Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2021 i Tatler Malaysia

TATLER HONG KONG On the cover of Tatler Hong Kong this month is Syed Asim Hussain, the co-founder of dining group Black Sheep Restaurants. Founded in 2012, the group has more than 30 restaurants to its name, two of which have been awarded a Michelin star each. In 2020, Black Sheep Restaurants shared its Covid-19 playbook in support of the industry. tatlerhongkong.com TATLER INDONESIA Previously a lawyer before becoming a social entrepreneur, Helianti Hilman is on a mission to save the rich diversity of food in Indonesia. Through her artisanal food company, Javara Indonesia, she partners with local farmers to sell indigenous, natural and organic products to promote sustainable production and consumption. tatlerindonesia.com TATLER MALAYSIA Tatler Malaysia profiles Cindy Ong, a two-time World Masters swimming champion. She discusses the merits…

MARTIN WESTLAKE British photographer Martin Westlake has lived in Jakarta since 1988. In 2011, he published his first book, Eastward, which features photographs from his time spent living in and travelling around Asia. He has also worked with the likes of Phaidon and Netflix. For this month’s issue, he shot artist Christine Ay Tjoe at her studio in Bandung, Indonesia (p.168) PAULIUS STANIUNAS Hailing from Lithuania, Paulius Staniunas has been photographing the most happening events in Malaysia and beyond, together with his team from All Is Amazing. He’s also ventured into studio portraitures, photographing the likes of Shir Chong and Vanessa Tevi. For Tatler, he photographed this month’s cover shoot (p.140) AZZA ARIF Azza Arif has styled, conceptualised and brought to life creative visions for various brands and magazines. Her…

JADE PAVILION Lockdown might have sounded the death knell for many businesses, but for a handful of restaurants including Jade Pavilion, it presented new opportunities. Occupying what used to be Ebisu (now located in the Banyan Tree Kuala Lumpur) on the eighth floor of Pavilion Hotel Kuala Lumpur, the new Chinese restaurant is as elegant as they come. A red carpet-lined walkway running from the front entrance to the main dining room immediately sets the tone for sumptuous things to savour, and the staff uniforms with frog fasteners and bright-coloured fabric look like designs hot off the runway. Despite their shared last name, dim sum chef Dino Lee and Chinese masterchef Kenny Lee’s only relation to one another is a shared passion for Chinese cooking; both Lees work in tandem…

A woman is never without her handbag—her trusty, constant companion that bears witness to every significant moment in her life, such as that first date which turned into a lifelong commitment, or that important interview where she sealed the deal. That’s the idea behind #GucciBeloved Lines, cherished centrepieces of your everyday while elevating your style, as you make new memories along the way. Drawing from archival elements, Alessandro Michel infuses each Beloved icon with a modern spirit, evoking memories of incredible years past while bringing it forward to the present future. At the heart of the Beloved Lines is the Dionysus bag, which features a double tiger head in the form of a spur, an ode to the Greek god Dionysus, who is said to have crossed the river Tigris…

The birthstone of May is the timeless emerald—known for its intoxicating, opulent green hue. Over the centuries, the gemstone has become synonymous with royalty, famed for adorning precious crown jewels and adored by Queen Cleopatra. But it is not the only green gemstone out there. This month, SUEN, Malaysia’s prominent purveyors of fine jewellery and gemstones has made it their mission to expand their fine jewellery horizons. From jadeites to tsavorites and tourmalines, behold these exquisite green treasures. Anti-clockwise from top right: Muzo Emerald and Diamond Earrings The legendary Muzo Mine in Colombia has long been extolled for producing rare emerald gems such as the renowned Taj Mahal Emerald, which lends to its prestige. This particular refined 3.93-carat pair of Muzo emeralds show off their deep, silky green colour encircled…

