AIR Al Bateen Sep'15

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CALIBER RM 011 FLYBACK CHRONOGRAPH BLACK NIGHT Automatic winding chronograph movement Power reserve : circa 55 hours Annual calendar 12-hour totalizer 60-minute countdown timer Chronograph flyback function Grade 5 titanium baseplate and bridges Rotor with ceramic ball bearings Special tungsten-colbolt alloy rotor weight 6-positional, variable rotor geometry With 18-carat white gold wings Balance wheel in Glucydur with 3 arms Frequency : 28 800 vph (4Hz) Moment of inertia : 4.8 mg·cm² Case in NTPT® Carbon Finished and polished by hand Limited edition of 100 pieces

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Features : The Style Issue SEPTEMBER 2015 : ISSUE 52

Forty Four

Uncovering Marilyn

Managing Director

Exploring the early stages of Marilyn Monroe’s incredible rise to fame

Victoria Thatcher Editorial Director

John Thatcher Fifty

Behind Burberry

Group Commercial Director

David Wade

Christopher Bailey’s efforts have revitalised the British luxury brand

david@hotmediapublishing.com

Commercial Director

Rawan Chehab

Fifty Four

rawan@hotmediapublishing.com

Fabergé

rabih@hotmediapublishing.com

Their stunning collection of jewellery takes pride of place in a new photoshoot

Editor

Sixty-Two

Richard Jenkins

Paying Tribute

Business Development Manager

Rabih El Turk

richard@hotmediapublishing.com

Oscar de la Renta is the subject of André Leon Talley’s latest book

Senior Designer

Andy Knappett

Sixty-Six

AIR

Designer

Model Life

Emi Dixon

Liya Kebede doesn’t let DQ\WKLQJ GH¿QH KHU PXOWL faceted career

Illustrator

Andrew Thorpe Production Manager

Chalitha Fernando Editorial Intern

Teresa Francis

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BREATHTAKING

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Contents : The Style Issue

AIR

SEPTEMBER 2015 : ISSUE 52

Eighteen

Thirty Nine

Seventy Eight

Radar

Timepieces

Travel

This collector’s edition hardback features unseen photos of David Bowie, taken by Mick Rock

Only Watch offers exclusive and unique pieces from luxury brands, at premium auction prices

The American safari is an adventurous expedition well worth taking, for wildlife with a twist

Twenty Six

Seventy

Art & Design

Motoring

Megan Hess pays homage to Coco Chanel’s incredible LQÀXHQFH RQ IDVKLRQ

A look at the intricate process behind Porsche’s perfect sound system

Thirty Four

Seventy Four

Jewellery

Gastronomy

Brumani’s opulent pieces are a celebration of Brazilian soul and heritage

Rising culinary star Shaun Hergatt speaks to AIR about his newfound success

Tel: 00971 4 364 2876 Fax: 00971 4 369 7494 Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission from HOT Media Publishing is strictly prohibited. All prices mentioned are correct at time of press but may change. HOT Media Publishing does not accept liability for omissions or errors in AIR.

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Al Bateen SEPTEMBER 2015 : ISSUE 52

Welcome to the September edition of AIR magazine, your own personal guide to Al Bateen Executive Airport, its developments, its people and the latest news. This issue will take you on a journey through Al Bateen’s facilities and offerings, which aim to deliver the best quality services for its customers from aircraft operators, aircraft owners and pilots. We look forward to welcoming more and more visitors throughout the remainder of the year, and we remain committed to providing the highest level of private aviation services to our customers from all over the world. On behalf of AIR and the entire Al Bateen team, we wish you a safe journey wherever you may be heading to. We look forward to welcoming you again to the region’s only dedicated business aviation airport.

Welcome Onboard

Ali Majed Al Mansoori, CFA Chairman of ADAC

SEPTEMBER 2015

Contact Details: albateeninfo@adac.ae albateenairport.com 17

Al Bateen SEPTEMBER 2015 : ISSUE 52

A Story of Success How Al Bateen has made great strides in over half a century of service

Al Bateen Executive Airport, the dedicated business aviation airport of Abu Dhabi Airports, began operations in the 1960s as the first main international airport in the UAE capital, until Abu Dhabi International Airport was opened in 1982. Al Bateen was then initially converted into a military air base that operated until the end of 2008, when Abu Dhabi Airports took over the management of the airport and transformed it into a world class executive facility. It currently has stand capacity for up to 90 private jets, and operates fast and efficient turnarounds. There are no holding patterns and, with short taxiing times 18

and a strategic location in the heart of Abu Dhabi, it is within easy reach of the city’s major businesses and leisure facilities. Al Bateen has since witnessed a steady rise in the number of visiting executive jets. Most recently, in 2013, the airport reported an 18% increase in visiting aircraft traffic and a 6% increase in total commercial aircraft traffic compared to 2012. This growth demonstrates the success of the airport in attracting corporate and VIP clients. The emirate of Abu Dhabi plays host to a number of high-profile sporting and cultural events throughout the year and many of the visiting VIPs

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Al Bateen SEPTEMBER 2015 : ISSUE 52

land at Al Bateen Executive Airport. To support the increasing inflow of visitors, a range of new services have been introduced at Al Bateen Airport, such as a new aircraft cleaning service provided by Falcon Aviation Services (FAS), a partnership with Emirates Transport Services and new fuel uplift services. These services are coordinated and offered by DhabiJet, the airport’s Fixed Base Operations (FBO) service provider. DhabiJet brings together all of the requirements for business aviation customers visiting the executive airport, under the management of a single highly trained DhabiJet customer service team. The team acts as a single point of contact for all requirements and works consistently hard to provide the fastest possible services time ‘door to door’ for passengers and crew. Its range of services also includes the meeting and greeting of passengers, refueling, aircraft cleaning services, ground handling, transportations and hotel arrangements. Catering is provided by gategroup of Switzerland, through its ‘Executive Gourmet’ catering facility, offering world class hospitality and catering services to meet the tailored requirements of elite passengers and private jets.

For the last three years Al Bateen Airport has hosted Abu Dhabi Air Expo, the only general aviation exhibition in the Middle East. Air Expo showcases key developments that relate to private aircraft, helicopters, general aviation manufacturers, airport equipment and services, pilot training schools, avionics, insurance and financing. It has rapidly become one of the key events in the global business aviation calendar, a testament to Al Bateen’s unique status as the only airport of its type in the region. In February 2014, the third Air Expo attracted a record number of visitors (almost 17,000, a 30% increase on the previous year) and enabled sales worth more than AED5 billion to be generated. Al Bateen Airport is also the home of Gulf Centre for Aviation Studies (GCAS). Since its establishment in 2009, GCAS has provided training for many thousands of aviation professionals, not only Abu Dhabi Airports’ own staff, but also other delegates from all around the world. This has not only been crucial in developing skills and raising operating standards, but GCAS has also in the process established itself as a leading expert in the provision of skills and the raising of standards 20

more generally in the global aviation industry – a huge endorsement of its expertise. Development of professional skills, and especially the employment and training of UAE nationals, is vital to the future both of Abu Dhabi Airports and that of Abu Dhabi as a whole. In this regard, an especially important initiative was the launch of Al Eqla’a train-to-hire programme last year, a graduate training programme dedicated to Emiratis and overseen by GCAS. It is the only such training of its type in the region and will play a key role in the harnessing and development of local talent. GCAS also hosted 250 students at this year’s Air Expo, giving them a tour of the show and of its facilities in the hope of firing their enthusiasm and interest in a career in aviation. The transformation of Al Bateen Airport in the last six years has thus been nothing short of phenomenal. From having operated for many years as a military base, it has had to change its capabilities to cater for an entirely different sector, demanding the highest standards of customer service. It has rapidly become one of the world’s leading executive airports, a fact for which Abu Dhabi can be proud.

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Radar

AIR

SEPTEMBER 2015 : ISSUE 52

David Bowie’s glitter-fuelled and theatrically focused approach to pop and rock was unprecedented in the history of music, and his legacy remains alive and well even today. Bowie’s personal photographer and close friend Mick Rock found himself in the centre of the singer’s inner circle at the height of his fame, and his incredible portfolio gives fans an insight into the personality and fame of this enigmatic icon. A collection of these photos, many that have never been seen before, are being released in limited edition hardback from Taschen, with copies signed by both Bowie and Rock. 22

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Critique SEPTEMBER 2015 : ISSUE 52

Film Learning To Drive Dir: Isabel Coixet A Manhattan writer decides to learn how to drive after her marriage starts to strugle, and finds friendship in her driving instructor. AT BEST: “Touching, insightful and, at the end of the day, extremely wellmeaning film” The Guardian AT WORST: “The film as a whole is shot with little imagination” The Hollywood Reporter

Mistress America Dir: Noah Baumbach A lonely college freshman finds adventure and more when she meets her impulsive,soon-to-be stepsister. AT BEST: “Right now, when it comes to urbane screen wit, Baumbach is the master, and Gerwig the undisputed mistress.” The Guardian AT WORST: “The film has nothing if not great vitality and an active creative spirit, but it has all been channeled here in a way that comes off as erratic and sometimes ill-judged.” Hollywood Reporter

Z for Zacharia Dir: Craig Zobel Three individuals find themsleves to be the last known survivors of the planet in this emotionally charged thriller. AT BEST: “Shot in New Zealand, the film certainly looks good and Heather McIntosh’s score is unusual and effective” Hollywood Reporter AT WORST: “What begins as a deeply philosophical survivors’ story eventually deflates into a soap opera-ish love triangle.” The Guardian

Pawn Sacrifice Dir: Edward Zwick Toby Maguire plays American chess champion Bobby Fischer as he prepares for a legendary match-up against Russian Boris Spassky. AT BEST: “Tobey Maguire’s angry, bristling lead performance does capture the man’s outsized personality in spades.” Variety AT WORST: “Zwick’s film [is] unlikely to explicate the game for newbies nor to sate the curiousity of the chess fan” The Guardian 25

Critique SEPTEMBER 2015 : ISSUE 52

Theatre

AIR

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amlet is one of Shakespeare’s most iconic plays, and this September Benedict Cumberbatch plays the titular prince in London’s Barbican theatre- to mixed reviews. Telegraph’s view of the play’s first preview is optimistic but tough: “Rather like its costumes – a ragbag of old-world European and modern – the show displays a dressing-up box unpredictability; some things fit well, others less so.” Most of the main compliments were handed to Cumberbatch - “It’s amazing how stripping things back intensifies the experience; we get an unmistakable flash of searing pain when he confronts Anastasia Hille’s Gertrude…At such moments, you glimpse true greatness in this production and I’ve no doubt that, as they slave away in the coming weeks, refining it all, much better will be to come, perhaps even the best.” Sunday Express theatre critic Michael Arditti emphasised the significance

of the role in theatre - “Hamlet is the biggest role in Shakespeare, and the role is full of unanswerable questions, including the biggest in literature, ‘To be, or not to be’,” he says. “It means that every actor who plays the part can find their own answers to those questions and there are many ways to interpret the character.” One thing’s for sure, Cumberbatch has great expectations to meet. Another film actor returning to stage with great audience expectation is Nicole Kidman, who is starring in a production of Anna Ziegler’s play Photograph 51 at the Noel Coward theatre in London from September 14. Kidman plays British scientist Anna Ziegler, a researcher at King’s College London who contributed largely to the discovery of DNA structures - a breakthrough that is often only attributed to her male colleagues Francis Crick and James Watson. The Guardian reports the actress’ enthusiasm - “Kidman said

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in a statement: “It’s a privilege to be returning to London theatre in Anna Ziegler’s extraordinary play Photograph 51, portraying the life of Rosalind Franklin. I’m looking forward to being part of an amazing team both on stage and behind the scenes – a company who put access at the centre of what they do.” Ziegler’s play has been played before, to warm reviews: The New York Times has praised her for writing something “largely satisfying”, a play that “is a refusal to soften the woman at its center”. Kidman’s stellar history in British theatre - her last role in the 1997 production of The Blue Room saw her nominated for an Olivier Award, is reason enough to get excited. Sam Rockwell and Tony awardwinner Nina Arianda play May and Eddie, ex-lovers shaped by a shared and haunting figure from their past in Sam Shepard’s Fool For Love, which is being staged at the Samuel J. Friedman Theater in New York. Wrought with black humour and emotional complexity, the show has opened to extremely positive reviews. The Boston Globe raves about both the lead performance of Arianda: “the actress delivers an intensely compelling portrait of a woman tearing at the boundaries of her own life. She offers us piercing glimpses, too, of May’s vulnerability and confusion, defeat and resiliency.” As for Rockwell, his “portrayal of Eddie is so natural and selfassured that at one point the actor effortlessly executes a forward split at center stage, apparently just for the hell of it, then bounds back to his feet.” The New York Times praises director Daniel Aukin, stating: “In portraying endless desperation, Mr Aukin’s revival never feels rushed or frantic. His version has the full quota of bruising physical contact that’s expected of Fool for Love. But it’s the tightly stretched silences that get to you, with their suggestion that what’s occurring here has always been happening and will never cease.”

