Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2020 i Tatler Hong Kong

While the entire world adapts to the unprecedented challenges that have followed the spread of Covid-19, so too are we witnessing a moment of unprecedented solutions. This issue, for example, is the first we’ve ever been forced to produce almost entirely while working remotely from our homes. But it was a feat made possible by the incredible technology behind Zoom conference calls and social networking apps like Houseparty. Throughout our communities, I have repeatedly been touched by stories of entrepreneurs and fashion designers who have stepped up to produce medical supplies or restaurants that have transformed their operations to serve meals to the doctors and nurses working tirelessly on the front lines in the fight against the coronavirus. Their problem-solving spirit is an inspiration to us all, particularly when ideas…

Move over, Kaia—we may have a new super on our hands. Eliza Rutson, the 18-year-old British-Chinese model, made her runway debut at this season’s Paris Fashion Week, appearing on catwalks for heavyweights including Valentino, Altuzarra, Off-White and Paco Rabanne. With her fresh face and killer bone structure, Rutson is making a name for herself under the wing of Elite Management in the US, but is determined not to let things go to her head. “It felt crazy to be walking my first show in Paris. My emotions were all over the place. It was definitely the most surreal and exciting thing I’ve ever done,” says the Hong Kong-raised rising star. No stranger to the glitz and glam of the industry, Rutson has her mother Sarah to thank for her fashion…

Curator Chantal Wong has always been impressed by the powerful works submitted to the Hong Kong Human Rights Arts Prize (HKHRAP)—especially those by individuals who might not have come from a particularly arty background. She vividly remembers Ophelia Jacarini’s embroidered female bodies that explore women’s sexuality, empowerment, freedom and trauma, as well as the black-and-white images laying bare the physical abuse suffered by Hong Kong’s domestic workers by photographer Xyza Cruz Bacani, a former maid herself. “Some people are formally trained, some people are not, but that does not define the value of the artwork,” says Wong, who co-founded Learning Together, a charity that supports young refugees and asylum seekers in their education, and is director of culture at the Eaton hotel. “This is one of the few prizes where…

Satoshi Kondo began to draw with a red pencil. He scratched lightly on the back of a press release, illustrating an outline of the final look from his latest collection—one garment comprised of several knitted tops that were connected by their sleeves. His interpreter and I stared in silence at this unexpected gesture from a designer who, after commanding the fashion world’s attention with his debut collection for Issey Miyake last September, remains somewhat elusive. “This look is called ‘Hand in Hand’,” says Kondo. “It’s one continuous knit with various fabrics fused together so that there is always a piece of the previous garment in the next.” He then flipped the pencil over and with its end poked around the page. “We didn’t express this explicitly at the show but,…

Cindy Chao made her first butterfly brooch back in 2008. Pocket-sized and far smaller than her more recent versions (she makes one every year), a plump pair of Burmese rubies act as centerpieces on wings lined with sparkling sapphires and diamonds. This January, that same brooch was put on permanent display at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, becoming the latest in a series of success stories that include appearances at super-high-end art fairs Masterpiece in London and TEFAF in Maastricht. The Taiwanese jeweller creates under the name Cindy Chao The Art Jewel and has by-appointment-only showrooms in Taipei and Hong Kong. We meet at the latter—all dark wood and leather, the space is lined with bookcases bursting with heavy-set hardbacks and a framed photograph of Chao alongside actress…

CRYSTAL CLEAR Girard-Perregaux’s latest Laureato watch stays true to its signature collection, which was first introduced in 1975 after the 1967 film The Graduate (Il Laureato in Italian), starring Dustin Hoffman. The Laureato Absolute Light features the line’s octagonal bezel, integrated bracelet, baton hands and a hobnail-patterned dial. But this sporty, 88-piece limited edition takes things one step further with its sapphire and titanium case, which means you can see the sophisticated skeletonised movement from all sides. Laureato Absolute Light by Girard-Perregaux STAYING ON TRACK Motoring and watchmaking collaborations are commonplace, but partnerships that stand the test of time aren’t. Bentley and Breitling have unveiled a new timepiece that celebrates 17 years of association, which they claim is the longest ever between a watchmaker and automobile manufacturer. Limited to 1,000…

