InCompany by Attire Club Summer 2022 (Issue 26)

RIP Virgil Abloh.

Photo: Attire Club

Editorial: The Stay-at-Home Summer

One of the songs that are very strongly associated with summer and the summer atmosphere is Summertime. The song, written by George Gershwin and performed by Ella Fitzgerald, tells the story of a highly ordered world. The lyrics say, “Summertime and the livin’ is easy / Fish are jumpin’ and the cotton is high / Oh, your daddy’s rich and your ma is good-lookin’ / So hush little baby, don’t you cry” and the slow-paced melody conveys the idea of steadiness. The baby grows up in a world where he gets the best of everything, thus resulting in a successful and happy life.

The summer, with its long days, hot sun, and long shadows, is a great time to reflect and ponder on life. It is a time to sit back, look back and look forward. Contemplating and understanding the world is essential if we want to make the best of the future.

Right now, the world seems to find itself in a socialist-corporate dystopia. The dark predictions about the future seem to have combined into a mind-blowing present. It combines Orwell’s book-burning, truth-fearing society with Huxley’s world where nobody even wants to read a book or cares about the future. Apparently, we got the worst of both worlds.

The world seems to be rapidly moving towards more and more chaos. But chaos, despite what many might think, is actually a representation and manifestation of potentiality. This is quite good news if you take into sight the old saying “Ordo Ab Chao” (Order out of Chaos).

So, let’s be hopeful and look forward to a fresh, ordered, coherent, logical, and philosophical future.

“You gonna rise up singin’ Yes, you’ll spread your wings And you’ll take to the sky”

InCompany t Attire hClub

“To good men!

May we know them, May we raise them, May we be them!”

Released by FRAQUOH AND FRANCHOMME

Chief Executive Officer Dan Dimitriu

Creative Director

Iosif Trif

Write letters to the editor iosif.trif@attireclub.org

Visit our website attireclub.org

Contact & advertising office@attireclub.org

Address Based in Abu Dhabi, UAE & Vienna, Austria

Telephone 0097 150 12 801 73

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Colors on a flag: What do they mean?

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Men’s

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TRAVEL ALPHABET

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SPECIAL FEATURE

WeWork: The Story of an All-American Business Scandal

Why do we love these kinds of things?

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BASELWORLD 2022

The Canceled Edition No watch show in Basel this year.

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CINEMA CULTURE

The Rick and Morty Enlightenment

A deep show

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FASHION AND TECH

NFTs: A New Fashion Trend

What digital bag do you want?

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THE ATTIRE CLUB MOOD DIARY

Mirrors of the Soul

You have a good eye!

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STORIES FROM OUR WEB Instagram Snapshots

Are you following the big AC?

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FASHION WORLD Old Dior Vintage Dior Men.

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QR CODE GLOSSARY

Discover More!

Use your phone or tablet to scan the QR codes leading to the sites of the brands presented in this issue.

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Read the contents with a song!

lèche-vitrines

Chopard

Chopard, in full Le Petit-Fils de L.-U. Chopard & Cie S.A., is a Swiss maker and retailer of luxury timepieces, jewelry, and accessories. Chopard was founded in 1860 in Sonvilier, Switzerland by Louis-Ulysse Chopard, and has been owned by the Scheufele family of Germany since 1963.

Photo: The Chopard boutique in Vienna, Austria, by Attire Club

From the Online Edition

Attire Club is the ultimate resource for complete style guides, fashion inspiration and cultural insights that provide you with the tools you need for a continuous style development. Geared towards the sharp modern man, Attire Club offers practical “you can do it, here’s how” articles that will make you not only look better, but also feel better and more confident. With a groundbreaking new concept, AC is the essential online publication that brings out the best in who you are.

Christian Dior established is brand on December 16, 1946, at 30 Avenue Montaigne in Paris, with the backing of cotton mogul Marcel Boussac. Dior now has about 200 outlets in over 60 countries and annual sales of approximately 1.94 billion euros.

Photo: Attire Club

BACK TO REALITY

A chronicle of a world of masks, temperature scans, zoom meetings, medical dances and vaccines.

Nobody would have believed the story that has unfolded over the last several years if it had been told some years ago. The coronavirus swept the world by storm and ushered in massive transformation. The shift was on the horizon, as predicted by futurists and trend analysts many years ago, but what many people did not foresee was that something would occur that would overhaul the world’s entire organization.

Even though many people expected life to return to normal after the crisis, what was on the other side of the virus (or whatever it was) was a whole different world.

New Scientist published the first report on 59 cases of a strange pneumonia-like sickness in China, which were related to a wet market in Wuhan, on January 7, 2020. This was the first domino to fall that triggered a massive reaction chain in the world.

Less than a month after the first individual became ill, Chinese authorities discovered a wholly novel coronavirus as the source of the illness and sequenced its genome, according to the WHO. Wuhan is placed under heavy lockdown by the Chinese government on January 23. It became illegal to go in and out of the city. Two days later, the virus (which was at this point still unnamed), was first identified in Europe.

In February 2020, the disease was given the name “covid-19” or “coronavirus disease 2019” After the year the first cases were reported.

On February 20, Italy reported its first coronavirus death, and 50,000 people in ten municipalities in the country’s north were placed under quarantine. Eight days later, the first case is confirmed in the US. Italy became the first European country to enforce a statewide curfew on March 9. Sports activities have been rescheduled, schools and institutions have been canceled, and more than 60 million people have been told to stay

at home. Many people were quarantined by the authorities, many quarantined by themselves. There was even a report of a nurse locking herself up in a room in a hospital and refusing to go out. Another viral video showed a woman that, when approached by the police, started (pretend-) coughing on them. And the craziness was just starting.

Soon after, on March 11, the World Health Organization designated covid-19 a pandemic.

For millions (if not billions) of people around the world, what followed was a period marked by strangeness and, above all, confusion. In an attempt to benefit from the pandemic, thousands of covid domains appeared on the internet.

Many people panicked as a result of the lockdown, while others created social media “creations” and shared concerts and other cultural events online.

For many, digital education became the standard, and remote employment became the norm.

People were not allowed to leave their homes, and stories of break-outs from the imposed house arrest began to circulate, some in the form of jokes (a whole building walking a dog on a rotating basis) and others in the form of ridiculous cautionary stories about cops slapping fines on anyone they saw on the street. Especially at night.

Curfews and other laws that made little to no sense were only supposed to be in effect for a limited time, while medical systems caught up to what was going on. This, however, was not going to change anytime soon, and what had been a state of fear would soon become the politics of the day.

People used politics to vent their feelings about the crisis, and some even switched sides in the process.

The media, particularly the MSM (mainstream media), maintained the coronavirus narrative, which, as investigations revealed, complied with what it was taught and pushed a constant covid terror fest.

Mask mandates, people not being allowed to see each other, people being controlled at home, police break-ins on New Year’s, and other stores all go mainstream on the internet. People chatted about sad stories, canceled parties and gatherings, and found themselves in mind-numbing circumstances, but none of these were addressed publicly. People were watching movies about pandemics (such as Angels and Demons) to get a sense of what was about to happen.

As vaccines were becoming available (Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and the outlawed Sputnik, which some claimed to be the finest), more people became dissatisfied with the global restrictions, especially in places like Australia, where they looked to be particularly draconian. Vaccines were wanted by many, then they were imposed (more or less directly) and then the heroes of yesterday, who were in the front lines helping, were now demonized if they refused to get the shot –and the second one – and the third one…

For many, the period between 2020 and mid-2022 was the fulfillment of a prophecy or, better said, a plan.

Even if we don’t recognize it yet, the pandemic, along with its (apparently futile) countermeasures, has brought numerous changes to the world. It normalized remote working, digital meetings, and schooling (no surprise the Metaverse became a big trend during the pandemic); and it pushed people to parts of their personalities they didn’t even realize they had – many people became their finest selves during these times, while others became their worst selves (or at least, they looked in that direction). People were urged to pay for things digitally, shop online, and pay for things digitally during these times. The crisis also forced many small business owners and people living paycheck to paycheck out of business. What is still extremely weird is that many people wore and still wear masks when alone in their cars or on the street while there is nobody else around. It seems that the medical pandemic was mirrored by a general psychosis. And it seems that it will return. If not, something else will, so it was promised. The effects these two years have had on education (which basically crashed) and mental wellbeing (which crashed as well) will be visible in time.

