My Morning Routine

⇾ Moti Ankari, Influencer and Designer

My Morning Routine

⇾ Moti Ankari,
Influencer and Designer

Waking up, working out and staying healthy with the well-dressed creator

Influencer and Designer Moti Ankari

Moti Ankari isn't just an influencer, he's a fashion guy through and through. After an internship at GQ led to a full-time position, he then went on to styling gigs making A-listers and athletes look good. He's now got Ankari Floruss, a footwear brand he launched with friend and fellow influencer, Marcel Floruss, which just debuted at Nordstrom. Flick through his well-styled Instagram feed and you'll no doubt leave with some inspiration and a few styling takeaways. I know I usually do. Since the guy is always jetting off and dressing up, we wanted to know how he managed it all. So while he was flying cross-country, we cornered him for his morning routine. Here's how a notoriously busy influencer/blogger/designer starts his day and the products he swears by.

The Series

Those moments between turning off the alarm and getting into our work routine can be the most defining 60 minutes of our day. Benjamin Franklin set a day's worth of plans by 5 am and Steve Jobs asked a simple question: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" Our rituals are a reflection of us. So we've ventured out to discover how some of our most influential and fruitful peers get started.

Moti Ankari illustration

My Routine

I’m usually up around 7:30 am.

I aim for eight hours of sleep, but seven is more realistic.

I like the snooze button.

I wake up and hit snooze for an extra five minutes. Then I check my inbox for important emails and scroll through Instagram, taking some time to respond to any DM's from followers.

Once I’m out of bed, I really start moving.

I brush my teeth and make some breakfast, I usually (and by usually I mean most definitely) watch about 15 to 20 minutes of Gossip Girl while having breakfast. Everyone has their thing, this one's mine.

Not to toot my own horn, but I make a really good oatmeal.

I'll do half a cup of oats in a pan with water, one scoop of protein and let it sit for a minute or two. Then put that in a bowl and add granola, peanut butter and fresh fruit—whatever I have available.

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No matter the season, I always drink iced coffee.

I make it at home with my Nespresso machine using the Bianco Leggero capsules and splash of French vanilla creamer. It's perfect.

Going to the gym is probably the most important part of my morning.

Because otherwise, I'm grumpy all day. Honestly, when I work out in the morning, I just feel great for the rest of the day. I'll try and see the best trainer in the business, Stephen Cheuk of S10, a few times a week. On the days I don't see him, I'll try to take a class somewhere or work out on my own.

My schedule is a mix of old school and tech.

I use this nice Montblanc leather notebook to write out my to-do list. I try to jot everything down in there ... even though my friend Anthony loves to come over just to read and make fun of it! And, of course, I use Google Calendar pretty intensely too.

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Maybe it's the job, but I take my grooming pretty seriously.

I try not shampooing my hair, because hair guru Kyle Kreiger once told me he doesn't, and his hair is amazing. So I typically shampoo it about once a week. And I style it with this stuff from Kevin Murphy, which I recently found out Shawn Mendes uses too. I like to go to Fellow Barber to get a beard trim every two weeks, but I'll clean it up myself using an electric buzzer and razor once a week.

Moti Ankari's favorite morning grooming products

Clockwise, from top left

Lightweight eye cream,
$72 by SkinCeuticals

Pro 1000 electric toothbrush,
$49.94 by Oral-B

Prisma Protect SPF30 moisturizer,
$65 by Dermalogica

Norwegian Formula lip balm,
$2.99 by Neutragena

Night Rider matte paste,
$36.99 by Kevin Murphy

Phytologist energizing shampoo,
$29 by Phyto

Ombre Leather cologne,
$128 by Tom Ford

Black pepper hand lotion,
$35 by Molton Brown

Vertuo coffee and espresso machine,
$249.95 / $149.99 by Breville-Nespresso

Textured leather notebook,
$68 by Montblanc

Moti Ankari's favorite morning grooming products

Lightweight
eye cream,
$72 by
SkinCeuticals

Pro 1000
electric
toothbrush,
$49.94 by
Oral-B

Prisma Protect
SPF30 moisturizer,
$65 by Dermalogica

Norwegian Formula
lip balm,
$2.99 by
Neutragena

Night Rider
matte paste,
$36.99 by
Kevin Murphy

Phytologist
energizing shampoo,
$29 by Phyto

Vertuo coffee
and espresso machine,
$249.95 / $149.99
by Breville-Nespresso

Textured leather
notebook, $68
by Montblanc

Black
pepper
hand
lotion,
$35 by
Molton
Brown

Ombre Leather cologne,
$128 by Tom Ford

Clockwise, from top left

Lightweight eye cream, $72 by SkinCeuticals

Pro 1000 electric toothbrush, $49.94 by Oral-B

Prisma Protect SPF30 moisturizer, $65 by Dermalogica

Norwegian Formula lip balm, $2.99 by Neutragena

Night Rider matte paste, $36.99 by Kevin Murphy

Phytologist energizing shampoo, $29 by Phyto

Vertuo coffee and espresso machine, $249.95 / $149.99 by Breville-Nespresso

Textured leather notebook, $68 by Montblanc

Black pepper hand lotion, $35 by Molton Brown

Ombre Leather cologne, $128 by Tom Ford

I'm also a big believer in supplements.

I take a lot: Vitamin C, Calcium and Zinc once a day, fish oil twice a day and Meriva 500-SF (which is really good for your joints if you're active and workout) twice a day too.

His Bag of Choice

“My Dior saddle bag. It’s way more convenient than people think and it’s so nice not to have anything in my pockets.”

Oblique saddle bag, $2,700 by Dior

The Smart Way
to Start Your Day

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