool fan. For this February’s cover, he profiled
Mohamed Salah. “I was struck just how much he has reconfigured
Features his entire life around becoming the world’s best player,” says
Franklin-Wallis, “and after his performances this season,

it no longer feels like bias to call him that.”

Office Grails

←
TEO VAN DEN BROEKE

Style Director

“Dressing like a Hungarian shepherd has
never been more chic – or so I keep telling

myself and my delish Dunhill gilet.”

OFFICE GRAILS PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF THE INDIVIDUALS Cover Stories: →
MOHAMED SAL AH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 ANNIE JONES
STEPHEN CURRY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
SHOHEI OHTANI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132 Junior
Visuals Editor
Anti Heroes: The Rebels Of Global Sport. . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
“2022 is the year
Secrets Of The Deep: The World’s Best Diver. . . . . . . 152 to embrace leather
trousers. Versatility
Angels Of The Avalanche Age: Alpine Rescue. . . . . . 162 and warmth are key.”

Final Shot. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184 ←
ANGELO MITAKOS

Fashion Editor

“’80s racing gear, some red Kickers and a
Fred Perry x Loverboy tartan beret – it’s a
mishmash of vintage, new and nostalgia.”

On The Covers Photograph by Shaniqwa Photograph by
Jarvis. Styled by Eli Russell Linnetz.
Photograph by Fanny Mobolaji Dawodu. Styled by Jon Tietz.
Latour-Lambert. Boiler suit, £130, Levi’s. Vest, £750, Gucci.
Styled by Jon Tietz. Shirt, his own. Shoes, Trousers and socks from
Coat, price on request, £120, Birkenstock. ABC Signature Costume.
Gucci. Vintage tank top, Hat, £61, Belstaff. Shoes, his own, Asics.
Melet Mercantile. Watch, £5,900, Hublot. Hat, his own
Trousers, £375, by Winnie Bracelet, £11,300,
New York. Sneakers, £70, David Yurman
socks, £15, boots, £130,
all Adidas

FEBRUARY 2022 GQ 11

CONTENTS

February

For our cover story on Mohamed Salah, see page 110. STYLIST, JON TIETZ.

Jacket, £230, Adidas Originals by Wales Bonner. Turtleneck, £740, by Louis Vuitton Men’s.
Bandana, stylist’s own.

12 GQ FEBRUARY 2022 PHOTOGRAPH BY FANNY LATOUR-LAMBERT



CONTENTS

February

For our cover story on Stephen Curry, see page 122. STYLIST, MOBOLAJI DAWODU.
Jacket, £440, by Homme Plissé Issey Miyake. Sweater, £880, by Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello.

14 GQ FEBRUARY 2022 PHOTOGRAPH BY SHANIQWA JARVIS



CONTENTS

February

For our cover story on Shohei Ohtani, see page 132. STYLIST, JON TIETZ.
Jacket, price on request, by ERL. Turtleneck, £149, by Boss. Hat, his own.

16 GQ FEBRUARY 2022 PHOTOGRAPH BY ELI RUSSELL LINNETZ

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

And Now,
We Go Borderless

A T 5 A M , A L I T T L E O V E R 1 0 Y E A R S A G O , I woke up with Salah, and though the vibes and conversations, I think
jet-lagged after a 25-hour journey from Australia. trademark face-creasing smile his greatest contribution to
I ironed a shirt that I had tailored within an inch of was the same, the focus behind culture might have been his
its life. I added a slim silk tie, a steel tie bar, and the eyes felt more fiery than it borderless spirit: the belief that
trousers that, like the shirt, were way too tight. has before. (It kills me a little to our lives can be made up of a
I walked to Stockwell tube station and made my see grown men lovingly adding series of global connections,
way to Vogue House, to the same floor of the same #YNWA to a Saturday afternoon of ideas beamed back and
building where I’m writing this letter a decade later. IG story, but watching Mo forth around the world. It’s
rocket that second goal against a spirit worthy of this era.
I spent two weeks doing own backyard. No way: take me Watford last October kind of
work experience at British GQ. to some far-off place with some gave me the itch to post.) GQ – and fashion, really
I was asked to extend to a third stylish characters; show me – has always been about the
week, which I took as verifiable what the coolest, most louche Like his fellow cover stars, future; about what comes next.
proof that I didn’t totally suck. and imaginative humans on the the stupefying Japanese Right now, in every pocket of
planet are doing – let me peer baseball player Shohei Ohtani society and culture, you can feel
All these years later, it is a into the great, vibey unknown. and the paradigm-shifting NBA change. That’s a great thing.
wild and wonderful honour shooter Steph Curry, Salah feels When there’s new, you can
to take leadership of British That spirit is in large part like an icon for the global era feel fear or you can feel
GQ, and to be asked to succeed what this new era of British of GQ: a generational talent excitement. We choose
an unimpeachable era of GQ is all about. Over the who transcends geography. excitement. So, let’s begin.
greatness in storytelling, coming months, the team and
style, and influence. Everyone I will be tinkering with every Late last year, we lost a Adam Baidawi
knows what British luxury has aspect of what our brand does: towering designer, creator, and
been – and now my team and from web to social to video to collaborator in Virgil Abloh. DEPUTY GLOBAL EDITORIAL
I get the radical responsibility experiential to this glorious Even more than the design
of documenting a whole new print product, too. We want to codes and the collections, the DIRECTOR
British luxury; a whole new electrify it, democratise it, and
Britain. (I’m really happy to let it act as both a signal and
be wearing flowy Issey Miyake receiver to the wider world.
trousers while doing it. New
luxury = looser fits; something This issue, you’ll be
we can all get behind.) transported – lovingly
zigzagged – around planet
So, practicalities: the earth, all through the lens of
magazine you hold in your sport. And the itinerary? It’s
hands looks and reads very sick. I’ve read it half a dozen
differently. That is in great part times now, but Daniel Riley’s
because it’s a product of the report from the Bahamas on
vision and expertise of GQ’s the Russian freediver Alexey
editors around the world. In Molchanov still leaves me with
addition to the talented and a deep stillness. Elsewhere,
robust team here in London we’ve profiled the most prolific
with me, this issue was and provocative athletes of the
created alongside our peers upcoming Winter Olympics,
in Mumbai and Tokyo, Taipei including Gus Kenworthy,
and Madrid, Paris and Mexico the British-American skier.
City. In other words, this is a
GQ for the borderless era. And it would be foolish to
talk about global sport without
Growing up in Melbourne, talking about the man in
I spent a fortune buying Liverpool making a case for
imported copies of British GQ GOAT status. So, yes, you’ll also
at the newsstand, even though be taken into the heart of Anfield
the excellent Australian edition and the world of Mohamed
was readily available. Back then, Salah by Oli Franklin-Wallis.
I didn’t read it to learn about my This is my third time working