Man vs. Nature

Photo: Attire Club

THE BENEFITS OF USING A NATURAL SOAP

The term “soap” refers to a variety of skin cleansers, whether solid, liquid, or powder and each of these categories has its own set of colors, scents, shapes, packaging, and benefits.

Some soaps deodorize, while others are antibacterial, anti-aging, moisturizing, etc. Soap is something that practically everyone uses, often many times every day, and is one of the most important tools in avoiding the spread of several bacterial and viral infections.

Natural soaps are made from natural ingredients. Organic soaps are made using natural organic compounds. These are typically made from a combination of butter and oils produced from different plants. Thus, they are rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. These compounds are required for human skin, hair, and other body components to grow, survive, and/ or remain healthy. Many natural, mild soaps contain additional helpful elements such as clays, salts, essential oils, and botanical extracts.

Handmade soaps take longer to make and usually utilize higher quality ingredients, which adds to the expense, but they are gentler on delicate skin.

It is critical to experiment with many natural soaps to find the one that is best for your skin type and preferences.

Using a natural soap has a number of advantages, including:

It is real soap

Many goods marketed or exhibited as ‘cleanser,’ ‘body bar,’ ‘body wash,’ ‘beauty bar, ‘skincare bar,’ and even ‘deodorant soap’ are actually detergent-based items, not soaps at all.

Better ingredients

When a factory produces hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of bars of soap at a time, part of the profit margin comes from mass production, and part comes from employing the cheapest products available – which are frequently synthetic alternatives for the real thing. Many people feel that synthetic chemicals can be harmful to the endocrine, reproductive, respiratory, and immune systems, not to mention the potential harm they might do by drying out your skin.

Mass-made soaps are known to contain parabens, sulfates, and triclosan, which are suspected of causing allergies, influencing hormone levels, and perhaps increasing the risk of

some malignancies. Natural soaps, on the other hand, are made with natural ingredients such as olive and coconut oils, as well as shea butter.

Natural soap is highly moisturizing

One of the advantages of using natural soap is that glycerin is a byproduct of the manufacturing process. Because it pulls moisture to itself in and around the skin, glycerin is an effective skin moisturizer. Because traditional soaps include glycerin, they moisturize the skin when bathing, whereas many commercially created soaps can dry out the skin. Why? Because commercial soaps in stores are frequently subjected to a technique designed particularly to remove the glycerin.

Environmentally friendly

Organic soaps do not emit hazardous environmental chemicals or poisons. After usage, the soap degrades more efficiently and does not disrupt the water cycle or the species that live in our rivers, lakes, and seas. Even if everything else were equal, this eco-friendliness would be a compelling reason to use organic soaps. Add to that the soap’s high quality and efficacy, as well as the joy you get from a more unique product, and they are a clear winner.

Antioxidant-dense

Organic soaps can actually help to repair the skin by reduc-

ing inflammation, keeping skin hydrated, and thus helping the user to have younger-looking, healthier skin because the ingredients used in organic soaps include many that are natural antioxidants, and because the process does not extract these substances for other purposes. Organic soaps’ milder pH values (typically between 9 and 10) assist care for your skin in the long run while still keeping you looking and feeling clean and fresh now.

They do not use any preservatives

Organic products have a reduced shelf life for a good reason. Non-organic product preservatives are often dangerous to persons or the environment. It might sometimes come down to a trade-off: do you want the product to be able to sit on a shelf, unused, for an extended period of time, or do you want it to be healthy for the user?

Aromatherapy scents created from natural ingredients

Aromatherapy can help to relax your mind and body by using natural soap scents. Aromatherapy is supposed to ease stress while also improving mood and attitude.

Essential oils’ chemical composition cannot be replicated in a laboratory. The medicinal properties of natural goods are lost when synthetic counterparts replace them. Natural essential oils stimulate the release of neurochemicals in the brain, benefiting the mind, body, and spirit.

Reduces itchy skin

Skin irritation is a sensation that prompts you to scratch your skin, causing it to get red. You can also accidentally scrape off the top, protective layer of your skin, making it more prone to breakouts. You come into contact with components that are naturally obtained and derived from plants and plant-based goods when you use plant-based body wash. With no chemicals in contact with your skin, it relieves it of persistent irritation and itchiness while also soothing and moisturizing it with natural elements that promote skin health.

In summary, the important takeaways regarding natural soap are that:

it has no artificial ingredients it does not contain synthetic fragrances or perfumes there are no artificial colors there are no detergents there are no artificial preservatives

Using an age-old technique, natural soap recipes combine sustainable, environmentally friendly natural and organic components to produce a fantastic product for hopefully healthy skin.

You can use a homemade natural soap bar to enjoy a very simple luxury in life. This small adjustment will not only leave your skin well-conditioned but will also contribute to a healthier environment! Your skin will notice it and appreciate you for the difference.

FIX YOUR HOME, FIX THE WORLD

The global awareness is currently shifting in new directions. Ask some people, and they will tell you that the old world is already gone spiritually, and that we are only now experiencing it in the physical world, and that it will soon be reflected in the material world as well. That could be true or incorrect, but what we have learnt and will continue to learn is that in order to produce anything new, you must first put order in the old. This could be about psychological concerns, your room, your home, or your family.

We are currently receiving new energy from space, which will materialize in the creation of a new world. To make energies flow, we must first create order in our life, both personal and collective, but always in the spirit of philosophy and truth.

New groups

The recent lockdowns and events have affected how we interact with others and drastically disturbed our social groups. It has destroyed certain social circles, revealed true relationships, and formed new ones. In the future, we will see the formation of new groupings, niches, and interest- and value-based groups.

A N ew level of truth

The new world will offer huge revelations of truth. Things that have been hidden will be disclosed, as will things that people have tried to keep hidden.

h e A li N g

Healing entails letting go of trauma, repairing scars, and adopting a new way of life. Many people will strive to improve their physical and mental health, as well as renew their lives in preparation for a future that is so brilliant that we can’t even envision it right now.

Bl A ck sw AN s

Economists use the term “black swan” to describe situations that economic models are unable to foresee. The black swan theory is a metaphor for an unexpected and significant event. There is a lot of breakthrough energy around the world right now, much of which will emerge in technology, business, and trade. There is a lot of surprising and shocking news on the horizon.

vA lu AB le work

What is the future role of crafts in design, and how can designers benefit from adopting craft methods of production today? This is an important question to pose today, since in the future, it will be critical to build products that are not only form-following, but also value-filled and have a lasting philosophical depth.

New freque N cies

We will soon discover new methods of doing things, new ways of being spiritual, as well as more practical things, such as new types of fish and plants. We’re already hearing stories of new natural discoveries and it is likely that there will be more coming up soon.

Land of bear and land of eagle

Land that gave us birth and blessing

Land that called us ever homewards

We will go home across the mountains

We will go home, we will go home

We will go home across the mountains

We will go home, we will go home

We will go home across the mountains

Land of freedom land of heroes

Land that gave us hope and memories

Hear our singing hear our longing

We will go home across the mountains

We will go home, we will go home

We will go home across the mountains

We will go home, we will go home

We will go home across the mountains

Land of sun and land of moonlight

Land that gave us joy and sorrow

Land that gave us love and laughter

We will go home across the mountains

We will go home, we will go home

We will go home across the mountains

We will go home, we will go home

We will go home across the mountains

THE CODEIG

The world has moved very much into a digital space, especially over the last two years or so, as the covid crisis has forced people to stay at home more than they used to. During lockdown, people used Instagram and other social media platforms to virtue signal and to show support for those who needed it, but they also used to keep themselves sane in a somewhat crazy world.

However, Instagram may not be the right place to go if you want to maintain the integrity of your mental health. And yet, it currently is one of the most popular apps in the entire world.

Little by little, Instagram (with TikTok following) has become the place where things are happening these days. It is the moment, the -ism, the hashtag, as teens today would say. In other words, it’s the “it”.