Critique SEPTEMBER 2015 : ISSUE 52

Art T

he late American sculptor Duane Hanson is being presented at The Serpentine Sackler Gallery for the first time in London since 1997. His sculptures reflect the Pop Art movement, a style that juxtaposes thought-provokingly with his subject matter: members of the American working class. Criticism for his work in 1965 encouraged Hanson to create more sculptures dealing with social and political issues, especially dealing in social misery and violence. Julia Peyton-Jones, director, and Hans Ulrich Obrist, codirector, Serpentine Galleries, said: “Duane Hanson’s iconic sculptures of ordinary people will literally stop visitors in their tracks this summer. Beyond the stunning realism, the power of Hanson’s work lies in his unwavering focus on and sympathy for the human condition.” Hanson’s work often deliberately puts those overlooked and invisible to society, focussing on “those that do not stand out”, and puts them in the spotlight. Hanson used polyester resin and live models, concentrating on making the sculptures as close to likeness as possible, paying attention to seemingly insignificant details such as veins, bruises and body hair. Douglas Coupland compares him to American painter Edward Hopper, both of them possessing loneliness in their work that is “almost achingly beautiful”. The sculptures are on display until September 13. The inspiration behind the Take an Object exhibition, showing at the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art in New York from now until February 28, 2016, is a note artist Jasper Johns wrote himself in his sketchbook: “Take an object / Do something to it / Do something else to it. [Repeat.]” This ethos was one that was echoed in many pieces of work from the late 1950s to the early 1960s - the exhibition will present a selection of the Museum’s collection that have done the same. The pieces on display “reflect an interest shared by a generation of

artists working around the world in deploying everyday objects and other non-fine art materials to make their work, from Johns and Robert Rauschenberg to Niki de Saint Phalle, Betye Saar, and Katsuhiro Yamaguchi. Light bulbs, newspapers, chairs, and even taxidermied animals became new source materials to be painted on, covered over, affixed to, or surprisingly juxtaposed.” Looking beyond the traditional mediums, these are works that forced the extraordinary out of the mundane, and expanded boundaries in the minds of art critics and artists everywhere. Carsten Höller: Decision is the artist’s largest survey show in the UK to date. In a wide range of interactive “experimental environments”, the exhibition explores perception and decision-making. Time Out discusses how the show’s title reflects with what visitors have to interact with28

“From the moment you step into the gallery’s foyer, Höller puts us through our paces by offering numerous choices… ultimately everyone is going to have a different experience regardless of what they pick. It’s the fact that we have to choose. Höller disturbs our expectations by using perception-altering effects.” The Evening Standard gives the show four stars, writing: “Höller’s art offers profound sensory and intellectual stimulation. The exhibition concludes in Isometric Slides, accessed from the roof of the gallery. In a place usually meant for deep thought, the artist forces the visitor to lose control. A slide, Höller says, is ‘a sculpture that you can travel inside’ as well as a ‘device for experiencing a unique condition somewhere between delight and madness’.” The exhibition takes place in the Hayward Gallery at the Southbank Centre in London, and runs to September 6.

Critique SEPTEMBER 2015 : ISSUE 52

Books M

indy Kaling’s debut novel Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) came out to stellar reviews and quickly became a New York Times Bestseller, so when the actress, who The New York Times has dubbed “the next Nora Ephron”, announced she was writing a second, fans everywhere rejoiced. Titled Why Not Me? the second collection of autobiographical essays is slated to release on September 15, and topics cover everything from the starlet’s publicly speculated relationship with B.J Novak, to her opinions on Hollywood’s problem with body image and representation. At New York’s BookCon, Kaling revealed her fears about the book, saying “I know now that people like me, so I’m incredibly honest and vulnerable in this book. It’s a little scary, actually, but I think its funnier’. She also revealed the double meaning behind the title. “The first one is the wistful meaning where I’m at an age where a lot of my friends are getting married, and I have a sense of a feeling of being left out… Another side is the ambitious side of me that for my entire life, though no one has ever bared a passing resemblance to me in television or film, why not me? Why can’t I do that?” Jonathan Franzen’s long anticipated novel Purity comes out on the September 1, five years after his last novel, Freedom. It explores the journey of Pip Tyler, a recent graduate burdened by student debt and strained relationships with her family. It has already been the recipient of rave reviews. The Telegraph gives it four out of five stars, writing “through different characters: the cumulative effect is thoroughly addictive. Switching voice and point of view to add a layered depth to his characters, drawing them both from the outside and the inside, is a technique Franzen has mastered in previous novels. He makes it look very easy. It isn’t.” The book is different, The Guardian reports, from his previously successful novels “insofar as it has

rather more action than one came to expect from those other two, some kind of heightened narrative energy that borders on postmodernism”. Says The Atlantic: “Franzen’s prose is alive with intelligence, and on the first page of his new novel, Purity, a reader can see his mind at work on a task at which he excels: showing the way people think.” Already making waves in the literary world, Purity releases in hardback on September 1. The Heart Goes Last is Man Booker Prize winner Margaret Atwood’s latest dystopian venture, to be released by the end of September. It follows the lies of struggling married couple Stan and Charmaine, in the backdrop of economic and social collapse. The Positron Project seems to be the answer to their prayers, but soon they learn it’s less of a prayer answered and more of a living nightmare. Already gaining positive reviews, Booklist writes: “Ever-inventive,

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astutely observant, and drolly ironic, Atwood unfurls a riotous plot of corporate rule, mayhem, brainwashing, murder, and Elvis and Marilyn impersonators. Her bristling characters range from right-on caricatures to unpredictably complicated individuals, especially the unnerving Charmaine. Atwood’s ribald carnival of crazy deftly examines fear and the temptation to trade the confusion of choice and freedom for security, whatever the cost. This laser-sharp, hilariously campy, and swiftly flowing satire delves deeply into our desires, vices, biases, and contradictions, bringing fresh, incisive comedy to the rising tide of postapocalyptic fiction in which Atwood has long been a clarion voice.” The book is Atwood’s first standalone novel in fifteen years, so readers have reason to be thrilled.

Art & Design SEPTEMBER 2015 : ISSUE 52

Drawing Coco AIR

Coco Chanel: The Illustrated World of a Fashion Icon is artist Megan Hess’ tribute to the woman behind the brand. She speaks with AIR about the book’s creation WORDS : RICHARD JENKINS

F

or a woman so incredibly famous, responsible for creating arguably the most recognisable fashion house in the world, the life of Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel is still impressively mysterious, with legends, myths and true stories all swirling around together. According to Megan Hess’s new illustrated book on the iconic designer, out now by Rizzoli, this obfuscation may have come from Chanel herself, who was perhaps uncomfortable with her humble beginnings. In the same way that she reinvented fashion, she did the same with her life story. Hess, a world-renowned international fashion illustrator, tells AIR: “I’ve always been fascinated by Coco Chanel, the woman. Knowing that she grew up in an orphanage and had to survive so

many struggles throughout her life, her story has always been inspiring to me. As a fashion illustrator, her designs have also been an enormous source of inspiration. When I embarked on creating this book I really thought I knew her life story but I quickly realised that there was so much more

I wanted it to be about everything about her life that’s inspiring to women to discover. Once I had researched the timeline of her life, I began illustrating what was inspiring to me about her journey. It’s essentially an illustrated picture book that takes the reader on a whimsical tour from her life as a little 30

orphan girl to her becoming the most iconic woman in fashion.” Hess’s book covers Chanel’s early life, through to the creation of her “Chanel Modes” atelier, and each page is a sumptuous depiction of the glamorous and romantic steps Chanel took to reach the height of Parisian fashion. Hess says: “I worked independently on this book. I really wanted it to be about the woman Coco Chanel and everything about her life story that’s inspiring to woman today. All the fascinating details of how she became the woman that changed the way we dress and the attitude she introduced to the world of fashion. It was important to me that the book related to women on a human level, not just a fashion level.” There are almost too many seminal moments from Chanel’s life to pick

AIR

one as being the most important – the creation of the 2.55 bag, the famous double-C logo, the gamine, boyish silhouettes she popularised among countless others. Hess, however, is able to pick her single-favourite moment to illustrate. She reveals: “My favourite moment to illustrate was the day she chose the iconic Chanel No. 5 fragrance. I loved that she favoured simplicity and when the famous perfumer Ernest Beaux came to her atelier to show her a selection of sample fragrances, she

sniffed them all and declared No. 5 the winner. The perfumer said: ‘Wonderful! And now we must choose a name and design a label.’ Coco then said: ’The label is already perfect and let’s call it exactly as it is, Chanel No5!’” That reverence for minimalism is part of Coco Chanel’s enduring allure, and was something Hess tried to emulate with her drawings, which share their muse’s elegance. She says: “I would describe the style of Coco Chanel as minimal, classic and elegant. I wanted 32

DOO P\ LOOXVWUDWLRQV WR UHÀHFW WKLV VHQVH of style. For this reason I kept to a strict colour palette of cream and black with just little touches of red and pink. It was her eye for simplicity that made everything she created so elegant and that was the overall design feel that I wanted to create with the book.” The Illustrated World of a Fashion Icon is broken up into three distinct sections: The Woman, The Brand and The Legend, each tackling different areas of Coco Chanel’s life. One of

It was her eye for simplicity that made everything she created so elegant WKH DUHDV WKDW LV WKH PRVW GLI¿FXOW IRU KLVWRULDQV WR WDFNOH GH¿QLWLYHO\ LV WKDW of Chanel’s love life. Hess says: “There DUH PDQ\ FRQÀLFWLQJ DFFRXQWV RI KHU romantic life. I decided to only include the relationships that she spoke of

herself when she was alive. There are so many rumours about famous men that she dated but unless I had concrete evidence of the relationship, I didn’t include it. I felt I had to do Coco justice with accurate content.” Hess’s knowledge and admiration of the brand, and the woman, leap out of the book just as much as the stunning illustrations that adorn each page. For someone who has completed private commissions for Michelle Obama and collaborated with Gwyneth Paltrow as 33

well as brands like Dior, Tiffany and Co and Cartier, The Illustrated World of a Fashion Icon was a labour of love, EXW D GDXQWLQJ RQH 6KH ¿QLVKHV RXU LQWHUYLHZ E\ VD\LQJ ³0\ ¿UVW UHDFWLRQ when I receive a great commission is to be very excited and then once the idea sets in I start to panic that I wont be able to draw it! Once I actually start drawing, it always comes together and the harder the subject matter, the more proud I feel once it’s completed.” Coco Chanel herself would approve.