PHOTOGRAPH BY ELLIOT JAMES KENNEDY FEBRUARY 2022 GQ 19

LETTER FROM THE GLOBAL Photos from my
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR film archive of
good times
spent with Virgil
over the years,
including:
backstage at
Kanye concerts,
on set at GQ
shoots, and
partying with
positivity all
over the world.

Virgil nearly four years at Louis Vuitton, uplifting, confidence-inspiring inter-
Abloh’s clothes were never the main point. He action. In Virgil-speak, as I rose up
Magnificent was an ideas man. the ranks of GQ, I wasn’t doing a good
Ubiquity job as an emerging journalist, I was
One of Abloh’s pitch-perfect ideas “the Walter Cronkite of the streets.” A
Welcome to the first-ever global sports was to write “VIRGIL WAS HERE” mutual friend who recently started find-
issue of this magazine. Instead of waxing on fans’ sneakers. But the big- ing success in the art world became “our
about Mohamed Salah, Stephen Curry and ger accomplishment is that Virgil Larry Gagosian.” He really believed our
Shohei Ohtani, though, I want to use this was everywhere. creative community would take over
space to share about the loss of a titan in the world. (And under his leadership,
our world: Virgil Abloh. Virgil’s death on The concepts that Virgil birthed – we kinda have.) As hard as he worked
28 November 2021 precipitated an and valued more than the products and as much as he accomplished, Virgil
outpouring of new remembrances online that served as their vessels – came somehow always had a little extra gas
and off, but my favourite Virgil story has in an unstoppable multidisciplinary to pour in your tank. And he believed
been the same for years. It goes like this: torrent. As waves of young aspiring wholeheartedly in the potential of us all.
creative directors began imitating him,
Kanye West’s longtime publicist, Gabe Virgilness became ubiquitous across This might be controversial, but
Tesoriero, is escorting New York Times our culture and across the world. Virgil in my mind the thing that secretly
pop music critic Jon Caramanica was like one of the graffiti writers he made Virgil so inspiring to so many
backstage at Ye’s Governors Ball gig idolised, but on ultramodern global ste- is that, unlike Ye or, say, Rick Owens,
when the pair run into Virgil, who roids. He had invented a new and deeply he wasn’t necessarily destined to be a
was then still working as Ye’s creative radical way of tagging up the world. capital-A artist. He started as a guy-be-
right hand. The year is 2013. Ye is at hind-the-guy and had to out-work and
the height of his powers, arguably the Speaking of ubiquity, one thing I out-create everyone else to manifest
biggest artist in the world, and Virgil is admire about Virgil is that he gave his beautifully disruptive success – and
burning up the streets and the internet pretty much everyone in fashion, he pushed that idea of the hard-hus-
with the DJ collective turned brand, music, and design his personal mobile tling, multi-hyphenate creative to new
Been Trill, and his upstart streetwear phone number. As part of his open- heights. He single-handedly made
side hustle, Pyrex Vision. Backstage, source approach to the creative proj- being a creative into a fine-art form.
Caramanica tells Virgil that he copped ect of living an interesting life, he gave
some gear online but never received it. the same 10 digits not just to Drake, By the time he passed away at just
So, Caramanica jokes, what’s up with Marc Jacobs, and Bernard Arnault, 41, Virgil had shown clothing collec-
the order fulfilment? Abloh throws but to scores of random aspiring pho- tions on the runways of Louis Vuitton
his hands up in an enthusiastic and tographers and T-shirt designers. and artworks at the Gagosian. His
unapologetic shrug and exclaims, ideas had a touring museum show.
“We sell ideas!” We are living in the era of the smart- His memorial service was held at the
phone revolution, and I’d argue that Museum of Contemporary Art in his
History will likely remember Virgil Abloh is the iPhone’s definitive beloved Chicago.
Virgil as a fashion designer, but and most iconic user. Everything he
even after he’d built Off-White into accomplished came spinning out of He was born a creative. Made him-
a multimillion-dollar global fashion that phone. He used it to smash glass self into an artist. And died an icon.
business and put in a groundbreak- ceilings and as a portal through which Showing that you and I can create our
ing and wildly successful tenure of the young aspirants who worshipped own destinies, too. What could be a
him could watch the algorithms of his greater gift to the world than that?
processes work. His number is like
Jordan’s 23 but for modern creativity, Will Welch
and I think it should be retired in the
rafters of the Met. GLOBAL EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