Do those magical, mystical crystals the so-called ‘new age’ folk swear by actually work? Who knows. The quartz crystals used in low-cost watchmaking, however, have well and truly proven their efficacy. In a quartz watch movement, a battery sends an electrical signal through a piece of crystal, driving the watch’s hands and functions. They’ll keep perfect time for three or four years, the life of the battery. A watch’s energy, meanwhile, is stored in a coiled mainspring, and is released as this gradually unwinds, powering the watch’s timekeeping functions and other complications. The number of hours of energy the mainspring provides before it needs winding—or, in the case of an automatic watch, a decent wearing or a thorough shake—is known as power reserve. We won t go into greater detail…

Dr Ho hopes find a scientific solution to Covid-19. In 1996, the world-famous HIV researcher became the first doctor chosen specifically for his work on a disease as Time’s Person of the Year, so it raised hopes to see him appear this March on the cover of Bloomberg Businessweek, this time with the headline “The Cure Starts Here”. Since February, Ho, who is the founder of the Aaron Diamond Aids Research Center and a professor at the Columbia University School of Medicine in the US, has been in charge of a research and development project on coronavirus medicine and antibodies. Beyond his past contributions as the main inventor of the Aids cocktail combination therapy, Ho has spent nearly two decades conducting in-depth research on coronavirus prevention, studying diseases such as…

MARTIN TAN Executive director, The Majurity Trust Tan launched the Singapore Strong Fund to encourage people to start their own initiatives. Individuals, groups or charities can propose ideas to help others, and approved applicants will receive up to 80 per cent of their project cost with a cap of S$5,000. “We realised early on that our ability to overcome Covid-19 isn’t the job of the government or the charity sector alone, but that of every segment of society,” Tan says. Among the 50 projects already approved are the creation of a site called ilostmygig.sg for freelancers, initiated by Nicholas Chee, founder of Sinema Media; and various grassroots efforts to pack and distribute care packages to healthcare workers, cleaners and other heroes. CHEN SHIH-CHUNG Taiwan Minister of Health and Welfare Chen…

We’ve all been there: frozen out of a dinner party discussion when the topic strays into uncharted territory, leaving you wondering why you have no interesting anecdotes to contribute on the subject of modern art or contemporary literature. Whether it’s being able to deliver thoughts with finesse on the boss’s new watch, engage with authority on Mahler versus Mozart over canapés, or sprinkle in some sage advice on avoiding bad investments in the world of horse racing, it is always helpful to have a few CliffsNotes on hand. In Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell argues that the key to becoming an expert in any given field is to practise, in the correct way, for 10,000 hours. If that sounds like too much work, Tatler has your back, or…

What should everyone be reading now and why? In times of great uncertainty and distress, we sometimes lose sight of who we are as a community, a society and civilisation. It is more important than ever to return to foundational texts. The ones that come to mind at the moment are the Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein and any Peanuts comic strip you can find. How can you tell whether a person is well-read? If “well-read” means someone who reads to impress others, you can, thankfully, spot that kind of person a mile away, and then steer clear of them. To me, the ones who stand out read not just…

What are the five all-time must-see plays? 1. The Lehman Trilogy by Stefano Massini The unbelievable journey of a family that built its empire from scratch. Their tenacity and audacity was incredibly inspirational. I was blown away by the performance, script and how inspirational this story was. Massini is becoming better known now after his work was translated and staged by Sam Mendes. 2. Fleabag by Phoebe Waller-Bridge A true manifesto of millennial women’s relationships in the modern era. 3. The Crucible by Arthur Miller A classic that never goes out of fashion. Even 300 years ago during the witch hunts in America, men were signing off the lives of women. Little has changed today. 4. Oleanna by David Mamet The precursor to the #MeToo movement, this play has become…