Art & Design SEPTEMBER 2015 : ISSUE 52

Model Misbehaviour AIR

What happens when a 200-year-old ďŹ ne ceramics producer joins forces with a rebel street artist? Hazel Plush ďŹ nds out

C

eramics‌ and street art? It’s not the most obvious of marriages. The elegant porcelain tradition combined with urban art’s swagger and grit? I’m not sure my grandmother – a keen FROOHFWRU RI GHOLFDWH FKLQD ÂżJXULQHV – would approve. But Royal Doulton, the UK’s leading collectible ceramics producer, isn’t afraid of raising a few eyebrows. Most heritage brands celebrate their landmark anniversaries with canapĂŠs and commemorative collections, but when Royal Doulton turned 200 this year it marked the occasion by unveiling a collaboration with Banksy’s old mate Nick Walker: a political prankster and street artist extraordinaire. It went down a storm. Walker is famed for his ‘Vandal’ ÂżJXUH D ERZOHU KDWWHG PLVFKLHI PDNHU who crops up in most of his art on New York and London streets – and now

KHÂśV RQ D 5R\DO 'RXOWRQ ÂżJXULQH WRR Walker’s Vandal is usually a faceless chap, but he’s modelled on Walker himself, so the brand used 3D printing technology to capture the artist’s OLNHQHVV ,Q WKH ÂżQLVKHG FHUDPLF SLHFH he is tipping blue paint over London’s Houses of Parliament, a frown frozen on his face as he defaces the political ODQGPDUN Âł7KH ÂżJXULQH ORRNV H[DFWO\ like me – I’m blown away by it,â€? said Walker when the piece was unveiled. If you can’t go a bit mad when you turn 200 years old, when can you? Royal Doulton has released a SLHFH OLPLWHG HGLWLRQ FROOHFWLRQ RI WKH 9DQGDO ÂżJXULQH WR PDUN LWV ELJ ELUWKGD\ Âą DQG IRU &DURO %D[HQGDOH Potter, brand director at Royal Doulton, it’s the perfect way to celebrate old age. “We strive to stay relevant,â€? she says from the brand’s London HQ. “One way we do that is by using contemporary 34

designers – that is how you keep your momentum.â€? Royal Doulton’s renegade streak isn’t a new trait: it started with the son of John Doulton, the company’s founder. 7KH ÂżUP RULJLQDOO\ SURGXFHG GUDLQDJH and sanitary appliances when it was established in 1815, but John’s son +HQU\ 'RXOWRQ Âż[HG KLV VLJKWV RQ PRUH artistic pursuits. “He commissioned ceramics and sculptures by artists from the Lambeth School of Art,â€? VD\V %D[HQGDOH 3RWWHU Âł7KH\ ZHUHQÂśW ZHOO NQRZQ DUWLVWV DW DOO EXW WKHLU pieces were very sculptural and are now among some of our most collectable.â€? It was a risk, but it paid off – and Royal Doulton quickly ditched its drainage products in favour of Henry’s vision. His courage and creativity have stayed with the brand ever since. But the Vandal collaboration with Nick Walker wasn’t just a bold

35

AIR

Suddenly, a collaboration between street artists and ceramicists doesn’t seem so surreal. In fact, it looks like a winning team

artistic statement for Royal Doulton – it made strides in technology too. Design director Dik Delaney wanted WR FUHDWH D VFDOHG GRZQ PLQL PRGHO of Walker, so 3D printing technology was a natural choice. “He stood there with a can of paint and we scanned KLV ERG\ ´ ODXJKHG %D[HQGDOH 3RWWHU “It was a really fascinating process – something we had never done before as a company.â€? The painstaking production process RI D 5R\DO 'RXOWRQ ÂżJXULQH DGGV WR the marque’s enduring appeal. Using traditional techniques, an artist sculpts the original model in clay – or, in the case of Vandal, it is printed in resin. The piece is then turned into molds. Liquid clay is poured into the molds, DQG WKHQ LW LV ÂżUHG JOD]HG DQG ÂżUHG again. Then, the painting stage starts, ZLWK HYHU\WKLQJ IURP EDVH FRDWV WR ÂżQH GHWDLOV DSSOLHG E\ 5R\DO 'RXOWRQÂśV LQ house artists. Roughly 300 people work RQ WKH ÂżJXULQHV Âą DQG HYHU\ SLHFH LV inspected individually, at every stage. 5R\DO 'RXOWRQ PD\ EH D ÂżUPO\ established British brand, but it is adored by ceramics collectors all over the world. It has a vast faithful following in the USA, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, and selects a few international designers to work with accordingly. But most of its talent VWHPV IURP WKH 8. Âą D ÂżUP QRG WR LWV \HDU ROG KHULWDJH With a legacy like that, how does Royal Doulton select new design talent to work with? “We look at trends, speak to people in the industry, and ÂżQG QHZ FROODERUDWLRQV WKURXJK RXU FRQQHFWLRQV ´ VD\V %D[HQGDOH 3RWWHU “Hemingway Design caught our eye a few years ago – we loved their work on wallpaper and furniture, so we approached them about ceramics.â€? Nick Walker isn’t the only street artist that Royal Doulton has partnered with: Charley Uzzell Edwards, aka 36

Pure Evil, has created a contemporary collection of ‘Evil Bunnies’ for the brand’s anniversary. “We recognise that there is a lot of desire for street artists’ ZRUN ´ DGPLWV %D[HQGDOH 3RWWHU “They are credible artists and are commissioned by collectors, so that is why we are so keen to work with them.â€? Pure Evil is an established name on the contemporary art scene – indeed, Edwards owns the Pure Evil Gallery, a leading London exhibition space for VRPH RI WKH FDSLWDOÂśV PRVW VRXJKW DIWHU names. “It’s quite a privilege to be part of the 200 years celebration,â€? he says in a short video to promote his limited edition ceramics collection. “Thank you, Royal Doulton.â€? Suddenly, a collaboration between street artists and ceramicists doesn’t seem so surreal – in fact, that elegant/ urban combo looks like a winning team. But it can’t be easy to assert your subversive creativity when faced ZLWK D \HDU ROG QDWLRQDO WUHDVXUH “Designers recognise the Royal Doulton brand and its heritage, and they’re always really keen to work with such D ZHOO NQRZQ QDPH ´ VD\V %D[HQGDOH Potter. “It works both ways really. While they’re ambitious, projects like this aren’t a risk for us.â€? Perhaps that’s the secret of Royal Doulton’s success. While most heritage marques celebrate their longevity by reliving their past triumphs, this brand is forging ahead: shaking up the world it has helped to create, and JDLQLQJ D ZKROH QHZ Ă€RFN RI FROOHFWRUV to boot. “When you work with ceramics for 20 years or more, like some of us have done, you can get a little stuck in \RXU ZD\V ´ DGPLWV %D[HQGDOH 3RWWHU “But when you come from the outside you can push those boundaries, look at things totally differently. And that’s when things start to get really interesting.â€? It’s a clichĂŠ, but Royal Doulton really is breaking the mold.

Opening page: Nick Walker’s ‘Vandal’ pouring paint over London’s Houses of Parliament Opposite page: Collaboratoin with Nick Walker, ‘Vandal Airways’ This page: Collaboration with Hemingway Design

37

Jewellery

AIR

SEPTEMBER 2015 : ISSUE 52

Colouring Outside the Lines Brumani’s jewellery collections are a riot of colour, making them stand out from the crowd. The company’s Creative Director Eduardo Brüner talks to AIR WORDS : RICHARD JENKINS

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AIR Opening Pages: Baobab Grass Collection This page: Baobab Collection 40

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M A L D I V E S

The World’s Toughest Watches TARIQ MALIK

S

ome men prefer a life of adventure. For men like this, taking on the challenges of the outdoors, conquering the highest mountains, rafting, cycling and smashing through the jungle are what life was made for. For them, the sedentary life of the office and a luxury apartment is dull and uninspiring – simply not an option. Turning our focus for the moment to the ‘tough-guys’ among us, we’ve put together a list of the world’s toughest watches, built specifically to withstand the rigors of adventure. Having said that, these watches are by no means unsightly. Many of them are equally at home in the Amazon jungle – and the gala event.

straps, mineral crystal display and water resistance (usually around 200m, but more on certain models).

ROLEX OYSTER PERPETUAL EXPLORER What makes it tough: Sir Edmund Hillary summited Everest wearing Rolex’s predecessor of the Explorer. Parachrom hairspring and Paraflex shock absorbers make the new watch even tougher than the original. 904L stainless steel is so tough that you need special machinery to work the component parts.

CASIO G-SHOCK SOLAR POWERED (top) What makes it tough: Features include a digital compass, thermometer, barometer, altimeter, sunset and sunrise times, calendar, and solar power, to mention only a few. It has a Floating Module Configuration, where hollow sections absorb shock and protect the inner workings of the watch. Most G-Shock models come with resin cases and

CX SWISS MILITARY WATCH What makes it tough: Water resistance. At the equivalent of an incredible 20,000 feet, (6000m) below sea level, the CX smashed the previous record held by Rolex by 50%. 43

Blasted by a water cannon, run over by a truck, shot with a shotgun, and surviving explosions. The CX Swiss Military watch came out of all of it in perfect working condition.

SINN EZM – THE U-BOAT WATCHES What makes it tough: ‘Tegiment’ technology creates a case hardened up to around 2000 vickers. (Regular steel comes in at just over 200 vickers). DIAPAL technology and lubricant free escapements. They are water-resistant, anti-magnetic, dehumidifying and temperature resistant. What more do you need? So if you’re looking for timekeeping gear that looks great, but has what it takes to survive a life of action and adventure, these pieces are going to do the job for you. They will handle almost anything you throw at them. And you needn’t worry about scratching or denting them while you tackle the elements - they can take it.

Tariq Malik is co-founder of the UAE’s only vintage watch boutique, Momentum. momentum-dubai.com

Timepieces Motoring SEPTEMBER 2015 : ISSUE 52

The One and Only

Monaco in November is the best place to pick up the most unique timepieces available, as the world’s biggest brands come together for charity

AIR

WORDS : JAMES GURNEY

44

O

nly Watch is one the more curious events in the watch world. On the face of it, the bi-annual sale in Geneva is simple enough – watch brands contribute a one-off piece for auction to raise funds for research into Muscular Dystrophy. As the charity receiving the funds is Association Monegasque Contre les Myopathies (AMCLM), which counts HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco as its patron and was set up by Luc Pettavino, a former managing director of the 0RQDFR <DFKW 6KRZ D KLJK SUR¿OH event and the attention of the industry was guaranteed. Pettavino and, perhaps more importantly, Osvaldo Patrizzi, then head of auction house Antiquorum (and the man who transformed the watch auction market), managed to persuade more than 20 brands to donate pieces to sell at a special auction during the yacht show back in 2005. ₏1.9m was

While ‘pieces unique’ always attract attention, they are not always auction gold raised from the sale, giving immediate FRQÂżGHQFH WR WKH EUDQGV DQG SURPSWLQJ the organisers to stage a second sale in 2007. It was in the 2007 sale that things got really interesting. While “pieces uniquesâ€? always attract attention, they are not necessarily auction gold. Creating a sensation means adding something truly different to the mix, something that doesn’t qualify as unique solely through a special dial or engraving. Step forward Patek Philippe who entered a titanium 1DXWLOXV WKH 7 WKHLU ÂżUVW HYHU watch in the metal. Patek collectors went berserk – a titanium Patek? The hammer duly went down at â‚Ź525,000 and Only Watch’s reputation was made. Only Watch is now in the care of Aurel Bacs, the former superstar auctioneer and head of Christie’s watch department, and Phillips and sees 43 watches entered. Over the years (the auction is held every two), the brands KDYH FDUHIXOO\ UHÂżQHG WKH VWUDWHJ\ DV while the auction is for charity, none 45

of the brands are prepared to let an opportunity to enhance their status slip by and all are keenly aware of the impact hammer prices will have on their brand value. Some still play safe with a popular watch given a new dial or other cosmetic change, but most respond to the opportunity to stretch their design and brand limits or respond to the cause behind the auction in some way – H.Moser’s Endeavour Perpetual Calendar Only Watch uses a child’s script in the date window for example, and other brands like Hublot or Vacheron Constantin take the opportunity to experiment wildly with colour, form and materials, often with startling results. Of the 43 up for auction this coming November, the range of which was recently unveiled, the pick for me are a Patek Philippe, a very disco Louis Vuitton, a Mediterranean blue Van &OHHI $USHOV DQG D YHU\ UHÂżQHG Laurent Ferrier, but the growing reputation of the auction has drawn a strong response from all the brands concerned (although someone will have to explain Perrelet’s wild west themed turbine piece to me). The Patek 5016, a grande complication in steel no less, will have heavy hitting bidders melting the phone lines for all the best reasons (there’s not space enough here to admire much more than the retrograde date hand), but some of the other watches deserve to attract serious bids too, not least the Laurent Ferrier Galet Square Sector dial – Ferrier is ex-Patek, a past that it reveals LWVHOI WKURXJK H[TXLVLWH ÂżQLVK DQG D proper appreciation of back-catalogue (the sector dial is much sought after by Patek collectors). Lighter fare is offered by Van Cleef & Arpels who have given a truly desirable new dial to their Heure d’ici et Heure d’ailleurs and Louis Vuitton whose Escale Worldtime becomes the Escale Âł:RUOG LV D GDQFHĂ€RRU´ FRPSOHWH ZLWK 1LJKW )HYHU GDQFH Ă€RRU SDWWHUQ on the dial – this is the fourth time Louis Vuitton have worked with Paul Pettavino (whose condition inspired the ZKROH HYHQW DQG KHÂśV FOHDUO\ JRW Ă€DLU Watch auctions come and go, but this is one with soul, substance and some seriously rare timepieces. onlywatch.com

