AIR Magazine - DCA - August/September'20 by Hot Media

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020

JOHN DAVID WASHINGTON

Born To Be Wild Collection | messika.com

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Contents

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Credit: La comtesse de Bourbon Busset, robe de Lanvin Castillomai 1957 ® Atelier Robert Doisneau

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020: ISSUE 108

FEATURES Thirty Six

Forty

On the Right Path

Check Mate

Forty Six

Fifty Two

How John David Washington turned to American football to escape his father’s shadow, but found his freedom in acting.

As Chopard continues its quest for sustainable luxury, Caroline Scheufele tells of its latest ground-breaking project.

Burberry’s creative officer Riccardo Tisci talks transformation, survival, and family traditions.

Why Robert Doisneau’s real passion was far removed from the social elite of Paris he was famed for shooting for Vogue.

Striking Out Alone

Candid Camera

Contents

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020: ISSUE 108

REGULARS Fourteen

Radar

Sixteen

Critique Twenty

Art & Design Twenty Four

EDITORIAL

Objects of Desire

Chief Creative Officer

John Thatcher

Twenty Six

john@hotmedia.me

Timepieces

ART

Thirty

Art Director

Jewellery

Kerri Bennett

AIR

Sixty Two

Illustration

Gastronomy

Leona Beth

Sixty Six

COMMERCIAL

Journeys by Jet

Managing Director

Victoria Thatcher

Sixty Eight

General Manager

What I Know Now

David Wade

david@hotmedia.me

PRODUCTION Digital Media Manager

Muthu Kumar Contributors

Faye Bartle, Nick Watkins

Fifty Eight

Motoring The worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first luxury pureelectric hyper GT comes courtesy of Automobili Pininfarina, the Italian brand with a rich heritage that Nick Watkins delves into.

Tel: 00971 4 364 2876 Fax: 00971 4 369 7494 Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission from HOT Media is strictly prohibited. HOT Media does not accept liability for any omissions or errors in AIR.

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DC Aviation Al-Futtaim AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020: ISSUE 108

Welcome Onboard AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020

As a premium service provider in the Middle East serving the private and business jets of the region and beyond, we are truly committed to the standards of the DC Aviation Group of companies. We are striving to deliver the highest level of quality in all areas, driven by the know-how of our people and their dedication to the business. Be it for an aircraft owner, charter passenger, or even the flight and cabin crew, private and business jet travel revolves around time saving and maximum comfort. If you are travelling to and from Dubai, DC Aviation Al-Futtaim is your perfect choice. From our exclusive FBO and hangar facility at Al Maktoum International Airport, we are able to save you time and offer you a luxurious ambience, whether you’re departing or arriving in your aircraft. We operate the only integrated private and business jet facility within the Dubai World Central (DWC) district where slot and parking restrictions are a matter of the past. With Dubai International Airport becoming the world’s busiest airport, private and business jet flights are severely restricted. However, that is not the case at Dubai’s new hub for executive aviation. We welcome you onboard, and trust you’ll enjoy your flight experience – as well as our 100 percent satisfaction promise.

Cover: John David Washington Williams+Hirakawa/AUGUST

Holger Ostheimer Managing Director, DC Aviation Al-Futtaim Contact Details: dc-aviation.ae T. +971 (0) 4 870 1800 9

DC Aviation Al-Futtaim AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020: ISSUE 108

DC Aviation Group announces the successful upgrade of a Global 5000 Aircraft updated with the Gogo Elite Smart Cabin System

The DC Aviation Group has completed the successful upgrade of a Global 5000 with the Gogo Elite Smart Cabin System (SCS Elite). The aircraft was also equipped with an Inmarsat SwiftBroadband High Data Rate Service and a new satellite communication system, successfully completing the major maintenance contract on schedule. With the highly integrated intelligent cabin system, passengers can control the cabin environment with a single interface. The Inmarsat SwiftBroadband High Data Rate (HDR) system offers significantly improved 10

data transmission rates. The satellite communication system could also be seamlessly adapted to today’s standards. Jürgen Sehne, Vice President Maintenance & CAMO of DC Aviation, advises: “With the installation of the Smart Cabin System, we offer our customers the highest level of functionality and comfort. Thanks to our network, we have products that are technologically state-of-theart and our know-how enables us to install them in a wide range of aircraft types”.

THE HOME OF PRIVATE AVIATION AT THE SPEED OF BUSINESS

Passion for excellence is our trademark. In everything we do, our goal is to meet and surpass your expectations. Our highly trained staff are always on hand to ensure your complete satisfaction, both on the ground and in the air. Our unrivalled facilities located at Dubai World Central guarantee your utmost discretion, comfort and convenience every time you fly.

DC Aviation Al-Futtaim AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020: ISSUE 108

48-month check including future mandates of a Challenger 605 successfully completed Check on a Challenger 605 completed at maintenance centre at Stuttgart Airport

DC Aviationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Maintenance team at Stuttgart Airport has successfully completed a 48-month check on a Challenger 605. The comprehensive maintenance work included a full cabin refurbishment, using the latest materials and painting work. In addition, an extended upgrade of the Proline 21 avionics system was implemented. This includes the installation of ADS-B (Automatic Dependent SurveillanceBroadcast). This air traffic control system for displaying aircraft movements in airspace has been mandatory in the USA and the UAE since January 1, 2020. This system enables the aircraft's route to be tracked, as it determines its exact flight position via satellite navigation and periodically 12

broadcasts it. The upgrade also includes the implementation of the TOSE (TakeOff Safety Enhancement) system. JĂźrgen Sehne, Vice President Maintenance & CAMO of DC Aviation said: "Our maintenance team expertly completed the complex work to the highest levels of reliability and safety. Through intelligent planning, we are able to ensure smooth workflows and meet tight ground times". DC Aviation offers line and base maintenance services for a wide range of aircraft types in a specially equipped 5,000 square meter hangar at Stuttgart Airport (EDDS) and a 12,500 square meter approved

maintenance facility at Al Maktoum International Airport (OMDW) in Dubai. DC Aviation maintains a large parts inventory and special tools for specific aircraft, a battery and wheel shop, testing equipment and a maintenance logistics centre. Unconventional repairs and modifications can also be completed on an efficient and flexible basis, taking into account a customer's flight requirements. DC Aviation's comprehensive CAMO approval fulfils all EASA requirements for maintenance and airworthiness certification. These and other measures form a solid base for the sustainable preservation of the value and maximum availability of every maintained aircraft.

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L E A DING T H E WAY

Radar AUGUST/SEPTEMBER ISSUE 108

Image: By Mikael Jansson © Chanel

AIR

The spirit of romantic rebellion was in the air at Chanel during lockdown. “I was thinking about a punk princess coming out of ‘Le Palace’ at dawn,” reveals Virginie Viard of her Fall/Winter 2020/21 haute couture collection. “With a taffeta dress, big hair, feathers and lots of jewellery.” Viard’s imagination has been brought to life across 30 pieces, on which all of Chanel’s embroidery partners demonstrate their mastery; tweed, that ubiquitous code of the house, painstakingly embellished with sequins, strass, stones and beads by gifted hands. “This collection is more inspired by Karl Lagerfeld than Gabrielle Chanel. Karl would go to ‘Le Palace’, he would accompany these very sophisticated and very dressed up women, who were very eccentric too.”

Critique AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 : ISSUE 108

Film Unhinged Dir: Derrick Borte Russel Crowe stars as ‘the man’ in a psychological thriller that sees a road rage incident develop into a dangerous game of cat and mouse. AT BEST: ‘With a pulse-pounding combination of old school thrills and a terrific lead performance, it’s the perfect escapism for these troubled times.’ – Matthew Turner, Hero Collector AT WORST: ‘Despite strong performances from its two leads, Unhinged has very little to say about – well, anything.’ – Vicky Roach, The Daily Telegraph (Australia)

The Secret Garden Directed by: Marc Munden

AIR

Another classic novel reworked (again) for the big screen, a young orphan girl sent to live with her uncle discovers a magical garden on the grounds of his estate. AT BEST: ‘A slightly monotonous, but still wondrous reading of the source.’ – Tomris Laffly, rogerebert.com AT WORST: ‘I just can’t say I was even invested in the outcome.’ – Sara Michelle Fetters, moviefreak.com

The High Note Dir: Nisha Ganatra Grace Davis is a supertstar singer whose huge talent is a matched only by her outsized ego. In her shadow is her overworked assistant, who harbours a music career of her own. AT BEST: ‘A movie with so much love of music in its soul. I had the best time watching this.’ – Amy Nicholson, Filmweek AT WORST: ‘The irony of this movie being called The High Note is that there aren’t too many highlights for this film.’ – Carla Hay, Culture Mix

Dir: Andy Tennant A devastating storm brings a mysterious man into the life of a young widow trying to make ends meet while raising her three children. The secret he holds will change everything. AT BEST: ‘Once you start this film, you might not want it to end.’ – Elizabeth Montgomery, Arizona Republic AT WORST: ‘For the sheer inanity, the film this awful year deserves.’ – Graeme Tuckett, Stuff 16

The Secret: Dare to Dream

Critique AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 : ISSUE 108

Books illed as one of the most anticipated releases of the summer, The Comeback, by Ella Berman, tells of a Golden Globe-nominated actress who flees the spotlight on the eve of the awards ceremony, returning to LA one year later to fight her demons. “While a slow first half wears on the reader, the late scenes of confrontation are electrifying,” enthuses Publishers Weekly. “Berman’s searing psychological portrait shows how Grace’s girlhood is corrupted by Able’s rampant ego and the industry’s unencumbered patriarchy.” “The Comeback flirts with but never devolves into a formulaic revenge plot, which would cheapen what turns out to be a surprising and satisfying story. First-time novelist Berman deftly captures the entertainment industry in all its fickleness and offers a complex, compassionate portrait of the lasting scars of abuse and trauma,” reckons Amy Scribner, writing for BookPage. “Readers familiar with the downfall of film producer Harvey Weinstein will see the influence of current events on this story, which is filled with tension and

stress as the reader tries to predict what will happen next. Not all readers will be pleased with the ending,“ warns Kirkus. In the contemporary fantasy, A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor, author Hank Green follows up his #1 bestseller by reconnecting us with the story of April May, a young woman whose life was transformed in an instant when she stumbled upon the Carls, 10-foot tall alien robots. “Green masterfully shows the strengths of each character through his or her own adventure while demonstrating their weaknesses when they are apart from one another,” reviews Delfina V Barbiero in USA Today. “It underlines Green’s main point: No one completes anything alone. And in the age of social media, cancel culture and internet fame, we need each other more than ever. What looms ahead is a new technology that promises what the Carls’ dreams provided for the world, but instead of connecting, it drives people apart.” Says Carmen Clark of Library Journal, “Throughout this adventurous, witty,

and compelling novel, Green delivers sharp social commentary on the power of social media and both the benefits and horrendous consequences that follow when we give too much of ourselves to technology,” However, Publishers Weekly was less impressed, describing it as, “slowmoving and philosophically dense.” Stone Barrington and his friends are vacationing in Maine when their leisure is suddenly disrupted by extreme weather. To make matters worse, the inclement conditions allow for a menacing adversary to sneak in unnoticed and deliver a chilling message. So reads the premise for Stuart Woods’ thriller, Choppy Water. It is, however, a thriller noticeably lacking in thrills, says Kirkus. “Despite the allegedly high stakes, Woods delivers all the facile thrills of an unusually sedate video game.” Not in agreement is Publishers Weekly: “The action builds to a satisfying double climax. With its high political stakes, this is one of the better recent entries in this long-running series.”