Antique enthusiast Douglas So founded the award-winning gallery F11 Foto Museum and serves as a member of the Advisory Committee on Built Heritage Conservation and the Museum Advisory Committee, and is the chairman of the Antiquities Advisory Board Which are the three most important historic buildings in Hong Kong? 1. 11 Yuk Sau Street, Happy Valley Built in the early 1930s in an art deco style, this Grade III-listed building was completely renovated in 2012 and is now occupied by F11, the first private photography museum in Hong Kong. There are regular photography exhibitions at F11 for the public to enjoy. 2. The Peninsula Hotel Opened in 1928, it is one of most prestigious and iconic hotels in Hong Kong. Having afternoon tea at the hotel, which is a Grade…

“I just need to warn you”, the public relations manager says ominously, as I am about to meet Donnie Yen in the VIP suite at Lane Crawford IFC Hong Kong, where the movie star is introducing his second collection of sunglasses under the “Donnieye” label. “There will be about nine people in the room, and a video team will be filming the whole interview.” As I open my mouth to protest, she adds, “Oh, and he’ll be keeping his sunglasses on.” In case the size of his entourage isn’t enough of a clue, Donnie Yen is a big deal. He’s practically a household name in Asia thanks to the Ip Man franchise, in which he embodies the legendary father of wing chun, a form of martial arts, and since his…

Nestled in the majestic fjords, this remote region on Norway’s northwest coast is a destination made for all types of adventurers. Start from the port town of Ålesund, one of the most beautiful towns in Norway and noted for its well-preserved art nouveau architecture. It is also the entry point for exploring Geirangerfjord and Trollstigen, the latter commonly referred to as “The Trolls Road”. Craft your own adventure with 62°Nord, an experiential travel company founded by Norwegian couple Knut and Line Flakk. They arrange tailor-made itineraries that include deep-sea fishing and helicopter tours, as well as exceptional skiing that showcases the region’s unparalleled beauty. 62°Nord also has a privately owned collection of restaurants and boutique accommodation, ensuring that guests enjoy a taste of fresh coastal cuisine and authentic Viking hospitality.…

SARAH HELLER Tatler Asia’s wine editor, Sarah Heller, became the world’s youngest Master of Wine when she earned the title in 2017. She is a partner and buyer for the Almásy Collection, a central European wine brand; brand ambassador and design collaborator for Lucaris Crystal; sits on the faculty of the Vinitaly International Academy; and is chairman of WINE100, China’s largest wine competition. This month, she reveals which wine experts influence and inspire her (p.232) CHRISTIAN BARKER Singapore-based writer Christian Barker has been covering luxury lifestyle, travel and culture for almost two decades for publications such as How to Spend It, Forbes and Esquire. In this month’s issue, Barker investigates the mechanics behind power reserves in watches (p.152) PERPETUA IP Perpetua Ip is a stylist, art director and writer who…

All eyes were on Christy Wo and her new cosmetic brand Crisathena at a lively fundraiser for a sight-saving cause on March 12. Wo teamed up with actress Irene Wan to launch a new lipstick in aid of the Fred Hollows Foundation, the Australia-based organisation that combats avoidable blindness worldwide with the support of Wo and partner Joseph Rodarick Law’s joint venture, the JC Happiness Charity Foundation. With the Hong Kong skyline as a backdrop, more than 200 guests mingled over bubbles at Food, Art and Music (FAM) Park on West Kowloon’s harbourfront. Familiar faces at the new cultural quarter included lipstick co-creator and actress Irene Wan; former president of Kering Asia-Pacific, Mimi Tang; film producer Raymond Wong Pak-ming; and Ryan Neelam, acting Australian Consul-General to Hong Kong and Macau.…

TRAIN WRECK television is rarely as compelling as Tiger King, the Netflix documentary series lifting the rock on exotic animal breeders in the US. For Hong Kong’s Dr Tiger, aka exotic animal vet Katriona Bradley, the name association is a little awkward, especially as, unlike Joe Exotic, animal welfare is her primary concern. “I don’t think the show is doing animal rights any real good at all—I’d like to see more reflection of the stress the animals are going through,” she says. But if the US has tigers, what weird and wonderful creatures are surfacing in Hong Kong, the world’s largest port and gateway to Asia? Hedgehogs, apparently. Bradley, who practises at Tai Wai Small Animal and Exotic Hospital, has treated an entire menagerie throughout her career and says the…