Even though it may seem that IG is the wild west, where anything and everything can happen, at a closer analysis, or, better said, when looking at it from a distance, one can for sure notice that Instagram is not actually such a free space and that it abides by very serious rules. These rules are only in part the feared algorithm people talk about, the algorithm that makes small businesses crumble, hides certain viewpoints, and makes creative people feel bad.

The more interesting rules of Instagram are those that don’t go so quickly noticed, the pecking order, the unsaid regulations, and the taboo standards. For example, one of these rules is that in order to be of any value on IG, you have to have more followers than people you yourself follow. The larger the gap between followers and followed accounts, the higher the social status. For example, you are OK if you follow 1000 accounts but have 7000 followers (even though that’s not much), but if you don’t follow anyone and have 40 million followers, then you are at the top of the hill.

Another interesting rule of Instagram is the one that revolves around sexual market value. Instagram, when it comes to personal accounts, is, like anything in life, all about trading up. What this means is that the many hot people of Insta will only follow only people who are hotter than them; and that goes all the way to the top. When looking at this, one can’t help but notice that, despite any politically correct thing we are being told to say, conventional beauty is still the criterion people go by when they follow someone for their looks. People who have lots of followers usually feel smug and self-sufficient, but then again, they did earn something for nothing (well, that’s what

it looks like, but that doesn’t make it true) and they are approved by the global tribe for being conventional, having desirable sexual markers and being overall of a high sexual status. The lizard brain feels good, and it’s hard to fight it.

Social media has become so odd because it combines everything, the good and the bad. There are great pictures of travel destinations, it is a wonderful way for people to discover art and artists and to stay in touch with the activity of their favorite brands, but it is also a place filled with smugness, ostracization, anger and all that is in between. Social media also features the entire range, from good to bad of it can be said so, of the same thing. It has great motivational accounts and inspiration-filled boards, but also toxic positivity and crazy hustle culture. It really is not a realistic meeting place. Or maybe it is; who can tell anymore?

The bottom line is that social media, mostly through Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok have rewired the brains of an entire generation. What is even more interesting is that, while it may seem that the direction in which social media is taking us is the only direction, in actuality, things are not exactly like that. For example, while Westerners get to see twerking teens in their TT feeds, Chinese kids see accomplishments, achievements, and a developing society, instead of a decaying one. Speaking of China, the giant country has even limited by law the number of time kids can play computer games. Other countries, such as Poland, have taken measures against the problems caused by social media. It’s a sad thing to live in a world where the state imposes these things.

Social media as a whole, and Instagram in particular, is guilty

of creating a digital world that has little to do with the real world. Social media, it can be said, is beneficial when it is used as an extension of everyday life. If you are organizing an event, sharing information on social media makes it more accessible; if you are an artist or have a brand, letting people know about your latest work can help you with exposure and sales. However, these days, most of it is cheap (actually, sometimes extremely expensive) manufacturing of a fake life. People rent sets that look like private planes in order to impress others; they pretend to be deep when they want to be sexy, they laugh at bad jokes told by hot people (especially at those that indicate how amazing they are) and they even use social media as a type of religious or political instrument. In the eventuality of an important deemed important enough but still manageable, people post when they’re told, what they’re told, and rejecting these rules can get people in serious trouble.

Instagram is also a highly social space, where every piece of activity can (and potentially will) be interpreted: when you post, what you post, what you comment, why you comment, why you like in a row, why you follow someone, etc. People follow and then unfollow in the hope that they will get a new follower, but that they will maintain an advantage, and so on. In private groups, people don’t use words like “followers”, but rather write “fo110w**r$”, because they know that even their private messages are scanned and that they will be sanctioned if the “holy” algorithm thinks they just want to gain followers. Doesn’t this look like something from The Matrix?

Instagram users get depressed because everything seems either perfect or fun for others. People feel lonely when they see other people’s group photos. Everyone is stunned at the amount of traveling people with questionable jobs do around the world, especially to places that cost a fortune to visit.

Sometimes, people lash out or complain on Instagram, some-

times even about Instagram. Some users simply break the fourth wall and put out there to the best of their abilities all their frustrations and anger. They complain about the hot girls not looking at them, their subscribers not engaging, and their daily lives. This is very sad, but it also acts as a reminder that those who are behind the screens are actually human beings with lives, thoughts, and, something that we too rarely see these days, authentic feelings.

MEN’S GUIDE TO GIFTING PEARLS: ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW

Pearls are timeless pieces of jewelry that have given shine and elegance to finely dressed women for hundreds of years. There is something special about the creamy white sheen of the round pearls that attracts the eye.

Some men might already have an idea of the pearl jewelry they wish to buy for their special someone while others find it challenging and need some help along the way.

In this article, we’ll offer guidance when looking for the right pearl jewelry gift.

Real vs. fake pearls

If you are a true pearl admirer, you probably already know that there are real pearls and fake pearls. Learning to separate and recognize the two is crucial before splurging on your favorite piece of pearl jewelry.

The real ones weigh more

Weight is the first and most noticeable aspect when telling the difference between real pearls and fake ones. For example, if you take a real pearl necklace in one hand and a fake one in the

other, you will instantly feel a significant difference as the real one will feel much heavier.

However, as technologies are known to be constantly improving, imitation pearls can feel just as heavy. Therefore, other aspects must be considered too.

Real pearls don’t come in perfect shapes

While sometimes real pearls are almost perfectly round, this is rarely the case, while manufactured ones are almost always flawlessly round.

If you’re unsure whether you are looking at the real deal, try using a magnifying glass to see whether the beautiful piece of jewelry seems perfectly symmetrical and round. If so, it is probably fake. However, if minor asymmetries are displayed, and you notice elongated and oval shapes, then you’re probably looking at genuine pearl jewelry.

The tooth experiment

Whether the pearl that has caught your attention is naturally genuine or cultured, it’s still a pearl. On the other hand, a so-called faux pearl is not a pearl. These are made of glass,

Photos: Attire Club

plastic, or shells that have a pearly coating to give a similar look to real pearls.

The easiest way to distinguish a natural pearl from an imitation is to rub the pearl against your front teeth. A real or cultured pearl feels gritty, while a faux pearl feels smooth against the tooth.

Main factors that affect pearls’ value

Pearl jewelry stores have their own pricing systems, but once you know which factors affect pears’ value, you can have more peace of mind that you have not overpaid the gem. All factors play a crucial role in determining the price, and you should keep them in mind when walking into the jewelry store.

Pearl shape

Round pearls have the most appealing shape, making them the rarest cultured ones. The rounder the pearl, the higher the price. Baroque pearls are irregularly shaped pearls and often the cheapest class of pearls. Despite this, this type of gem is still very interesting and beautiful.

Surface quality

Since a living creature creates pearls, the pearl’s surface can’t be entirely flawless.

The most appreciated and costliest pearls are those pearls that are categorized as clean and blemish-free, with the least surface imperfections. If there are a large number of visible cracks, nicks, and flaws, it leads to devaluations in the pearl’s value.

Color

Color is the first thing you see in pearls. Although the color varies greatly depending on the type of pearl, you should pay

attention to two things: body color and tone color. Body color is the main color of pearls, while shades are glosses or colors that “float” on the surface of the pearl. For example, a pearl may be white with a pink tone or black with a green tone.

Luster

The pearl’s luster is one of the most important factors affecting the overall beauty and appeal of the gemstone. High-quality gems display sharp defined light on the surface, making the pearl “pop” when viewed by the naked eye. Simply put, high luster means great value and top-notch quality.

Size

This is perhaps the most important aspect when purchasing the right pearl jewelry for your significant other.

The size of the pearls matters when speaking of these gems, and the larger it is, the more it makes an impact on the value. Usually, pearl’s size ranges from 1 mm to 20 mm, but you should know that each type has its range of sizes it should be judged by.

Final thoughts

There are many things to keep in mind when choosing the best pearls, including where they are grown, their overall size and appearance, and how they are cultivated.

A strand of small Akoya pearls can give a sophisticated look to a woman, while a necklace or bracelet with larger pearls can make the ultimate fashion statement. Depending on the occasion and the woman’s personality, make sure you choose pearl jewelry that will work as the perfect finishing touch to the lady’s appearance.