Credit: Penguin Random House

AIR

Critique AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 : ISSUE 108

Art

Kraftwerk performing live, by Peter Boettcher

ondon’s Design Museum is the setting for Electronic: From Kraftwerk to the Chemical Brothers, an exhibition which runs until February 14 and documents the origins and development of electronic music. “Sepulchral lighting, glitter balls and laser installations evoke club culture’s nerve-jangling ocular assault and battery, while rendering many of the caption cards illegible,” says Dan Cairns for The Sunday Times. “The French DJ Laurent Garnier’s typically eclectic playlist, which takes us from disco to techno, is loud enough to spill over into your headphones when you plug into the audio for a specific subject, yet too quiet to conjure a packed and sweat-slicked dancefloor.” It is, though, an emotive experience. “The layout, and the need to keep the traffic moving, is of course a necessary response to the times we find ourselves in. As if to emphasise how changed those times are, the final two rooms hit fans of dance music where it hurts, provoking bittersweet feelings of heady nostalgia and calamitous loss.” Equally nostalgic was The Telegraph’s Cal Revely-Calder: “Electronic is nothing like a night underground. It

has arrived in the Covid summer with a self-consciously anxious air. These images of exhilaration are scenes from another world – not ours, not any more. My favourite piece was an understated photograph from JeanChristian Meyer’s Lunacy Series (1993), shot at a Parisian rave. A girl is singled out from the crowd, through wreaths of dust and haze. She tilts her face up, eyes closed. It looks like a beautiful dream – or, more sadly, a memory.” Writing in The Guardian, Dorian Lynskey says, “There’s a possible version of this history that focuses on the faceless, borderless qualities of electronic music, but this exhibition prefers the communal and corporeal. You’re drawn to bodies and faces: a video of Detroit street dancers, a collage of clubbers preparing for the weekend in Mark Farrow’s playful advertising campaign for the 90s superclub Cream, Parisian dancers frozen in awe in Jean-Christian Meyer’s grainy black-and-white portraits.” At the height of the pandemic and Black Lives Matter protests, the Museum of the City of New York asked the city’s people to send in photographs of events as they unfolded. The results

are now on show as part of the first phase of an outdoor installation entitled New York Responds, which will eventually become a larger public show. “Photographs like Untitled, July 10, 2020 by Gene Gutenberg, showing an ominously empty China Town,” really help to, “chronicle the early and bleak days of the pandemic,” says The Art Newspaper. Back in London, Ai Weiwei’s History of Bombs, an installation at the city’s Imperial War Museum until May 24, 2021, is proving equally powerful. “At a time when the world is quaking from a natural pandemic, he (Weiwei) reminds us of our mind-boggling capacity to obliterate ourselves,” says The Guardian’s Johnathan Jones. “History of Bombs delivers what it promises – a history of the clever ways we kill one another. The coronavirus has a long way to go before it rivals the catastrophic impacts amassed here.” The sight of the bombs forces Artlyst’s Marina Vaizey to ask: “Are we the only species that both prey on itself at the same time as a small minority also tries to save us from our destructive impulses?” 19

AIR

Art & Design AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020:ISSUE 108

Drawn to Perfection AIR talks to Laurence Benaim, author of a new book that champions the timeless designs of Yves Saint Laurent

“F

or Yves Saint Laurent, everything derived from the drawing, his way of understanding the body’s movement, while never isolating it from life; from the world,” says author Laurence Benaim, who has devoted many a book to the late courtier. “Each sketch evokes a heart that beats, a body that dances beneath the silhouette, full of ife and motion.” Her latest weighty tome is Yves Saint Laurent: The Impossible Collection, which stitches together the designer’s 100 most iconic pieces over 200 pages - the Mondrian shift dress; the black dress with white collar and cuffs he created for the film Belle de Jour; Le Smoking tuxedo, the legendary Ballets Russes collection; the tributes to Picasso, Matisse and van Gogh; the tailored pantsuits and flowing draped gowns; the lavish use of velvet, lace, feathers, leopard print and brilliant jewel tones. They’re all championed inside the book, which spans the period from Saint Laurent’s runway debut in 1962 to his final couture presentation in 2002 and comes encased in clamshell. Featured are 160 illustrations, and it’s from those celebrated sketches that everything flowed. “Because he drew faces as well as clothing, the designer’s sketches captured the essence of a woman’s character, her gestures, inner strength and power of seduction,” says Benaim. The late Pierre Bergé, one-time partner of Laurent’s in life and business, said of him: “Chanel offered women freedom, Yves Saint Laurent gave them power.” How revolutionary were his designs? I ask Benaim. “Yves Saint Laurent did not change women’s style. He dressed them based on their strengths, their ability to seduce, to love, to gain power and maintain it, and to be more than just one thing. All the while remaining unique,” she explains. Born in Oran, Algeria, in 1936, Yves Saint Laurent began his fashion career making patterns at Dior, whom he would later credit with teaching him, “how to love something, other than fashion and design; the fundamental grandeur of a couture designer’s profession.” 21

AIR

What Saint Laurent truly loved was beauty, and to encapsulate it became something of a lifetime quest. “The quest for beauty was a way for him to transcend into fashion, the seasons, and to find something more absolute and eternal,” says Benaim. “Not a lot of designers, aside from Balenciaga and Madame Grès, were working in such a mystical manner. For Yves Saint Laurent, this research was therapeutic and purifying. As if his body, which had previously been destroyed by drugs and alcohol, had a chance to be born again, thanks to his invincible beauty.” As a result of this way of thinking, Yves Saint Laurent was very superstitious. “He liked wheat, rock crystals, and hearts, which he believed were all the lucky charms that allowed him to find sense in an imaginary world: somewhere between reality and fiction, just like his creations,” says Benaim. He was also conflicted, noting of himself that he, “was born with nervousness and depression.” “He was always in conflict with himself, a conflict between loneliness and fame, dream and passion, black and colour, simplicity and opulence,” says Benaim. “When he was very young, during his time in Oran, YSL faced the intolerance against the bourgeoisie. His entire life, he fought against taboo, slander, and close-mindedness.” The fashion world saw the first shots of Saint Laurent’s rebelliousness fired while he was still at Dior, his 1958 trapezoid dresses flouting the house’s trademark hourglass silhouette, and he would later channel his strong values through many a muse – Catherine Deneuve and Betty Catroux among them – each one he was drawn to on account of their, “taste for freedom, their audacity, and their way of celebrating the day and night, without contraints,” says Benaim. “Yves Saint Laurent was the head designer of a generation that was expressing itself through extreme behaviors.” To enable such women to express their attitude, Saint Laurent also gave them accessories. “He said that accessories were like extensions of a body’s movements,” says Benaim. “His accessories, like ebony bracelets, beaten metal cuffs, and high boots were made to refine the figure, without 22

Opening page: Yves Saint Laurent’s office is preserved as he left it, with his glasses, sketches, pencils, inspiration books and mood boards. © Assouline Left: Yves Saint Laurent’s 1962 drawing for a heart pendant encrusted with faux jewels representing his lifelong love of women. © Foundation Pierre Bergé – Yves Saint Laurent Right: Model Alek Wek wearing the Mondrian dress,haute couture, Autumn 1965. © Christoph Sillem

Laurent dressed women based ‘onYvestheirSaint strengths, their ability to seduce, to love, to gain power and maintain it ’

making it busy or altering it further.” Arguably his most favoured accessory was a heart pendant he designed in 1962. “It was encrusted with faux diamonds and rubies and worn each season by the designer’s favourite model as a token of love,” says Benaim. “Saint Laurent’s creations were designed to glorify the women who wore them, not to disguise but to boost confidence with their silent messages, secrets passed down from generation to generation, which to Saint Laurent represented the

very essence of haute couture.” The task of Benaim’s to select just 100 pieces to showcase in the book was an unenviable one – impossible, even. Yet those that missed the cut still share the timeless quality of those chosen. “The way he celebrates the body as perfection. A free body, with no constraint. That’s what makes Yves Saint Laurent’s work timeless,” says Benaim. A body given a beating heart by his pencil. Yves Saint Laurent: The Impossible Collection, published by Assouline, is out now

OB JECTS OF DESIRE

OBJECTS OF DESIRE

Master craftsmanship, effortless style and timeless appeal; this issueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s must-haves and collectibles

OB JECTS OF DESIRE

BA L E NCI AGA

NEO CL ASSIC lamb lining. The Neo Classic comes in sizes small (City Nano) and large (City L) with myriad options for its leather finishing. Safe to say the model who carried it down the Winter 20 runway won’t be the last to do so this season.

To mark twenty years since the debut of the its Classic bag – which became a fixture on the arms of supermodels – Balenciaga updates the bag’s design with new dimensions and a refurbished interior, namely, exposed edges and bonded nappa 1

OB JECTS OF DESIRE

ALEX ANDER MCQUEEN

PE AK SANDALS

Part of the brand’s Autumn/Winter 20 pre collection, Alexander McQueen’s high design, high style, double-strap peak sandals are characterised by a threedimensional metal cuff and sculpted resin heel that’s encaged in a metal frame.