The other thing Virgil gave to every-
one he encountered was a positive,

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Deputy Global Editorial Director

Adam Baidawi

ART DIRECTOR EDITORIAL OPERATIONS MANAGER STYLE DIRECTOR VISUALS DIRECTOR

Kevin Fay Emma King Teo van den Broeke Robin Key

Web & Social Fashion & Style

SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR ASSOCIATE DIGITAL EDITOR FASHION EDITOR STYLE EDITOR

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Design + Visuals

DESIGNER JUNIOR VISUALS EDITOR

Oliver Hazelwood Annie Jones

Production

DEPUTY GROUP PRODUCTION DIRECTOR ART PRODUCTION MANAGER

Aaron Callow Luke Kiley

Contributing Editors

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Nick Foulkes

Commerce

SENIOR COMMERCE EDITOR COMMERCE EDITOR ASSOCIATE COMMERCE WRITERS COMMERCE PICTURE EDITOR

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VIDEO PRODUCER Video

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C H I E F B U S I N ES S O F F I C E R , C U LT U R E Nick Sargent
E X E C U T I V E AS S I STA N T Tiana Ware

C O M M E RC I A L D I R E CTO R : WATC H ES Vikki Theo C O M M E RC I A L D I R ECTO R : M E D I A / E N T E RTA I N M E N T Silvia Weindling
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AC C O U N T D I R E CTO R : F I N A N C E Joe Teal AC C O U N T M A N AG E R : AU TO M OT I V E Nicholas French AC C O U N T M A N AG E R : WATC H ES Dawid Matkowski

BUSINESS MANAGER Ellen Garlick

E V E N TS D I R ECTO R Michelle Russell E V E N TS AC C O U N T E X EC U T I V E Charlie Jukes

U S AS S O C I AT E P U B L I S H E R Shannon Tolar Tchkotoua I TA L I A N O F F I C E MIA srl

DIRECTOR, CNX Helen Anglim HE AD OF CRE ATIVE MARKE TING STR ATEGY, CNX Anna Byrne
H E A D O F D ES I G N , C N X Dom Kelly H E A D O F P ROJ E CT M A N AG E M E N T , C N X Gareth Hogan

C L AS S I F I E D D I R ECTO R Shelagh Crofts C I RC U L AT I O N D I R ECTO R Richard Kingerlee S U BS C R I PT I O N S D I R ECTO R Patrick Foilleret
PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Sarah Jenson HE AD OF MARKE TING Ella Simpson

G RO U P P RO P E RT Y D I R ECTO R Fiona Forsyth P EO P L E D I R ECTO R Hazel McIntyre H E A D O F F I N A N C E Daisy Tam
C H I E F O P E R AT I N G O F F I C E R Sabine Vandenbroucke

MANAGING DIRECTOR, CONDÉ NAST EUROPE
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DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR, CONDÉ NAST EUROPE
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WAYS
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AYCOTUIVRATWEATRODROBE

High fashion has THE NEW
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influenced by Seven Strong (pictured
athletics, and here) and his Supreme-
lo-fi weekend sponsored compatriots
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trousers, £3,922).

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARTIN BROWN AND MITCH PAYNE FEBRUARY 2022 GQ 31
STYLED BY JON TIETZ AND ANGELO MITAKOS

GQ World COOL MULES BEANIE, BABY!
Drops No one does off-kilter Nicholas Daley is the
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and-cream sneakers. want to part ways with a Bottega Veneta
Crepe cleaning kits at enough cash for a used house special under
the ready! (£800). car (£1,360). designer Daniel Lee,
wear this striking
32 GQ FEBRUARY 2022 belt with care (£275).

PRECIOUS CARGO
Marrying the functional
appeal of classic cargo
pants with lashings of
luxe, Bianca Saunders
should be your new go-to
for separates with spirit
(£57).

WHERE WATCH LOCKED
MEETS WEAPON AND LOADED

The RM 65-01 is a game-changing timepiece that Introduced by creative director
comes with a split-second chronograph – the most Mark Weston in 2019, Dunhill’s
complicated automatic winding watch ever made signature crossbody bag has
by Richard Mille (£538,710). since been locked in as a modern
man’s It-bag for the ages (£1,250).

BEAST MODE,
ACTIVATED

Who says you can’t wear loafers with sportswear? These chunky new monkeys
from Prada, which come finished with lightweight rubber soles, will look as
good with your tracksuit as they will with your, well, suit suit (£770).

FEBRUARY 2022 GQ 33

GQ World BRIT SCHOOL
Drops
What do you get when you cross
one of this country’s brightest
young designers with one of its

luxiest leather brands? A really sexy
Mulberry X Ahluwalia bag,
that’s what (£1,195).

SLIDE IN, BATHTIME JUST
POST-GYM GOT BOUJIE

Slip your way into summer with Nothing says soaped up style like a Versace bathrobe with gilded sleeves.
these Pollock-inspired pool We repeat, niente (£375).
slides from Dolce & Gabbana,
the crown princes of high-key
holiday gear (£485).