AIR

WHO’s 46

Before Marilyn Monroe the icon, there was Norma Jeane the aspiring model – a new book explores the years that marked her fascinating transition WORDS : CHRIS ANDERSON

AIR

I

t was August 2, 1945, and Norma Jeane Dougherty had arrived in the lobby of the famous Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. To a shy 19-year-old Californian girl who had spent most of her life in foster homes, it must have been like stepping onto a movie set. Indeed, the hotel itself was frequented by many of the big stars of the day, particularly its Cocoanut Grove nightclub, with its interior lined with fake palm trees, which had hosted the early Oscars ceremonies of the 1930s and 1940s, and welcomed the likes of Errol Flynn and Clark Gable on a regular basis. If there ever seemed a suitable starting point for a life of fame and fortune, this was it, and it just so happened that Norma Jeane had a meeting with Emmeline Snively, the owner of Blue Book Models, who had an RI¿FH RQ WKH SUHPLVHV )RU (PPHOLQH this was the sort of meeting she had all the time, with many girls coming to see her wanting to become models. But there was something different about Norma Jeane, and the catalogue, magazine and advertising shoots that she was eventually booked for would set her on a trajectory – leading to a movie career, a name change to Marilyn Monroe and a legacy as one of the greatest Hollywood icons of all time. A new book, Before Marilyn: The Blue Book Modelling Years, takes an intriguing look at the very early stages of what would soon be an unstoppable career. What is perhaps even more fascinating, however, is the source material on which the book is based. In 2012, nearly 6,000 miles away from Los Angeles in Holland, at a 1950s store called Bennies Fifties, a box of obscure Marilyn Monroe memorabilia had been sat in a storeroom for over 20 years.

Before Marilyn: The Blue Book Modelling Years by Astrid Franse and Michelle Morgan is published by The History Press, available amazon.co.uk

If there ever seemed a suitable starting point for fame, this was it The owners, Ben and Astrid Franse, had originally acquired it on one of their many trips to the US, picking up items to sell in their shop. Receiving a call on behalf of a wealthy collector, who had just bid US$1.2 million for the dress Marilyn Monroe wore when she sang Happy Birthday to President Kennedy, Ben and Astrid mentioned that they may have something of interest, and dusted off the box bought in a similar store in the States two decades earlier. They knew it had press clippings and photos inside, but only then realised what it actually ZDV Âą WKH FRPSOHWH ÂżOH RQ 1RUPD -HDQH from Blue Book Models, containing 48

everything from the notes made in her initial meeting with Emmeline Snively to press releases, correspondence as the two became friends, and evidence of them keeping in touch after Norma Jeane became Marilyn Monroe. There was also a script for a play written by Emmeline called Runaway Girls, and from the other information it was evident that she had sent it to Marilyn, who had agreed to star in it – only to be prevented by her death in 1962. Also within the box was evidence that Emmeline had attempted to write a book about their friendship in the years after, with six chapters neatly stapled together, and also the numerous rejection letters received from publishers. Emmeline herself died in 1975. Realising what she had in her possession, not just rare images of Marilyn’s days as Norma Jeane and KHU ¿UVW DWWHPSWV DW PRGHOOLQJ EXW

49

50

also information largely unknown to the public, Astrid Franse reached out to Michelle Morgan, an expert on the famous actress, and author of such books as Marilyn Monroe: Private and Undisclosed. Michelle agreed that the material in Astrid’s possession told a story in itself, and the two collaborated on the new book. Some of Emmeline’s notes, written GXULQJ KHU ÂżUVW PHHWLQJ ZLWK 1RUPD Jeane, were present in the box, as well as the recollections prepared for her unpublished book. “Blue eyes, perfect teeth and blonde, curly hair,â€? she wrote. “Actually her hair was dirty blonde. California blonde, which means dark in the winter and light in the summer. It curled very close to her head, and it was unmanageable. I knew it would have to be bleached and worked on.â€?

Any suggestions about lightening her hair were met with defeat Previous Page: Norma Jeane on location with Andre De Dienes. Photographer: Andre De Dienes. (Reproduced with permission of Chuck Murphy. One West Publishing, onewestpublishing.com) Left: Marilyn in a yellow sweater and pink scarf. Photographer: John Miehle. (From the collection of Michelle Morgan)

An interesting observation, as Marilyn Monroe would later become IDPRXV IRU KHU Ă€RZLQJ EORQGH ORFNV But convincing Norma Jeane that it would be a look that suited her often led to resistance. “She was a believer in naturalness,â€? wrote Emmeline. “Any suggestions about lightening her hair or even straightening it were met with defeat.â€? But there was also probably a desire not to upset her in-laws, who she lived 51

with at the time. Having married their QDYDO RIÂżFHU VRQ -DPHV 'RXJKHUW\ in 1942, Norma Jeane had taken a job working at a munitions factory while her husband was away in the war. The family disapproved of her modelling, but when a photographer visited the factory and took some shots of Norma Jeane, it was those that ended up on Emmeline’s desk, leading to a meeting between the two. While they became ÂżUP IULHQGV KHU PDUULDJH IDLOHG DQG was over by 1946. By that point, her modelling career would have been well under way, with a shampoo commercial eventually requiring her to bleach her hair – from this point she never looked back. Norma Jeane soon became Blue Book’s most successful model, appearing on multiple magazine covers. To broaden the type of work she could get, she launched herself into singing, acting and dancing lessons, which eventually OHG WR ÂżOP UROHV LQ /RYH +DSS\ *HQWOHPDQ 3UHIHU %ORQGHV 7KH 6HYHQ <HDU ,WFK DQG 6RPH /LNH LW +RW The name Marilyn was inspired by the actress Marilyn Miller, while Monroe was her mother’s maiden name. Everything changed, and Norma Jeane VRRQ EHFDPH D ÂżJXUH RI WKH SDVW %XW as shown by her notes in the archive, Emmeline Snively remembered her clearly. “She had a girl next door look,â€? she says, almost trying to explain her everlasting charm, before adding, “All right, but you never saw a girl next door who looked like Marilyn.â€?

AIR

WHY IS THIS MAN WORTH

ÂŁ8M A YEAR? Burberry has fought back in the battle of overexposure, and once again reigns supreme as the ultimate British luxury brand WORDS : CLAUDIA CROFT

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53

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here’s a lot going on around Christopher Bailey. The Burberry chief creative and FKLHI H[HFXWLYH RI¿FHU ZKR ZDV SDLG £8m last year and could be given shares ZRUWK D SURMHFWHG Â… P LQ WKH QH[W ¿YH \HDUV LV EXV\ VKDNLQJ KDQGV +H KDV DOUHDG\ SRVHG IRU D VHO¿H ZLWK WKH ,QVWDJUDP IRXQGHU .HYLQ 6\VWURP cuddled up to January Jones and been congratulated by David and Victoria %HFNKDP DQG WKHLU EURRG &DUD 'HOHYLQJQH LV OXUNLQJ VRPHZKHUH LQ WKH EDFNJURXQG ZLWK KHU JLUOIULHQG 6W 9LQFHQW DQG 1DRPL &DPSEHOO LV trying on one of the Grenadier Guards’ EHDUVNLQV :H¶UH LQ /$ RQ WKH KLOO\ RXWFURS WKDW KRXVHV WKH *ULI¿WK 2EVHUYDWRU\ ZKHUH %DLOH\ KDV SXW RQ %XUEHUU\¶V PRVW HSLF IDVKLRQ VKRZ WR GDWH ,W ZDV D \HDU LQ WKH SODQQLQJ DQG WKH DWWHQWLRQ WR GHWDLO ZDV LQVDQH HYHQ by his standards. Burberry planted an English garden and imported a replica RI WKH JDWHV WR .HQVLQJWRQ 3DODFH JRW 7RP 2GHOO &ODUH 0DJXLUH DQG *HRUJH (]UD WR VHUHQDGH WKH PRGHOV SHUVXDGHG -DPHV &RUGHQ WR GR D VSRRI FDWZDON WXUQ DQG VHFXUHG VSHFLDO SHUPLVVLRQ IURP WKH 4XHHQ WR À\ RXW WKH *UHQDGLHU *XDUGV WR FORVH WKH VKRZ ³:H ZDQWHG WKLV PL[ RI PXVLF IDVKLRQ WKLQJV WKDW PDNH \RX ODXJK ZLWK -DPHV >&RUGHQ@ DQG VRPHWKLQJ WUDGLWLRQDO ZLWK WKH *UHQDGLHU *XDUGV :H ZDQWHG WR GR VRPHWKLQJ WKDW ZDV À\LQJ WKH %ULWLVK

Bailey’s great talent is constantly to reimagine iconic products ÀDJ DOO RYHU WKH ZRUOG ´ VD\V %DLOH\ DV WKH OLJKWV RI /$ WZLQNOH LQ WKH GLVWDQFH 7KH ZKROH HYHQW ZDV EURDGFDVW OLYH LQ PLG $SULO RQ WKH QHZ VWUHDPLQJ VHUYLFH 3HULVFRSH EHFDXVH %XUEHUU\ PRUH WKDQ DQ\ RWKHU JOREDO OX[XU\ EUDQG OLNHV WR EH ¿UVW ZLWK QHZ WHFKQRORJ\ 7KLV LV WKH %XUEHUU\ ZD\ %ULWLVK \HW JOREDO GLJLWDOO\ MRLQHG XS DQG spectacularly successful. When Bailey MRLQHG DV GHVLJQHU LQ %XUEHUU\ ZDV GRLQJ DERXW Â… P D \HDU LQ VDOHV PRVWO\ RI WUHQFK FRDWV DQG FKHFNV ZKLFK DSSHDUHG RQ VFDUYHV ELNLQLV umbrellas and bags. Last year’s results IRU WKH EUDQG ZHUH XS ZLWK

JURZWK LQ WKH $PHULFDV FRPELQHG bringing total revenues for the last ¿QDQFLDO \HDU WR Â… EQ 4XHVWLRQV KDYH EHHQ DVNHG E\ %DLOH\¶V RZQ VKDUHKROGHUV DERXW WKH VL]H RI KLV UHPXQHUDWLRQ ZKLFK UHSUHVHQWV RI WRWDO VKDUHKROGHU UHWXUQV IRU WKH \HDU ,Q RI VKDUHKROGHUV YRWHG DJDLQVW LW GHVSLWH ERDUGPHPEHU FROOHDJXHV DUJXLQJ WKDW WKH SDFNDJH ZDV D QHFHVVDU\ LQFHQWLYH WR NHHS %DLOH\ LQ WKH IDFH RI ³FRPSHWLQJ MRE RIIHUV´ +LV SUHGHFHVVRU $QJHOD $KUHQGWV ZKR LQ ZKHQ VKH ZDV VWLOO DW %XUEHUU\ WRRN KRPH D SD\ SDFNDJH ZRUWK Â… P DQG FXUUHQWO\ DW $SSOH LV WKH KLJKHVW 54

paid female executive in America on Â… P GHVFULEHG KLP DV ³RQH RI WKLV JHQHUDWLRQ¶V JUHDWHVW YLVLRQDULHV´ Bailey’s talent has made him one of WKH KLJKHVWSDLG H[HFXWLYHV LQ IDVKLRQ EXW LV KH ZRUWK LW" 6R IDU KH¶V HDUQLQJ KLV NHHS 7KH /$ HYHQW LV WKH EUDQG¶V PRVW VXFFHVVIXO WR GDWH ZLWK P VRFLDO PHGLD XVHUV UHDFKHG DQG PRUH WKDQ P <RX7XEH YLHZV IRU KLJKOLJKWV RI WKH /$ VKRZ DQG ³6WRU\ RI´ YLGHRV 7KH OLPLWHG HGLWLRQ VFDUYHV DQG EHDGHG KLSSLH JRZQV WKDW ZHUH IHDWXUHG LQ WKH VKRZ DQG DYDLODEOH GLUHFWO\ DIWHUZDUGV LQ %XUEHUU\¶V EUDQG QHZ 5RGHR 'ULYH ÀDJVKLS VWRUH FRPSOHWH