Available to buy in black, select from either gold or silver hardware and team them with a little something from the collection’s line up of belts and jewellery, from which the sandals’ specially designed, organicallyshaped buckle drew inspiration. 2

OB JECTS OF DESIRE

A. LANGE & SÖHNE

Z E I T W E R M I N U T E R E P E AT E R Since their launch in 2011, each zeitwerk model has had its own unique sound – the zeitwerk minute repeater actually sounding differently each hour. The greatest influence on that sound is the case material; platinum having a bright,

clear and resonant sound. It was the only material used to craft the minute repeater – until now. Limited to 30 pieces, this new white gold minute repeater, with its deepblue dial, provides a fuller, warmer, silkier and altogether louder sound. 3

OB JECTS OF DESIRE

MESSIK A

DOUBLE RING Bringing much needed lightness to these heavy times, ValĂŠrie Messikaâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s latest high jewellery collection, Voltage, sees the designer explore movement, balance, and symmetry in a collection that truly emphasises the beauty and flexibility of the

diamond. Stripped of the usual extravagant adornments, here the diamond takes centre stage, simple yet stunning in the shape of this double ring. It features one emerald cut diamond of 7.74 carats and a single pear-shaped diamond of 7.06 carats. 4

OB JECTS OF DESIRE

MIU MIU

THE MIU BELLE Debuting for the new season, the Miu Belle bag parades many of the brand’s signatures – chief among them, matelassé leather. Highly distinctive and rich in texture, panels of leather are paired with wadding and elastic cloth and then quilted, marrying

craftmanship to innovation. In contrast to the pleated skin are the solid surfaces of polished metal frame and glossy black clasp, used as a nod to jewellery. Its available in an array of seasonal colours and two sizes, the larger with a detachable shoulder strap. 5

OB JECTS OF DESIRE

PI AGE T

WINGS OF LIGHT TIMEPIECE A striking feature piece of Piagetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest high jewellery collection, Wings of Light (which takes its cues from a journey through fantasy lands), this colourful timepiece echoes the blues and greens of tropical vegetation, with black opal as its dial - an

ornamental stone used by Piaget in its watch designs for more than half a century. Here, every part of the gem-set channels of baguette-cut sapphires and baguette- and brilliant-cut diamonds is positioned in the pattern with trademark precision and flair. 6

OB JECTS OF DESIRE

BOUCHERON

FENÊTRE SUR CIEL Aptly named Contemplation, something we’ve all had time for in recent months. Claire Choisne’s high jewellery collection comprises sixty seven spellbinding pieces which take their inspiration from moments. The moment depicted on this incredible

necklace – crafted from titanium mesh so it’s as fluid as fabric – is of a stormy sky (mother-of-pearl with diamond clouds) shedding raindrops. This celestial vision is further illuminated by a 35-carat sugarloaf tanzanite with a deep ultramarine hue. 7

OB JECTS OB JECTS OF DESIRE OF DESIRE

VA N C L E E F & A R P E L S

PE RLÉ E D I A M O ND PAV É RING Van Cleef & Arpels delved into its rich archives for inspiration when contemplating its new trio of Perlée diamonds pavé rings. Back in 1948, the maison crafted a ring featuring an oval body of gold gadroons encircling a faintly

vaulted surface set with diamonds. Today, this aesthetic is being reinterpreted to accompany a generous paved dome – the diamonds adorning it selected according to the strictest quality criteria and weighing a total of 2.28 carats. 8

OBJECTS OF DESIRE

Timepieces

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020: IISSUE 108

Time to Grow

As the luxury watchmaker Grönefeld sets its sights on expansion, Nick Watkins speaks to the company’s co-owner Bart Grönefeld, whose years on the bench are starting to pay off WORDS: NICK WATKINS

AIR

t doesn’t matter where you are in the world or what your business is, a gap in the market represents an opportunity. It’s a chance to grow your customer base, adapt your product, or in the case of horological brothers Bart and Tim Grönefeld, a chance to bring something totally new to the market. It was the lack of high-end watchmaking in The Netherlands that persuaded the pair to veer away from the safe option of taking over the reins of their father’s jewellery store and dedicate themselves to the art of watchmaking. “We are two brothers who are sons of a jeweller and our grandfather started off as a watchmaker before he became a jeweller, too,” says Bart, the elder of the two brothers, speaking to AIR a month before the global pandemic took hold. “Initially, we wanted to take over our father’s store, and so we looked for a profession that catered well to that. We then went to watchmaking school in The Netherlands, and when we finished that I wanted to study more so I went to Switzerland to a school run by a great collector of pocket watches and wristwatches. It was there I learned the mechanics of a timepiece, and how they were works of art. I found out then that I wanted to do this instead of jewellery.” Today, the brothers head up their

own successful brand making highend timepieces, which after years of work, has seen orders placed that will take the eight-strong team over 12 months to fulfil. “Last year was our busiest ever, we made 70 watches and we have now 95 pieces on order so that’s more than a year of production.” The team will soon be expanding to cope with the added demand. “Soon we will be 11. Hopefully we can increase the production as people are getting more eager to purchase our watches. It’s good as it keeps the prices on the secondary market high, because when one comes available it’s sold in a week or so.” As the secondary market demand increases, the brothers have a policy in place – ensuring they always keep one of every model made for the private museum within the company. It’s not always been a bed of roses for the pair, however. For many years business was tough, selling just one watch in the first three years of operation. “We’ve been around nearly 12 years now, the first eight of which were hard. Only in the last few years has it gone so well,” Bart explains. “We thought of stopping a few times, but our business before was doing a lot of work for other brands which kept us alive. In

Bart & Tim Gronefeld

‘

The brothers still design watches the old fashioned way – with pen and paper – before putting them on their computers

’

These pages, clockwise from left: Bart Gronefeld at work; the award-winning 1941 Remontoire; the inner workings of the Remontoire 1941

our first year we sold one watch, then none for the next two years. Things picked up in year four when we sold six watches, six in the next year, then 15, and we’ve kept growing and growing to the point where we have produced 70 for each of the last two years.” Bart’s watchmaking education saw him attend a watchmaking school in Rotterdam, before travelling to Switzerland to the world-renowned watchmaking school Wostep, Neuchatel, eventually returning home where he landed a top job as chief of complicated watches at Audemars Piguet. “I was only 21, plunged into the deep end creating these luxury watches. I was a bit spoiled, as usually you go into these high-end companies and it takes years and years before you even get to touch the pieces.” Despite the nice job, Grönefeld had bigger plans. “My brother and I decided that as there was no high-end watchmaking in The Netherlands, we would create our own brand.” Starting a business at any time can seem like a daunting decision, especially one that happens to be in the midst of a global financial crisis. “2008 was probably the worst time in the last century to open a watchmaking business,” Grönefeld remembers. It was also tough being a Dutch brand because we don’t have the stamp of Swiss-made on our pieces, so we had to fight to be recognised.” Despite expanding, the Grönefeld team remains relatively small and so the brothers continue to have a hand in the making of the watches. However, as their reputation grows, clients want to speak to the pair directly, limiting their time in the workshop. “Our brand is a very personal one and the buyers usually want to be in touch with us personally, so we actually spend a lot of time in the office talking to clients. Generally I am 20% on the bench and 80% in the office. The final inspections

are usually done by ourselves so we can ensure the quality never dips.” And in this technological age, the pair can’t afford for the quality to drop, with clients more clued-up on the details than ever before. “The quality has improved a lot. I think that’s a lot to do with smartphones as clients are constantly taking photos, which really show the craftsmanship of the watches, so they need to be absolutely faultless pieces of work.” Still manufacturing in eastern Holland, the company operates from a small town near the German border, called Oldenzaal. A place deeply rooted in the family history with both the brothers’ father and grandfather having been the clock keeper for the town church. In the facility, the brothers still design watches the old fashioned way – with pen and paper – before the designs are then run on their personal computers. One of the appeals for clients, apart from the obvious high quality, is that each piece can be customised to their liking. The 1941 Remontoire is arguably the most recognised watch in the Grönefeld collection. The brothers are especially proud of it winning the prestigious Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève award in 2016 for the Best Men’s Watch. “Winning an award in Geneva gave us international recognition. People took us a lot more seriously after that and we got some sales from it.” Another favourite with clients is the Grönefeld 1941 Decennium Tourbillon. Its time-consuming creation means that only 10 are being produced, with a price tag of $162,000. The pair’s story is an inspiring one of trust and faith that their persistence would eventually pay off. “Don’t expect anything overnight would be my advice,” says Grönefeld. “Be persistant and always deliver the highest quality as possible and you’ll be rewarded.” 29

Jewellery AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 : ISSUE 108

Rare Brilliance Design duo Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana invite us into the fantasy world of rare stones and one-off designs that characterise their Alta Gioielleria collection, and speak exclusively to AIR about why it has captured the imagination of avid collectors around the world

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WORDS: FAYE BARTLE

rom a tiara dripping in diamonds – not to mention 26.80 carats of tourmalines – to the ‘rose’ necklace that is a sculptural masterpiece featuring leaves, flowers, branches (and even a spider) modelled in enamel and covered with sparkling gems – Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana are unflinching in their bold approach to their Alta Gioielleria collection of precious pieces. But then we’d expect nothing less from the dynamic duo who founded their namesake company 35 years ago and whose luxurious Italian designs and opulent fashion shows have earned them their place at the top. Featuring rare stones seemingly plucked from a fairytale, teamed with a blend of modern and traditional artisanal techniques, Alta Gioielleria pieces exude that trademark Italian craftsmanship that we’ve come to know and love from the brand. And as the world navigates the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, which hit the designers’ home country particularly hard, it is a quality that Dolce and Gabbana hold especially dear to their hearts. “All our collections come from the desire to tell a story, give a dream and a memory,” says Domenico. “Every creation for us is a narrative that can

speak of what we like most, of tradition, of roots, and of Italy. We are lucky to live in a country that has an incredible artistic and cultural heritage and we are proud to be able to give light, with our work, to the craft masteries that, even today, represent excellence.” “We believe in the beauty and heritage of our country,” adds Stefano. “Made in Italy is a value: each region has a story to tell, a folklore that reveals the soul of the area and of the people who live there, pearls of rare beauty that must be known, treasures of priceless craftsmanship.” You can easily find yourself slipping into a trance-like state when gazing at the pieces. For example, the flower ring, which features a 7.41-carat untreated rectangular cushion shape and mixed cut emerald from Colombia, surrounded by baguette cut and tapered diamonds, will draw you in with its petal-like form. The emerald is extremely rare, with no inclusion or fissures. As such, it does not require oiling (as opposed to the majority of emeralds that can have tiny cracks that regularly need tending to). Considered a symbol of wisdom, secret knowledge and rebirth among the pharaohs and queens of ancient Egypt, this particular piece harbours a power that is undeniable.