OPPOSITES ATTRACT This double-sided watch by De Bethune comes with two different dials that are centred around the brand’s new Calibre DB2579. One side displays a space-agey design complete with specks of blue and grey, as well as a combination of polished and matt finishes that surround a tourbillon at six o’clock. The other side reveals a more traditional dial with an elegant hand-guilloché centre. Which is your favourite? DB Kind of Two Tourbillon by De Bethune FLOWER POWER For the Éclosion de Chaumet watch, a white mother-of-pearl Grand Feu enamel dial by Anita Porchet, one of Switzerland’s most recognised and respected enamellers, is set with brilliant-cut diamonds and rubies. White gold, black lacquer and gold thread are carefully positioned to resemble the spring flower ranunculus. Wear yours with a…

The Swiss Alp Watch Final Upgrade is the last iteration of H Moser & Cie’s Swiss Alp Watch saga that’s had collectors scrambling for their wallets since 2016. “The Swiss Alp Watch was an instant success for us,” says H Moser & Cie CEO Edouard Meylan. The original 50-piece run sold out in the first 48 hours of its release. “From there, we’ve developed the collection using different materials, like white gold or steel, as well as different dials and high-end complications.” The first thing you’ll notice about these watches is that they look nearly identical to the Apple Watch. The watchmaker’s latest edition comes with an ultra-modern, rounded rectangular-shaped case. Its super-slick dial is coated with Vantablack. “We’re been using Vantablack for a couple of years,” says Meylan. “It’s…

Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Heritage Gallery is dedicated to preserving and showcasing our brand’s legacy. Housed in the oldest building of our Vallée de Joux manufacture, the space was refurbished in 2017. Aged archives and documents line the shelves of this museum, as do some of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s most iconic timepieces, most of which date from the 1920s to the late 1980s. We were able to buy back most of them through auction houses. I’ve been with Jaeger-LeCoultre for over 20 years and in that time hundreds of vintage watches have been displayed at our Heritage Gallery. There is, however, one yellow gold model from the 1980s that will always be important to me. It is the smallest and thinnest Reverso ever made thanks to quartz technology, which revolutionised the industry in the 1970s…

BENJAMIN YONG F&B businessman and founder of The BIG Group “I’ve lost count of how many restaurants I’ve opened in my lifetime,” muses Benjamin Yong, which prompts us to tick off a list in our heads: Ben’s, Plan B, Ben’s General Food Store, Ben’s Chicken Shop, Benbino, Beast, Bella, not to mention a slew of other eateries that enjoyed their heyday before gracefully curtseying goodbye. “As for supermarkets, I opened three in total before selling Ben’s Independent Grocer.” With a supermarket chain being taken off his hands, does Yong have more time on his hands now? Anything but. “We’re still operating 20 stores while developing some new ideas,” says the harried but happy businessman, who blasts away any notions that pure luck has brought him to where he is: “Passion…

Artist Christine Ay Tjoe was about 18 when she began to see the world in a new way. “When I was a child, we lived in a very densely populated area in Bandung,” says Ay Tjoe, 47, referring to the Indonesian metropolis where she still lives today, now on its outskirts. “Our house was in a small alley. Around me, there were only buildings.” It wasn’t until her late teens, when she was studying graphic design at the Bandung Institute of Technology, that she started exploring the tropical forest that surrounds the city—and fell in love. “Trees are living creatures, but they are so different to humans. They are so calm, not aggressive, but can grow so big.” Ay Tjoe has turned to nature for inspiration ever since, especially in…

• Founded in 1946 by Rino Snaidero, who started out as an apprentice in a wood workshop and advanced to become a craftsman and furniture maker. • His focus turned to kitchen when the kitchen cabinets he made for his wife Maria became a popular request from family and friends. • In the 1960s, Snaidero pioneered the built-in kitchen which was so innovative it entered the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. • Snaidero introduced the concept of the kitchen island to the world in the 1980s. • Snaidero has a close partnership with Italian car design firm Pininfarina Design House that has lasted for more than 25 years and resulted in the OLA kitchen. The kitchen has gone through a couple of upgrades…

