Inquirer RED: 2017 March

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Woman in Charge Nikki Luna

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SPECIAL FEATURE

PRINT MASTERS

XERXES

On a Slipper Slope

The monochromatic print of a lion surrounded by palm leaves is complemented with slim metallic silver straps.

Jeremy and Katinka Somers of We Are Handsome What’s your favorite memory as a designer? What’s the most amazing place your work has taken you?

The Maldives, hands down. We were so lucky to have been there twice in the past few years—and for work! Who does that? We travel a lot, but the Maldives is like a dream, every inch and every second. It’s almost unbelievable.

right time to get this collaboration happening. We love what Havaianas stands for and their commitment to quality and summer. It’s a perfect match for us.

Where do you find inspiration for designing your swimwear and active wear collections?

Our travels are really what inspire us most. Exploring new cultures and getting re-acquainted with those whom we know, seeing the world’s most breathtaking sites—we’re constantly inspired to create and try new things.

What’s the reason behind choosing the Dalliance and Xerxes prints for the collaboration design?

We wanted to a) do something that hadn’t been seen before, and b) something that was both quintessentially summer and We Are Handsome. Dalliance is a take on many of our jungle prints over the years and the Xerxes, our hero lion, is of course what we do best. It makes complete sense that these two iconic styles went onto our Havaianas.

Describe your perfect summer day.

Wake up, have brunch under the sun, head to the beach, eat some fish and chips, take a beach nap, have some ice-cream, and end the night with some drinks with friends.

Why did you decide to partner with Havaianas?

We’ve been courting each other for a few years, knowing how aligned our respective brands and ethos are. It just needed the

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What does Havaianas mean to you as a brand?

Summer. It’s as simple as that.

How has your brand changed over the past seven years?

We’ve evolved, sure, as any brand does, but we’ve always stayed true to our aesthetic and roots. We’ve changed a lot in our business—how we design and even what we make—but our mantra is always the same.

DALLIANCE

The slim black straps bring to focus the floral jungle print.

Havaianas x We Are Handsome flip flops, P1,545, Rustan’s Department Stores (Metro Manila), www.shophavaianas.ph

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ACQUIRED

Shady Behavior Be prepared for the sun’s white-hot glare PHOTOGRAPHY PATRICK SEGOVIA

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Clockwise from top left: Ray Ban, Rustan’s Makati; RETROSUPERFUTURE, Ronnie & Joe, SM Aura Premier.; Linda Farrow, City of Dreams; Thome Browne, Ronnie & Joe, SM Aura Premier.

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From top: RETROSUPERFUTURE, Ronnie & Joe, SM Aura Premier; Linda Farrow, City of Dreams; Linda Farrow, City of Dreams.

From top: Linda Farrow, City of Dreams; Native Sons, Ronnie & Joe, SM Aura Premier; Prada, Rustan’s Makati.

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You’re a proud feminist. What do you think of the term “feminazi”?

It’s very funny because I still struggle even with my own close friends— the same set of people that I love. It’s a product of generations. We have to remember that feminism is never for the patriarchy. It’s never about men against women, about girls hating boys. It’s not about not wearing makeup or not shaving. Those are just stereotypes believed by those who don’t know what a feminist is and does. Most people don’t want to shake these perceptions up, because if you bring up feminism with them, you [force them to] question the people they love. You bring out these questions they don’t want to confront. Hence, people dismiss feminism, people don’t want to talk about feminism, people don’t want to admit they’re feminists. But I guess we’re improving little by little. My household is like that in a very ironic way, because my dad had raised me so I wouldn’t become like my mom. But my mom is my idol.

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How so?

When I say she’s my idol, it’s not because she has sacrificed so much. It’s because of her strength.

Knowing what my mom had to go through in life, it makes me wonder if I would have been able to survive the same. Married at 16—my dad was her first boyfriend—she was so innocent, and she believed that the woman’s job is in the home. That’s why she dedicated her life to us.

She dismissed her own value. But being a parent,

being a homemaker? Those are the hardest jobs. She doesn’t see that the way I see it.

That’s interesting. A lot of articles mention how much you love being a wife and a mother, too.

I find it so odd that when people interview men or male artists, they don’t get asked about their wife or their children. With women, they are always asked, ‘Now that you’re a mother, how do you balance [life]?’ I’m like, just the way a man balances his sh*t, right?

I’m not the one who does a lot of the work. I’m able to do the things that I do because of my husband (Mikee Carreon). I am lucky to have someone like him, but I’m not going to keep praising him; he also feels that men shouldn’t be praised for doing things they should be doing.

He finds it so odd when people congratulate him. He wonders, “Is it so hard? If anyone needs praising, it’s the women who’ve been doing it for years and not complaining.”

This gets asked a lot, but do you think women can have it all?

I don’t think we need to have it all. Whenever I hear that question, I find it a form of pressure on someone to try to achieve the unattainable standards of being a woman.

We lack authenticity when it comes to these slogans that we give ourselves. How can anyone have it all? In reality, we can’t—and it’s okay not to.