Right: Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, by Domen/Van De Velde

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The world of jewellery is fascinating: a jewel tells a story, made of traditions, people and values Each and every creation makes its exquisite jewels the stars of the show in its own unique way, drawing on a signature design DNA that sets the collection apart. “Our DNA is characterised by many different elements that will never change: the engravings, the handmade, the filigree that reminds us of lace, our iconic and most beloved fabric,”’ says Domenico, while Stefano counts the “use of different materials, such as fabrics” and “the techniques of cutting and setting the stones” as key factors that contribute to the creations becoming instant family heirlooms. Each piece is a one-off, never to be made again, and guaranteed by an engraved serial number and logo. All of this contributes to the blueprint of each piece. “The world of jewellery is fascinating: a jewel tells a story, made of traditions, people and values. Just think of the family jewels that have been handed down from generation to generation and, with them, also the love of those who have worn them,” says Stefano. “Our Alta Gioielleria creations are a tribute to the refinement that characterises our work,” adds Domenico. “They are made to be worn or kept, loved and handed down to future generations, always accompanied by the history, emotions and memories of those who owned them previously.” Of course, having the talent and the 32

resources to source these spectacular jewels is a vital tool in the armory. “We are lucky to work with great experts in the field,” says Stefano. “We avail ourselves of our great team of gemologists, who are always working on finding the rarest and most incredible, precious stones.” “There’s really a world behind every gem,” enthuses Domenico. “In jewellery as in fashion or design, we always look for the best quality: the attention to detail and the refinement of the workmanship are our pillars and will always be.” The creative process is fuelled purely by passion. “Our Alta Gioielleria collections talk about us, about who we are and what we like: the Renaissance, the Baroque opulence, the Italian traditions and knowhow,” reveals Domenico. “It’s a tale of beauty that brings the wearer into our world, our precious fantasy world.” “When creating a collection, our approach is driven by the moment, our inspirations and feelings,” elaborates Stefano. “Sometimes we start from a sketch, sometimes the beauty of the gems and stones completely astonishes and drives us. We start playing with their arrangement, looking for the balance and harmony of colours and shapes. Past inspirations include Il Gattopardo and Elsa Schiaparelli, but the creative thrust for the pieces

emerge organically. As the designers reveal, “Each collection has a different theme dear to us. Before creating the collection presented in December 2019, we visited Palazzo Clerici and fell in love with the Galleria del Tiepolo, with its wonderful frescoes. This unique shade of pink, with its warmth and beauty, has bewitched us. And we decided to make it the star of the collection.” Further to the jewels themselves, the way they are presented serves to amplify the excitement. In 2019, an Alta Gioielleria collection showcase involved restoring the Doge’s palace in Palma di Montechiaro, decorating the area with old shop windows and Mediterranean plants. “We decided to present it in a place that for us encapsulates the history, majesty and culture of Sicily,” continued Domenico. “It’s a town that takes us back to our most beloved novel and movie, Il Gattopardo, a constant and great source of inspiration for our creations.” “It was a dream that came true,” adds Stefano. “Showing our creations on our beloved island, and even in Palma di Montechiaro, was amazingly beautiful. We could breathe in the atmosphere and the beauty of this place of which we are so fond, together with its historic allure, taking us back to the pages of our favourite book.” We’re only too happy to take a leaf out of that.

Opposite page: Tiara in white and yellow gold with ‘Lagoon’ tourmalines and diamonds This page, clockwise from top left: Necklace in white and pink gold with ‘Paraiba’ and ‘Rubellite’ tourmalines and diamonds; earrings in white and pink gold with ‘Paraiba’ and ‘Rubellite’ tourmalines and diamonds; Enamelled ‘Rose’ necklace in white, pink and yellow gold with green tourmalines, rubies, emeralds and diamonds; Brooch in white and yellow gold with spessartine garnets, brown and colourless diamonds. All pieces from the Alta Gioielleria high jewellery collection

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For years John David Washington lived in the shadow of his father, but now, as he stars in the most anticipated film of the year, he’s taking on Hollywood on his own terms. He talks to Guy Kelly about proving himself, his experiences of racism, and lockdown with Denzel

t’s hardly ideal, but also not unheard of, to interview an actor without first being able to see the film they’re promoting. It’s less common to find the actor themself hasn’t seen the film. Rarer still is when the actor not only hasn’t seen the film, but isn’t 100 per cent certain what it’s about, and cannot be sure what cinemas will even look like by the time it’s released. Such are the unusual circumstances under which I speak to John David Washington, whose next project, Christopher Nolan’s espionage action thriller Tenet, is Hollywood’s brave post-coronavirus canary down the coal mine. After the global shutdown, it will be the first major blockbuster on the big screen, and Washington the new world’s first action hero. No pressure, then. “That’s one way of looking at it,” Washington, who has just turned 36, says nonchalantly. “There’s also the feeling that we will be the only show in town...” He is pathologically laid-back about the whole thing. We speak at the end of May, when he has been in lockdown in Los Angeles, at the home of his parents, Denzel Washington and his wife of 37 years, Pauletta. Perhaps it’s his upbringing, watching his impossibly cool father, a man he cites as “one of the best actors that ever lived”, operate through life. Perhaps it’s just him. But Washington doesn’t seem like he could be flustered in a hurricane. He normally lives in an apartment in Brooklyn, New York, enjoying the single life of a star in ascension. Friends, such as actors Zoë Kravitz (who like Washington has tussled with the gift/ curse of a superstar father, hers of course being Denzel’s friend Lenny Kravitz)

and Regina King, have marvelled at his work ethic and growing confidence, noting that his success is his own, rather than a by-product of his family name. When lockdown started, though, Washington “got out just in time” to stay at his parents’ sprawling home on the west coast, not far from where he and his three younger siblings (Katia, 32, a film producer, and 29-yearold twins Malcolm, a film-maker, and Olivia, an actor) grew up. In the months since, America has

seen two crises ripple through the nation. First the coronavirus, which continues to rage in many states, and then the murder of George Floyd by a police officer in Minnesota, an event that led to a wave of Black Lives Matter demonstrations all over the world. Washington and I speak only two days after Floyd’s death, but protests have already started. The issues they are highlighting have been prominent in his career thus far: despite only having made a handful of films, in two of them - Spike Lee’s Oscar winning BlacKkKlansman in 2018, and the smaller Monsters and Men in the same year – Washington has played a police officer wrangling with racial inequalities in both US society and the police itself. The latter saw him play an officer in a force under scrutiny for the killing of an unarmed black man; in the former, he portrayed the real-life figure Ron Stallworth, who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan in 1970s Colorado. At the time of writing, Washington has elected against making a public statement on Black Lives Matter, only posting to his private Instagram account the famous image of ‘Gordon’ – an enslaved man who escaped a Louisiana plantation in 1863 – showing extensive scarring on his back from whippings received in slavery. The British actor David Oyelowo, who played Martin Luther King Jr in the 2014 film Selma, replied, “We still carry those scars.” “Monsters and Men deals with social issues that unfortunately are still current current, we’re still going through,” Washington tells me. Yet he was drawn to the idea of seeing the issues from the perspective of a black policeman. “[What appealed was], what about the African American cop, what are they 35

seeing? Not just African American, but what about cops that are doing their jobs in the right way, putting their lives on the line for their communities? So it was to be a part of that narrative, showing how difficult it is for the police officers, and how thankless that job can be for the good ones out there.” Washington has told the story of being stopped by police when driving a rented Jaguar on the way to an audition for Ballers, the HBO comedy-drama that launched his acting career. He was in a tank top, playing rap music loudly, “looking maybe kind of gangsta”, when he was pulled over. The police asked if he knew why they stopped him, but at that moment got another call and left. “I didn’t break any laws. Black guy in a Jaguar, I think that’s what it was,” he has said. He “absolutely” has experience of the issue. “I don’t want to say it’s a rite of passage but, yeah, I have. It was not pleasant, it was unfortunate, but I have also experienced great encounters with police officers, ones that have encouraged me that there are good police out there that don’t see colour.” In Washington’s world, lockdown has meant working out in the home gym, occasionally getting scared by articles about the pandemic, but “staying occupied, building a routine, trying to manage my feelings” while enjoying time with the family. ‘We’ve not been together for this long since I was in high school, so it’s been an interesting experience. Mom’s cooking, I do some grilling... but I’ve been enjoying it. No arguments, we get along.” Washington is at the family home with his parents and Olivia, who also lives in New York. Katia and Malcolm are at their own homes in Los Angeles, but have stopped by for barbecues. They’ve played games as a family, too. Katia has brought a giant outdoor Connect Four with her a few times. “I found it a little weird, because my brother beat me like 10 times. It almost depressed me, because I used to be so good at strategy. This Connect Four thing gave me a whole existential crisis...” he says, a little forlornly. But he’s also learnt other things about himself. “Mostly the importance of communication, and really taking my time with things... The conversation about patience has been brought up quite a lot in this, exercising that skill.” 36

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I didn’t break any laws. Black guy in a Jaguar, I think that’s what it was