34 GQ FEBRUARY 2022

LEATHER JERSEY REVERSIBLE SOUTHPAW FEATHERWEIGHT
If your taste in footy tops BELT BAG SHORTS CAP
veers toward the exotic, Eastpak continues Jab like Rocky Marciano At just 28g, this slick
Sacai’s take on a classic its run of killer high- in Dolce & Gabbana’s Janji running hat is
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perforated leather, is just linking up with MM6 boxing shorts (£875). But the best feature might
right for you (£815). Maison Margiela be the foam brim, which
for a line of reversible flips up for extra style
nylon belt bags (£100). points in the park (£28).

A COLLECTIBLE ADVANCED
COLLAB WINDBREAKER
Awake NY’s Angelo Ambush designer
Baque has been steadily Yoon Ahn rediscovered
turning out big successes the great outdoors
in collaboration with during Japan’s COVID-19
Asics, like this limited- lockdown, leading to the
edition Gel-Kayano development of Ambush
Trainer 21 that’s sure to Wksp, a line of street
sell out as soon as it drops style-ready technical
(price on request). nylon garments
(price on request).

RECYCLED BO-BANISHING SPEEDY SHADES
RUNNING SET SHIRTS Run, walk, and generally
Parisian label True Tracksmith’s style it out in Prada
Tribe’s athleticwear temperature-regulating, Linea Rossa’s
sets are made out of odour-impervious oversized nylon-fibre
ECONYL regenerated merino tops are wool wraparounds (£181).
nylon, which is created sweaters just made for
from plastic sea your daily run (£82).
waste and old fishing
nets (hoodie, £445;
shorts, £195).

STATUS SYMBOL CAMO PANTS SICK SNOWBOARD
YOGA BALL Last year’s The Fans of Burton’s
For its first foray into North Face x Gucci punk-ish apparel line
luxury gym equipment, collaboration became an Analog can now strap on
Dior partnered with the instant hit with style lords a snowboard as versatile
Dior of fitness systems: such as A$AP Rocky. and fun as the label’s
Italy’s Technogym, which This second instalment, Gore-Tex jackets and
kitted out the Tokyo which includes these trousers (£450).
Olympics with treadmills, landscape-patterned
weights and exercise trousers, is sure to land
balls (price on request). with an even bigger
splash (price on request).

LEBRON’S BUDS ENLIGHTENED TECHNICAL
Enter the gym like SALMON SHORTS BUCKET
you’re walking through Consider these laid-back Cult Canadian running
the NBA tunnel with terry sweat shorts by Alo brandCiele makes
the latest collaborative the chiller version of the hats – baseball, buckets,
Powerbeats Pro buds, brand’s yoga tights, which everything but berets –
courtesy of Beats and have become a uniform that are as breathable,
Better Gift Shop (Beats for the cool kids heading washable, and packable
x NBA x Better Gift to Barrecore (£56). as your favourite running
Shop, price on request). shorts (£50).

FEBRUARY 2022 GQ 35

GQ World
Drops

CONCEPTUAL TACTICAL TIGHTS CROPPED
CLOGS Get in early on the WINDBREAKER
Kiko Kostadinov’s next frontier of street Emporio Armani’s
bouncy, rubber-soled style – men in tights – athleticwear line, EA7,
clogs set a new standard in with A-Cold-Wall’s brings Mr Armani’s
fashionably ugly footwear functional, futuristic famous sense of
(price on request). leggings (price on proportion and drape
request). to your local Equinox
(price on request).
THE SMARTEST
WATCH GOLD MEDAL
The Garmin Venu 2 JOGGERS
Plus has all the biometric Like Timothée Chalamet,
capabilities of your the prince of trackies,
favourite running watch, these Isabel Marant
including a stress ones are casual, cool, and
tracker, plus the ability kind of French (£395).
to make phone calls and
switch on smart devices TOP TRAINERS
at home (£400). Brooks’s chunky silver
dad shoes might be
ROCKY SET A NEW GYM SCENT making a comeback,
Canada’s Reigning Most post-workout but don’t sleep on
Champ sweats are made deodorant smells the Launch 9, packed
with the same meticulous like the stuff sprayed with no-nonsense
detail you’d usually find in school changing performance for fast
in a finely tailored suit rooms; OffCourt’s, runners (Brooks
(hoodie, £185; tracksuit however, smell like Running, £110).
bottoms, £170). sophisticated colognes
(price on request). MAJOR SHORTS
HAUTE GYM BAG How do you make the
Even Saint Laurent’s CAMPFIRE most stylish gear
skinny-suited Parisian SHORTS for tennis, the most
club rats need to hit With breathable, quick- stylish sport? Jacques
the gym every so often drying fabric and a chill updates Wimbledon’s
(Saint Laurent abstract pattern, these classic all-white with
by Anthony Snow Peak shorts sleek gridded nylon
Vaccarello, £870). are designed for long fabric and nifty layered
walks, songs around the tights (£108).
campfire and days at the
beach (price on request). FABULOUS
FAN GEAR
This season, Phipps has
bedazzled vintage sports
jerseys – including one
from US basketball bad
boy Dennis Rodman – to
create one-of-a-kind
upcycled runway pieces
(price on request).