What matters is that we try to be good human beings.•

CREATIVE DIRECTION NIMU MUALLAM STYLING RIA PRIETO MAKEUP MAYESA DELOS SANTOS

Top and dress, both BEAVALDES, Idée.

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FOR MAKEUP FOR EVER HAIR JAN EDROSOLAN

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Top, Joseph, SM Aura Premier.

Dress, Betina, Celestina, Greenbelt 5.

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EMPOWERED

Design Mixology As he nears his 20th anniversary in the design industry, Gert Voorjans talks about finding home in two cities and the world in which the past and the present meet AS TOLD TO BAMBINA OLIVARES WISE PHOTOGRAPHY EDRIC CHEN

Maximalism is making a comeback, but for Belgian interior architect Gert Voorjans, now based in both Paris and Antwerp and whose f irst Philippine project is the private members club Manila House, it never really went away.

His take on maximalist design is warm and witty, featuring sophisticated layering, bold colors, and an audaciously carefree yet wellthought out mix of periods, textures, accessories, and fabrics.

“I was offered a unique opportunity with Architectural Digest France to do a show, which they normally do only with French people, to promote the arts and crafts of France. They invited me to come over to La Monnaie on the Seine, the beautiful old building with historical rooms, and gave me a room to decorate. That was such a success that I decided to bring the booth—the whole exhibition—into a wonderful 18th century, early 19th century apartment in the 8th arrondisement in Paris. I decided that this would add another dynamic, another vibe, another stage to my career. And let’s face it: Paris is only two hours by train from Antwerp, so I kept my office there. My assistant can easily come over for meetings.

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“Don’t forget that Paris is both a window to the world and a destination. People from New York, from South America…they easily come over to Paris, they stay a few days in a wonderful hotel, and they book a nice restaurant. From there, they could get on a train and go to Antwerp. But being in Paris, it’s a new élan, a new chapter in my career.”

Life In Paris “Next year, my studio turns 20. Sometimes… how do I say this, you have to not reinvent, but rather give [your work] another boost, another direction, and Paris proves to be very stimulating.

There are wonderful exhibitions all the time. The artists are here, the nice galleries are here…I like it here. It gives me a little bit more.

“I’m not Parisian, so yes, [I find] there are security issues now in Paris, but I tend to see it as la vie en rose—through pink glasses. Sometimes that’s not wrong, because I’m an outsider.

When I talk to people in St. Germain and the people who live there, one can say they are a bit depressed because they knew Paris as it was before [the terrorist attacks]. But life has to go on.

The first six months after, there really was a dip [in optimism], but I kept a little bit of my naiveté.

“It’s also something that I learned [to do]. If I listened to all the news in the morning from

CNN, I’d just stay in bed and won’t even leave the lights on. You have to be realistic. We’re living in a kind of a third world war, but we all have to go on. [An attack] can happen every single day, every moment, everywhere. It can happen in New York, in London, in Paris, but I don’t want to be paralyzed by that. Life goes on. When the moment is there, the moment is there.”

Selecting The Pieces “I source a lot from Europe. There’s a lot to find here, between Paris and England and Belgium, because of the constant travel and movement. And let’s face it: for the kind of interiors I do, with my use of chinoiserie knick-knacks, [they’re borne out of ] the last 10 years or so of everyone living minimally.

They had gotten rid of all the clutter from their grandmother’s homes. For instance, in New York flea markets, you can find the most wonderful silver or Meissen porcelain birds discarded from stores that are de-cluttering their shelves, where the staff didn’t want to clean them anymore or had found them too delicate. [Combined with] people now having minimal homes, you find a lot of items on the market at good prices, at sharp prices. Those birds and figures from Meissen or Nymphenburg used to be extremely, extremely expensive, and now they’re a bargain!

“At a certain point, Clignancourt and the flea markets in Paris became as expensive as those in St. Germain, because they also present furniture and interior design accessories the same way an interior designer brand does.

That makes things very tricky because, as with everything else, there is quality material and there is some in-between stuff that looks nice.

You have to be aware of an item’s background and be careful in making a purchase.

“But I also like to discover new things, and it’s nice to be at the puces (flea markets).”

The Personal Touch “There are clients who don’t care how much they spend, but those are not my type. I can work with both a museum piece and something from the flea market. I don’t believe in [choosing between] everything or nothing, but at the same time, to have everything be of museum-quality, [to be] top-top-top—I think that’s boring as hell. What I believe in is making a very interesting mixture, one that’s very personal. You can have a nice souvenir or an heirloom piece from your grandmother and give it a nice place in your home.

“My look seems very opulent, but it’s not. I want the kind of grandezza to which I can add some wicker pieces, like you see in beautiful Italian homes or in English country houses. I like that layered and lived-in look, that mixture. But I also like modernity, so I’d add something like a plexiglass cube to a room.

“I like to be inspired by the past but I don’t want to live in nostalgia. I don’t like retro. But we can be inspired by it by transposing it to the contemporary world of dynamic working people.

“I don’t like things to [look] so finished, finished, finished that you think you are in a straitjacket—interiors that seem to say, oh now we are done. I always like them to have a kind of open element. I never ever finish a project completely for a client because there should always be some space for their own touch; I give them that liberty.