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He pauses to emphasise the point. “Having patience has to be a skill.” Patience is certainly something he’s needed to exercise in the build-up to the release of Tenet. The film has already been delayed twice, thanks to the uncertainty surrounding when cinemas will reopen and when audiences will return. As it stands, only a handful of people have seen it, and Washington isn’t among them. “Uh, no, I have not seen it, no sir,” he says, with a crisp rasp of laughter. “I was there, though! I promise you it happened.” You mean, you just know it was shot? Another laugh. “Yeah. Have I seen Chris’s edited version? No. But I’ve seen it, sure.” What we know is that Tenet is a high-concept, explosive, globe-trotting spy thriller that would be a major film event even if we weren’t in the process of easing a lockdown, given the critical and commercial success of Nolan’s other blockbusters, from Dunkirk to Interstellar to his Dark Knight trilogy. Washington didn’t audition beyond a mysterious meeting with the BritishAmerican director early last year, during which they talked about everything other than Tenet. A few weeks later, he received a call offering him the part. “I was at my folks’ place at the time, and we were just screaming at the top of our lungs, it was quite the spectacle. We were charging up and down the halls, flipping papers, anything we could get our hands on. We were so excited – it was like I won the World Cup.” He still didn’t know what the film was about until he and Robert Pattinson, his Tenet co-star and now a good friend, were individually invited to read the script in a sealed room at Nolan’s offices. “It took me about four hours. I’d read maybe 10 pages, go back five, read another 10, go back two... I was playing classical music on my iPad to make me go slower, make me think I’m smarter. I tried everything – took my shoes and sweater off, did some

stretches. I couldn’t believe I was locked in his office reading this script nobody knows about,” he says. OK, but what is it about? “Well, it’s about a guy who, um... Let’s see, what is it about? It’s about a guy who does stuff when he hears action, and stops doing stuff when he hears cut.’ Sounds great. That rasp again. He is enjoying this. “I mean, that’s the movie I saw. No, it has a spy element, you can see that there are lots of locations [footage was filmed in Denmark, Estonia, India, Italy, Norway, the UK and the US], and it’s about a man on a mission, who’s ready to fight, and perhaps give his life for that mission.” So shrouded in secrecy is the film that even Washington’s double-Oscarwinning, nine-times-nominated father hasn’t been told about the plot. “I would love to [tell Denzel], but I always feel he [Nolan] is looking at me. Like I’ve been bugged. Chris will know, it’ll get out. I don’t want to get waterboarded, so I always tell the truth, and I didn’t say anything.” Hmm. Is it about the coronavirus? “Maybe, because we’re in it, you might be able to relate it to that. I didn’t think so when it was happening, but maybe [Nolan] saw this coming. Maybe that’s why he’s ahead of the game. But personally I didn’t think so.” Damn, I thought I might be on to something there. Washington hasn’t had a straightforward relationship with acting over the years. As a child, he was spellbound by his parents’ industry (Denzel and Pauletta, an actor and musician, met on the set of the TV movie Wilma in 1977), and he remembers his father playing a trumpet around the house in preparation for Mo’ Better Blues, and dyeing his hair and studying Islam to become Malcolm X. He sat with his mother on set, watching in awe as Denzel emerged from the smoke and dust in full Civil War regalia on Glory. “In 1990, when my father did Richard III onstage in New York, he’d take me around the city, reciting his lines. I was six or seven and would try to memorise what he recited. When I saw him in it for real, I remember sitting there and thinking about how different he looked and sounded. Like, that wasn’t my father any more, that was somebody else. The limp, the

tights, the mullet. I was captivated.” A year later, Washington had an early taste of life on camera, when Spike Lee spotted him sitting quietly with Pauletta and asked if he wanted to recite a line at the end of Malcolm X. He made the final cut, adorable and high-pitched, proclaiming, “I am Malcolm X!” in Lee’s momentary homage to Spartacus. The Washingtons are a family of fine storytellers – John David, who has a poetic turn of phrase and immaculate comic timing, more than holds his own – so family parties, whether in Los Angeles, attended by acting and music royalty, or in North Carolina, where Pauletta is from, were filled with laughter and performance. Driven by their Christian faith (Denzel’s father was a Pentecostal minister, and he has discussed having considered becoming a preacher), the family unit was so warm and loving that being ‘Denzel’s son’ rarely felt like an issue when Washington was a child. He still has many of the same friends he had in kindergarten, while to extended family he was just ‘John

David’. Occasionally ‘JD’. Never ‘John’. ‘”t was hard to trust people [in LA], but I spent a lot of time in North Carolina, and they didn’t care. I taught myself how to do a backflip there so I wouldn’t get beaten up. When you’re 10 years old, they don’t care if you’re Denzel’s son, they just want to know if you can do a backflip.” As he grew older, the weight of expectation grew heavy. Denzel never dissuaded him from acting - once, when Washington expressed anxieties about ever trying it, his father pointed out that Michael Douglas might have had the same worries, and he turned out just fine. Still, in the 2000s, having previously told Denzel he wouldn’t consider becoming an actor because “your shadow is so big”, Washington veered away from showbusiness to pursue a career in American football. “It was my very bold swing at independence, a way to express myself without judgement. I just knew that if they see me out there taking those hits or scoring a touchdown, then I’ll be respected. That wasn’t the case,” he says. He treated football as a kind of

therapy for those old anxieties. A record-breaking athlete at university, Washington spent six years as a professional, but if he thought that would help him get away from being known as ‘Denzel’s son’, it didn’t exactly work. “The more success I got, the more the story became, ‘Denzel’s son is a success.’ I’ve always experienced success being more related to him.” In 2013, a torn Achilles tendon saw him retire from sport early. He sulked for a long time, but it became a blessing: he’d told an agent friend that he’d perhaps consider giving acting a go one day, and was given an audition for the part of, yes, a handsome and charismatic American football player, on Ballers. Aged 30, he got it. “I was proving [I could do it] to myself before others, because no matter how good I do, people are always going to know about my father. But I think he’s one of the best actors that ever lived, I’m a fan first. I got over it, I was so determined to prove and prove.” At that time, just as during his sports career, he declined to do interviews or 37

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Previous page: John David on the set of BlacKkKlansman

Credit: © Guy Kelly / Telegraph Media Group Limited

experienced success being ‘ I’ve always more related to my dad ’

red-carpet appearances to avoid family questions. “I didn’t even want anyone to know I was in [Ballers],’ he says. Luckily, people saw it, saw his talent, and off he went. When he started work on Ballers, Washington committed himself to his craft, also studying acting part-time at New York’s HB Studio, and finally grew more relaxed about being ‘Denzel’s son’. Through it all, their personal relationship never suffered, and they remain close, appearing at events and sports matches together. So it seems safe enough now to say that Washington is a chip off the old block: even his own siblings comment on how similar their voices are, but on screen, he and Denzel also have a shared talent for drawing audiences’ eyes to their every move – be it through sheer power or a flick of a smile. Some guidance about dealing with the trappings of fame must have rubbed off, too. Like father, like son, Washington treads the fine lines between aloof and serious, mainstream roles and passion projects, and being ‘about town’ but never in the news for the wrong reasons. He once described himself as “single AF [as f***]”, and has posited that the familial association ‘definitely closed off some possible fruitful relationships’ over the years. If and when something serious happens, though, he does at least have first-class role models for marriage in his parents, who have one of the longest and firmest unions in Hollywood. “I think they both wanted a family,” Washington says of their secret. “They both had very successful careers – my mum was working more than my father when they met – and a relentless pursuit of their artistic goals, but they cared about family. You could tell, it was intimate. In the marriage,

family was first. And that continues, they want the family together.” Does he now want his own family? “You’d better believe it.” He is particularly proud of his mother’s achievements, which are often overlooked in favour of her husband’s. She sounds like a laugh: at an after-party at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, where BlacKkKlansman won the Grand Prix, Washington and his mother – who, I think it’s fair to say, was having a good time – ran into the actor and musician Donald Glover. A fan of Glover’s song This Is America, Pauletta apparently put him in a headlock and started saying into his ear, “You knocked it out, boy,” while stroking his afro. “He was cool about it, but I literally tried to break them [apart], like, ‘Ma, stop, please,’” Washington has said. “So my brother ended up taking her home because she was partying like a rock star.” For now, Washington is intent on making up for lost time. He has other films coming up (among them a =Greece-set thriller, Born To Be Murdered, with Alicia Vikander, made by many of the same team as Call Me by Your Name), but those are a way off. So at the moment, he has just one priority: Tenet, the great, enigmatic saviour of the film industry. One day he’ll see it. Or Pauletta will, anyway. She watches all Denzel’s films first, and now all Washington’s too. Is she brutal? He pauses. “She’s... honest. But when it works, it really works.” That, he believes, with unyielding confidence, will be the case with Tenet. “Personally, I try to limit my expectations, but I think it exceeds expectations. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before.” The world awaits. 39

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As Chopard continues its Journey to Sustainable Luxury, Caroline Scheufele, co-president and artistic director, tells AIR of the maisonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest ground-breaking project - sourcing gold from Colombian artisanal miners WORDS: JOHN THATCHER