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART, GWACHEON Google’s Arts & Culture tool lets you walk through the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) in Gwacheon, South Korea as easily as you can walk through a city on Google Street View, giving you a close-up view of the design, craft, architecture and visual arts in the museum’s collection. On top of that, MMCA is currently hosting four online shows—The 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Korean Modern Masters: Yoo Youngkuk 1916-2002, Park Hyunki 1942-2002 Mandala, Garden and Birth of a Museum: Documenting the Construction of MMCA, Seoul—all of which feature informative writeups alongside the artworks. mmca.go.kr RIJKSMUSEUM, AMSTERDAM A Dutch museum dedicated to art and history, the Rijksmuseum houses 8,000 pieces that span 800 years in 80 galleries.…

1970 MIYAKE DESIGN STUDIO Having studied graphic design (because fashion design was not offered at the time) at Tokyo’s Tama Univeristy, a young Issey Miyake moved to Paris to work under Hubert de Givenchy, Guy Laroche and then Geoffrey Beene in New York. After establishing his design studio, he showed his first collection in New York in 1971, which featured body jerseys hand-painted with traditional Japanese tattoo techniques. 1976 ISSEY MIYAKE MEN Discovering the popularity of his pieces among men, Miyake launched menswear that was presented for the first time with his womenswear during the fall-winter collection. Issey Miyake Men began showing solo during the Paris Collections in 1985 and its resulting success allowed the opening of its Tokyo Aoyama store in 1987. 1986 IRVING PENN Miyake collaborated with Irving…

BEWARE OF THE OWNER A cautionary message can be found engraved on this Horological Machine—a piece of advice you’d likely find on the collar or backyard of a particularly mettlesome canine: “Forget the dog, beware of the owner.” 45 In a playful twist, a 45-hour power reserve is indicated by a set of bared teeth. Exposed when the watch is fully wound, they slowly close when it’s running out of power. OVAL Horological Machine N°10 is designed to imitate the shape of a bulldog and is oval in shape. The time is indicated through domed sapphire crystal, under which two cone-shaped orbs with funky numerals act as the dog’s eyes. 4 Four sleek-looking lugs are moveable to resemble legs and fit closely around the wrist, while a calf-leather strap acts…

Superman by name, Superman by nature. Ninety-one-year-old Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing—who was given the nickname decades ago for the huge influence he wields over the city’s economy—sprang into action soon after the Covid-19 virus emerged in Wuhan, donating HK$100 million to the Chinese city in early February. That money was used to support healthcare workers through the magnate’s Li Ka-shing Foundation, which is the second largest private foundation in the world after that of Bill and Melinda Gates. A week later, he gave a total of 250,000 face masks to 13 social-welfare organisations and six homes for the elderly in Hong Kong, as well as batches of medical supplies—including in-demand N95 masks—to doctors in public hospitals. Some of Li’s previous philanthropic work—he has donated more than US$3 billion so…

Audrey Tang, the youngest and first transgender executive cabinet minister in Taiwan’s history, has been called “Taiwan’s genius IT minister” for having applied her technology expertise to its disease prevention efforts. Tang united civil and governmental agencies to create a “mask map” app, which helped residents efficiently find the closest location where masks were available in real time. After the events of the Diamond Princess cruise, she also developed an alert system to inform citizens where passengers had visited in order to evaluate whether they needed to monitor their health, and to issue timely rebuttals to the spread of any misinformation or false rumours. Those efforts were followed by a rationing plan that enables people to order masks online and pick them up at convenience stores. The ease of purchasing…

Jack Ma, the former executive chairman of Alibaba, once said, “When you are a millionaire, the money is yours; and when you have tens and tens of billions, the money is not yours any more, but a social responsibility. And it means more contributions.” In the chaotic days following the government’s decision to lock down the city of Wuhan, Alibaba announced a RMB1 billion fund for purchasing medical supplies and equipment to donate to medical institutions in Wuhan and Hubei province. The Jack Ma Foundation simultaneously gave RMB100 million to support the development of a Covid-19 vaccine. Alibaba also set up a special team of workers from 18 Hema Grocery Stores in Wuhan to provide daily meals for key hospitals in the city and food supplies to 21 medical units.…

