Thalea MV. Stylist.
How do you know Costa? Costa and I met through mutual friends and other Melbourne creatives.
What does friendship mean to you? Friendship is relaxing.
What do you and your friends do together? We go op-shopping, work on projects and eat together.
What’s the perfect song for you and your best friend to dance to? Satisfaction by Benny Benassi
What was the highlight of your 2016? My housemate and I took in three pet quails!
What are you looking forward to in 2017? Finishing my course at VCA, styling, styling, styling and travelling to Greece — fingers crossed!
Antonia Ellis. Artist and co-founder of Homecoming Intl.
How do you know Costa? I met Costa through friends at the opening for a clothing shop.
What does friendship mean to you? Friendship is precious and semi-precious.
What do you and your friends do together? My friends and I mostly chat about everything.
What’s the perfect song for you and your best friend to dance to? My best friend doesn’t really dance.
What was your highlight of 2016? My highlight of 2016 was meeting the people that I met.
What are you looking forward to in 2017? Looking forward to growing my business and growing my art practice and making more friends.
Jordan Gogos
How do you know Costa? I came across his Instagram through a #grimes hashtag years ago. He’s now my everything.
What does friendship mean to you? Solidarity. Being part of an extended family.
What do you and your friends do together? Get freaky.
What’s the perfect song for you and your best friend to dance to?All The Things She Said by t.A.T.u.
What was your highlight of 2016? Participating in so many diverse projects from photographing, styling, modelling or being purely engaged.
What are you looking forward to in 2017? Moving back home to Sydney, continuing my degree UNSW A&D, working on design projects and travelling.
Bianca Strebl. Student and aspiring nine-to-fiver.
How do you know Costa? He was in my house one day and we bumped into each other (literally). The rest is history.
What does friendship mean to you? Dancing together all night long.
What do you and your friends do together? Smash ovens.
What’s the perfect song for you and your best friend to dance to?Mr Fingers, Mystery of Love.
What was your highlight of 2016? Exploring Guatemala, and my first deep dive (40m) in Mexico.
What are you looking forward to in 2017? Finding aliens!
Marita Kaji-O’Grady. Student.
How do you know Costa? Admiring his work on Instagram first, and then through our mutual friend Queenie!
What does friendship mean to you? Realising someone is crazy and loving them more because of it.
What do you and your friends do together? Op shop, try to play poker, and annoy the cats at our house.
What’s the perfect song for you and your best friend to dance to?Rhiannon, Fleetwood Mac.
What was your highlight of 2016? Moving into an amazing house with beautiful people and beautiful animals.
What are you looking forward to in 2017? Visiting my dad and seeing his new house when he moves back home to Japan! Hopefully going places I haven’t been before when visiting Europe for Documenta too!
Kiri-Una Brito Meumann. Artist.
How do you know Costa? We met when he took photos me for Catalogue.
What does friendship mean to you? Someone who I care about: they know me I know them. No bullshit. Also, fun times.
What do you and your friends do together? I’d like to think I can do everything and anything with my friends.
What’s the perfect song for you and your best friend to dance to? Anything Rihanna obviously.
What was your highlight of 2016? Holidays.
What are you looking forward to in 2017? More holidays, and looking forward to opportunities that might come my way through the work I make.
Brit. Waitress, model, actress.
How do you know Costa? He was my first boyfriend (fifth grade). We’ve been dating ever since, but no-one has noticed yet.
What does friendship mean to you? “There is nothing like puking with somebody to make you into old friends” — Sylvia Plath. Only joking, I don’t puke often enough.
What do you and your friends do together? Truthfully, it depends what kind of friend they are. My closest ones will come over and play Uno with me and lick my toes when I win.
What’s the perfect song for you and your best friend to dance to? If I could dance to any song with Costa, it would have to be some kinda of Gaga anthem, maybe Madonna or Grace Jones. We enjoy a lot of artists together. But right now I’d say Supermodel by Ru Paul.
What was your highlight of 2016? I feel like I can’t answer a question like this without mentioning how much of a dark year it has been for minority groups. I think a lot of my friends and I find solidarity in being silly and having fun, even when we’re all really scared. I guess those fun times would be my highlights. I’ve done a few projects this year but nothing makes me happier than my friends being around in the moment.