Zürich

We’ve reached the end of the travel alphabet, and our last destination is Zurich, Switzerland. A global banking and finance center, Zurich is located in northern Switzerland near the north end of Lake Zürich. The central Altstadt (Old Town) alleyways on each side of the Limmat River indicate its pre-medieval origins, and its modern buildings speak of its present and future.

WITH AROUND 420,000 inhabitants, Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland. However, the number of people settled around Lake Zurich is even larger: 1.2 million!

ZÜRICH HAS BEEN INHABITED for nearly 2,000 years and was founded by the Romans. However, early settlements dating back more than 6,400 years have been discovered (although this merely suggests human presence in the area and not the presence of a town that early).

IN ZURICH, THERE ARE OVER 1,200 drinking fountains on almost every corner of the city. Drinking fountains are standard in Switzerland; they are a public good that benefits everyone.

ZURICH IS HOME TO many international corporations. Google’s largest European office is located in downtown Zurich. Disney Research is only a few minutes from Zurich’s center.

SEVERAL SURVEYS HAVE SHOWN that Zurich is the best city in the world in terms of quality of life. People in Zurich feel that

they have social support, a healthy life expectancy and enough freedom to make decisions in life.

THE ANCIENT STEEPLE of St. Peter’s Church, which houses Europe’s largest church clock, is in the middle of the old town. The clock’s outside diameter is 8.64 meters, the minute hand is 5.73 meters, and the hour hand is 5.07 meters.

AFTER NEW YORK, LONDON, AND TOKYO , the Zurich Stock Exchange is one of the world’s fourth most significant! Every day, securities worth 4.6 billion Swiss francs are traded.

Four Seasons Art

WEWORK: THE STORY OF AN ALLAMERICAN BUSINESS SCANDAL

WeWork is the story of one of the world’s most valuable start-ups’ rise and fall. In less than a decade, WeWork grew from a small co-working space company to a global brand valued at $47 billion. Then, in less than a year, the company’s value plummeted.

Recently, a miniseries titled WeCrashed was released. The show depicts the story of the greed-filled growth and inevitable crash of WeWork and the narcissists whose crazy “love” made it all possible.

As the globe is captivated yet again by another American business scandal, it appears that WeWork is still the buzz of the global village.

We looked at the WeWork narrative to seek to understand modern society’s obsession with dull companies and the antiheroes who lead them.

The goal statement of one of the most talked-about start-ups of this century is “to enhance the world’s awareness.” Adam Neumann and Miguel McKelvey established WeWork in New York City in 2010. The company provided low-cost, flexible shared workspaces to up-and-coming technology start-ups around the world. Still, it is best known for making headlines in 2019 when it went from a $47 billion valuation to a mere $10 billion valuation while undergoing a company rebranding (to “The We Company”) and filing S-1 statements as part of its IPO. The firm was present in 121 cities across the world and had over 740 sites as of December 2021, and it went public

with a current worth of $9 billion. A once favorite of Softbank’s Masayoshi Son, he subsequently said, “My own investment judgment was really bad. I regret it in many ways.”

In 2008, Adam Neumann and Miguel McKelvey founded an “eco-friendly co-working space” in Brooklyn; in 2010, they sold the company and founded WeWork in New York’s SoHo district. WeWork was named the fastest growing renter of new office space in New York in 2014. Then, in 2015, the company expanded and had 51 collaborating areas across the US, Europe, and Israel. Artie Minson (former CFO of Time Warner Cable) joined as COO. In 2016, WeWork was valued at $16 billion and raised $1.7 billion in private financing. In 2017, the first indication that SoftBank is interested in investing in WeWork arose, and the investment could be part of their Vision Fund ($100 billion innovation fund). WeWork’s valuation then surpassed $20 billion. Expansion in Asia began against established competitors (some of which were also unicorns, such as Ucommune in China), and in 2019 WeWork began preparing for an IPO and rebranded itself as “The We Company.”

After funding $1 billion in series H spearheaded by Softbank, the company’s valuation rose to $47 billion. Soon, Adam Neumann sold $700 million in WeWork stock before the company went public. The S-1 form was made public, causing quite a stir. Several inconsistencies were discovered by the media and specialists in the information that was to be submitted by the corporation as part of its IPO. The “Community Adjusted EBITDA” – a very creative accounting scheme that didn’t really work, was almost the same as their revenue!

Otto Mueller - Selbstbildnis mit Modell und MaskeSelf portrait with Model and Mask (1921 - 22) Looks like some familiar faces...

A significant lack of accountability also marked WeWork: while the company was losing money and explaining to its employees how they were meant to make sacrifices for it, Adam Neumann purchased a $60 million plane. The losses for the first and second quarters of 2019 were over $700 million. Still, the company was unable to scale efficiently — losses increased proportionally, demonstrating that its branding as a technological company was nothing more than a pipe dream. This media storm raised worries about the company’s future viability, and caused significant public outrage in the aftermath of the discovery. The IPO was halted, Adam Neumann was replaced, and the firm was taken over by SoftBank, which also announced a $5 billion rescue package. In 2020, SofBank valued WeWork at $20 billion and said the investment in WeWork was “foolish.” By this point, they had invested approximately $17 billion in WeWork. WeWork went public in 2021 and is valued at $9 billion.

A business strategy like no other So what went wrong with WeWork? The short answer is “everything”. The longer answer is another story…

WeWork marketed itself as a tech company, despite the fact that technology was not its primary offering. They provided data analytics tools to help the company understand how individuals used the rooms they rented, but their core product was renting inexpensive office space. Later on, they created many lines of business ranging from education to on-demand sleeping rooms and set out to create a new way of life – the “we way.” The primary business line catered to entrepreneurs and (often small) enterprises looking to rent cheap furnished office spaces. Besides that, the company has a diverse range of office renting offerings aimed at capturing and retaining a diverse community.

“Their pitch went beyond simply offering short leases to startups in need of flexibility,” the Financial Times put it succinctly. WeWork, with its pinball machines, meditation rooms, and beer on tap, would not only appear different, but it would also provide a physical social network to a generation of millennials who were questioning if there was more to life than their screens. Neumann’s idea of establishing a new work culture — and more — was suddenly all over the place. ‘We are here in order to change the world,’ he once stated. ‘Nothing less than that interests me.’

To make the offers even more appealing, WeWork handled all office administration - as a renter in their offices, you didn’t have to worry about paying for utilities like electricity, water, internet, etc. This turnkey option was especially appealing in large cities, where the price of setting up an office’s entire infrastructure can be overwhelming and several times the rent that WeWork received. It is also worth noting that the majority of WeWorks facilities are usually placed in good locations. To keep expenses low, WeWork often rented spaces for at least 15 years or immediately purchased the properties (to minimize the space acquisition costs as much as possible). They par -

titioned the rooms they obtained into smaller spaces that they rented out. Rents received from subdivided areas paid for the space, restoration, and consumables and were meant to create profits. WeWork provided substantial incentives to those who owned working spaces. These included, among other things, higher-than-average rentals (when computed over the lease period), a larger and more diversified pool of residents, offices branded with powerful symbols of triumphant capitalism, and so on. WeWork’s real estate became heavily sales-driven to support their demand surge in workspace demand. In 2018, the start-up (then valued at $20 billion) signed deals in North America with CBRE, Cushman & Wakefield, and JLL, offering their brokers a 20% fee on a one-year lease and a 5% fee on expansions and renewals. Moreover, building owners appreciated working with WeWork since they did not have to handle several clients or find new tenants every year/couple of months, do due diligence on them, and so on. Furthermore, specific WeWork properties saw an enhanced property value, including a 50-120 percent increase in the sale price and up to a 29 percent increase in rent surcharges after WeWork moved in, according to the WeWork Landlord Partnership.

Overall, WeWork did an excellent job of marketing itself. According to Google trends, it grew to be larger than the entire co-working industry and was so successful that it became associated with the concept of co-working. It sold itself with feelgood phrases like “Do What You Love”, which spoke directly to people’s needs and desires, namely to be successful and to be a part of something bigger than themselves in a world void of meaning, philosophy and religion. WeWork stated that they wished to raise the global consciousness by providing comfort and happiness to the workplace. The concepts of community, prosperity, and responsibility (all essentially meaningless buzzwords) worked like a charm with their clients. As Atlantic reporter Derek Thompson said in the documentary “WeWork: Or the Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn,” millennials want more than just a job or a career; they want a calling, and WeWork certainly appeared to provide one. In a way, WeWork, a highly capitalist company, tried to sell the socialist dream.