Chef Rasikan’s cooking assumed centre stage at Shook!, amping up the rosiness of our cheeks with fiery sauces and spices. Because there is no thing as unified Thai food, the chef set out to educate some 20 diners on the finer points of southern Thai cuisine. Lashings of coconut milk met fresh whole lobster in a special seafood curry, smoky eggplant was dressed in a tangy tamarind sauce, and sliced barramundi was artfully arranged to resemble a blooming flower—on this note, plus points must be given for the kitchen’s plating skills. For some, the invite-only event provided the perfect opportunity to get acquainted with The Starhill Dining’s recently renovated premises. For others, the occasion marked a joyful return to the pleasures of eating out again. Dressed from chin to foot…

As a young girl, Khairun Nisa Zabidi would often go on camping trips. It was through these experiences that she came to understand humanity’s connection with mother nature. This would later inspire her to pursue a lifelong quest to push for sustainability. She believes even if a person’s actions may seem small at first, it can make a big difference. Khairun now leads Malaysia’s United Kingdom International Climate Fund Pact programme that aims to assist countries to accelerate their clean growth transformation and reduce carbon emissions. She is also a firm believer in green technology and hopes that more companies will direct money into low-carbon initiatives. The former sustainability consultant at PwC Malaysia shares her thoughts on why it is time for the public to wake up and work towards…

POWER PAIRS May sees two powerhouses, French designer Alexandre Vauthier and Italian shoemaker Giuseppe Zanotti, collaborate on a series of sexy jewelled and sculptural footwear. The shoes are executed in signature Zanotti style, with an injection of Seventies and Eighties nightlife glamour from Vauthier. “Working with Alexandre has felt very natural; right from the beginning I’ve realised we speak to the same woman with our work. I believe you’ll see this energy running from the clothes to the shoes and vice versa,” says Zanotti. The collection of 90 pieces, ranging from sandals to booties, hits stores this month. FLORAL ESCAPADE Inspired by the colourful gardens worldwide such as the Tuileries in Paris and Majorelle in Morocco, this whimsical collaboration between Caramel and FK by Farah Khan is a must-have for…

In many New Age shops, the process of purchasing crystals involves sifting through bowls of small, colourful stones. Hong Kong-based independent crystal dealer Stone and Star does things a little differently. “Selecting and owning a crystal is extremely personal,” says Joyce Tsang, founder of Stone and Star, which takes a personal approach to helping serious collectors find speciality stones to suit their energetic and spiritual needs. “In Hong Kong, we have a lot of requests for pyrite, as it’s a crystal known in feng shui for wealth and prosperity, and for being beneficial for business. It’s a very masculine, outwards-energy stone, which is good for motivation and creativity,” she says. “Other energies that are requested are love and emotional healing, anxiety relief, repelling negativity, harmony and support in meditation practices.”…

Supermodel and activist Adwoa Aboah has partnered with John Hardy on a 14-piece capsule collection called Mad Love that’s made of recycled gold or silver. It’s Aboah’s second collaboration with the Bali-based company—in 2018 she launched a 34-piece AAxJH collection with the brand. The collection features an elegant interpretation of a heart motif and has been designed so that it’s easy to stack and layer. In addition to her John Hardy collaboration, Aboah has also been working on her non-profit Gurls Talk, which she founded in 2015 to advocate for the mental health of girls and young women.…

Caroline Scheufele calls me from her office in Geneva. She’s Chopard’s co-president and artistic director, and has been preparing for the launch of the brand’s new limited-edition Happy Sport watch, which made its debut in 1993. “It’s become a watchmaking icon,” she tells me. “It’s had a few face lifts over the years and I thought it’s about time we go back to its roots.” The case and bezel maintain the watch’s steel appearance as well as its signature seven diamonds, which move freely between two sheets of sapphire crystal above the dial. This is a style that dates back to the original nearly 30 years ago, and which the rest of the industry didn’t look too kindly on. “At that time, combining steel with diamonds was an absolute no-no,”…