What’s the best way to get into horse racing? Some people think horse racing is getting a bit outdated. However, it’s quite easy to get hooked. Whether you’re buying a horse or just gambling, you need to be interested in the sport first. The easiest way is to find a horse and start following it. Start by watching races: the Jockey Club has the best website. You can watch all the past race videos, as well as [videos about] the history of racing. How long is a horse’s career? It could be anything from one race—some horses never race, even ones that might have cost HK$10 million, if you’re an unlucky owner—up to a maximum of seven years, but usually around three or four. A horse is heavy and their…

Which records should any aspiring collector own? 1. The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground & Nico Brian Eno said, “Everyone who bought one of those (initial) 30,000 copies started a band.” 2. Heroes by David Bowie The centrepiece in his legendary Berlin Trilogy. 3. The Man-Machine by Kraftwerk A blueprint for synth-pop, techno-pop and robot-pop. 4. Power, Corruption & Lies by New Order Remarkable balance of post-punk, indie-pop, electro-pop and Euro-disco. 5. Violator by Depeche Mode A masterpiece that brought their music to a new era (the ’90s). If someone has an interest in popular music, where can they go to learn more? Follow the most influential musicians and bands. It will open the doors to so much more great music. What mistakes do beginner record collectors…

Do you have to be rich to get into watch collecting? The watch industry has changed tremendously in the past decade. High-end watch companies are offering excellent products at very reasonable prices. Ten years ago, you would purchase a single watch for HK$100,000. Today, with the same amount, you could start a small and interesting collection. One brand I’m fond of is Ikepod; the brand was founded in the ’90s by Swiss businessman Oliver Ike and Australian designer Marc Newson. Their watches are less than 1,000 euros. Which are more collectible—vintage or modern watches? With all the hype around vintage watches in recent years, it’s easy to believe only vintage is collectible, when in fact, both modern and vintage thrive in the collector’s world. Vintage pieces represent more in terms…

“Regina George is flawless. She has two Fendi purses and a silver Lexus. I hear her hair’s insured for US$10,000. I hear she does car commercials ... in Japan. Her favourite movie is Varsity Blues. One time, she met John Stamos on a plane and he told her she was pretty. One time, she punched me in the face. It was awesome.” — Mean Girls Time was, before social media and our complicit acceptance of 21st-century jargon such as “content” and “engagement”, influence could be gauged on good old-fashioned herd hierarchy and gut feelings, like fear—think: Michael Corleone in The Godfather or Regina George in Mean Girls. These days, in an interactive digital world, a newfangled, ever-evolving concept of “influencer” has become a bona fide career path—a recent Harris Poll…

ENTER THE DRAGON (1973) Named by legendary film critic Peter Bradshaw as the greatest martial-arts film of all time, Enter the Dragon solidified Bruce Lee’s status as a cinematic legend. The movie drew global interests towards the Chinese martial-arts scene and prompted the mass importation of kung fu movies to the United States, which were later dubbed in English for western audiences. Enter the Dragon not only revolutionised the portrayal of Asians in western media, with Lee holding a starring role in a Hollywood production, but also kick-started the “kung fu craze” of the 1970s, which saw Hong Kong studios produce and release dozens of films that reached increasingly international audiences. The film’s influence moved beyond the movie screen, inspiring many martial-arts video games, including popular ones like the Street…

Nature isn’t only the best muse; it’s also proven to be the best therapy. Hence the popularity of shinrin-yoku—a Japanese practice that literally translates to “forest bathing”. Experience it in style at Satoyama Jujo in Niigata, a 12-room hotel ensconced in the forest, whose design is a tribute to traditional building methods and the beauty of wood, with interiors crafted from Zelkova, pine and cedar wood. For a deeper encounter with nature, Walk Japan’s brand-new itinerary, Shio-no-Michi: The Salt Road, takes travellers from the alpine scenery of northern Nagano to the wild Sea of Japan coast in Niigata. Launching in October, this historic trail was established in the 16th century and was formerly used to transport supplies. Apart from traversing wide valleys and mountain paths, travellers will also cross sleepy…

