WISH, The Australian’s premium luxury magazine, has marked its 20th anniversary with a special milestone issue headlined by a cover story featuring Wendy Whiteley OAM at her heritage-listed Lavender Bay home.
The cover feature, titled If these walls could talk, traces a bohemian chapter of Australian art while foregrounding Whiteley’s stewardship of Brett Whiteley’s legacy, including the reopening of the Brett Whiteley Studio in Surry Hills and the Wendy and Arkie Whiteley Bequest.
The silver-foiled gatefold cover features one of Brett Whiteley’s iconic works.
Wendy Whiteley OAM at her heritage-listed Lavender Bay home.
A cover designed to endure
WISH Editor Katrina Israel said the anniversary edition was conceived as a lasting collector’s piece.
“To celebrate 20 years of WISH, we envisaged a cover that could take pride of place on your coffee table. Enter Wendy Whiteley, who welcomed us into her home and graciously allowed us to feature Brett Whiteley’s Self-portrait in the studio (1976), a work that depicts the pair at home and that famous Sydney Harbour vista,” Israel said.
She said the issue also reflects the publishing values the title has leaned into across two decades.
“WISH has always been a home for upbeat storytelling, uplifting profiles and a place to celebrate innovation across myriad disciplines. So for this milestone edition, we also invited former cover stars and friends to share the advice they’d give their 20-year-old selves. From creativity and stability to curiosity and courage, our ‘20/20 Vision’ feature is a snapshot of the values shaping Australian culture now,” Israel said.
Prestige advertisers back the milestone
The anniversary issue is supported by a blue-chip lineup of prestige advertisers including Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Omega, Rolex, Range Rover, Margot McKinney and Paspaley.
News Prestige Editorial Director and Publisher Edwina McCann said the milestone comes amid continued audience growth and strong advertiser demand.
“For 20 years, WISH has delivered Australia’s finest luxury and lifestyle content – everything readers wish for. WISH is thriving, with readership up 12.4 per cent year-on-year, and its premium gloss magazine environment is highly sought after by prestige marketers and advertisers as the place to reach high-net-worth and affluent readers at scale,” McCann said.
Looking forward, not just back
Beyond the anniversary centrepiece, the issue features regular contributors reflecting on the people, trends and forces shaping luxury, interiors, architecture, automotive, wellness and wine, alongside forecasts for 2026 and beyond.
It also includes an interview with Melbourne-based philanthropist Krystyna Campbell-Pretty AM, whose decade-long gifts of more than 800 designer pieces and artworks have helped transform the National Gallery of Victoria, with a selection showcased in the new Westwood | Kawakubo exhibition.