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t’s difficult to imagine a wider gulf than that which exists between the star-studded ceremony of Hollywood’s annual Oscars and the deep, unstable pits in which children risk their lives to mine gold. What bridged the gap so that the latter became a topic of conversation at the former, was a question posed by Livia Firth, the founder and creative director of Eco Age: “From where do you source your gold?” she asked Caroline Scheufele, co-president and artistic director of Chopard at the 2012 Oscars. “I immediately replied ‘from the banks’,” remembers Scheufele. “But Livia’s question was much deeper and put the spotlight on a humanitarian concern.” Fast forward to 2018 and Chopard had achieved what Scheufele had set out to do following her conversation with Firth - a 100% ethical gold supply chain. “When you learn that there are millions of men, women and children digging up gold from the valleys and hills, often working in unsafe conditions and unable to get a fair price for their work, you’d better do something about it.” states Scheufele. And so, she did. “Personally, I was shocked. From that point, I was determined to embark on a mission to change not only Chopard as a company and brand but also the entire industry.” It was the following year, 2013, that Chopard launched its ongoing in-house programme, The Journey to Sustainable Luxury, committed to responsible sourcing and helping the people in the supply chain who are too often overlooked. “We started by forging a philanthropic relationship with The Alliance for Responsible Mining to directly support and enable gold mining communities to achieve Fairminded Certification (the guarantee of being part of a responsible and conflict-free supply chain) and provide training, social welfare and environmental support. From then on, we created several watch and jewellery lines crafted from responsibly sourced materials, the first being the High Jewellery Green Carpet Collection that we unveiled during the Cannes Film Festival in 2013,” says Scheufele. “In 2018 we reached a special milestone by becoming the first watch and jewellery maison to commit to using 100% ethical gold for the production of 42

all our watch and jewellery pieces. I am very proud to be spreading the message that a different, more responsible way of doing business is possible.” As with any great shift in how things are done, there were problems along the way. “The biggest challenge was the change itself, because people are used to doing things in a certain way. They have a routine and it’s often hard for them to go out of their comfort zones. That was the hardest part; to convince everybody in the workshops. We had to make them understand why we’re doing this because it’s they who have to do the job. It was a challenge indeed, but we obviously proved that we could do it.” Chopard’s Journey to Sustainable Luxury is just that, a journey, which means that along the way new targets are set and milestones reached, unfamiliar destinations explored, and new people encountered. For Chopard, that was the Barequeros. Artisanal gold miners from the region of El Chocó in Colombia, the country’s second-largest gold producing region but also one its poorest, 46 per cent of the Barequeros are women, for whom mining – done so in their traditional way so that no mercury is used, thus protecting the region’s biodiversity – is their lifeblood. “In my town, the majority of inhabitants are artisanal miners, and most of us are women,” says Paola Córdoba, a Barequero. “My whole family works in gold mining, including my mother and my four sisters. Mining in El Chocó is the biggest source of work. It serves for our daily subsistence, for the education of our children, buys our clothes and, above all, it allows us to be free. It is the freedom that is the most important.” To be legally registered, the Barequeros need to obtain a special permit that allows them to produce manually and sell up to 420 grams of gold per year. That gold is now sourced by Chopard, as part of an initiative entered into with the Swiss Better Gold Association (SBGA), which not only means that the Barequeros’ gold is now an important link in a fully traceable and responsible international supply chain, but further ensures that the Barequeros receive both a competitive price and a special SBGA incentive of USD0.70 per gram for them to reinvest into improving their living and working conditions.

To date, five hundred Barequeros have received support from this initiative. As for the process of how the gold passes from Barequero hands through to creating a piece of jewellery, Scheufele outlines: “As a first step, the Barequeros will sell their gold to a Colombian International Gold Trader, a partner in this SBGA project, before being shipped to Switzerland to be processed at our supplier’s refinery. Then, the last step is bringing to life the piece of jewellery and physically making it in our maison. After we have ensured that the raw material is responsibly sourced, the full traceability of our gold supply chain is also ensured through our operating model, based on a closed-loop system, which allows us to recycle our pre-consumer gold scraps or ‘production

you learn that there are millions of men, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;When women and children digging for gold in unsafe conditions and unable to get a fair price for their work, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d better do something about it â&#x20AC;&#x2122; 43

Left: Caroline Scheufele All other pages: Portraits of the Barequeros, © César Nigrinis

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I am very proud to be spreading the message that a different, more responsible way of doing business is possible waste’ in our own internal foundry.” To coin an oft used phrase, for the Barequeros the initiative truly is worth its weight in gold “I am so proud to be part of this responsible gold project that recognises the work of artisanal mining, and I thank those buying our gold. It is the fruit of the work of our hands, with each grain of gold the result of a lot of effort and helps to support our families,” enthuses Córdoba. “There are many reasons why the story of the Barequeros resonated with me,” adds Scheufele, reflecting on her maison’s proud work. “And as a woman who strongly believes in supporting other women, learning that almost half of the gold miners in the Barequeros are women impacted me.” In its role with the SBGA, Chopard became the world’s first luxury watch and jewellery maison to directly support mining communities by providing training, social welfare and environmental support. It is the wish of Scheufele that they will not be the last. “While it has not been easy, it is certainly achievable, and at Chopard we will continue our journey with new challenges to build a better future. Apart from us, I truly see a bright future for the luxury industry overall under the banner of sustainability and ethics, so I would love to see everyone else follow suit. 44

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Those ethics Scheufele touches on are an intrinsic part of Chopard, a company founded in 1860 by Louis-Ulysse Chopard. “As a family-run business, ethics have always been an important part of our family values. True luxury comes only when you know the handprint of your supply chain and I am very proud of our gold sourcing programme. As creative director of the brand, I feel it’s important to share the stories behind each beautiful piece with our customers and know they will wear these stories with pride.” And what of those customers. Are clients growing more inquisitive when it comes to sustainability? “We do believe that our clients are becoming more and more aware of the topic of sustainability and want to know how the raw material has been sourced. They also value the journey and stories that are birthed with each bespoke piece,” reveals Scheufele, who believes that using a minimum amount of gold in her designs (as 100% ethical gold is still rare) makes the creations “look even more delicate and refined.” “We have achieved so much so far with our Journey to Sustainable Luxury. It has been a challenging journey so far, but the results are incredible,” adds Scheufele. With the Barequeros only part of the story, we look forward to reading the next chapter in Chopard’s worthy quest.

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CHECK MATE Despite a recent (and swiftly denied) rumour that Riccardo Tisci was set to leave Burberry, the former Givenchy wonder boy is still reinventing the iconic British brand. He talks to Gavanndra Hodge about survival and transformation WORDS: CHRIS UJMA

Above: Ricardo Tisci on the runway at a Burberry show during London Fashion Week All other pages: Behind-the-scenes images of Burberry’s Autumn/ Winter Pre-Collection campaign

iccardo Tisci is the chief creative officer of Burberry and former creative director of Givenchy. His closest friends include Kim Kardashian, Madonna and the artist Marina Abramovic. He has four homes and 2.5 million Instagram followers. And every Christmas he treats his family to a glamorous holiday. Recent destinations have included Paris and Rome, and the trips usually involve a devotional element – a visit to the Vatican, or midnight Mass in Notre Dame cathedral – as a treat for Tisci’s devoutly Catholic 90-year-old mother, Elmerinda. Whatever the location, there is one ritual that is always honoured: Tisci, his eight older sisters and his mother will gather to watch Little Lord Fauntleroy on DVD, or Il Piccolo Lord as it is known in Italy; a film about an impoverished American boy whose

father has died and who unexpectedly comes into a fortune. “In Italy they always used to show this movie on December 25 and, imagine for us, we were poor, watching this movie,” he says. “So me and my sisters – the husbands, they leave – all sit with my mum and we cry. I love that movie.” Tisci and I are on the top floor of Burberry HQ in Pimlico, London, in a penthouse-style meeting room clad in cream marble and pale wood. It is evening, (a few months before the onset of the global pandemic), the sky black beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, a balcony door propped open so that Tisci can smoke without setting off the fire alarm. I’ve been asked if I mind about the smoking – I don’t – and given a blanket to stop my knees getting chilly. Tisci, 46, is wearing matching grey Carhartt WIP tracksuit bottoms and top. “It is very strange for me to have so many colours,” he says, and there is indeed a tiny flash of yellow amid the soft grey. He normally wears black jeans, a T-shirt (usually black, but sometimes white or grey) and trainers. This was the look that he assumed when he arrived in London from Como, aged 17, penniless and barely able to speak English. “People who have known me for a long time are taking the p*** out of me, because they are, like, ‘My God, he is never going to change,’ ” Tisci says, laughing. But this is an unfair observation. His life has involved huge personal transformation, which has indeed been reflected in his clothes, just not always the ones he wears. Riccardo was Elmerinda and Francesco Tisci’s ninth child, his father’s longed-for boy. “Unluckily, four years after I was born, he went away,” he says. It is interesting that Tisci uses this language to describe his father’s death, because this is what his mother told him, to try to protect her son from the pain of what had really happened. “She always told me that Dad was coming back. I found out later when I went to school. The kids were, like, ‘I think your father is never going to come back.’ ” The family struggled, financially and emotionally. Tisci remembers that he and his sisters used to sleep together on a mattress on the floor; he remembers wearing hand-me-downs, his mother stitching down a flared shoulder on a 47

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girl’s jumper for him; he remembers being sent to stay with aunts in the south of Italy when there wasn’t enough money to feed him and starting working aged eight, just as his sisters worked, so they could contribute to the bills. He doesn’t remember his father, who sold fruit, “not even one second”. The only memory he has is of the domed chocolates with a delicate sponge filling that Francesco used to bring back from trips to Switzerland to buy gasoline. Yet it is a childhood that Tisci remembers with huge fondness and gratitude. “My family always filled me with love. My mum always made us laugh and smile. She said, ‘Never judge anybody, we are all the same.’ Every Sunday we would go to church. We were the poor ones, but my mum was, like, ‘It doesn’t matter if people are going to look at you or laugh at you, we are together.’ So we used to be the first ones to arrive, looking like a mess, sitting in front. She used to be so proud.” Tisci didn’t dream of being an internationally fêted fashion designer. He hoped only that one day he might be able to earn enough money to help his family. He was shy and introverted, happiest gardening with his mother, drawing or making collages from the fashion magazines that his sisters brought home from the hairdressing salon where they worked. He didn’t like talking to people he didn’t know, and as he grew older (and taller than any of his siblings or classmates, which put an end to any bullying) he became obsessed with performers such as Nina Hagen and David Bowie. “People who wore masks. I was trying to find my mask.” He began to understand that the clothes he wore, the image he projected, could be his protection. He grew his hair long, dressed in black and wore platform shoes. “I was the only goth in town. On the bus to school everyone would literally move away from me.” But he made friends at art college, where he went aged 15, and in the nightclubs where he was paid to dance. After a wild three-day trip to London with a friend, he decided to move to the UK, to try to build a different life for himself, away from the struggles and small-mindedness of smalltown Italy at that time. He spent a summer making money for the move, taking the midnight shift cleaning floors 48

in a canning factory and a job as an assistant at an undertaker’s. “My mum was so sad, but she was so happy for me, because she could see that I was going to try to change my life.” The easy anarchy of London in the late Eighties and early Nineties suited Tisci; it was a whirl of bedsits and nightclubs, dawn raves and multiple menial jobs. Tisci’s nostalgia for the wild energy of this time was one of the reasons that he was excited to accept the role at Burberry. He wanted to return to the city that had played such a pivotal role in his life, a place that he equates with “freedom, eccentricity, elegance, royalty, punk. Britain is the only country in the world where you have the Queen and you have the skinhead, where you have the rebellion and you have the establishment.” Even now, almost two years into the job, living in a small rented flat in Mayfair, successfully merging his reckless romantic aesthetic with that of the historic British brand, he still gets goose-bumps every time his driver unexpectedly takes him past one of his old haunts. “Recently I passed the club that used to be Trade. Now it is a restaurant. The car stopped and I got tears in my eyes.” By his early twenties Tisci was working as a supervisor at Accessorize in Covent Garden during the week and as the manager of Monsoon in Richmond at the weekend, partying the rest of the time. “I was the happiest person in the world, I didn’t need anything more, I was young, having fun. I was calling my mum one time a week.” And then he saw an advert in The Big Issue for free courses at the London College of Fashion. There his work was soon spotted by Priyesh Shah, the business partner of the designer Antonio Berardi, who invited Tisci to work at their London studio as an assistant. “Antonio really opened the world to me of a lot of things like tailoring and sexiness and freedom.” He also encouraged Tisci to apply for a place at Central Saint Martins, for which he was awarded a scholarship. Tisci was bumped into the second year because his sketchbooks were so impressive. At first he was confused by the indifference of the tutors, but soon he found their hands-off approach