Jane Goodall is telling me a story from her childhood. One day, as a toddler, she brought earthworms from her family’s garden into her bedroom. Her mother came in to find her observing them intently. She was “wondering how they got around without legs”, Goodall says she told her mother. “While most mothers would get angry, my mother said to me, ‘Jane, these poor little worms, if we leave them here, they’ll die. They need to be in the garden’. So we took them back.” This memory is interrupted when Goodall’s phone rings. Excusing herself, she picks up the call and tells the person on the other line, “I’ll call you back. I’m on a Zoom call, you see,” straining her voice as she draws out the word “zoom”. Then…

CHINA Leaf Greener Style reporter, fashion consultant Fashion journalists, particularly those born in the social-media era, tend to be typecast as superficial lightweights, but not Greener, who has managed to balance the glamorous responsibilities of becoming a street-style star with some actual serious reporting. When the coronavirus spread in Europe during fashion week, she responded to instances of hostility towards Asians with simple and clear social-media posts calling out xenophobic behaviour and explaining the cultural history of face masks. Her latest project is a book, Runway Dreams (T&G Publishing), featuring her essays on fashion along with surreal collages by the artist Edwin Antonio that combine runway looks with characters from classical paintings. Li Jiaqi Online star known as the King of Lipstick Could this be the world’s greatest lipstick salesman?…

May  We are all seeing a lot more of the inside of our homes at the moment, so why not make the most of time spent indoors? From building a brand to brewing beer, Tatler presents a series of livestreamed classes to give a little meaning to your quarantine. Follow @TatlerHongKong on Instagram, tune in at the scheduled time and interact with our presenters 7 THIERRY CHOW Learn the art of feng shui with a private lesson by Hong Kong’s hippest master, Thierry Chow. As seen on Netflix’s Restaurants on the Edge, Chow will guide you with easy tools to achieve a harmonious energy flow at home or at work. May 7 at 3pm. 12 CONRAD LEE Learn nifty tips for keeping a small space organised, plus tips on colour…

Art lovers were left hypnotised by geometric forms gilded with metallics at the opening show for Peter Yuill’s new body of work, Alignment. The Hong Kong-based Canadian artist simultaneously debuted his latest collection of pieces at House Studio, the newly opened event space inside Soho House, and Gallery HZ on March 18. Social distancing couldn’t keep the art community away from Yuill’s 10 new works displayed at the solo exhibition, which drew a crowd of more than 100 and saw original works and autographed prints fly out of the door. Yuill’s work is instantly recognisable thanks to his trademark concentric circles, which have evolved in style to look almost like Celtic knots, as best seen in pieces like Freyr and Dreamcatcher. Through his art, Yuill seeks to define how humans…

The world of banking has been the training ground of many an entrepreneur, and Ryan Cheung is no different. After majoring in finance and accounting at the University of Hong Kong, he pursued a career at an investment bank, before taking the leap into start-up life. His first venture was an e-commerce company, which he founded in 2015, and it was here that he realised the importance of big data and AI, going on to sell the company and establish PressLogic the following year. The industry was young and PressLogic found itself doing much of the education around a proprietary AI system it had built that used data analytics to predict the topics that would trend on social media. PressLogic then launched its own lifestyle content brands to prove to…

WENHAO YU / SOTHEBY’S ASIA “The 1927 Cartier bracelet from Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels sale in November 2019. It had a 47.07-carat, royal-blue Burmese sapphire and I was honoured to bid on behalf of a client from Asia. It went from US$2 million to US$5 million in just two minutes. After a battle that lasted almost half an hour, it was sold for over US$6 million.” JEAN GHIKA / BONHAMS “The cushion-shaped, 10.09-carat antique ‘no oil’ Colombian emerald, which was sold at a Bonhams Hong Kong auction in November 2014 for HK$7.2 million.” LUCIA SILVESTRI / BULGARI “A beautiful cushion-cut, 31-carat Sri Lankan sapphire was auctioned by Christie’s in Geneva in 2011. I almost bought it but at the very end the price shot up and I had…