An avid tennis player, Erwin Chu spent his younger days visiting various sports shops inspecting racquets, strings and shoes. While there, he would ask question after question, pestering one store owner so much that he joked: “Are you planning on opening your own tennis store or something?” A detail-oriented person, Chu’s curiosity also comes out when he talks about watches—his eyes widen and he attentively tilts forward. Chu’s a man possessed, but he wasn’t always this way. “Like many people, I didn’t plan to start a collection,” he tells me when we meet at Hong Kong’s The Upper House hotel. A dedicated family man, Chu, 44, recalls his fixation with watches began as a child, when his grandfather would take him for breakfast at a local dim sum restaurant. “Once…

For over 60 years Lendlease has been at the forefront of projects that have become some of the best loved places in cities around the world. The company looks to continue to leverage its competitive advantage in placemaking to create vibrant places and thriving communities to leave a positive legacy for future generations. Stuart Mendel, Managing Director and Head of Country for Lendlease Malaysia has many stories to tell. He could bring you through the iconic landmarks Lendlease has participated in globally such as the Sydney Opera House, the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York, or engage you on the company’s absolute commitment to safety, or impress you on their global leadership position on sustainability, or delight you with their urban regeneration works around the world. Passion…

• Smeg was founded by Vittorio Bertazzoni from Guastalla, a town near Reggio Emilia in northern Italy. • The Bertazzoni family’s entrepreneurial history begins way back in the 19th century. Starting out as blacksmiths, the Bertazzonis soon branched out into building cookers. • In 1956, Smeg launched Elisabeth, the world’s first gas range to include automatic ignition, safety valves, and a cooking programmer, which was revolutionary for its time. • In 1970, Smeg created another world’s first—a 14 place setting dishwasher. This was followed by the very first built-in hobs and ovens. • In 1997, Smeg introduced the brand’s iconic retro FAB refrigerators. • Over the years, Smeg has collaborated with renowned architects and designers to create kitchen appliances that are state-of-the-art works of art without compromising on craftsmanship, originality…

If you ask most people about sustainability, chances are the conversation wouldn’t deviate much from the topic of the environment. We are so used to thinking about sustainability from a solely environmental perspective that a lot of efforts in its name still don’t go beyond green initiatives to consider the wellbeing of community or humans as part of the equation. This could be the case because the green movement emerged out of the need to protect the environment from man but we would be remiss to think that we are not part of it. If climate change has taught us anything, it is that we don’t live in a bubble. Our actions have a direct impact on our environment and there are consequences to disturbing the ecological balance. As an…

The foodie culture has grown dramatically over the years and has led to an increase of cooking shows and the rise of celebrity chefs, specialised publications, the boom of the farm-to-table movement and food trucks plus many more than I can count. It has become common practice to take photos of food and beverages consumed at home or outside and share them on social media that we always joke, “camera eats first”. Having said that, this has become a way for us to share our culinary experiences with others in the name of our common obsession—food. So much so that establishments are feeling the need to create artsy looking food and spaces just so it looks picture-perfect for the ’Gram. In the past three years since she’s taken on Tatler…

Cindy Ong did Malaysia proud when she won five golds and two silvers at the 18th Fina World Masters Championships back in 2019 in Gwangju, South Korea. The 37-year-old swimmer is the first Malaysian to win gold at the World Masters Championships. For those unfamiliar, Ong hails from a family of professional swimmers; her older brother Allen represented Malaysia at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics. She also has an aunt, Ong Mei Lin, who was one of the first women to represent Malaysia in the 1972 Olympics in Munich. The Ipoh-born lass maintained that she was never pressured to take up the sport. “I was given the opportunity to learn and decide if it’s something that I wanted to do in the long run.” Ong says that she did not…