What are you looking forward to in 2017? Hopefully doing things I’m proud of! Some music projects, some ‘art’!
Bianca Meredith. Filmmaker, producer.
How do you know Costa? I was like ‘who is this Heath Ledger BABE?’ and the rest is history. Such a talented and genuine little honey, couldn’t let him not be friends with me.
What does friendship mean to you? Friendship is basically like family to me.
What do you and your friends do together? Drink Prosecco in my kitchen most days of the week, or if it’s sunny, hanging out in the backyard.
What’s the perfect song for you and your best friend to dance to? Sorry by Madonna (IN THE CAR).
What was your highlight of 2016? The Minnie St Kitchen.
What are you looking forward to in 2017? Working on monumental projects within the film industry and meeting people.
Coco Piesse. Model.
How do you know Costa? I met Costa through a shoot one day and it was love at first sight! His positivity and enthusiasm was infectious and I was just like ‘who is this guy and why am I so happy right now?’ And who could resist that smile?
What does friendship mean to you? To me, friendship means having a support base of strong, independent, creative individuals who inspire you to be better, to do more and to believe in yourself and love yourself in the same way you do for them.
What do you and your friends do together? My grandmother once said to me ‘don’t ever befriend anyone who isn’t a bit crazy’ and I have certainly stood by that rule. So, long story short — when my friends and I get together, things get a bit cray.
What’s the perfect song for you and your best friend to dance to? Young Thug Best Friend would seem appropriate, go bestie, ooop ooop *insert skinny white girl uncoordinated overly flamboyant trap imitation hand gestures here*.
What was your highlight of 2016? The last three months I spent in New York, which were truly magical.
What are you looking forward to in 2017? Hopefully more New York!
Angie Pai
How do you know Costa? Our mutual friend James was doing a shoot at this apartment one time. I invited myself over and demanded peppermint tea, Vegemite toast and Gucci glasses.
What does friendship mean to you? Friendship apparently means being entitled to chuck a hissy fit for days when you lose at Uno. Costa and I have to deal with that now whenever his partner Jordan loses.
What do you and your friends do together? Going to cheap foot joints, and ordering way to much food. Then complaining about it before getting dessert.
What’s the perfect song for you and your best friend to dance to? Look, I’m all over Flo Rida at the moment. I’m not super excited by the offensive lyrics, but I was once told “Rap is a highly complex and technical poetry,” and I like poetry I guess.
What was your highlight of 2016? That day in June when I didn’t have an existential crisis, I think it was a Tuesday (other than that, going to Europe, organising events for PAI and working on solo works was also super fun!).
What are you looking forward to in 2017? So many things! I’m the luckiest to be surrounded by the most hard working, kind and inspirational bunch of friends and I’m so excited to see all the incredible projects they will be releasing and announcing.
Kevin Cheung. Photographer, designer.
How do you know Costa? I met Costa through mega babe Jordan G, we spent the day at a book fair together and hung out in the sunshine (then he had to go to work).
What does friendship mean to you? When there’s full acceptance and no judgements. You gotta be open to share. I find that it’s the worst trait when you don’t.
What do you and your friends do together? We do anything and nothing. Most of the time I’m working and when I get the time off we would either go out for a dance or dance at home.
What’s the perfect song for you and your best friend to dance to? Dirrty by Xtina.
What was your highlight of 2016? I moved out with Claudia, a friend I grew up with, and I got a lot closer to my family!
What are you looking forward to in 2017? Honestly I don’t know what to expect. Just going to take it as it comes and dance my way into 2017.
Queenie Carling. Shopgirl at Shifting Worlds, unprofessional model.
How do you know Costa? We are good friends. I also try to help him with as many of his projects as I can, in any way I can.
What does friendship mean to you? That feeling where the conversation doesn’t have an expiry date. It could carry on forever and ever.
What do you and your friends do together? Order Deliveroo, play poker, club, anything you like.
What’s the perfect song for you and your best friend to dance to? Shy Glizzy, White Girl or like anything on the Immaculate Collection by Madonna.
What was your highlight of 2016? Modelling in projects that really interested me. Learning to love myself.
What are you looking forward to in 2017? Going on exchange to Berlin and learning more about Landscape Architecture. Basically being a student is exciting.
Credits
Photography Constantine Virtanen