I very much believe in the personality of the person who lives in that home.” • Gert Voorjans may be known for his opulent aesthetic, but the Belgian designer finds value in both museumquality pieces and flea market finds.

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SPECIAL FEATURE

HIGH TEAS There’s a perfect blend to match your needs

All teas come from the camellia sinesis bush, which has dark green leaves. What makes each variant tea taste different, however, are the environment and climate conditions in which it is planted.

Whole leaf tea allows the leaves to keep their natural flavor, which makes for a flavorful cup.

These teas can come in a variety of flavors, from rich black teas to the more refreshing green teas.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf ’s Chai tea is a blend of black tea, cinnamon, clove, cardamom, and other spices that lend it a spicy aroma and taste. On the other hand, their Genmaicha green tea is a mix of Sencha tea, toasted rice, and puffed rice, with the Sencha leaves providing subtle flavor and the toasted rice adding some sweetness to this blend.

Aside from the classic black and green teas, they also offer flavored black teas, flavored green teas, and herbal infusions. Their Tropical Passion is a combination of Ceylon black tea, passion fruit, guava fruit flavoring, and marigold flowers, and can be served either steeped or as a tea latte. Their Strawberry Cream variant meanwhile is a combination of Chinese pan-fired green tea, strawberries, and vanilla, resulting in a well-balanced and creamy drink. For those wanting to cut down on caffeine, the coffee shop’s herbal infusions are the best alternative. One of them is the Ginseng Peppermint, a fusion of ginseng, eleuthero root, peppermint, and other herbs that increase stamina, reduce stress, and boost the immune system.

With these different blends, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is able to offer premium whole leaf teas that are harvested from the world’s most exclusive tea growing estates and steeped in a variety of tea cultures. •

MASTER BLENDER David DaCandia is an international tea ambassador and master blender who constantly travels the world in search for the highest quality teas that can be part of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf ’s list of beverages. He has immersed himself in the tea cultures of several countries such as Thailand, Taiwan, China, India, Sri Lanka, South Africa, and Japan.

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During his latest visit to the Philippines, DaCandia explored the different local flavors the country has to offer, as he will be developing a new line of tea blends and infusions, to be done in partnership with several chefs in the country, that will be offered in The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.

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La Vida

EXPLORED

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WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY RIA PRIETO

Under the spell of Mexico’s colorful histories and fabled towns

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There’s nothing like knowing Mexico—the place I first came to know by sampling gourmet enchiladas and watching Thalía on television—than by taking in a forkful of Tostada de Gusanos de Maguey, an assortment of agave worms, grasshoppers, and chicantas ants served on a tray. Like my experience of tasting this delicacy, my week in the Latin American country was colored by fright and thrills, many of which I wouldn’t have tried had Mexico not been too charming to resist.

I’d like to think Mexico has hypnotized me. From the moment I stepped foot in its city capital, which is one of the most populous and vibrant modern cities I’ve ever seen, to when I visited the tree-lined streets of San Angel and Coyoacán and the waterways of Xochimilco, I was immersed in its whirlwind of culture, traditions, and habits. My time there made me feel like a citizen rubbing elbows with Frida Kahlo— which, in a way, I did.

I walked the footsteps of some of Mexico’s most revered artists and writers, including a visit to Kahlo’s Casa Azul, the artist’s house-turned-museum dedicated to her life. I also visited the Museum of Dolores Olmedo, a 16th century building with a cohesive collection of fine art as well as hundreds of pre-Hispanic figurines and sculptures.

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There were so many sights, and taking them in was more important than seeing. At Xochimilco, I cruised its canals on a colorful trajinera while learning about the Aztec’s ingenious technique of growing food. There was also Teotihuacán, one of the most important Mesoamerican sites in the Americas. The gastronomically exciting and scenic Oaxaca had me visiting markets, meeting chocolate-makers, and trying local hot chocolate, while the sacred archeological site of Monte Albán was a trip through time.

Navigating towns like San Miguel de Allende, a bustling expat center peppered with cathedrals, shops, restaurants, and art galleries, was an experience, and walking on its cobblestone streets to get to the Sanctuary of Atotonilco, a World Heritage Site adorned with Mexican baroque murals, was unforgettable.

The Atototonilco Gallery presents the best Mexican folk art there is. Here, gallery owner Mayer Shacter showcases works from talented and imaginative local artists and craftsmen alongside antique pieces and craft items borne out of centuries-old traditions of Huichol art, Mexican pottery, Mexican papel mache, vintage serapes, Oaxacan wood carvings, and many more.

My last day in Mexico was spent at Guanajuato, a great place to sample regional Bajío cuisine. I traipsed in its narrow streets and underground passageways, wishing I didn’t have to leave this country and its rich history.

But of course, I had to. Many years of traveling had taught me this: you never leave a foreign country unless you want to. Mexico, since my visit, has stayed with me. •

Mexico has a little bit of everything for everyone. From flavorful food to historic sights.

a2asafaris.com enquiry@a2asafaris.com

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