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My biggest goal was to give joy to my family, I didn’t expect my success

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liberating, because it enabled him to shed the constraints of his background, culture and religion. “Those two years made everything that was impossible possible in my head.” Tisci responded to the opportunity by working with the relentless intensity for which he is known, producing 25 sketchbooks when only two had been asked for, his confidence buoyed by good grades. Yet the mining of the self required by the work brought up all sorts of emotions and memories. “So then it came out: all my childhood, the missing of my father.” His sketchbooks were full of “darkness and romance”, gothic visions, broken dolls, urbanity and decadence. It was a very personal aesthetic, but one that resonated with a wider public and led, ultimately, to his job at Givenchy aged only 30. Tisci brought a slouchy, restless glamour to Givenchy, in shades of pale peach, muted rose and, of course, black. He remained at Givenchy for 13 years, increasing the brand’s revenue, its number of couture clients and its visibility through the endorsement of friends such as the Kardashians and Kanye West. So it was a surprise when he announced that he was stepping down without another job lined up. “People think that I took a sabbatical from Givenchy, but no, I took a sabbatical from life,” he explains. “I started work very young, and the biggest goal was to give joy to my family, I didn’t expect my success.” Furthermore, at Givenchy, he “always felt like I was under exam, so it was intense”. It was during one of the most intense times – fashion week – that he learnt that the husband of his sister Lucrezia had died “very young” of cancer. “I flew to Italy. At the funeral I was sitting on the first row with my mum. I looked at her hands and saw the 50

Burberry ‘to Ibewant exclusive, but also approachable for everyone ’ hands of this old lady. Then I saw my sisters’ kids and I realised that they were not kids any more, they were adults. I was, like, ‘OK, wait a second.’ It was a dream, I am very blessed, but I cannot miss this time. After the funeral I went back to Paris and told them that I was leaving.” Tisci spent the next 18 months taking his mother on dream holidays and relaxing in his home in Paris. “Going to the gym maybe two hours a day, reading, going to a museum, things that had been impossible for me. That was luxury.” And then the call came from Marco Gobbetti, the man who had hired Tisci at Givenchy and “the man that took the place of a father for me”. Gobetti had been the chief executive of Burberry since 2017 and knew precisely who he wanted when Christopher Bailey stood down. “Riccardo has a very strong creative instinct,” Gobbetti says. “He continually strives to push boundaries, to explore the open spaces of what’s possible.” Burberry was founded in 1856 by Thomas Burberry, a 21-year-old gentleman’s outfitter from Basingstoke who went on to invent gabardine, a lightweight fabric that would protect people from the soggy English climate. Polar explorers and hot-air balloonists wore his designs and in 1912 the iconic trench coat was designed to keep British officers dry during the First World War. It is a brand with an incredible heritage and history,

one that resonates with Britishness, but also one that has inventiveness and innovation stitched into its story. Bailey, during his 17 years there, steered the company to its mega-brand status and it is the only British highfashion company on the FTSE 100. “Thomas Burberry was a genius and a very daring man, but today the world is different, there is a lot of energy changing,” Tisci says. “I want Burberry to be recognised as a global luxury house.” A new focus has been placed on accessories, with bags including the TB and the Lola, a nifty little creation that comes in multiple iterations from punky to urban to self-consciously twee in tweed. The spirit of Vivienne Westwood and her revisionist take on Britishness is in evidence, and one of Tisci’s first moves was to announce a Burberry collaboration with Westwood in 2018, a capsule collection that went heavy on the classic Burberry check, but reimagined in various subversive ways. “I want Burberry to be exclusive, but also approachable for everyone, so you have the classic and the more urban, things for everybody.” Keeping innovation at the heart of the brand, Tisci has introduced a “monthly drop” – regular launches of limited-edition pieces on its social media feeds. It is a transformation, but a subtle one, wrought by a designer who has a special affinity for the sort of Britishness that Burberry represents, and who understands the bravery and the work that transformation requires. I ask how he is different today from the boy who arrived in London all those years ago. “I can talk to you now, I couldn’t then,” he says. “For a long time I couldn’t talk about my father, or about who I was, without being scared of being judged. Now I can be proud of who I am.”

Credit Gavvandra Hodge / The Times Luxx Magazine /News Licensing

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Robert Doisneau made his name shooting the social elite of Paris for Vogue. But while he considered it no more than a job, it was capturing the people on the streets he grew up on that proved his passion WORDS : JOHN THATCHER

Opening pages, from left: Portrait of Robert Doisneau from1992; Waltzing Kiss, 1950. © Atelier Robert Doisneau, from Robert Doisneau: The Vogue Years (Flammarion 2017) Opposite: Brigitte Bardot in white dress by Jacques Fath, 1950. © Atelier Robert Doisneau, from Robert Doisneau: The Vogue Years (Flammarion 2017)

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et me tell you a story from the book, which I relate to personally,” says Francine Deroudille, daughter of the late Robert Doisneau, one of the twentieth century’s finest photographers whose celebrated work is bound within the pages of Robert Doisneau: The Vogue Years. “In the photo on page 60, in the chapter about Lyon in 1950, two of the city’s art critics are surrounded by artists in one of their studios. Edmonde Charles Roux – Vogue’s editor and my father’s friend, partner-in-crime, and frequent collaborator – wanted to feature the critics in a long article devoted to the city, to highlight the intellectual and artistic vigour of Lyon in those days. “At the time of the photo shoot, I was three years old. Twenty years later, I became friends with a young architect from Lyon who came to study and live in Paris. I told my parents about him, and when my father heard his last name he went to his workshop to retrieve a print of the photograph on page 60 and said, ‘Give this photo to your friend, maybe he’ll recognise someone.’ The art critic René Deroudille, whom my father had photographed twenty years earlier in Lyon, was in fact the father of the man who would become my husband a few months later, and who was seven years old when the photograph was taken.” It is just one of many stories attached to the photographs in the book, which span Doisneau’s time shooting for Vogue but depict the distinctively humanist approach to his work. As such, as well as serving as a chronicle of Paris’ café society, its couture, costume balls and people like Brigitte Bardot, Picasso and

Jean Cocteau, the book also captures humble craftsman at work, a petulant child impatient for cake, and a fisherman showing off his catch. “He loved people,” says Francine. “He liked to photograph those who are never photographed. He found treasures in the tiny moments of everyday life, moments to which we do not pay attention, as they seem so ordinary even as they encapsulate life itself. Extraordinary events interested him little, what fascinated him was hidden in the banal. What interested him, what he loved, I think, is life itself.” Robert Doisneau was born in 1912, in Gentilly, a working-class southern suburb of Paris, the streets of which would prove an enduring muse. He studied at the city’s École Estienne, where he learned of the publishing business before training as a graphic designer, later joining an advertising agency to design labels for pharmaceutical products. Before long, however, he followed the trend of others in the advertising agency, abandoning design work in favour of photography. It was In 1931, while working as assistant to the advertising photographer André Vigneau (and subsequently as an industrial photographer for the Renault car company), that, “his real photographic journey began,” says Francine. “But, more importantly, that is where his political consciousness awoke.” It was the age of France’s Popular Front, an alliance of left-wing movements. In 1939, just after Doisneau had been fired from Renault for his “recurrent tardiness”, the declaration of war brought a brutal halt to his fledgling beginnings as a freelance photographer.

It’s widely claimed that during the war years Doisneau served as member of the French Resistance, as both soldier and photographer, having been disqualified from official military service at the start of the war due to a lung disease. However, his role with the Resistance was one he never confirmed nor celebrated. “He began to forge papers for Jews in 1941, and continued this activity until the Liberation,” believes Francine. “His cohorts at the time were among his dearest friends, though I never heard him – nor any of his friends – mention those dark years or their actions, which were actually quite heroic. He hated the ‘veteran’ spirit. After the war he resolutely returned to life and wished neither to brag about his actions for the Resistance, nor to rehash his memories of those years which had been nothing but utter misfortune.” The post-war years saw Doisneau establish himself as a reputed photographer, becoming a member of the Rapho agency and working frequently for the photographic press of that time, building a body of work and essential connections that brought international recognition – in 1948, his work was shown in the United States, both in a solo exhibition and alongside the major photographers of the time – and a lucrative contract with Condé Nast, publisher of Vogue. “The Condé Nast contract was quite prestigious and allowed him to make a very good living,” says Francine. “In addition, it gave him the enormous advantage of opening every door for him. And while haute couture did not interest him at all, he was, nevertheless, very happy to record the cultural life in Paris while it flourished

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He liked to photograph those who are never photographed. He found treasures in the tiny moments of everyday life, moments to which we do not pay attention

