All Blacks rugby legend Dan Carter shares his fashionable life
The rugby icon turned author and mentor shares his very stylish side gigs as a luxury purveyor and trunk designer, from his department store in Auckland to his latest collaboration with Louis Vuitton.
Presenting the Webb Ellis Cup at the Rugby World Cup final in Paris last year must have been special?
I was quite nervous. It’s almost easier being out on the field. I think normally you can’t touch the cup unless you’ve won it. Thankfully I’ve won it a couple of times.
Favourite design objet?
I’ve been a friend of Louis Vuitton for 15 years and have been lucky enough to go to some incredible fashion shows: Kim Jones and the LV collaboration with Supreme; Virgil’s [Abloh] first show, and then Pharrell’s first show [for LV menswear] last year as well. We collaborated on the first-ever LV rugby ball – limited to 112, the number of Test matches I played for the All Blacks. Then for the Rugby World Cup in France we came up with the Malle Vestiaire trunk. I wanted to represent a rugby changing room with the wooden benches you can sit on and display your sporting equipment. And then I decided to put all my favourite memorabilia inside as a celebration of my career.
Wellness pursuit you are keen to try?
I spent 20 years doing ice baths so I’m traumatised by it. I know everyone’s getting into it and I know the benefits of it, so I know I will gravitate back to it. And I’m really into meditation a couple of times a week.
Favourite drink?
Because I lived in Paris for three years, I wanted to learn all about French wine and the history. So, I have a Champagne collection at home; we brought a whole lot back with us. I also opened a Champagne bar in Auckland in our luxury department store, Faradays.
Latest book on your reading pile?
I’m reading a book from the guys I did the High Performance Podcast with [Jake Humphrey and Damian Hughes], How To Change Your Life, which is a bit bizarre because people think like, ‘I thought your life’s OK?!’, but it’s a whole lot of personal growth.
What do you wish you knew 20 years ago?
When I first started playing rugby, to seek help or a psychologist to help you be a better version of yourself or player was frowned upon. A lot of your teammates would look at you going, ‘You’re a bit of a wacko’. Then making that leap and seeing how much it helped – controlling your mind, helping you live in the present, focusing on the process, not the outcome – was a big part of the backend of my career. The ability to control your mind and deal with certain situations ... I wish I knew that 20 years ago.
What’s next for you?
Really taking the lessons and learnings from my professional sporting career and doing consultancy around how those learnings relate to business as well. I spent two years writing a book [The Art of Winning], which I released last year and that’s been a platform to do a lot more work in the leadership space.
This interview was in the March issue of WISH.
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