Opening page: Christopher Bailey at the end of the Burberry Prorsum LFW A/W 2010 Womenswear show This page, clockwise from top left: The Beckham family plus Anna Wintour on the front row; James Corden at the Burberry London in Los Angeles show; A model in the Burberry London in Los Angeles show; Christopher Bailey, Cara Delevingne, Sam Smith, Naomi Campbell and Jourdan Dunn at the Burberry Womenswear A/W 2015 show

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This page: Burberry’s London in Los Angeles show

ZLWK LWV ZUDSDURXQG 9,3 WHUUDFH DOVR sold out. $V WKH ¿UVW GHVLJQHU LQ D SXEOLFO\ traded fashion company to become &(2 LQ LW¶V %DLOH\¶V MRE QRW only to design those sellout products FDVKPHUH VFDUYHV PDGH LQ 6FRWODQG trench coats made in the Castleford IDFWRU\ LQ <RUNVKLUH OHDWKHU EDJV PDGH LQ ,WDO\ EXW DOVR WR VTXLUH WKH EUDQG LQWR WKH IXWXUH ³(YHU\WKLQJ FKDQJHV DQG QRWKLQJ FKDQJHV ´ VD\V %DLOH\ RI KLV XQLTXH GXDO UROH ³3HRSOH IHHO VXGGHQO\ you have to turn into a formula of ZKDW \RX DUH PHDQW WR EH %XW DFWXDOO\ QRWKLQJ FKDQJHV EHFDXVH , ZDV VR LQYROYHG LQ VR PDQ\ RI WKH WKLQJV ZH GLG WR EXLOG WKH FRPSDQ\ 0\ UROH LV WR OHDG RXU RUJDQLVDWLRQ WR GR VRPHWKLQJ SURSHUO\ ZLWK DXWKHQWLFLW\ DQG WR PDNH VXUH ZH¶YH JRW D SRLQW RI YLHZ DQG D YLVLRQ ,Q WKDW UHVSHFW QRWKLQJ FKDQJHG ´ KH VD\V :KHQ KH ZDV SURPRWHG D \HDU DJR the City doubted his ability to perform LQ ERWK UROHV EXW ZLWK KLV YLVLRQ RI %XUEHQRPLFV %DLOH\ LV RXW WR SURYH WKHP ZURQJ ,W DOO FHQWUHV RQ KLV LGHD RI %ULWLVKQHVV ³,W PHDQV FUDIW IDVKLRQ DOO WKH FUHDWLYH GLVFLSOLQHV DUW IDVKLRQ DUFKLWHFWXUH ,W PHDQV PXVLF ,W PHDQV VRPHWKLQJ UHDOO\ UHDOO\ FRQWHPSRUDU\ DQG UHDOO\ UHDOO\ WUDGLWLRQDO DQG EDQJLQJ LW WRJHWKHU ´ KH says. Burbenomics cleverly merges that LGHD ZLWK %XUEHUU\¶V EUDQG LGHQWLW\ DQG sells it globally in the digital age. ,W LV %DLOH\ ZKR PXVW PDQDJH DOO WKH %XUEHUU\ VWUDQGV ZKLFK KH GRHV ZLWK his signature attention to detail and ZLWK DQ H\H RQ FUHDWLQJ D VHDPOHVV EUDQG H[SHULHQFH :KHQ WKH QHZ %XFNHW EDJ KLW ÀDJVKLS VWRUHV KH PDGH VXUH VKRSSHUV FRXOG EX\ PDNH XS WR PDWFK WKHLU WRWHV 'LJLWDOO\ %XUEHUU\ is streets ahead of its luxury rivals. It ZDV WKH ¿UVW EUDQG WR VHOO VWUDLJKW RII WKH FDWZDON ¿UVW WR VHOO YLD 7ZLWWHU¶V %X\ EXWWRQ ¿UVW WR EURDGFDVW LWV HYHQWV RQ 3HULVFRSH DQG RQH RI WKH ¿UVW WR OLYHVWUHDP LWV IDVKLRQ VKRZV 57

and embrace Snapchat. Its stores are GLJLWDOO\ LQWHUDFWLYH H[SHULHQFHV WRXFK VFUHHQV HQDEOH \RX WR VHH ZKDW PDNH XS FRORXUV ZLOO ORRN OLNH RQ \RXU IDFH and it has embraced multiplatform technology. When it launched the 0\ %XUEHUU\ IUDJUDQFH LW FUHDWHG D VPDUWSKRQH DSS WKDW DOORZHG SHRSOH WR SURMHFW D SHUVRQDOLVHG ERWWOH RQWR D ELOOERDUG LQ /RQGRQ¶V 3LFFDGLOO\ DQG other selected sites; their nearest store ZRXOG WKHQ EH GLVSOD\HG 0\ %XUEHUU\ has since gone on to become the brand’s most successful fragrance. %DLOH\ DOVR NQRZV KRZ WR FDSLWDOLVH RQ FHOHEULW\ QRW RQO\ WDSSLQJ WKH VWDU SRZHU RI .DWH 0RVV DQG &DUD 'HOHYLQJQH IRU WKH 0\ %XUEHUU\ FDPSDLJQ RU +DUU\ 6W\OHV IRU KLV IURQW URZ EXW SLJJ\EDFNLQJ RQ %UDQG %HFNKDP WRR $ UHFHQW WUHQFK FRDW FDPSDLJQ VWDUULQJ 5RPHR %HFNKDP VDZ DQ LPPHGLDWH XSOLIW RI LQ trench sales. 6SHDNLQJ RI WUHQFK FRDWV %DLOH\¶V great talent is constantly to reimagine LFRQLF SURGXFWV LQ ZD\V WKDW DSSHDO WR a huge global customer base. There has EHHQ D ULVH LQ GHPDQG IRU KHULWDJH SURGXFWV VXFK DV WKH WUHQFK SRQFKR and monogrammed scarf. The factory LQ 6FRWODQG ZKHUH WKH VFDUYHV DUH PDGH KDV KDG WR ZRUN OLNH WKH FODSSHUV WR NHHS XS ZLWK GHPDQG %DLOH\ FRPELQHV WKLV IRFXV RQ XSGDWHG WUDGLWLRQ ZLWK DQ REVHVVLRQ ZLWK \RXQJ PXVLFDO WDOHQWV ZKR SOD\ DW KLV VKRZV DQG ZKR

Digitally, Burberry is streets ahead of its luxury rivals JLYH %XUEHUU\ D FRRO FRQWHPSRUDU\ edge that is the envy of other luxury EUDQGV 2K DQG WKHQ WKHUH¶V KLV RWKHU VHFUHW ZHDSRQ KLV FKDUP 'HVSLWH KLV SODWHVSLQQLQJ GD\ MRE WKH +DOLID[ ERUQ %DLOH\ LV ZDUP HDUQHVW DQG GRZQ WR HDUWK +LV EHVW IULHQG IURP VFKRRO LV VWLOO KLV EHVW IULHQG QRZ 7KHUH DUH ELJ FKDOOHQJHV DKHDG QRW RQO\ IRU %XUEHUU\ EXW IRU DOO OX[XU\ brands. Fluctuations in foreign exchange rates might yet derail %DLOH\¶V VHDPOHVV GHJUHH YLVLRQ IRU %XUEHUU\ EXW IRU QRZ DW OHDVW KH¶V VWLOO WKH PDQ ZLWK D YHU\ ELJ SODQ %XUEHUU\ FDQ ORRN IRUZDUG WR WKH IXWXUH

This page: Model wears Alma Pink Earrings with Spinels; Rococo Pink Spinel Rose Gold Necklace; Rococo Exuberant Tajikistan Spinel Rose Gold Ring; Rococo Lace Sapphire and Diamond Rose Gold Bangle

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FLIGHTS FANCY OF

The fine jewellery of Fabergé is perfectly suited to private air travel. To mark the impending opening of Al Bateen Executive Airport’s VVIP terminal, Fabergé headed there to showcase its exquisite pieces PHOTOGRAPHY BY : MAZEN ABUSROUR STYLING BY : NATALIE HARPER HOWELL FABERGÉ STOCKIST : DAMAS JEWELLERY CLOTHING : COURTESY OF MAUZAN

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Above: Model (left) wears Summer in Provence Diamond Earrings; Summer in Provence Diamond Necklace; Summer in Provence Diamond Ring. Model (right) wears Délices D’Été Earrings; Délices D’Été Lumière Necklace

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Right: Model wears Foliage Emerald Earrings; La Esmerelda Emerald Necklace; La Esmerelda Emerald Ring

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AIR Above: Model wears FabergĂŠ Visionnaire I Platinum Watch Right: Model wears Alexei Yellow Gold Watch

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Left: Model (left) wears Secret Garden Chandelier Earrings; Secret Garden Necklace. Model (right) wears Kokoshnik Earrings; Regalia Ruby Pendant

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Left: Model wears Secret Garden Ruby Ring (left hand); Secret Garden Ring (right hand); Secret Garden Bracelet; Lady CompliquĂŠe Peacock Watch

Above: Model wears Summer in Provence Diamond Ring; Summer in Provence Diamond Watch

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AIR Right: Model (left) wears Emotion Gypsy Ruby Bangle; Ruby Emotion Ring. Model (right) wears Kokoshnik Bangle; Regalia Ruby Ring (left hand); Kokoshna Ring (right hand)

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OSCAR’S WORLD

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AndrĂŠ Leon Talley is a contributing editor to Vogue USA and author of a new book entitled Oscar de la Renta: His Legendary World of Style. Talley talks to AIR about one of the most enduring names in fashion.

WORDS : RICHARD JENKINS

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t’s rapidly coming up to the ¿UVW DQQLYHUVDU\ RI WKH GHDWK RI EHORYHG DQG OHJHQGDU\ GHVLJQHU Oscar de la Renta, who tragically passed away on October 20, 2014. His LQÀXHQFH RQ WKH ZRUOG RI IDVKLRQ KDVQœW dimmed in the time that’s passed, as a QHZ 5L]]ROL ERRN SURYHV $QGUp /HRQ 7DOOH\œV IDVKLRQ DQG ZULWLQJ FUHGHQWLDOV are unparalleled – as well as being a contributing editor to Vogue, he has DXWKRUHG VHYHUDO IDVKLRQ ERRNV DQG FRXQWHG GH OD 5HQWD DV D IULHQG +LV ODWHVW ERRN H[SORUHV GH OD 5HQWDœV OLIH IURP KLV XSEULQJLQJ LQ WKH 'RPLQLFDQ Republic through to his ascension to WKH IDVKLRQ HOLWH GUHVVLQJ WKH ZRUOGœV PRVW IDPRXV ZRPHQ 7DOOH\ WHOOV $,5 ³, ZDV LQVSLUHG WR GR WKH ERRN EHFDXVH RI P\ ORYH IRU 2VFDU ZKR ZDV RQH RI P\ ¿UVW IULHQGV LQ IDVKLRQ ZKHQ , began my career in 1975 in New York.