In terms of market, WeWork was operating in a highly profitable market. Despite the pandemic, the number of co-working spaces increased by 15% between 2018 and 2021, while the number of individuals working in co-working spaces increased by 48%, reaching nearly 2.5 million in 2021. According to Statista, the number of individuals working in co-working spaces will reach 5 million by 2024, with around 42,000 co-working spaces worldwide. Regus, Spaces, and Knotel were WeWork’s

main competitors (they went bankrupt after the pandemic). WeWork was by far the most significant shared office leaser in the United States in 2019, renting 27.5 million square feet of office space. By the third quarter of 2019, WeWork had around 601,000 members worldwide. In terms of revenue, memberships account for 83% of revenue, extra services account for 5%, and other revenue sources account for 12%, while location running expenses account for 80% of costs. Because of the rebranding and aggressive expansion strategy, the S-1 statement submitted to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission revealed that costs were around 189% of total revenues in the same time period by H1 2019. WeWork’s revenues climbed 8,4 times between 2016 and 2019 and raised $3,5 billion in 2019, despite the company incurring losses of $417 million in 2016, $990 million in 2017, and $110 million in 2018. With the 2019 relaunch, the corporation lost $1.25 billion in the third quarter. According to CrunchBase, the total investment in WeWork was approximately $ 21,6 billion over 21 funding rounds, with a current market value of $ 9 billion. Also according to Crunchbase, they spent up to $1.3 billion on some of the acquisitions to enhance their capabilities.

Adam Neumann: The leader of the times

Adam Neumann, a charismatic entrepreneur who “seduced” prominent figures in the business world, was the key person linked to the company and the center of the controversy.

His objectives for WeWork were ambitious, but he was unable to address the company’s core issue: producing internet company profits while operating as a classic large landlord company with a twist. Neumann had the impression in his head that he was a proper shaker in the world, but in actuality, he lacked the goods to back it up. As interest in the IPO increased, so did interest in Neumann. His office rants, alcohol issues, stories of cannabis smuggling, and overall lack of support from everyone around him (except his wife) generated a bad reaction from the public. Furthermore, he was seen as egocentric (having a photoshopped photograph of himself surfing) and hypocritical, demanding a company-wide meat ban while purportedly consuming meat himself. Apparently, Neumann also cashed in on rent payments for company-owned spaces, and soon enough, money problems and legal troubles arose. It was also found that he had been paid for copyrighting the word “We.” As the S-1 form was investigated, more and more allegations of sexism and unethical behavior poured in, eventually leading to his demise. Clearly, Neumann’s domineering manner left an imprint on his organization and contributed to its demise. It’s unclear whether he was aware of how he was seen.

In a 2019 Guardian piece, he was described as “the tall, longhaired, barefoot, meat-banning, weed-smoking, tequila-drinking, Kabbalah-studying, experimental

school-opening Paltrow-cousin-in-law”. To round out the picture, he boasted at the height of his authority that he could connect everyone and even influence those in positions of power, such as Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, deputy prime minister, and minister of defense. Neumann allegedly stated, “If only MBS would listen to me, I could counsel him on how to be a better leader.”

Even though Adam Neumann was heavily criticized, he did have some strengths; he was a very imposing figure who knew how to make himself seen and heard, and he was also someone who could draw people to him; without these qualities, he would not have been able to create such a personality cult for himself.

A Vanity Fair article titled “You Don’t Bring Bad News to the Cult Leader” detailed: “Neumann’s charisma was intoxicating to be around. ‘If you had to go to war, you wanted him to be your general,’ a former executive said. (…) ‘When you’re in a room with Adam, he can almost convince you of anything,’ a former employee said. Neumann used mass gatherings to spread his gospel. “I think the thing that all of us know is that if you want to succeed in this world, you have to build something that has intention,’ he said on stage at Summer Camp in 2013. He then explained that everyone at camp was there because it had meaning and they were actually making the world a better place. And then added that they want to make money doing it! The crowd of thousands exploded in cheers. ‘So many of the people were young and had never worked in a real company. They bought all of it,’ a former senior executive said. ‘I realized after I got there, it was a cult’”.

At first, people at WeWork truly felt that they were around each other and happy under Adam’s leadership, which is why they had a hard time detaching from it later. Adam sold his story so well that, for many employees, their entire life was about the “We” universe (working at WeWork, living in WeLive, etc.). Neumann’s talents, however, were balanced (if not outweighed) by his flaws. Neumann lacked self-awareness, failing to recognize that what he was doing was wrong. He also lacked empathy, failing to comprehend how others perceived him. He also made a lot of bad mistakes because he let his emotions get the best of him. He spent a lot of money and hired people that were unmotivated and occasionally outright unscrupulous.

His inflated self-esteem made him feel superior to others, resulting in a corrosive company culture. Needless to say, when a leader behaves in this manner, he will very certainly need to be replaced. Simply put, Neumann’s skills and faults as a leader determined the fate of the entire organization and its roughly 14500 people. He certainly outshone the rest of the leadership team. His insane drive and charisma drove people to work so hard, and his ability to draw people in kept them there.

“‘When I met him, after a couple of minutes, I wanted to invest,’ said Joey Low, whose Star Farm Ventures put money into the company in 2013 and multiple subsequent funding

Adam Neumann at TechCrunch Disrupt NY 2015.

Photo by Max Morse attireclub.org |

rounds. ‘He was hungry for success — that was for sure.’”. Last but not least, other people who were inside Neumann’s circle (people such as Artie Minson, the COO), or Neumann’s wife, Rebekah) had a secondary role in the company’s demise, as they acted like enablers (more or less willingly) to Neumann’s leadership style. Nobody could challenge him or his opinions (or his wife’s), and those who did were sacked. Within the corporation, the only other person he would truly listen to was his wife, Rebekah, who was also in charge of a private school called WeGrow.

His wife’s school, which charged up to $42,000 in tuition and launched in 2018 and dissolved the following year,” was deemed a wasteful undertaking from the start. Such a project not only added to the corporation’s inflation-based image but also demonstrated the inner circle’s influence within the company if they were in Neuman’s good graces. Furthermore, Rebekah held the “strategic thought partner” status at the corporation, which raised many eyebrows. Overall, Neuman’s leadership style was crucial in both the creation and demise of WeWork.

Working at WeWork, according to many sources, was not easy. It was confusing and immensely dictatorial, as any failing system would be, a combination that can only lead to a breakdown. According to the New Yorker, “for many employees, WeWork’s promise was as enticing as it was hazy.” WeWork’s various divisions and teams each have their own set of goals, but this was usually where it ended. Employees indicated that it was frequently unclear what and how they were expected to do.

The company’s real goals were mostly implicit goals, which were to be brainwashed in the company’s ideals, such as being successful for the sake of success and having a working life (and even a personal life) that went hand in hand with the company’s view and ideals of powerful business and fake good-doing.