36 GQ FEBRUARY 2022

FROM DAD TO RAD

Whether you’re pounding the pavements of Penge or swishing between meetings in Mayfair,
these bold new fash Louis Vuitton dad trainers will have you looking the business (£860).

FEBRUARY 2022 GQ 37

BRITISH LEATHER GOODS

WWW.ETTINGER.CO.UK

REALISED THAT HOR- GQ World
Watches
I ological nomenclature
was getting out of hand How Do
when I was told that You Make
the primrose-dial Rolex an Iconic
Oyster Perpetual had a nickname. One Watch? Put It
of the hot quintet of candy-coloured on an Iconic
dial watches the Crown issued in Athlete
2020, it’s got a playful personality.
Yet I was unable to keep a straight Without Jean-Claude Killy, the
face when a collector friend told Rolex Dato-Compax would just
me that the yellow watch is called be reference 6236, says GQ watch
the Pikachu. columnist Nick Foulkes.
Rolex is particularly rich in infor-
RAFAEL NADAL: SHAUN BOT TERILL. PAUL NEWMAN: RON GALELLA/RON GALELLA COLLECTION. NINA RINDT: LEONARD BURT/CENTRAL PRESS. ALL: GET TY IMAGES. mal shorthand, bestowed by fans and or the Beckham, despite their pen- to Formula 1 racing champion Jochen From top:
collectors. There’s an entire extended chant for certain Rolex, and, in the Rindt, who tragically died at Monza in Paul Newman,
universe of cartoon characters in the case of Beckham, Tudor, watches. 1970. Rindt, arguably the most glamor- Nina Rindt,
brand’s ranks: Smurf, Kermit, Hulk, Paradoxically, the answer might well ous woman in Grand Prix at the time, and Rafael
Batman, and Batgirl. There are soft be that sport is such an expected part was often photographed wearing a Nadal wearing
drinks: Coke, Pepsi, and root beer. Even of horological marketing these days. Panda-Dial Universal Genève Compax their signature
cigarettes: The John Player Special Killy was a Rolex ambassador well that her husband had given her. It’s watches.
refers to a black-and-gold Daytona. before the age of Instagram ad cam- not as catchy as Pikachu, but the Nina
And, most famously, there are the paigns, after all. Rindt moniker stuck, and today you
film stars like Paul Newman, Steve can thank her for raising the value
McQueen, and Marlon Brando, whose Today, for a sports personality to of these handsome Universals to the
names have come to be associated with become firmly rooted in horological level of trophy chronos made by the
Rolex models that now fetch astronom- culture, it takes not just athletic excel- likes of Rolex and Omega. So to all the
ical prices at auction. lence and longevity but actual close glamorous F1, NBA, and football stars
But for a brand predominantly involvement with the brand. Richard – and their wives – reading this: get
Mille scored a bull’s-eye with Rafael yourself a sporty timepiece and wear
associated with sports watches, there Nadal by developing a tourbillon it until your name sticks. Maybe that
is just one sporting name linked with weighing 30g that the champion can way the next watch we lust after won’t
a particular Rolex: the Killy, which wear on court during Grand Slams. be called the Diet Dr. Pepper – or the
refers to the Rolex Dato-Compax Given that Mille watches are not named Papa Smurf.
chronograph worn by French Alpine but known by serial numbers (this is
ski champion Jean-Claude Killy. (The the RM 027-04), it is much easier to
skier himself preferred a reference remember it by Nadal’s name. And it
6236, but the name has stuck to the has certainly stuck: There is also a piece
whole family of Dato-Compax time- called the Baby Nadal, which is, ironi-
pieces.) The Killy, especially the 6236, cally, somewhat larger than its parent
is a great watch: its 36mm case houses model.
an antimagnetic 12-hour chronograph
and a triple calendar, and as a congen- Timepieces made by Richard Mille
ital contrarian I would argue that it is are perfect for the modern sports star:
far more chic than the Paul Newman readily identifiable, hard to come by,
chronograph. Nevertheless, the expensive, and exuberantly contem-
Paul Newman is much more famous porary in styling. Audemars Piguet’s
(and expensive). pumped up Royal Oak Offshore model
enjoys similar standing among elite
Sports personalities are among athletes. The names Shaquille O’Neal,
the most frequently employed brand LeBron James, Rubens Barrichello,
ambassadors, so why are their names and Juan Pablo Montoya have been
not more widely bandied about in auc- given to specific Offshores, anchor-
tion catalogues and the like? There is ing them firmly in the collectors’
no single model known to collectors mind and setting them aside from the
as the Federer, the Sir Jackie Stewart, tsunami of limited, numbered, and
otherwise special editions that the
Le Brassus brand puts out each year.

But my favourite watch of all these
is not actually named after an athlete
at all but after his widow. Finnish-
born model Nina Rindt was married

FEBRUARY 2022 GQ 39

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GQ World
FRausbhrioicn

How Kamaru Usman – a
scrawny Nigerian kid who
migrated to Texas – became
the UFC’s mightiest pound-
for-pound champion.