+H UHPDLQHG D IULHQG XQWLO WKH HQG and it seemed just right to me to do this book as a personal tribute, a long personal point that would establish KRZ LPSRUWDQW KLV XQLYHUVH RI VW\OH ZDV EDVHG RQ KLV RZQ DSSURDFK WR VW\OH 1RW RQO\ LQ WKH ZD\ KH VHOHFWHG IDEULF but the way he entertained, decorated, DQG GUHVVHG KLV IULHQGV IURP )LUVW /DGLHV VXFK DV +LOODU\ &OLQWRQ DQG /DXUD %XVK DV ZHOO DV KLV ZLIH $QQHWWH de la Renta, who was in many ways WKH PXVH RI KLV FROOHFWLRQV $V RQH RI the best-dressed women in the world, $QQHWWH GH OD 5HQWD LV D PDLQ IRFXV RI WKLV ERRN DV , ZDQWHG LW WR EH DOPRVW D IDPLO\ H[SHULHQFH 7KH IRUPDW ZDV HDV\ FUHDWH LW OLNH D SHUVRQDO DOEXP RI memories. That is why the text is called ¾7KUHDGV RI 0HPRU\ œ´ The book is indeed packed with LQWLPDWH SHUVRQDO PHPRULHV RI 70

Oscar de la Renta: His Legendary World of Style, by Andrp Leon Talley, is available from Rizzoli now

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the man, and is as much about his SHUVRQDOLW\ DV KLV HIIRUWOHVV ZD\ ZLWK IDEULF DQG GHVLJQ 7DOOH\ VD\V Âł2VFDU ZDV D WUXH IULHQG , VSHQW KROLGD\V ZLWK KLP , DOVR KDG ZRQGHUIXO GLQQHUV ZLWK him in his suite at the Ritz, with his ZLIH 0UV GH OD 5HQWD LQ MHDQV DQG D sweater, and we ate creamed spinach and Ritz hamburgers. Oscar’s home in .HQW >&RQQHFWLFXW@ DV ZHOO DV KLV KRPH LQ WKH 'RPLQLFDQ 5HSXEOLF ZDV DQ LQVSLUDWLRQ (YHU\ GHWDLO ZDV WR FUHDWH OD\HUV RI FRPIRUW DQG SURYLGH KLV JXHVWV ZLWK WKH EHVW RI HYHU\WKLQJ YLHZV PXVLF DQG RI FRXUVH IRRG 7KH JDUGHQV ZHUH VRPHWKLQJ 2VFDU ORYHG LQ KLV homes. He was a passionate gardener DQG ZDV YHU\ KDQGV RQ LQ HYHU\ GHWDLO HYHU\ WRSLDU\ HYHU\ DQJOH , ZDV VR happy to see a lake he created at the EDFN RI KLV KRPH LQ .HQW DIWHU KH GLHG His gardens at Kent are at once, cozy, humble, grand like rooms at Versailles RU DQ (QJOLVK KRXVH \HW WKH\ UHĂ€HFW WKH PDQ DQG KLV ZLIH 2VFDU WDXJKW PH DERXW WKH SURSHU FDUH RI WUHHV +H FDPH to my house one day unannounced and VDLG Âľ<RX KDYH WR SUXQH WKH FDQRS\ RI \RXU WUHHV ´ $QGUp SUXQH WKH FDQRS\ RI \RXU WUHHV Âś 6LQFH WKDW GD\ , KDYH

Oscar was a great dancer, loved to sing and was impeccably turned out KLUHG SURIHVVLRQDOV WR QXWXUH WKH WUHHV on my property that demand attention, DQG LWœV QRW D FKHDS WKLQJ WR KDYH WUHHV pruned.� 'H OD 5HQWDœV FDUHHU H[SORGHG DIWHU KH ZDV RQH RI WKH FRXWXULHUV ZKR GUHVVHG Jacqueline Kennedy in the 1960s, and Talley says that Oscar always UHPHPEHUHG WKH IULHQGV WKDW ZHUH WKHUH IRU KLP LQ WKH HDUO\ GD\V +H UHFDOOV ³9RJXH ZDV D IULHQG DQG KH ZRXOG GR DQ\WKLQJ IRU WKHP DV 9RJXH LQ KLV HDUO\ FDUHHU ZDV SLYRWDO WR KLV VXFFHVV +H always maintained relationships with 9RJXH DQG LWV HGLWRU $QQD :LQWRXU ZDV D WUXH FORVH IULHQG +H ORYHG WKH HGLWRUV WKHUH DQG ZRXOG VWRS HYHU\WKLQJ WR FUHDWH D VSHFLDO GUHVV IRU WKHP 2QH RI P\ IDYRXULWHV LV D GUHVV KH GHVLJQHG IRU 9RJXH SKRWRJUDSKHG E\ $QQLH /HLERZLW] ZKHQ .LUVWHQ 'XQVW ZDV photographed in Versailles to celebrate 6R¿D &RSSRODœV PDUYHORXV ¿OP 0DULH

$QWRLQHWWH 2VFDU ZDV D JUHDW GDQFHU ORYHG WR VLQJ DQG KH ZDV DQ LPSHFFDEO\ turned out man. He always dressed LQ WKH (XURSHDQ PDQQHU 6XLWHG DQG JURRPHG DQG D EHDXWLIXO EOD]HU ZLWK MHDQV RQ ZHHNHQGV +LV GHHS YRLFH ZDV DWWUDFWLYH DQG ZKHQ \RX ZHUH LQ KLV FRPSDQ\ \RX VLPSO\ PDGH HIIRUWV WR OLYH XS WR KLV LGHD RI ZKDW KH EHOLHYHG D JRRG IULHQG PXVW EH <RX PDGH FRORVVDO HIIRUWV DV 2VFDU DOZD\V PDGH PRQXPHQWDO HIIRUWV DV D IULHQG LQ VR many ways. He was always loyal.â€? /R\DO KDUGZRUNLQJ DQG D ERQDÂżGH JHQLXV ,W VHHPV WKH ZRUOG ZLOO WUXO\ QHYHU UHSODFH WKH EHORYHG FRXWXULHU 7DOOH\ DJUHHV Âł2VFDU GH OD 5HQWDÂśV OLIH ZDV WKH $PHULFDQ GUHDP +H FDPH WR $PHULFD EXLOW D IDVKLRQ HPSLUH DQG OLYHG KLV OLIH DV KH GLUHFWHG LW +H ZDV DOZD\V WKH PDQ ZKR PDGH WKH ÂżQDO decision in his exalted career. He was $PHULFDÂśV PDVWHU RI HOHJDQFH ´ 72

Opening page: De la Renta takes measurements This page, clockwise from left: Last minute alterations; Eliza Reed Bolen’s wedding gown; Inspecting a work in progress

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SUPER NATURAL Liya Kebede is the supermodel that’s done it all. She tells Katie Glass about her dream acting role, and making her way from Ethiopia to the world’s most exclusive runways

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lub 55 — where Elton John lunches when he’s in St Tropez — is the kind of ultrachic beachside restaurant where people in diamond-encrusted Rolexes indulge in three-hour lunches of lobster, while out-ordering each other with magnums of champagne. But when I arrive there to meet the supermodel Liya Kebede, VKH LV QRW ÀDVKLQJ FDVK DPRQJ WKH ostentatious throng. Instead, she’s sitting alone on the beach. Kebede is here to launch The Outnet’s

edit of highsummer clothes: a collection of beachy cover-ups, swimwear and Ă€LUW\ GUHVVHV 7RGD\ VKHÂśV ZHDULQJ ORRVH cotton trousers and an orange shirt that could pass for pyjamas. “I like being comfortable. I like being effortless,â€? she says. She has no make-up on, her hair is messily up and she’s drinking a fullsugar Coke, so it’s hard to believe this was the woman photographed in a Dior Haute Couture jumpsuit and curls on the cover of May’s Paris Vogue. But then, nothing about this intense, 74

VHULRXV IDFHG SRZHUKRXVH ÂżWV WKH FOLFKpG YDFDQW RU Ă€DVK\ IDVKLRQ PRGHO mould. She sums this up nicely when I ask about her dream acting role: “I think at one time or another, we’ve all dreamt of being a Bond girl — but more interesting than they usually are.â€? 3HUKDSV WKH ÂżUVW IHPDOH %RQG" Âł<HV , like that idea a lot.â€? Twenty years in the industry and Kebede — now 37 — is remarkably grounded. Growing up in Ethiopia gave her “perspectiveâ€?, she thinks. Between

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limos, red carpets and parties with Karlie Kloss, her glamorous Instagram feed is interrupted with CNN news VWRULHV DERXW ,VLV 1HZ <RUNHU FRYHUV and quotations by Eleanor Roosevelt: “Women are like tea bags; you never know how strong they are until they’re put in hot water.â€? “I love it,â€? she grins. “I thought it was quite brilliant.â€? Not that she is exactly easy-going. I ask about her childhood, and she sighs, irritated: “This is going to take a long time.â€? She seems a little snappy and easily bored, but perhaps it’s this restless temperament that has driven her to achieve so much away from the catwalk. Establishing herself as a designer and philanthropist, in 2010 she was named one of Time magazine’s PRVW LQĂ€XHQWLDO SHRSOH DORQJVLGH Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey. Whenever I ask a question, Kebede pauses, letting an awkward silence hang, before replying. Perhaps she is always like this. Perhaps it’s because she has recently got into mindfulness, taking a trip around Bali inspired by (DW 3UD\ /RYH Âł<RX GRQÂśW NQRZ ZKHUH your inspiration will come from — VRPHWLPHV D FKHHV\ ÂżOP ´ VKH VD\V 2U perhaps she is hesitant about doing an interview in which she will reveal, for WKH ÂżUVW WLPH WKDW VKH KDV VHSDUDWHG from her husband of 15 years, Kassy Kebede, a hedge-fund manager, 20 years her senior, and the father of her two children — Suhul, 14, and Raee, 10. .HEHGH ÂżUVW GLVFRYHUHG PRGHOOLQJ in Ethiopia. Born into a middle-class family in Addis Ababa, her father was an airline executive and her mother worked in PR; she has four brothers. It wasn’t until she was scouted by a )UHQFK ÂżOP GLUHFWRU DW KHU KLJK VFKRRO the LycĂŠe Guebre Mariam in Addis $EDED DQG DIWHU VKH KDG ÂżQLVKHG KHU studies, that she moved to Paris. “I GHÂżQLWHO\ KDG D ELW RI D FXOWXUH VKRFN ZKHQ , ÂżUVW ODQGHG LQ 3DULV IURP P\ Ethiopian fashion experience — it was such an amateur thing we were doing in Ethiopia, we did our own hair and make-up, brought our own shoes to the job. When I got to Paris I realised it was competitive and a business, not just for laughs but a career. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to do it.â€? She was a “serious studentâ€?, interested in literature and writing.

Right now she’s working her way through the classics and hunting down Haruki Murakami’s new book. Modelling was originally just meant to IXQG KHU VWXGLHV ÂżUVW LQ 3DULV DQG ODWHU when she moved to the US — to Chicago DQG WKHQ 1HZ <RUN Âł, GLGQÂśW WKLQN modelling would be what it was. I really learnt along the way,â€? she says. It wasn’t clear she’d be especially VXFFHVVIXO 6KH VWUXJJOHG DW ÂżUVW DQG worked for catalogues. Then Tom Ford handpicked her for his 2000 catwalk for Gucci and her career exploded. In 2002, French Vogue declared May “All About Liyaâ€? month and she went RQ WR EHFRPH WKH ÂżUVW EODFN IDFH RI EstĂŠe Lauder, appearing on catwalks, in campaigns and on covers for every big name in fashion. She is one of the few ethnic-minority supermodels, and her May Vogue cover — shot by Inez 9LQRRGK ² ZDV WKH ÂżUVW LQ ZKLFK D model of colour has appeared alone since 2010.