BONE BY BONE The HYT Soonow Drop Three makes a statement, thanks to its vibrant mishmash of colour—tangerine, mauve, black, turquoise and even a little bit of stone-grey are all thrown in there. If that weren’t enough, a neon skull motif serves to tell the time using a capillary technology that pushes liquid around the dial to indicate the hour and minutes. Shiver me timbers! Soonow Drop Three by HYT A HIGHER BID Four of Jean-Claude Biver’s wristwatches are going on the block at Phillips’ next watch auction at Geneva’s Hôtel La Réserve. The 70-year-old innovator has spent nearly five decades in the watch industry and is best known for catapulting Blancpain and Hublot into the spotlight. Now a non-executive president of the LVMH Group Watch Division, Biver is a…

WESLEY NG Founder and CEO, Casetify Sanitising our phones is one of the most overlooked habits we should be adopting now. To this end, Hong Kong start-up Casetify has launched a UV sanitiser that uses radiation-free lights to kill 99.9 per cent of bacteria as part of its #CasetifyProtects initiative. “The UV sanitiser was actually something we’ve had up our sleeve for a while now, already developed and tested by Casetify,” says Ng, adding that with the current situation, it made sense to release the product now. “We want to protect those in need and the quicker we’re able to do it, the more people we can help.” RASHVIN PAL SINGH CEO, Biji Biji Design As part of efforts to decentralise production of safety equipment in Malaysia, Rashvin Pal is…

In a show of solidarity, Malaysia’s biggest names in fashion came together to use their skills to sew PPE for medical frontliners in an initiative led by Malaysia Official Designers Association. The fashion community, including Radzuan Radziwill, Khoon Hooi, Celest Thoi, Alia Bastamam and their teams of seamstresses and volunteers, worked to cut fabrics and sew thousands of PPE items to meet the never-ending demand from local hospitals. Touched by the countless acts of kindness she’s seen, MODA president Melinda Looi posted an Instagram video in which she said, “I have so much emotion going on, I can cry anytime, but these are tears of happiness to see people coming together.” She also mentioned intances of frontliners sending private messages “saying how grateful they feel that they are finally not…

When British billionaire James Dyson relocated his global headquarters to Singapore last year, he made headlines for buying the most expensive penthouse in the country for S$73.8 million. Now, the inventor, who is best known for creating the Dyson brand’s cordless vacuum cleaners and heat-controlled hair dryers, has thrust Singapore back in the international spotlight—this time for making a much-needed contribution to humanity’s fight against the global coronavirus pandemic. It began when British prime minister Boris Johnson phoned Dyson in March just as the Covid-19 crisis was unfolding in the UK. Dyson immediately sprang into action to build a new model of ventilator. As the coronavirus attacks the patient’s respiratory system, large numbers of this life-saving equipment are urgently needed around the world to assist patients who encounter complications that…

As Malaysia’s director-general of health, Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah has been leading the charge to contain the Covid-19 outbreak in the nation. In his daily briefings, the doctor uses facts as his main tools to combat the pandemic and allay the public’s fears Holding a master’s degree in surgery from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Noor Hisham is the head and senior consultant breast and endocrine surgeon in Putrajaya Hospital. He’s been called a “national hero” online, but he brushes this aside by responding: “It is not about me. What is important at the moment is what we can do together as one for the nation to break the chain of the Covid-19 transmission.” Going by the approach of “expecting the worst, hoping for the best”, the Movement Control Order (MCO) was…

In late January, Peter and Martin Lee, who took over Hong Kong property developer Henderson Land from their father, Lee Shau-kee, last year, established the Henderson Development Anti-Epidemic Fund. “Since the outbreak of this epidemic, we have been garnering resources and liaising with various organisations and government departments in Hong Kong and Mainland China to provide the materials and support they need,” says Peter. The initiative is funded privately by the Lee family. The pair first focused their attention on Wuhan and sponsored Traditional Chinese Medicine company Purapharm to manufacture a series of immunity-boosting formulas, more than 1.5 million packs of which have been distributed to patients in Mainland China and to the doctors and nurses treating them. They also worked with health supplement manufacturer Aland to produce 220,000 packs…