Chances are, you may be reading this article on your device. And whether you’ve caught wind of it via scrolling through your social media feed or have chanced upon it on Tatler Malaysia’s website, there’s no two ways about it: you’re doubtlessly online, trawling for something or other to entertain and inform yourself. So, while not necessarily news to anyone, the way we consume media and how we produce it is irrevocably altered. This is compounded by the pandemic-induced digital surge in 2020, and as consumers switched from offline to online purchases, many businesses doubled down on their efforts in the virtual space as conventional methods of advertising had slowed. So, as digital marketing takes precedence in the current climate, a group of multihyphenates emerge. Labelled with umbrella terms such…

You can just imagine Lim Pui Wan’s delight when she was informed that Ryan Reynolds, major Hollywood star/ husband of Blake Lively/ Deadpool actor, shortlisted her as one of his “mentors” for the Snapchat series, Ryan Doesn’t Know. “I received an email in November last year from Westbrook Media (the production company behind Ryan Doesn’t Know),” she says. “It said Ryan has bookmarked some ideas for the show and I was one of them. I was in utter disbelief but I replied the email anyway. Soon after, we had a Zoom meet and that was when I knew it was true!” All 12 episodes of Ryan Doesn’t Know, which went live in February this year, can be viewed on the app although the first two episodes are also available on…

At first, it looks like an exorcism. Dancers from the ages of 16 to 64 convulse, writhe and gyrate in crisp shirtdresses and blood-red heels to the sound of Massive Attack’s Angel. Then come blurry flashes of shimmering dresses covered in vermillion paillettes, and sober coats with rose graphics, as the dance intensifies. Trancelike, you find yourself inexplicably glued to the screen. This was what Dries Van Noten wanted you to experience when watching a film he created around his fall-winter 2021 collection. “We actually had tears in our eyes when we saw those dancers move on stage, after not being able to perform for a year,” the Belgian designer tells me over a video call. “It was like everybody released all the raw energy they had pent up inside,…

Hawaii became the first US state this year to ban the sale of any sunscreens containing ingredients linked to the harming or destruction of coral reefs: oxybenzone and octinoxate. Since then, the US Virgin Islands and the island city of Key West in Florida have followed in Hawaii’s footsteps with similar bans. But it was the Pacific archipelago of Palau, which prides itself on being a “pristine paradise” for divers, that set the precedent in 2020 when it became the first country to ban ‘reef toxic’ sunscreen. “This is a big issue for reef environments that rely on tourism and heavy people traffic,” says Craig Leeson, who directed the documentary A Plastic Ocean. It’s estimated that up to 6,000 tonnes of sunscreen wash into the world’s coral reefs each year,…

Tell us about your latest collection, Shakti. I had been thinking about how to create a collection around the concept of shakti, which is energy that’s responsible for creation [in the Hindu tradition]. This idea came together when I observed how the women around me were dealing with our “new normal” after lockdown was imposed early last year. At this point, I knew that the collection should be dedicated to the strength of independent and intelligent women. It seems you were also inspired by art deco. I’ve always loved art deco, particularly the Darbargadh Palace in Gujarat, India, which was influenced by the final phase of the European art deco movement. It was built by the last Maharaja of Morvi in the 1940s and I just love the palace’s faded…

1 Untreated coloured gemstones About 90 per cent of gemstones are heated to improve their colour or clarity. Some of the rarest untreated coloured gemstones are Kashmir sapphires, so it’s likely these will be very popular at auction this year. 2 Pink diamonds Less than 0.1 per cent of diamonds mined worldwide are pink and they are only found in certain areas, such as the famous Argyle mines in Kimberley, Western Australia. Last year, the Argyle mines closed for good, and prices for pink diamonds reportedly shot up 40 per cent. 3 Spinels For hundreds of years, people believed that rubies and spinels were the same stone. Look for spinels that are unheated and preferably from Myanmar. A strong colour with as few inclusions as possible is also desirable. 4…