Kebede’s clothing line, Lemlem, sells traditional, woven Ethiopian clothing Kebede says that initially, she wasn’t aware her colour would be an issue for her career, but “the minute you get in, it’s quite blatant, so you really face it head onâ€?. Only very recently — “in the past yearâ€? — has she seen attitudes change. “It wasn’t gradual, there was a push all of a sudden, I think because it has become an issue and people are really working to bring it into visibility. In terms of campaigns and covers, it’s very new. It’s hard to know if it has staying power. A lot of talk about diversity was around shows but for me, it’s not enough. For the consumer, who’s not looking at the runway, who is looking at magazines, that’s when you see a difference.â€? Ageism is also rife, she thinks. What DERXW -RDQ 'LGLRQ SRVLQJ IRU &pOLQH" Âł$ one-off,â€? she says. “I think it [fashion] is getting younger and younger. Sometimes when you’re on shoots with JLUOV DQG \RX ÂżQG RXW KRZ ROG WKH\ are, it’s, like, ‘Wow.’ If you look at the runway, it surprises me when I see the girls — they’re pretty young.â€? 77

One thing Kebede feels has changed is the fashion industry’s approach to mothers. She got pregnant right at the start of her career, walking Tom Ford’s runway with morning sickness, GHVSHUDWH WKDW QR RQH ZRXOG ÂżQG RXW Âł, had to hide it and be really strong about it.â€? Having just had her big break, she worried her career was already over. “It’s fashion, so it’s hard to be relevant a year later. At that time, having children was really rare. Now I feel people are having them and you just come back and continue, but then I was one of the very few ones to actually have a child starting my career. I took the risk, but it worked out.â€? She smiles. “For me, having a child was priceless.â€? The balancing and juggling involved in being a working mum is “not easyâ€?, but it has helped her prioritise, given her an escape from the fashion bubble and allowed her to connect with other women, she says. After Kebede’s children were born, the World Health Organization approached her to become an ambassador, alongside which she launched the Liya Kebede Foundation, campaigning for maternal health for African women. Growing up in Ethiopia, she knew that women often died in childbirth. What amazed her was learning that “90% of those deaths are preventable. I thought the risk of you dying was just normal.â€? Her foundation raises awareness — “putting the message out there through social media so it becomes more of a discussion and the government will focus on it moreâ€? — and supports training and education about safe birth services. Meanwhile, Kebede’s clothing line, Lemlem, sells traditional, woven Ethiopian clothing in an effort to support a dying art and create employment — sustainable aid. A platespinner, Kebede sees herself as part of a new movement of ‘renaissance women’. “All these women who are very modern, we’re all in that space of multitasking. Everyone is a mother, runs something, has passions. Sort of the new woman.â€? I ask if she considers fashion open to feminism and she seems amazed by the TXHVWLRQ Âł)DVKLRQ LV UXQ E\ ZRPHQ So, yeah, I think it’s the one place where women really shine.â€? In her own quiet, somewhat grumpy way, Kebede does, too.

Motoring SEPTEMBER 2015 : ISSUE 52

Wired for Sound AIR

Meet the people who make sure a Porsche sounds like a Porsche. Michl Koch visits the sound designers in the acoustics lab at the Weissach Research and Development Center

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his is clearly not your average sound studio. The walls are covered with gray, wedgeshaped sound-insulating elements; in the middle, a mahogany metallic 911 is mounted on a dynamometer. In front of it, the device resembling an oversized microphone is actually an acoustic camera. Welcome to the realm of Porsche’s sound designers. Here in the acoustics lab in Weissach, 'U %HUQKDUG 3IlIÀLQ KHDG RI development for vibration technology and acoustics, and his team compose the unmistakable Porsche sound. The sound room provides a perfect environment for them to record sources RI QRLVH ZLWKRXW UHÀHFWLRQV DQG WR pinpoint sources of noise emanating from the car through the use of the acoustic camera. The recordings are all collected in a kind of media library.

These soundtracks—including the thrilling melody of the naturally aspirated boxer engines, the crescendo of the valve trains, and the tempered trumpeting of the exhaust system can be mixed on the computer and ¿QH WXQHG LQ D PDQQHU VLPLODU WR a musical recording. When a new model is being developed, the sound experts know what it will sound like even before the prototypes hit the track. And, of course, there are always improvements to be made to comply with ever-stricter noise restrictions being implemented in countries around the world. The challenge is to make cars noticeably quieter to the outside world while simultaneously transmitting the wondrous sound of the Porsche drivetrain to the interior with clarity and verve. Designing this sound is the passion of the acoustic engineers. 78

The term ‘sound design’ can be somewhat misleading, as it suggests that the sound of the car in action can simply be constructed and played back like a recording. But the song of WKH 3RUVFKH HQJLQH LV QRW DUWLÂżFLDOO\ FUHDWHG LWÂśV DXWKHQWLF DV 3IlIĂ€LQ emphasizes. “The task is to present the existing acoustics in the most favorable way. It’s not an end in itself. Instead, we strive to accentuate the message that an engine transmits naturally in the most VXLWDEOH ZD\ RU WR FDUHIXOO\ ÂżOWHU DQG insulate certain overtones that threaten to overwhelm the overall harmony.â€? The Weissach team uses applied physics dating back to scientist Hermann Ludwig Ferdinand von Helmholtz, who lived and worked in Berlin some 150 years ago. His insights into acoustics are still valid today. As a matter of fact, sound

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experts still swear by the formula, “If you’ve got a handle on Helmholtz, you’ve got the sound under control.â€? The Helmholtz resonator, which von Helmholtz developed to help him identify frequencies and musical pitches, has been used by Porsche for years to help create the ultimate sound in every model. This modern version is a little box in the intake duct which varies the sound depending on the load and engine speed by means of an electrically controlled valve similar to the keys on a saxophone. But one principle remains ironclad: LW FDQÂśW VDFULÂżFH SRZHU RU WRUTXH DQG it can’t increase the weight - let alone GHFUHDVH HIÂżFLHQF\ Âł:HÂśUH UHOHQWOHVVO\ uncompromising here at Porsche. Of course the feedback that good sound engenders is extremely important. But performance continues to be our highest priority,â€? says Porsche’s top acoustics expert. Another system the acoustics team uses to highlight the Porsche sound is the sound symposer. This is not a speaker, but rather a sort of sound path, a line for tones consisting of a plastic hose with a gas-impermeable membrane. That’s how it transports the passionate trumpeting of the intake

pipe, for example, into the cockpit. Because most drivers perceive the engine note differently, it’s possible to dial in just the right amount -using D ÀDS YDOYH DQG WKH JDV LPSHUPHDEOH seal through a membrane that works something like the human eardrum. What does that mean in practice? As soon as the driver hits the Sport button on the center console, sharpening the responsiveness of the transmission, HQJLQH DQG VXVSHQVLRQ WKH ÀDSV LQ the sound symposer and the Helmholtz resonator open to allow unrestricted ÀRZ LQWHQVLI\LQJ WKH QDWXUDO VRXQG RI the Porsche engine. If the intensity of the sound becomes too dominant, you can switch back to comfort mode and cruise along quietly. The acoustic feedback doesn’t just add a bit of oomph to the driving experience - it also sharpens the driver’s perception of the engine’s degree of exertion. The driver should have a direct and unvarnished take on exactly how much of the Porsche’s vaunted torque and acceleration is currently EHLQJ XVHG %HUQKDUG 3IlIÀLQ WDNHV D VFLHQWL¿F DSSURDFK ³7KH REMHFWLYH is to accurately convey the operating state of the car to the driver. This state can change very rapidly through 80

strong acceleration or the exceptional EUDNHV $W WKH VDPH WLPH VSHFL¿FDOO\ designed acoustics can assist the driver in assessing and interpreting this performance spectrum more precisely.� One thing that the sound makes clearer is acceleration. An overly quiet car - acoustics experts refer to this as decoupling - could lead the driver to underestimate speed. A lack of sound could lure some drivers into thinking that they are moving quite slowly at 125 mph. Such a misapprehension not only FRXOG PDNH LW PRUH GLI¿FXOW WR DGKHUH to the speed limit; on highway exits with tight curves, for example, a precise sense of the car’s degree of exertion plays a very important role. This sense of speed makes it much easier for the driver to assess the appropriate limits. With largely decoupled acoustics, the driver can only rely on the speedometer, whose abstract signal

A lack of sound could lure some drivers into thinking they are moving slowly at 125mph can lead to misinterpretations. The acoustics engineers spend a great deal RI WLPH ¿OWHULQJ RXW LUULWDWLQJ QRLVHV Bernd Müller, sound designer for the Carrera model line, explains, “In the beginning, a new engine sounds like a rolling caravan of oil pumps.” Porsche models have several of these pumps on board, and these pumps distinguish each new prototype with the mechanical whine that characterizes all gearwheels. “At this point the key is to insulate these noises so that they don’t disturb the driving experience.”

To soften the high-pitched clicketyclack of the valve train, for example, the acoustics pros painstakingly develop ribbed valve covers. Likewise, power motors for the steering, airconditioning system, and windshield wipers have nothing to do with dynamic car control and should ideally fade away into the orchestra pit of oblivion. Now you might think that the rearand mid-engine model lines—the 911 and the Boxster/Cayman—make the DFRXVWLFV HQJLQHHUV¶ MRE VLJQL¿FDQWO\ easier than those with front engines. After all, with their boxer engines’ inclination toward more raw overtones, they produce a notably sporty sound backdrop that always sounds a bit like a race car and whets the appetite for some high-revving fun. “With the Cayenne, Panamera, or Macan, the distance between the 81

engine and the driver is a bit greater,” 3IlIÀLQ VD\V ³%XW WKH FRUH RI RXU activities remains the same: we make audible what the engine is doing, although the V-engine series make for a more subdued spectrum. “The motivation for our work is unchanged: as soon as the feel for the engine load is clearly and unambiguously transmitted to the driver, he drives better - and is usually happier as well.” $UWL¿FLDOO\ JHQHUDWLQJ VRXQGV DQG adding them to the drive spectrum through speakers is absolutely out of the question. It’s a bit like the German beer purity law, the “Reinheitsgebot,” ZKLFK SURKLELWV DOO DUWL¿FLDO DURPDV and additives. What you hear is only what the engine begets: Pure Porsche. For the designers in Weissach, it’s literally music to their ears.

Gastronomy

AIR

SEPTEMBER 2015 : ISSUE 52

New York City Cool Shaun Hergatt is the Australian chef taking over New York - his 31st-street restaurant Juni opened in 2013, and is already gathering Michelin stars. He talks to AIR about his city, his future and why he doesn’t focus on the accolades WORDS : RICHARD JENKINS

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s well as being home to VRPH RI WKH ZRUOG¶V ¿QHVW museums, galleries and ODQGPDUNV 1HZ <RUN KDV DOVR VHO¿VKO\ KRDUGHG PDQ\ RI LWV EHVW UHVWDXUDQWV Places like Eleven Madison Park, Per Se, and Le Bernardin are just a few of WKH ¿QH GLQLQJ YHQXHV WKDW FXOWXUHG JDVWURQRPHV FRQWLQXH WR ÀRFN WRZDUGV Opening a restaurant then, in this XOWUD FRPSHWLWLYH HQYLURQPHQW LV QRW IRU WKH ZHDN ZLOOHG )RUWXQDWHO\ IRU $XVWUDOLDQ ERUQ FKHI 6KDXQ +HUJDWW DPELWLRQ LV QRW LQ VKRUW VXSSO\ +LV restaurant Juni opened at the end of DQG ZDV VZLIWO\ QDPHG µ%HVW 1HZ

5HVWDXUDQW¶ E\ 1HZ <RUN¶V LQÀXHQWLDO (VTXLUH PDJD]LQH $ 0LFKHOLQ VWDU GXO\ IROORZHG WR DGG WR WKH WZR WKDW +HUJDWW KDG DFTXLUHG ZKLOH UXQQLQJ KLV SUHYLRXV UHVWDXUDQW 6+2 LQ WKH )LQDQFLDO 'LVWULFW \HDU ROG +HUJDWW JUHZ XS LQ D FXOLQDU\ RULHQWHG IDPLO\ LQ &DLUQV Australia, and loved food from a \RXQJ DJH ZKHUH KH ZDV H[SRVHG WR FRRNLQJ E\ ZD\ RI KLV 6FDQGLQDYLDQ grandmother and his father, a SURIHVVLRQDO FKHI +HUJDWW WHOOV $,5 ³0\ JUDQGPRWKHU XVHG WR FRRN ZLWK PH DW D YHU\ \RXQJ DJH DQG FKLOGKRRG memories of planting seeds or picking 82