The people that worked for WeWork were more or less the correct people in the sense that they were qualified, even though nepotism appeared to be more essential at times than talent. According to Forbes, “nepotism and cronyism were endemic in WeWork senior management ranks during Neumann’s tenure.” Neumann dominated WeWork with the help of a close-knit group of relatives and friends. The Neumann family and friends’ cabal included the Vice-Chairman, the Chief Brand and Impact Officer, the Chief Product Officer, the head of Canadian and Israeli operations, the EVP/ex CFO, and the head of Security/ VP Special Projects.” However, this didn’t matter all that much considering that Neumann was a self-facilitator (he didn’t want experts to help him). As a result, the team’s conduct changed:

instead of challenging, they all became “yes-men” who were obliged to do what he wanted and backed down on initiative and dare. Neumann commanded everyone and was incredibly able to persuade others to do what he desired. In short, even if they played a proper function, they played one that undercut the task. In terms of team procedure, while formal teams existed, there was no genuine sense of collaboration, as evidenced by Glassdoor ratings of the organization. This was frustrating for some employees, but Neumann organized his legendary parties where people felt good and like they were part of a community, which made them want to stay. “When you mix a bunch of 27-year-olds with raging hormones and unlimited amounts of alcohol that you could literally have 24/7, provided free by the company, you’re just going to have problems,” Richard Markel, a former WeWork employee, explained. This enhanced the company’s personality cult, but it also meant that there was no genuinely fair leadership process, as you had to be part of the inner-yes-men circle to gain anything. “I can honestly say, in all of my years of experience, this is the weirdest, most unprofessional treatment I’ve ever seen happen to anybody, literally anybody I’ve ever worked with,” Markel, also added in an interview he gave. The organization learned nothing from its failures or successes and tried tirelessly to please Adam Neumann and affirm what he wanted to hear. The only success that was acknowledged was that which delighted Neumann; everything else (good or bad) was ignored. Although the team process was a disaster, the company was successful due to its simple business model, which required consistency on a basic business level. People wanted to be a part of the company’s vision, lifestyle, and success and were treated poorly if they did not respond positively to questions. They even showed videos to their employees at one point. “Everything about the videos was propaganda,” claims WeWork whistleblower Joanna Strange.

Forbes contributor Stephanie Denning describes the organizational structure very well: “Frankly, it looks more like a Kandinsky painting than anything resembling a legible organizational structure.” An organizational structure is supposed to indicate how a company is structured from a reporting standpoint and sometimes, but not always, from an operational standpoint. It is usually a good indicator of where information is stored and how it flows within an organization. However, with such a complicated structure, the operational effectiveness of that flow is almost certainly flawed in practice. And if this is the abridged version, I’d be concerned to see the full version.

WeWork experienced growth after growth as a result of its

manic ambition. The company never took the time to mature or rethink its design (which was serving Neuman’s agenda). They were solely concerned with growth and change, and their actions were chaotic in this regard. With his strong manipulative personality, Neumann managed to make people feel that their work, no matter how chaotic it was, was worthwhile and that they were responsible for the company’s success. “Everyone is a partner in this business,” he once said, “from the porter who cleans to the community manager to the company’s CFO and COO.” “Everyone is a collaborator.” Ultimately, continuous growth was not possible even if the strategic design was appropriate for strategy execution.

Power was clearly hard to come by at WeWork, and the company was run like an authoritarian state (very similar to a communist country, if you will). Conflicts, as with any authoritarian regime, were not truly resolved; they were only hidden and were not supposed to see the light of day. Employees covered up their mistakes down to the smallest detail. There’s a sad but funny story about a barista mixing drinks. Adam and a visitor had once exchanged drinks. Instead of admitting his error in front of Neumann, the barista pretended that the order was correct and that the drinks had different names and consciously attributed the names of the drinks incorrectly. Given that Neumann was acting solely in the company, Neumann acted like a dictator who ordered everything, and there was no real internal power distribution. “A bad leader cannot be replaced unless two conditions are satisfied: First, the CEO must not be able to replace the board instantaneously and second that board must abandon its support for the CEO,” said an article outlining Neumann’s many flaws. The company was unofficially divided into two social networks; one centered on Neumann and content with its position. The other was made up of disgruntled employees who remained silent.

When things began to go way off the mark, they coerced people into remaining loyal to the We cult. What were supposed to be fun events turned into long days of mandatory seminars where the company actually tracked people to ensure everyone was participating. Neumann, like any authoritarian ruler who saw himself as possibly becoming the “president of the world,” was very calculated and knew exactly what he was doing as he drew people into his “cult.”

Various Glassdoor.com reviews from the time of the crash appear to paint the same picture: employees felt like they were living in a cult and that the company’s internal politics ruled everything. People faced the ego of the leaders, as well as being ostracized and ridiculed if they questioned the leaders’ authority. Furthermore, the environment was described as “toxic,” because all major decisions were made behind closed doors and only from the top down. There were also frequent firings without proper communication, which caused people to be concerned about their jobs and work hard to keep them. In a lawsuit case, a former WeWork employee claimed that she was groped or forcibly kissed at business events, including an alcohol-fueled WeWork’ Summer Camp.’ Her concerns drew

minimal attention from human resources and saw little to no action taken against her alleged attackers. She was eventually fired.

Neumann’s wife is said to have fired employees for bad vibes, and apparently, once, the company ended a meeting announcing layoffs with a performance by a member of Run-DMC. Overall, WeWork had a culture in which the company’s core assumptions (as proposed by its management) did not align with day-to-day work and frat-like behavior were issues that were mostly resolved with large parties aimed at deepening the We culture and getting people to rely on WeWork. In conclusion, WeWork’s culture was clearly disconnected from its strategy.

Thus, what was only natural to happen, happened: everything crashed and, ultimately, Neumann was pushed out, or rather bought out for over $1 billion.

WeWork: The movie

The 2022 Apple TV series WeCrashed fictionalizes the story of WeWork. It’s a fantastic series that will most likely be regarded as one of the year’s best. WeCrashed, starring Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway, imagines what the Neumanns and those around them might be like in real life. It is a thought-provoking drama that delves into the philosophy of modern work.

At first glance, it appears to be a show about how desperate we are to humanize our dry, office, humanity-drained careers and how it comments on the idea that today we are expected to give everything to our careers and work. However, the show is much deeper.

WeCrashed demonstrates how the idea of making work fun, gaining clients through parties, and overlapping the personal and professional simply does not work, and how true businesses that succeed happen in chilly boardrooms. It also deflates the myth of turning a hobby into a job, as well as the type of society-driven work that we are all encouraged to do today. Finally, the most socialist character turned out to be the least socially inclined and the biggest capitalist. As it is usually the case.

The show is excellent because many people believe their jobs are worthless and want to be assured that they actually are. It’s a little like peering behind the curtain of The Wizard of Oz.

In many ways, the WeWork story is the story of work in the early 21st century: A story of naivity, cash burning, hopeful burnouts, making work fun, mistaking work for community, trying to mix socialism and capitalism, cheap feel-good mantras and the success of the realist who gains the system by doing exactly the opposite that he claims to stand for. And, for that, it’s a masterpiece that we will most likely keep hearing about.

Current Obsessions WATCH WATCHING

THE NORMALZEIT

Normalzeit is a German word which describes the legal time normally in force in a country or part thereof, unless a time that differs from it (e.g. daylight saving time) is temporarily in use on the basis of a special regulation.

Fredi Brodmann designed the famous Normalzeit wrist watch, which was manufactured by Lichterloh in Vienna. It is modeled after the Vienna Normalzeit Cube Clock. This design can be traced back to early twentieth-century Vienna, when the first cube-shaped clocks debuted in prominent public areas.

The watch was created in a limited and numbered edition of 1907. It has a solid stainless steel case that measures 40 x 40 x 10.5mm. It features a great movement that is automatic (SEIKO NH35A). When fully wound, it has a power reserve of 41 hours.

The Normalzeit also has a fluorescent watch dial and an anti-allergenic silicone watch strap with a stainless steel buckle. It has a 2-year warranty and is water-resistant to 50m/165ft.

After the covid lockdowns and everything that has happened in the world since the last edition of Baselworld, the last edition of the Swiss fair now seems to have taken place so long ago.

The story of what happened to Baselworld is an interesting and very long one and, sadly, we may never know the actual truth. Surely, the media wrote about it extensively, but who really knows what goes on behind closed doors? Especially in Switzerland.

The 2019 was the last actual edition of the show. The show had a history of over a century, during which it continuously reinvented itself. In 2013, Sylvie Ritter, the Managing Director of BW inaugurated the new building in which the show took place. At the time, she claimed in an interview that “If you are anybody in this industry, you have to visit Baselworld.” In 2018, as the show’s numbers fell, she quit her job (she had been with the MCH Group for 26 years and worked for 15 years as BW Managing Director) and the job of leading Baselworld was taken up by Michel Loris-Melikoff.