In 1921, Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel commissioned perfumer Ernest Beaux to create a signature scent. The couturier considered the number five to be lucky and, as the story goes, she consequently chose the fifth sample of the fragrance, deciding to name it No 5. A decade later, Mademoiselle (as she’s often known) introduced her first and only official jewellery collection, named Bijoux de Diamants, at her home on Paris’s Rue de Faubourg Saint-Honoré. Set with diamonds and sculpted using platinum that was cast to shape shooting stars and bows, most of the pieces were later disassembled. A surviving brooch was eventually recovered by Chanel, and it is now part of the house’s heritage collection. To celebrate No 5’s 100th anniversary, Patrice Leguéreau, director of Chanel’s fine jewellery creation studio, has brought…

How has the pandemic impacted Zenith? It has definitely forced us to develop new ways of working but almost immediately we found ways we can still be efficient, despite being restricted to our homes. On a personal level, it’s been hard because I like meeting people, so while we’ve been successful at digitising the company, not being able to meet collectors is something I’ve missed. What have you learnt over the last year? One big learning curve for us was e-commerce, which we had initially intended to develop over the next 18 months. Of course, because of the pandemic, we had to master it over just 18 days—my team has been super-fast. I wouldn’t describe it as pleasant but we successfully started e-commerce for Europe in June and the US…

Chryseis Tan is casually talking numbers with her colleague in her hair and make-up chair as she gets ready for our cover shoot at the newly launched Tatler House in the presidential suite of The Mandarin Oriental, Kuala Lumpur. “I’ve been quite busy,” she explains, with an affable glance through the vanity mirror. As if that isn’t the biggest understatement coming from the eldest daughter of Tan Sri Vincent Tan, founder of one of the most expansive business empires in Malaysia, Berjaya Corp Berhad, and Puan Sri Esther Tan. She rattles off an extensive list of projects she has on her plate: “I’ve been working on some hospitality projects overseas with my family,” she says, referring to the much-anticipated Four Seasons Okinawa before adding, “but the pandemic has brought a…

There’s a cardboard crate of wine sitting near my desk that feels, in the context of our Covid-19-fixated world, like a relic from a bygone era. “Don’t get off the couch,” it urges in a large, friendly voice. “It’s wine o’clock.” It seems to harken back to a time when a spell on the couch with a glass sounded like a tempting indulgence, rather than the only option after yet another set of plans got Covid-cancelled. Indeed, who among us has not logged more couch time than we ever thought possible? In this work-from-home, learn-from-home, play-from-home era, it’s certainly understandable to seek a little escapism through wine, which, with its inextricable link to its place of origin, can transport us to remote places and eras, at least in our minds.…

There is something about Italian-made products that always makes it stand out in a room. It’s not just its exquisite craftsmanship, which is what often gets the most shouted about but really the synergy with human ingenuity that truly gives it that unmistakable ‘Made in Italy’ polish. Wanting to keep such precious quality within their borders, in 2009, the Italian parliament passed a law prohibiting the use of the phrase ‘Made in Italy’ on any product unless it is made entirely in Italy. Genuine Italian-made products often take a long time to produce, as it is guided by know-how that has been honed through generations and an eye for detail that just cannot be copied and definitely not mass-produced. And it is for this reason that they are unrivalled in…

• OKITE is a long-standing family business founded by Luigi Izzo more than 60 years ago and is known for innovative building products and household surfaces. • They created the quartz-resin, which is known for its extraordinary strength. • A naturally non-porous material, OKITE is now the preferred surface for kitchen and bathroom counters because it prevents absorption of liquids or food that leads to developing harmful bacteria. And being resistant to stain, heat and scratches, it makes it suitable for any environment. • Originally developed as a kitchen surface, OKITE has evolved into a versatile product that can be used for many interior applications including flooring, walls, bar counters, partitions, receptions, work surfaces, decorative coatings and more. • The stone is manufactured exclusively at its Seieffe facility in Montesarchio-Bonea,…