B y CHRIS GAYOMALI

GROOMING: BARRY WHITE FOR BARRYWHITEMENSGROOMING.COM. TAILORING: ELIZ DIRATSAOGLU AT LARS NORD STUDIO. The Most
Dangerous
Fighter FEBRUARY 2022 GQ 41
in the
World Is
Getting
Even More
Dangerous

PHOTOGRAPHS BY ANDRE D. WAGNER
STYLED BY MOBOLAJI DAWODU

GQ World N E O F T H E things that throw with either hand and might much you can do with the fundamen-
Fashion be the best jab in all of mixed mar- tals that takes years and years and
O separates Kamaru tial arts: precise, off-rhythm, rangy, years to understand. A lot of people
OPENING PAGE Usman – the UFC with the percussive power of a train go out and they work on these fancy
welterweight cham- piston behind it. It juts out with zero moves that will hardly ever work.
Hoodie, £1,350, pion and num- tell, like a cuckoo from a broken They’re very easy to see. But if you sit
and trousers, ber one pound-for-pound in the clock. Most fighters use their jabs there, and you polish, and you focus
£1,300, by world – from other fighters is to probe, to distract, to set up other, on fundamentals, and you continue to
Prada. the sublime efficiency of his tool kit. more damaging follow-up blows. drill them, you become a master at the
His own watch Take his second-scariest punch: the But the thing about Kamaru is that fundamentals. And that’s what makes
and necklace right cross. he can also finish you with his jab – world champions.”
(third He landed a big one last year on as he did in a title defence last year
from top) Jorge Masvidal to close out their sec- against Gilbert Burns, a former train- Which is what Kamaru is: a world
from Happy ond UFC fight. The shot was the result ing partner, whose neck is as thick as champion. But he’s more than that, at
Jewelers. of a hand trap that Kamaru had been a breeze block. Kamaru’s southpaw jab this point. Twenty wins in 21 bouts,
Necklace (top), meticulously plotting since the first squeaked in between Gilbert’s guard the last six being title fights against
£43,098, round, in which he used his left hand and snapped his head back, causing the scariest welterweights on earth.
and ring to yank Jorge’s right arm away from him to fall onto his backside, where He’s beaten everyone notable in his
(on pinkie), his head, and when the cross was he was soon finished. division – a few of them twice already.
£4,541, by deployed, Kamaru really committed He’s a cerebral tactician and a sui
Shay Jewelry. and threw all his weight behind it. The thing is: Kamaru isn’t even generis athlete who doesn’t get tired;
Necklace The setup was flawlessly executed. really known as a striker. For a long an All-American collegiate wrestler
(second from Beautiful maths. The punch cracked time he was known mostly as a wres- who’s never been taken down. He
top), £34,000, poor Jorge so hard that his body went tler who would rag-doll his opponents even entered his most recent rematch
from Manhattan limp and the sweat from his brow around the cage like a labradoodle against Colby Covington, the closest
Buyers Inc. flung itself into the air and instantly given a chew toy. His jab is instructive thing he’s had to a true rival, with a
Necklace phase-changed into a cloud of ghostly because it illustrates who he is: devas- slight handicap: Kamaru broke his
(bottom), vapour. On television, the effect tatingly effective, yet incomplete. “It’s right hand three weeks before the
£106,222, resembled something like a spirit not like his jab is mastered yet, and fight. Couldn’t even punch with it
bracelet, leaving its corporeal form, ascending that’s what makes it fun,” says Trevor during training camp. “I didn’t throw
£301,817, and to heaven. Wittman, Kamaru’s coach of almost the right until fight night, so that’s
ring (on But Kamaru Usman’s real best two years, who is known in MMA why the timing was off with it,” says
ring finger), punch is actually his jab, which he can circles as a cheery Yoda. “There’s so Kamaru, showing me his mangled
£113,154, hand. His ring finger is swollen like
by Jacob & Co. an overboiled hot dog.

It’s a warm November evening just
three days after the second Covington
fight, and we’re eating dinner at a fancy
French brasserie in Lower Manhattan.
Kamaru hasn’t had a drink in eight,
nine months, he estimates, but decides
to celebrate and orders a Casamigos
margarita. In person, he’s a modest
six feet and wears a mustard-yellow
beanie with a green letterman jacket
bearing his nickname, The Nigerian
Nightmare. Underneath is a black Gym
King tee that hugs his biceps so snugly
it’s as if a full-size sheet got pulled over
a queen-size bed. Despite having just
fought in a caged death match a few

nights ago, his face is immaculate, as if great at nearly everything, and puts same level he was yesterday or, God O P P O S I T E PA G E,
he was barely touched. it all together in a way that makes forbid, a tiny bit worse, bothers him to
him one of the most complete fight- no end. Ordinarily this would strike as TOP
Fighting, particularly in MMA, ers we’ve seen – perhaps ever – on a a typical athlete cliché. With Kamaru,
is an endless series of internal flow- tier with names such as Jon Jones and though, you feel like it really does Shirt, £1,445,
charts that athletes are computing in Georges St-Pierre. manifest as a deep, almost puerile by Dolce &
real time. You’re throwing kicks and annoyance; the guy is a little monastic Gabbana.
punches and feints, gauging reac- Aside from his battles with and can be unusually hard on himself. Tank top,
tions, reacting to reactions of reac- Covington, none of Kamaru’s fights Trevor Wittman says sometimes he’ll price on
tions of reactions while trying to not have been particularly close. His only walk into the facility in Denver where request, by
get hit yourself, all within fractions loss was in 2013 – his second pro fight they train as Kamaru is warming up, Calvin Klein
of a second. In the sport, Kamaru is ever – and since then we’ve seen him and everything will be quiet. “I’ll be Underwear.
something of an oddity. He might not only dominate nearly every oppo- like, ‘Hey, how come we don’t got your Trousers,
not be the most dynamic active nent but emerge as a somehow newer music on?’” says Wittman. “And he’s £290, by Homme
striker (that would be his friend and and nastier version of himself with like, ‘I don’t get music today.’ It’s just Plissé Issey
Nigerian brother Israel Adesanya) or every scrap. His ability to level up is funny that he’s one of those guys that Miyake.
the hardest hitter (his Cameroonian unreal. The most dumbfounding thing will discipline himself, be truthful to Shoes, £185,
brother Francis Ngannou) or even about Kamaru is you get the sense he’s it, and not waste any time.” by Sabah.
the best grappler (the recently retired still nowhere near his ceiling. Watch, £3,450,
Khabib Nurmagomedov, another It’s a funny thing, being the best in by Cartier.
close friend). But he’s pretty fucking “For me, it’s like I haaave to the world. Definitionally, it’s lonely at Necklace,
improve,” says Kamaru. To be at the £34,000,
from Manhattan
Buyers Inc.
Bracelet,
£301,817,
by Jacob & Co.
Ring,
£5,325, by
Tiffany & Co.