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My love of art still plays a crucial role in my approach to food as cooking has enabled me to combine both passions cherries with her are still a great source RI LQVSLUDWLRQ WR PH 0\ IDWKHU ZDV DOVR D FKHI DQG VR ZHUH DOO RI KLV IULHQGV VR , was in and around commercial kitchens ZKHQ , ZDV \RXQJ DQG UHDOO\ HDUO\ RQ cooking kept popping up as a possible FDUHHU SDWK :KLOH , ZDV VWLOO DW VFKRRO DV D WHHQDJHU , ZRUNHG LQ D KRWHO ZKHUH , NHSW ¿QGLQJ P\VHOI GUDZQ WR ZKDW was happening in the kitchen and, DOWKRXJK LQ KLJK VFKRRO , ZDV YHU\ passionate about art and considered JRLQJ WR XQLYHUVLW\ WR VWXG\ +LVWRU\ RI $UW , VRRQ VWDUWHG IHHOLQJ OLNH IRRG ZDV SDUW RI P\ GHVWLQ\ DQG D KXJH SDUW RI P\ LGHQWLW\ 0\ ORYH RI DUW VWLOO SOD\V D FUXFLDO UROH LQ P\ DSSURDFK WR IRRG as cooking has enabled me to combine ERWK SDVVLRQV Growing up on a farm also meant that nature was an important SDUW RI P\ HGXFDWLRQ 5HVSHFWLQJ and understanding ingredients is VRPHWKLQJ WKDW LV FHQWUDO WR P\ KHULWDJH XSEULQJLQJ DQG P\ GD\ WR GD\ OLIH DQG LW¶V WKHVH HDUO\ H[SHULHQFHV WKDW KDYH OHG PH WR ZKHUH , DP WRGD\ ´ :KHUH KH LV WRGD\ LV KHOPLQJ -XQL RQH RI 1HZ <RUN¶V PRVW LQ GHPDQG UHVWDXUDQWV ,WV WDVWLQJ PHQX LV LQVSLUHG E\ QDWXUH DQG SOD\V RXW WKURXJK DOO ¿YH VHQVHV (DFK HYHQLQJ WKUHH VHSDUDWH PHQXV DUH RIIHUHG +HUELYRUH 2PQLYRUH DQG WKH VSHFLDO &KHI¶V 7DVWLQJ 6R ZKDW GLG LW PHDQ WR +HUJDWW WR VWDUW FROOHFWLQJ DZDUGV VR VRRQ DIWHU RSHQLQJ" +H VD\V ³,W¶V D great honour to have recognition and a great credit to the team’s hard work and dedication from the back to the IURQW RI KRXVH ,W¶V DQ DFNQRZOHGJHPHQW RI H[FHOOHQFH )RU PH WKH PRVW rewarding thing in the world is that our reputation here at Juni keeps growing DQG LPSURYLQJ ,W¶V DOO DERXW TXDOLW\ Ratings are important to recognize the H[SHULHQFH FUHDWHG IRU RXU OR\DO FOLHQWV ZKLFK LQ UHWXUQ EXLOGV \RXU UHSXWDWLRQ 7KDW LV P\ JRDO 7KDW LV ZKDW , GULYH IRU , EHOLHYH LI \RX ZRUN KDUG VXFFHVV IROORZV ´ 84

Opening Page : Spring Inspiration by Signe Birck This Page, clockwise from far left: Shaun Hergatt; dishes by Shaun Hergatt; Kumamoto oysters, apple and ginger gelee, yogurt comb by Signe Birck; Inside Juni New York

,Q WKH FURZGHG ZRUOG RI KDXWH cuisine, it takes more than a solid understanding of food to differentiate \RXUVHOI +HUJDWW GHVFULEHV KLV ZRUN DV µ&XOLQDU\ $UW ¶ VD\LQJ ³$UW LV D KXJH SDUW RI P\ OLIH , OLYH IRU DUW , ZDNH XS WKLQNLQJ DERXW LW DQG , SURGXFH LW 0\ FXOLQDU\ LQVSLUDWLRQ FRPHV IURP GLIIHUHQW H[SHULHQFHV RI DUW WKURXJKRXW WKH GD\ VR , DOZD\V NHHS P\ SKRQH FORVH VR WKDW , UHFRUG HYHU\WKLQJ DV FUHDWLYLW\ VWULNHV , NHHS P\ VNHWFKSDG HYHQ FORVHU VR , FDQ YLVXDOL]H P\ GLVKHV EHIRUH , SODWH WKHP 'LVKHV OLNH +HDUWV RI 3DOP ZKLFK LQFRUSRUDWHV ZKLWH ÀDYRXUV RI DOPRQGV ZDV LQVSLUHG E\ WKH GHVLUH WR UHFUHDWH WKH ÀRZLQJ VLON RI D ODG\¶V EORXVH DQG LWV ZRQGHUIXO PRYHPHQW 7KLV LV DQ H[DPSOH RI KRZ WKH HYHU\GD\ H[SHULHQFH RI DUW LQ P\ OLIH LQÀXHQFHV WKH GLVKHV , FUHDWH DQG EHFRPHV P\ RZQ FXOLQDU\ GHVLJQ ´ ,W ZRXOG EH HDV\ WR SLFN 1HZ <RUN DV having the best restaurant scene in the ZRUOG +HUJDWW KRZHYHU VD\V ³>,W¶V@ REMHFWLYH LW¶V DQ RSLQLRQ 1HZ <RUN LV an ever moving, ever evolving stage where the chef can be at the top of the ZRUOG ZLWK WKH RSSRUWXQLW\ WR FUHDWH something that 12 million people could SRVVLEO\ H[SHULHQFH DQG DSSUHFLDWH and access to great produce, but all FLWLHV KDYH WKHLU RZQ WHUURLU ,W¶V QRW DERXW EHLQJ WKH EHVW QHFHVVDULO\ LW¶V DERXW WKH KHDUW VRXO DQG LQGLYLGXDOLW\ WKDW \RX FDQ DOVR ¿QG LQ FLWLHV OLNH /RQGRQ 3DULV 7RN\R RU 6\GQH\ >,Q WKH IXWXUH@ /RQGRQ ZRXOG FHUWDLQO\ EH D YHU\ DSSHDOLQJ RSWLRQ EHFDXVH it’s a European hub as well as being a &RPPRQZHDOWK &RXQWU\ ZLWK ORWV RI IHOORZ $XVVLHV , WKLQN LW¶V LPSRUWDQW WR EH LQWHOOLJHQW DERXW ZKHUH \RX VHW XS DQG WR XQGHUVWDQG \RXU EXVLQHVV DQG \RXU PDUNHW DQG /RQGRQ LV D YHU\ FUHDWLYH DQG LQWHOOLJHQW FLW\ LQ terms of cuisine and a place in which , IHHO , FRXOG SODQW WKH VHHGV RI D QHZ restaurant and watch them blossom DQG EH DSSUHFLDWHG IXOO\ ´ 7KH ZRUOG RI JDVWURQRP\ ZLOO EH ZDWFKLQJ +HUJDWW¶V QH[W PRYH YHU\ FDUHIXOO\ LQGHHG 85

Travel SEPTEMBER 2015 : ISSUE 52

Take Five The new ‘Big 5’ to spot isn’t on safari in Africa – it’s in North America.

AIR

WORDS : JAMES LITSTON

A bull elk standing in brush along the Snake River in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

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wahili in origin, the word ‘safari’ immediately conjures images of big game and African plains, but there’s an American iteration of the experience too. It’s 6am on a June morning in Jackson Hole, :\RPLQJ DQG DV WKH ÂżUVW OLJKW RI GDZQ chases shadows from the heart of the Old West I’m about to embark on a very American safari. It’s an early start, but this is the optimal time to seek wolves, bears, bison, moose and elk: the American Big Five. Wildlife tours by minibus abound in Jackson Hole, but my own experience SURPLVHV PRUH ÂżQHVVH ,ÂśP VWD\LQJ at Aman Resorts’ Wyoming outpost Amangani and my private tour by BMW 4X4 is exclusive to guests at the property. Accompanying me this summer morning is Jared Paul, who KHDGV $PDQJDQLÂśV ÂżYH VWURQJ WHDP of guides. Bears, Jared tells me as we depart, are the animals that most guests want to see, but all the Big Five are possible here. We start by scanning the hotel’s impressive vista for signs of life. Amangani sits on a bluff overlooking verdant meadows and the snowy peaks of Grand Teton National Park. The landscape forms part of Greater Yellowstone (one of the continent’s last intact ecosystems, it is being justly celebrated during this year’s centenary of the US National Park Service) and is home to all the region’s megafauna. 2XU ÂżUVW VLJKWLQJ FRPHV EHIRUH we’ve even left the resort. As we GHVFHQG WKH EOXIIÂśV ZRRGHG Ă€DQNV Jared’s trained eyes spot movement. A young moose, a yearling, is emerging from the aspens with its mother close behind. They canter across the hillside on preposterously long legs DQ DGDSWDWLRQ -DUHG H[SODLQV IRU manoeuvring in deep snow. 'ULYLQJ RQ WKURXJK WKH Ă€DWODQGV we stop to allow a herd of elk, their KDOI JURZQ DQWOHUV HQFDVHG LQ YHOYHW cross the road and disappear into the trees. Then, pulses racing, we spot a GRJ OLNH FUHDWXUH WURWWLQJ DFURVV WKH pasture. Not a wolf, alas, but its cousin the coyote, its fur dark and heavy with morning dew. It searches the grass for a breakfast of mice before wandering out of sight. 87

Continuing into the National Park, the JUDVVODQGV JLYH ZD\ WR VDJHEUXVK Ă€DWV where sunburst blooms of arrowleaf balsam add splashes of bright, spring FRORXU 7KHVH PRXQWDLQ Ă€DQNHG Ă€DWODQGV JLYH -DFNVRQ +ROH LWV QDPH (“holeâ€? being an old word for valley) and were created thousands of years DJR E\ PHOWZDWHU IURP D PLOH WKLFN ice cap. Sagebrush is the bison’s preferred habitat; and sure enough, D JURXS RI WKHVH $PHULFDQ LFRQV VR QHDUO\ H[WLUSDWHG LQ WKH V FRPHV lumbering over the plain with a cohort of dainty pronghorn antelope. With three of the Big Five now crossed off the list, our focus shifts to the predators. Wolves and bears, Jared admits, will be harder to come by, but his knowledge of the animals’ habits VKRXOG JLYH XV D ÂżJKWLQJ FKDQFH $W WKLV time of year, grizzly bears descend on riparian willow thickets, knowing that moose gather here to drop their calves. We stop to scan a suitable expanse from an elevated lookout, but spy nothing beyond a sandhill crane stalking elegantly through the sedge. We try again at Oxbow Bend, a renowned beauty spot where bald HDJOHV DQG SHOLFDQV ÂżVK LQ WKH VORZ Ă€RZLQJ ULYHU *UL]]OLHV IUHTXHQW WKLV place, too; and indeed, a telltale cluster of cars down a track suggests that bears may be nearby. But encountering grizzlies in such crowded company is not the experience I’m after. Instead, we head to Signal Mountain, a reliable site for black bears. Luck, once again, is against us; EXW WKH YLHZ IURP WKH WRS LV VXIÂżFLHQW reward. The valley stretching out below is dotted with herds of wild animals, behind which the mighty Tetons drift into view among shifting clouds. It’s a wonderful glimpse into what the Wild West must have looked like centuries ago. And although my day is turning out to be bereft of bears, I’m happy just knowing they’re out there in this epic wilderness. Suites at Amangani cost from $700 (ÂŁ450) per night, room-only. Bon 9R\DJH FDQ SDFNDJH ÂżYH QLJKWV ZLWK Ă€LJKWV DQG FDU KLUH IURP Â… SHU SHUVRQ $PDQJDQLÂśV KDOI GD\ ZLOGOLIH WRXUV FRVW IURP Â… IRU XS WR four guests.

What I Know Now

AIR

SEPTEMBER 2015 : ISSUE 52

Robert Bailey SENIOR CUTTER, HUNTSMAN SAVILE ROW

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