Loris-Melikoff wanted to reinvent Baselworld and started out his work with the 2019 edition, which, according to the media, had not been a great success. The media had sort of turned against BW because the show was lacking in the way it was treating the media overall. The 2020 edition did not take place because the covid crisis was in full swing, and traveling was restricted or simply too hard. Also, with all the distancing requests that were going on, it would have been hard to do a show like Baselworld. Then, in the summer of 2020, the organizers announced that the fair would be completely rebranded. It got a new website and everything and even a new name: HOURUNIVERSE. Now, the name was highly criticized, but some people went with it and encouraged the new format.

HOURUNIVERSE also had a new slogan, which was “It’s We Time”, which did not land extremely well with the watch community. Overall, while a “reset” (buzzword of the moment) seemed necessary for the Basel watch and jewelry fair, it seemed that Baselworld’s reset was hasty and done just for the sake of it.

Scandals also appeared, as the 2020 edition was not considered “canceled” but rather “postponed”, which implied that the parent company MCH Group intended to hold brands to the terms of their contracts, effectively warning them that they would forfeit their deposits in full if they did not rebook into the 2021 show and that if they moved to January of the following year, they would even be charged a 15 percent administration fee on the total cost of their bookings. This got many people mad and prompted Hubert du Plessix, a senior director of Rolex and president of the Committee of Swiss Exhibitors at Baselworld, to write a highly-circulated paper on behalf of the committee accusing the MCH Group of “rigorous reading of contractual provisions to justify its position.”

The MCH Group announced a refund policy on April 3 that offered exhibitors two choices. In the first choice, they could use

85% of the money they spent on Baselworld 2020 for the upcoming trade show. The remaining 15% would be forfeited to the show in order to “partially offset [show] out-of-pocket costs already accrued,” and the exhibitors would likely be required to pay this amount once more. In the second scenario, exhibitors would receive a refund of 30% of their cash outlay, with 40% carried over to the following year’s show and the remaining 30% used to cover their out-of-pocket expenses for the event. After feeling that they had been badly treated, Rolex, Patek Philippe, Chanel, Chopard and Tudor announced that they would leave Baselworld. Then, it was announced that a new watch trade show would be organized in Geneva in collaboration with Fondation de la Haute Horologie. In April 2020, it was announced that the event would take place at Palexpo in early April 2021 in conjunction with Watches & Wonders. It was considered that the Baselworld management made a number of decisions unilaterally and without consulting anyone, including delaying the watch show until January 2021 and failing to meet the needs and expectations of the brands, which led to this departure. The new show was meant to aim to provide partner brands with the best professional platform possible so they can successfully address upcoming challenges in the watchmaking sector.

At the time, Jean-Frédéric Dufour, Chief Executive Officer of Rolex SA, and Board Member of Tudor, said: “We have taken part in Baselworld since 1939. Unfortunately, given the way the event has evolved and the recent decisions made by MCH Group, and in spite of the great attachment we had to this watch show, we have decided to withdraw. Following discussions initiated by Rolex, it seemed only natural to create a new event with partners that share our vision and our endless, unwavering support for the Swiss watchmaking sector. This will allow us to present our new watches in line with our needs and expectations, to join forces and better defend the interests of the industry.” On a similar note, Thierry Stern, President of Patek Philippe, said: “The decision to leave Baselworld was not an easy one to take for me, being the fourth generation

of the Stern family to participate to this traditional yearly event. But life evolves constantly, things change and people change as well, whether it is at the level of those responsible for the watch fair organization, the brands or the clients. We constantly have to adapt ourselves, question what we do, since what was right yesterday may not necessarily be valid today! Today Patek Philippe is not in line with Baselworld’s vision anymore, there have been too many discussions and unsolved problems, trust is no longer present. We need to answer the legitimate needs of our retailers, the clients and the press from around the world. They have to be able to discover the new models from Swiss watchmakers each year, at one time, in one place, and this in the most professional manner possible. That is why, following several discussions with Rolex and in agreement with other participating brands, we have decided to create, all together, a unique event in Geneva, representative of our savoir-faire.”

Following the same thought, Frédéric Grangier, CEO of Chanel Watches & Fine Jewellery added: “Like its partners, Chanel shares the same independence and the same desire to protect and promote the values, know-how, utmost quality and precision of Swiss Watchmaking. This initiative marks a key milestone in the history of Chanel Watchmaking and is part of a long-term strategy, which began with the launch of this activity in 1987. This exhibition will allow us to present all of our new creations in an environment that meets our high-quality standards.”

Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, Co-President of Chopard et Cie SA, also spoke about this, saying: “Chopard first exhibited at the Basel fair in 1964 with a stand of some 25 square meters. After careful consideration, our family decided to support the Rolex initiative and retire from Baselworld – a painful decision. The creation of this new watch show in Geneva, in parallel to Watches & Wonders, will allow us to better serve our watchmaking partners and our customers. Through the alliance, these grandes maisons will also be able to collaborate in promoting the values and best interests of Swiss watchmaking.”

Jérôme Lambert, on behalf of the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie Council explained: “The Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie is delighted to welcome a new salon which will strengthen the historical Watch & Wonders event in Geneva next year in early April.”

Then, TAG Heuer, Bulgari, Hublot and Zenith decided that, since Rolex, Tudor, Patek Philippe, Chanel and Chopard turned their

back on the show, they would leave as well. “We are sorry to have to leave this over 100-year-old Baselworld event to which our Maisons have been consistently loyal,” said Stéphane Bianchi, CEO of the LVMH Watchmaking Division.

Bulgari announced that it would be part of the new group of exhibitions taking place in Geneva in early April next year, but TAG Heuer, Zenith and Hublot had not yet reached a final decision plan.

LVMH Watchmaking Division’s decision basically left Hall 1.0 of Baselworld empty.

“It is with great surprise and equally great regret that the MCH Group takes note of the cancellation of major exhibitors at Baselworld,” the company says.

Did this mean that Baselworld was completely over? In the eyes of some, so it seemed, but many others still had some hope for it. Ultimately, the Swiss town had had a fair since 1917, when the Swiss Fair Basel was first established. Since then, the show had taken many forms, so why not make something brand new one again?

Despite all the Sturm und Drang that was going on, in the end it was announced the Baselworld would return in 2021, but this time under its former name, Baselworld, instead of HOURUNIVERSE (to be clear, there was no fair held under the name HOURUNIVERSE). However, because of the seemingly never-ending covid-19 crisis and the continuous terrorfest imposed by politicians and because of the strange relation the MCH Group still had with the watchmaking world and the watch lovers from all around the world, this renewed edition of Baselworld was also canceled. Canceled, postponed, who knows anymore? The bottom line is it did not take place and the Basel Messe (an investment that cost CHF 430 million about a decade ago) saw no watch show once more.

The year 2021 was marked by a bunch of watch and jewelry events that happened half in person, half online. Even though much of the online content was well-done, it was still not something that could compete by any means with a real watch fair. A pop-up event was held in Geneva, and BW announced that a year-round B2B digital platform would be implemented. Talks about a new show and changed ownership appeared here and there in the media. For example, some German-language news outlets from Switzerland talked about the MCH Group having already registered the new name Swiss Watch Week. However, according to them, the group denied a move to Lausanne, which was rumored. Another news item that went around was about Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation, owner of The New York Post, Wall Street Journal and Fox News, being in discussions to buy up to 30% of MCH Group for around CHF 100 million. This appeared in report in Swiss business newspaper Finanz und Wirtschaft.

The first clear news that came out about Baselworld made the attireclub.org |

round of the watchmaking press in November 2021, when it was announced that Michel Loris-Melikoff departed from his job as Baselworld announced that it would also cancel the 2022 show.

On this occasion, Beat Zwahlen, CEO of the MCH Group, made the following statement: “In the last few months we have dealt intensively with our watch, jewelry and precious stones ecosystem and gained important insights from discussions with important industry representatives. The market for this kind of platform that brings medium-sized and specialized manufacturers together with independent retailers is there, but it also needs need to be analyzed more closely. We have to take a lot more time to do this.”

The MCH Group also issued a statement which read: “In a short time, Mr Loris-Melikoff managed to gain access to the industry and gain its respect. He initiated and helped shape the necessary transformation and repositioning of Baselworld.

The MCH Group regrets his decision and thanks him for his tireless efforts, wishing him all the best in his future engagements.” So, in other words, the departure of Loris-Melikoff was a calm one without any scandals (for once), and the organizers would focus on the medium-priced watches for the next shows… since all the bigs had left. But, who knows, maybe the big brands will return to Basel.