Making use of his skills at the vanguard of the Covid-19 fight in Thailand is Panachit Kittipanya-ngam. As the Thailand Tech Start-up Association had an abundance of resources and skilled workers on hand to fight the coronavirus, Panachit gathered colleagues to form a group called Ped Thai Su Phai (Thai Ducks Fighting Danger). With the sharing economy in mind, the project aims to match the right person to the right service—that means pairing the people who might be infected with the doctors they need. One of Ped Thai Su Phai’s first initiatives was to create a site to offer accurate news and information. Using an online patient screening system, people can enter details of their symptoms to be evaluated into three different categories of risk. The data is sent to…

What is the best way to get into classical music? Start with a platform like YouTube: you can just click and start listening. Classical music isn’t just symphonic works with an orchestra—it can also be a piano solo or a Gregorian chant. The best way to start is to go online, find a platform and a good headset, and start listening. Do you need to be an intellectual to appreciate classical music? This idea comes from how pop music has been marketed: pop is easy and accessible and every song is just three to four minutes. With classical works, a symphony can last one or even two hours. That scares people; classical music isn’t necessarily for intellectual people, but it’s scary to go to a concert hall and have to…

What’s the best way to begin appreciating art? There’s no right or wrong answer. Read a lot and go to see tonnes of shows. And talk to art advisors, curators and museum directors. What are the essential art pieces to own for art collectors? It really depends on one’s interest or focus but lately I like Sanya Kantarovsky. His subject matter is a bit dark but so poetic and painterly. In the conversations you’ve had with artists or art collectors, which artist is the most widely discussed? Though super-established, Beijing-based artist Cao Fei is still a big influence on many of the younger-generation artists. She recently opened shows at Centre Pompidou and Serpentine Galleries. Who is the most overlooked artist today? Shinro Ohtake. He is an artists’ artist and is…

1 CHOOSE A PLATFORM There’s TikTok for teens, Facebook for groups, Twitch for gamers, Instagram and YouTube for everybody—especially beauty, fitness and lifestyle gurus—so how do you choose? Maybe you don’t have to. “I like all platforms equally,” says Taylor R who, with 1.12 million subscribers, is one of Hong Kong’s most popular YouTube personalities and the founder of fashion and lifestyle brand Toat. “I think it’s important to post content everywhere because people consume differently on different platforms. I’ll always take a main channel video that would be in a long, more detailed version on YouTube, and I’ll cut it down to a shorter version for Instagram. I like to cross-post content. It’s not more work for me, and you can grow different audiences. It’s interesting because a video…

CHECKING IN With armchair travelling being the new norm, hotels have come up with creative ways to inspire a five-star experience at home. For the ultimate self-care staycation, peruse the Belmond Care Package, an online guide that offers ideas for a relaxing morning routine, exquisite cocktails for happy hour, and cultural recommendations to fill the day. The Anantara Nomads blog also has stories and videos to help soothe your wanderlust. Of course, it’s impossible to replicate the exceptional destinations in your living room, but it doesn’t hurt to dream your day away. belmond.com/care-package;anantara.com/en/blog WELL AND GOOD Whether you’re looking for a meditation retreat or an integrated medical immersion, there’s something for every wellness connoisseur at Aman. Its new wellness programmes for 2020 are centred on bolstering the body’s natural defence…

They say it’s all in the name, and that rings true with Zanzibar. Merely uttering the word evokes mystery and wonder—it sounds like an exotic experience waiting to be savoured. The archipelago in the Indian Ocean off Africa’s Swahili coast has always held a certain mystique. In 1872, British explorer Sir Richard Francis Burton described his first glimpse of its islands: “Earth, sea, and sky, all seems wrapped in a soft and sensuous repose. The sea of purest sapphire, which had not parted with its blue rays to the atmosphere ... under a blaze of sunshine which touched every object with a dull burnish of gold”. A semi-autonomous region of Tanzania, Zanzibar continues to lure modern explorers with a promise of an adventure like no other. One of these adventurers…