O P P O S I T E PA G E,

BOTTOM

Pullover,
£400, and
shorts, £300,
by Paul Smith.
Shoes, £185,
by Sabah.
Sunglasses,
£375, by
Ahlem. Watch,
£26,900, by
Cartier.
Necklace,
£3,800,
bracelet,
£9,093, and
ring (on right
hand), £3,810,
by Shay
Jewelry. Ring
(on left hand),
£2,900, by
O Thongthai.

THIS PAGE

Robe, £249,
by Missoni.
Turtleneck,
£149, and
trousers,
£506, by
Botter.
Belt, £145,
by Paul Smith.
His own watch
from Happy
Jewelers.
Necklace,
£34,000, and
bracelet,
£15,000, from
Manhattan
Buyers Inc.

FEBRUARY 2022 GQ 43

the top, rarefied air. The big question
now facing Kamaru is: What does
progress look like once you’ve seem-
ingly reached the summit – and left
a trail of broken bodies in your wake?
If you’re him, it means inventing new
challenges. It means locating harder,
more dangerous mountains to scale –
searching for situations where things
can go wrong.

THIS PAGE S H O U L D Y O U E V E R look up Auchi, I couldn’t get away. I didn’t know what became obsessed and rose through the
Nigeria, on Wikipedia – before you to do.” After getting mauled all prac- ranks quickly. Watched a ton of videos.
Shirt, £665, get to the sections on language and tice, young Kamaru made the long Just worked his tail off, internalising
and shorts, geography – you will notice a brief walk home feeling humiliated. “It lessons from his coaches, and within a
£720, by yet important line right near the very was such a humbling experience,” he few years fashioned himself into a col-
Salvatore top: “UFC Welterweight Champion, says. “And it messed with me so much. lege sports superstar at the University
Ferragamo. Kamaru Usman was born in Auchi.” When I was walking home, the only of Nebraska at Kearney. “He is so
Sneakers, £285, thing I could think about was” – and damn coachable,” Wittman tells me.
by Paul Smith. His father, Muhammed, wasn’t here he flashes a grin – “ ‘I’m going to “Fighters are very selfish. They’re very
Watch, £26,900, around much when he was a kid grow- fuck that girl up tomorrow.’” driven with ego. But the guy listens to
by Cartier. ing up there; Dad was already in the everything I say, and that’s something
Necklace, States, building out his ambulance So he went in the next day, furious you don’t find a lot in this industry.”
£2,904, and business in Texas. The Usman kids and determined to do better, except:
rings, £3,810 mostly knew him as a disembodied “She whooped my ass. And I came In 2010 his father was convicted
(on left hand) voice who’d sometimes reprimand back [the next day], she whooped my on multiple criminal charges related
and £3,019 (on them on the phone should they step ass again.” to his businesses, including health
right hand), by out of line with their mother. “We care fraud – charges that the Usmans
Shay Jewelry. knew we had a dad,” Kamaru remem- This went on for a long while – three, dispute to this day. (Muhammed was
bers of those early years. “I just four weeks of getting straight bodied by sent to prison and recently released
OPPOSITE PAGE couldn’t picture his face as a kid.” this girl. Then one day Kamaru finally early for good behavior.) “All my life
managed to snag her in a move he’d I was kind of put in a position to not
Shirt (price When Kamaru was eight, just learned, a headlock, and some- depend on my dad,” Kamaru has said.
on request) Muhammed brought the family to how he was able to hold her there. The “I was never one of those kids to say,
by Versace. Arlington, Texas. coaches smiled at him from across the ‘My dad doesn’t love me because he
Tank top, room. Achievement unlocked. Elation. didn’t come to my wrestling meet.’ I
price on Young Kamaru played the trum- “I remember that day I was walking knew who my dad was, and I knew he
request, by pet. “I was one of those dudes where I home, I was like, ‘I learned something. loved me.”
Calvin Klein could be first chair any given day,” he I actually learned something.’ I worked
Underwear. says. Smooth jazz is still his favourite through it, and I learned.” Truth is, his parents didn’t even
Trousers, £621, genre of music, though he’s a big fan of know he wrestled his first two years
by Botter. Afrobeats and counts Nigerian artists And that girl? Turns out she of high school. Kamaru hadn’t both-
Belt, £145, like Wizkid and Burna Boy among his was a three-time state champion. ered telling them. “Because you know
by Paul Smith. friends. Throughout middle school he “I’m sure she tells the story now,” he parents: ‘You’re going to be a doctor.
Sandals, played football, but then he entered says, laughing. You’re going to be this. You’re going to
£1,100, by high school and suddenly found him-
Dolce & self in the precarious position of being As a wrestler, Kamaru Usman
Gabbana. undersized. “My freshman year, I was
Watch, £5,190, five foot two, 103 pounds,” he says. One
by Omega. day at practice he got trucked pretty
hard by a much bigger kid, and “that
was the end of my football career.”