Baselworld has almost disappeared since then. They made an Instagram post in November 2021 explaining that the show would not return in 2022 and that they needed to refocus. People commented that the show had plummeted under the greed of the organizers and of the Swiss hotels and restaurants, which were known to amp up their prices to the max during the show – this was an entire topic that was also massively discussed as Baselworld went through its cancellations.

Their new profile description read, “A new multiform, hybrid meeting point that combines virtual and physical events to be experienced and consumed all year round.” However, the online platform has not yet come into being.

In the summer of 2022, the website features only some graphics and a text saying, “Baselworld organizers have decided to take more time for the launch of the new concept. Baselworld, scheduled for spring 2022, will therefore not take place.

This decision is based on the one hand on the experience gained from the Pop Up Event at the Geneva Watch Days and on intensive discussions with manufacturers and retailers. On the other hand, it takes into account the fact that it is particularly difficult to launch a new concept for a new target segment due to the renewed aggravation of the COVID situation and the associated uncertainty among customers. An interdisciplinary team from the MCH Group will analyze the target segments

and, in close exchange with manufacturers and retailers, make a deep dive into their marketing and transaction needs.We hope to come back to you soon with new and positive news about the future of Baselworld.” No news on YouTube, television or radio.

Meanwhile, Watches & Wonders announced its 2023 dates. The event will take place in Geneva from March 27 to April 2, 2023 – even though these are “provisional dates” according to the organizers. There will also be two events in China.

Time will tell (the puns about watches and time telling are always great when speaking about an event like Baselworld) what will happen to Baselworld. Most likely, the event will bounce back, but the question is when and whether it will really succeed as it did before. Talking to people in the watch industry, it is very clear that there is interest in an event like Baselworld: an open platform for meet-ups and for connecting with friends and with new people. Watchmakers from far and wide would love to come to Basel to showcase their creations, connect with buyers and media people and to get their watches out there. In the end, this is what the industry is all about. There is an interest in Baselworld, but most likely, the event will

bounce back only when its economics of it make sense. Hopefully, it will bounce back with a social component as well – in the end, it is all about watches and the passion for them, which should be the primary thing to drive a re-boost of the show.

The Rick and Morty Enlightenment

Text: Attire Club

The fifth season of Adult Swim’s animated television series Rick and Morty consisted of 10 episodes, part of the 70 episodes ordered after the series was renewed in 2018. Rick and Morty is an American animated science-fiction television series that follows the misadventures of cynical mad scientist Rick Sanchez and his good-hearted but timid grandson Morty Smith, who divide their time between domestic life and interdimensional adventures that take place across an infinite number of realities, frequently traveling to other planets and dimensions via portals and Rick’s flying saucer. Rick and Morty’s overall theme is based on two opposing scenarios: domestic family dysfunction and an alcoholic grandfather pulling his grandson into high jinks in space and time.

The show is largely concerned with the meaning and purpose of human existence, a theme many philosophers, writers, and directors have explored in their works. While many critics regard it as a commentary on the absurd, Rick and Morty can actually be seen as a reflection of our society’s progressive elevation of consciousness. It addresses issues that would have been unthinkable only a few decades ago and humanizes them by connecting them with ordinary life. Other shows that discuss sci-fi and touch on otherworldly topics, such as the Star Wars series, fail to humanize modern technology, making it strange and dull.

Rick and Morty use a profoundly human approach to what is going on to bring notions that were concealed someplace in our imagination and subconscious to the forefront of our minds and explain how we might deal with them one day. People nowadays frequently discuss a shift in thinking and mentalities, as well as what a highly developed person could be in terms of technology and spirituality. Rick and Morty presents one such scenario, handling both family issues and interdimensional travel in a clear and enjoyable manner.

Of course, the use of animation makes it simpler to absorb, and the jokes allude to childhood aspirations of crossing worlds, which may one day become a reality.

Rick & Morty is largely about the laughs, but there is a noticeable philosophical inclination to offer a meaningful framework. It isn’t nihilism, existentialism, or any of the other old isms; rather, it is an emergent point of view that we may name 21st Century Enlightenment.

No other book, film, or television show has shown the perils

and potential of our future with such candor, as well as the kind of enlightened philosophy we’ll need to survive it. It is a radical acceptance of freedom, science, and tolerance, as well as a daring embracing of knowledge’s boundless possibilities, investigating both the dark and the light. It demonstrates how the power that science affords us generates perilous ethical quandaries, as well as how our moral standards might adapt to prevent being corrupted.

As our knowledge expands, so does our power, necessitating the development of wisdom in proportion. Power without wisdom will ruin us all, and this is not a hypothetical possibility. Politics and culture are straining to keep up with science, but most importantly, what can be said is that humans must grow their spiritualities and ethics to match the bright future.

NFTS: A NEW FASHION TREND

Text: Attire Club

What exactly is an NFT (Non-Fungible Token) in the fashion industry? Fashion NFTs can take numerous forms, including virtual clothes that customers can wear within virtual worlds, digital content with which owners can engage, and digital twins of physical works.

According to the Vogue Business Index, 17% of the businesses surveyed had some sort of relationship with NFTs in 2021. And, with Morgan Stanley projecting a $25 billion luxury NFT industry, the number of fashion companies entering the market is only growing.

It’s not surprising that fashion NFTs, which meet the demand for increasing digitalization and enable personalization in the online world, are so popular.

Brands are integrating fashion and NFTs together in a variety of imaginative ways, from digital twins that increase the traceability of rare and costly clothing to virtual things that buyers can buy, wear in the metaverse, and collect in the digital realm.

Fashion manufacturers have been purchasing their own NFTs, often in the form of virtual land on which to establish stores and showrooms in order to sell to younger consumers.

Virtual environments like The Sandbox allow users to purchase tracts of land in the form of an NFT, and premium brands like Gucci have jumped right in. Gucci aims to collaborate with the platform to develop an interactive fashion experience based on Gucci Vault, the premium brand’s conceptual realm. Gucci, however, is not alone in the metaverse. For example, Selfridges just created the world’s first NFT department store within Decentraland, where users may view unique NFTs and browse Selfridges merchandise.

A Scalefast survey found that 25% of buyers interested in purchasing an NFT would be more likely to do so if it came with a physical good. Many companies, predictably combine NFTs with real products that customers can touch and wear.

Dolce & Gabbana’s record-breaking Collezione Genesi, the first premium NFT collection to combine digital and physical works, perfectly illustrates this. Winning bidders received both a real and virtual version of the design after paying $5.7 million at

auction. Another example is Nick Graham, which has recently debuted its NFT/AR outerwear collection. Purchasers may authenticate their garments on the blockchain and use it to unlock exclusive AR experiences via a QR code embroidered inside each product.

The NFT market’s meteoric expansion in 2021 has slowed, according to Chainalysis statistics, with monthly spending on NFTs falling from more than $12 billion in January to less than $8 billion in April 2022. While growth has slowed, both spending and the number of active purchasers in the market remain significantly greater than at the start of 2021. This is a good indicator because it shows that consumers are still interested.

NFTs will undoubtedly play an important role in the future of fashion, especially as the metaverse evolves to provide new outlets for customers to showcase their digital purchases. Why? Because Generation Z consumers want digitization and personalization. NFTs now provide a new level of exclusivity as well as the opportunity to transform digital designs and collections into highly scarce, precious, sumptuous, and one-ofa-kind collector pieces.

THE ATTIRE CLUB MOOD DIARY

Our mood board as a visual journal

MIRRORS OF THE SOUL

Eyes symbolize omniscience, clairvoyance, and/or a portal into the soul. It is a divinity symbol as well as a symbol of knowledge, providence, and divine direction. Eyes frequently signify a desire to maintain an ideal vision for the future. Here is a collection of eyes painted by various artists.

Rembrandt van Rijn

Franz von Defregger

Peter Paulus Rubens

Vincent van Gogh

Rogier van der Weyden

Pietro Rotari

Seeing Sounds

Photo: Attire

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Das Undbild (The And-Picture) by Kurt Schwitters, 1919