On a particularly hot morning
during marching band practice,
Kamaru snuck into the school to get
a drink at the water fountain, where
he was caught by a wrestling coach.
They struck up a conversation, and
the coach asked him if he’d consid-
ered giving wrestling a shot. “At this
point we’ve been watching like Stone
Cold Steve Austin,” says Kamaru. “So
I’m like, ‘Nah. I’m not trying to get hit
with chairs.’”

The wrestling coach left the door
open for Kamaru to join. One thing
led to another, Kamaru showed up
for practice, and he was immediately
placed into a small group to rumble.
“Mine was a group of four,” he adds.
“And we had a girl.”

This girl, as he tells it, “just fucked
us up. Took me down. Slammed me.
Put me in moves I didn’t even know.

44 GQ FEBRUARY 2022

be that,’” Kamaru tells me. “So I hid it he spent a chunk of last year con- battle that remains theoretical. In GQ World
from them until my mom caught me templating something more radical: October, Blachowicz lost his world Fashion
on TV. I was wrestling in the city finals moving up two weight classes to light title in an upset to Glover Teixeira,
on local television, and she saw me. I heavyweight – basically unheard of in putting any would-be Kamaru The reigning
came home, and she was telling my MMA – to fight a much, much larger challenge on hold. Still, Kamaru welterweight champ,
dad and screaming.” man in Jan Blachowicz for that title. remains intrigued – and unfazed. photographed at
Never mind the fact that Blachowicz UFC Gym SoHo in
To his great surprise, Mom wasn’t “I was going to skip Israel and is bigger, stronger, more powerful. New York City.
even mad. “It was like, ‘Did you see our go fight Jan at 205 [pounds],” says “I think I would beat him,” he tells me
son? He was on television!’” Kamaru, suddenly animated. Even matter-of-factly.
discussing the prospect of tangling
A L L T H E G R E A T ones need a foil, with a giant grizzled Polish guy who And if he loses? At least he’ll
someone who challenges them to be outweighs him by 40 pounds has have opened up a whole new world
the best version of themselves, and for Kamaru basically salivating. “Because of scary challenges for himself.
Kamaru Usman, that counterweight is I’m pound-for-pound, I want to And for Kamaru, nothing could be
Covington, who exists as a kind of tur- prove it. No matter what weight it is, more thrilling.
bocharged, shit-talking MAGA heel. I thought he was a really good
matchup for me.” chris gayomali is a gq
With similar wrestling bona fides articles editor.
and relentless cardio, Covington has For the time being, though, it’s a
become a great yang for the more
soft-spoken Kamaru’s yin. But he has
antagonised Kamaru with threats that
have veered into racism – or at the
very least made it seem as if Covington
was blowing a dog whistle the size of a
sousaphone. He has said that Usman
comes from a “little tribe” that uses
“smoke signals,” and he refers to
Kamaru as “Marty” (the name given
to him by a white wrestling coach who
couldn’t pronounce his name).

I suggest to Kamaru that Covington
is able to say stuff that no Black athlete
could ever get away with.

“Absolutely not,” he says. “But he
has to do that. He doesn’t have the
luxury to just be himself, like I am.”

Why do you think that is?
“I mean, he created a monster, you
know? He started telling everyone,
‘Well, I’m playing a character because
they were going to cut me.’ He wanted
to break it. He wanted to drop it. But
he just couldn’t. People already hated
him. Now it’s like, you got to double
down and lean into it if you are ever
going to make money in this sport.”
At the end of your last fight, he
seemed to briefly break character
finally. What did he say to you?
“I couldn’t really hear, but he was
a real person. He was a genuine per-
son. And I was like, ‘Oh, shit.’” A few
minutes later, Covington was back to
talking shit in a press conference.
Kamaru is not a fan of the UFC’s
recent oscillation toward pro wres-
tling cartoonishness, where a big
mouth means bigger money. “Conor
McGregor is a perfect example,” he
says. “Completely ignore the respect
aspect and you get super famous. How
do you tell these kids nowadays, ‘Hey,
respect is the most important thing,’
when they can be super rich and
famous like Conor?”
Most fighters look for new chal-
lenges by moving up a weight class.
But Kamaru insists he’ll never fight
Israel Adesanya, his Nigerian brother
who currently lords over the middle-
weight division. Instead, Kamaru says

WATCHES

A
N
D

A designer’s
greatest
challenge
is to create
something
that’s both
perfectly
functional
and perfectly
beautiful.
Which is
why watches
and furniture
are perhaps
the most
fetishised
objects
in the
design world.
Here, we
pair them up.

F
URNITURE

PHOTOGRAPHS BY KEIRNAN MONAGHAN AND THEO VAMVOUNAKIS

SET DESIGN BY ANDREA STANLEY