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during the reconstruction years. He met all the artists of the time. The big social balls he photographed also allowed him to gain insight into a world that was completely foreign to him and to which few people had access. And from a sociological point of view, it was fascinating.” But as Francine points out, the world Doisneau photographed was not one he wished to be part of. “At night, Robert Giraud took him to cafés where he met a radically different population. Giraud introduced him to characters living completely on the margins of society and who he loved to photograph. But this double life could not last long.” In 1952, Doisneau decided not to renew his contract with Vogue. “Making a good living was not enough reason for my father to accept losing an ounce of his freedom. He no longer wanted to spend most of his day in a world he did not want to identify with.” Doisneau would, however, continue to take commissions from his friend Edmonde Charles Rouz, Vogue’s editor, contributing shots to the magazine until 1965. “I think it was the huge dichotomy between his photographs for this luxurious press outfit and the work he did for leftist publications such as Action, Regards, or, later on, La Vie Ouvrière, which makes his photographic archive so interesting, as it crosses all milieus and encompasses an entire era,” says Francine. Does Francine think her father set out to be distinctive in his style of photography, or was he simply following his interests? “He worked mainly on commission but said openly at the end of his life that what was considered ‘his oeuvre’ had been taken while ‘stealing time from his employers’. He made a living by taking commissions from publishers, the press, and advertisers, but he maintained a sort of rebellious independence. He was free. He worked with exemplary rigor but without a hint of seriousness. His photographic 56

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The big social balls he photographed allowed him to gain insight into a world that was completely foreign to him. From a sociological point of view, it was fascinating

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style was, more than anything else, about making people forget about style. He did not want the emotion to get lost by putting too much emphasis on the composition. The substance had to remain essential in his images.” His most famous image is arguably that of a couple kissing on the street in Paris. Entitled Le Baiser de L’hôtel de Ville, (Kiss By The Town Hall), it’s an image with a fascinating story. “In 1950, my father took a series of ‘on the sly’ photographs of lovers in Paris, which Rapho proposed to Life magazine. It aroused immediate interest, but Life wanted a broader selection of photographs and a guarantee that they could be published, which required the consent of the people in the photograph. So, my father had a number of friends recreate the scenes in silhouette and he also called upon some young acting students from Cours Simon – Jacques Carteaud and his then-girlfriend Françoise Bornet – who were paid for participating. “It was published in Life with several others on a double page, entitled: ‘In Paris, young lovers kiss wherever they want to and nobody seems to care’. The whole article garnered a lot of attention, but this particular image wasn’t remarked on any more than the others, and moreover, it had been reproduced in small format.” Thirty years passed before, in 1985, a young stationery editor, Victor Francès, asked for the rights to

produce it as a poster. “Its success”, says Francine, was “Astounding.” “Counterfeits circulated in Germany, England, Japan; the plagiarisms multiplied, and my father, who didn’t particularly care for this photograph, laughingly called it his Angélus de Millet. “The agency received countless letters from couples who said they recognised it as a photograph of themselves; each recounting a story more romantic than the last. My father, amused by these multiple identifications, did not want to completely burst their dreamy bubbles. “In 1992, following publication on the cover of Télérama on Valentine’s Day, a woman was identified as the true model. The air of romance then gave way to that of a legal proceeding. Two lawsuits were brought simultaneously for unauthorised use of another’s image. The ex-student from the Cours Simon, who recognised herself at last, lost her case on appeal. Another couple, who were quickly disproven, as it was impossible for them to have been featured in the photograph, still pursued the case through to the end before admitting their error. It therefore took a few more years before this image rightfully regained its happy status that it should never have lost.” Doisneau died in 1994, his lifetime’s work winning him many industry accolades. None, though, meant more to him than the ordinary people he captured on the streets of Paris. “Honours, decorations were not terribly important to him,” reveals Francine. “On the other hand, pinned to a cork above his desk, he kept a note that a saleswoman from a department store had slipped to him while he was signing books in her department. It read: ‘Monsieur Doisneau makes your life more beautiful.’ “Nothing could make him happier than such a ‘decoration!’” Robert Doisneau: The Vogue Years is out now, published by Flammarion and distributed by Rizzoli New York

Motoring AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020: ISSUE 108

Fully Charged Automobili Pininfarina is bringing the track to the road with its fleet of revolutionary battery-powered cars

WORDS: NICK WATKINS

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he electric car sector continues to expand, with almost all the major automotive brands adding eco cars to their fleet in recent years. Initial concerns about battery charge, speed, dynamics and handling caused many motorists to brush off the thought of ever owning a fully electric car, let alone be in the market for a luxury electric hyper car. However, as with anything in life, as the quality and performance of electric motoring has improved, so to has people’s interest. Italian car designer Pininfarina, famous for creating and styling some of the world’s best motors, began Automobili Pininfarina with the aim to create all-electric sports and luxury vehicles of, ‘unmatched performance and unprecedented heritage.’ The result is fully electric road-legal hyper vehicles that rival the speed, power and precision of Formula 1 cars, making them eco vehicles like no other. The history of battery-powered motoring is an interesting one. In the early 19th century eco cars were surprisingly popular, so much so that by 1900 battery-powered cars accounted for a third of all vehicles on

the road. That was until the creation of the Ford Model T, which offered motorists affordability and accessibility like never before. By the 1930s oil prices had dropped, combustion engine cars were all the rage and thus demand for electric vehicles plummeted. Fast-forward to today and the electric car market is once again on the rise, with car brands such as Tesla, Toyota and Nissan making significant sales of their respective offerings. 2019 saw around 2.2 million plug-in car sales globally, accounting for a market share of 2.5% (or one in 40 car sales). Those figures are slightly up on the 2 million sales in 2018, which was the same year Automobili Pininfarina entered the eco car fray. Pininfarina has been around since 1930, working with the likes of Ferrari, Alfa Romeo and Maserati to design some of the world’s most iconic cars, including the Ferrari F50 and Maserati GranTurismo. The company is the brainchild of the late car designer Battista ‘Pinin’ Farina, known as the ‘Picasso of the automobile world’. It was in March 2019 when the world first got to witness the manifestation of his dream when

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the revolutionary Battista model was unveiled. Incredibly, the vehicle produces twice as much power as a Formula 1 car, thanks largely to the technology used in the revolutionary, all-electric Formula E vehicles. The Battista combines extreme performance with zero emissions, with each wheel driven by its own electric battery and motor. You’d be forgiven for thinking an electric hyper car would use all its battery life in a single journey, given the power being generated, which would effectively make the car useful only in drag races or trips to the grocery store. Thankfully, the skilled Automobili Pininfarina developers managed to design the vehicle with batteries fit for up to 500 kilometres on a single charge. What’s equally impressive is the battery takes just 25 minutes to go from 25% to 80% full. For comparison, an iPhone 11 takes around an hour to reach 80% of its charge. Like the inner workings, the chassis is also made for the future. The fully carbon fibre exterior is ten times stronger than steel, yet five times lighter. Inside there’s a very minimalist feel, with just a few buttons and three small screens displaying figures for driving mode, navigation and speed. The interior is high-quality leather and can be fully customised to a buyer’s liking – a clever way of enticing prospective buyers to sign on the dotted line. The latest string to Automobili Pininfarina’s bow was revealed in March this year – the Battista Anniversario – the most powerful road-legal Italian car ever to be produced. A thing of pure beauty, and a collector’s dream, the car is the world’s first luxury pureelectric hyper GT. The vehicle reaches a mind-blowing top speed of 350 km/h. It also does 0-100km/h in less than two seconds, an incredible feat for a road-legal car. Acceleration like that is usually only seen on the track. What’s more, it reaches 299 km/h in just 12 seconds, which is quicker than the McLaren Speedtail Hyper-GT. Making it even more desirable is the fact that production of the Battista Anniversario is limited to just five cars, each with a price tag of 2.6million euros. Each of the five cars is finished in three colours – bianco sestriere, grigio antonelliano and iconica blu. It takes the team three weeks to hand paint each 60

car, using a layer-by-layer process. The cars are disassembled after each coat is applied so that pinstripes in the three colours can be added. In total, each vehicle is taken apart and reassembled three times during the process. On the inside the cars are trimmed in black leather, including the steering wheel. Automobili Pininfarina headquarters are situated in Germany, with offices

All images: Automobili Pininfarina Battista Anniverario

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The result is fully electric road-legal hyper vehicles that rival the speed, power and precision of Formula 1 cars

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in Italy, but the team of technicians and designers hail from 13 countries around the world and includes professional motorsport driver Nick Heidfeld, who joined as the team’s development driver, testing the vehicles on both the road and circuit. One unique challenge the Automobili Pininfarina design team faced is the sound. Supercar buyers love to hear the sound of their engine, and with a battery powered hyper car you don’t get that. In fact, you hardly get any sound at all, despite the top speeds of the cars. The solution? Fake sounds – artificial noise has been incorporated to match the car’s fierce personality. While the vehicles themselves are quiet, those talking about them certainly are not. The noise levels around Automobili Pininfarina have hit an all-time high.

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Gastronomy

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 : ISSUE

‘I am hopeful for the future of fine dining but it will be tough’ El Bulli’s Ferran Adrià on innovation, economics, and why a fried egg isn’t what it seems

very year, at the end of the season, a team of chefs from el Bulli would leave their kitchen in the hills above the bay at Cala Montjoi in Catalonia and repair to Barcelona for six months of intensive research and development at el Bulli Taller, the restaurant’s state-of-theart ‘laboratory’. Since Spain entered lockdown in March, the Taller, located in an old townhouse off La Rambla, has been the temporary home of chef Ferran Adrià and his wife Isabel who have moved in for the confinement. “I wake up at 4.30am every day and work straight through until nine at night,” says Adrià via Skype. “I’ve been working through my foundation [el Bulli Foundation] to find ways to help our sector and I have also been studying economics. Now more than ever, the restaurant industry is about economics, more so than any debate about the cuisine itself. In one year’s time we can go back to debating whether you prefer traditional or more modern,

formal or more informal dining, but today it’s only about economics.” Adrià – artist, maverick, mad scientist – recast as number-cruncher, might surprise those who know the chef only from height of el Bullimania between 2003 and 2011, when the €350-a-head, three-Michelinstar restaurant topped the World’s 50 Best list five times in total. Adrià’s ‘molecular gastronomy’ – or ‘techno-emotional cuisine’ as he would have it – brought us foams, spherification, savoury ice creams, deconstructed tortillas and thirtycourse tasting menus. It brought him global fame, even an appearance on The Simpsons, but the restaurant itself famously operated at a loss (revenue coming from book sales, lecture fees, partnerships). Adrià called time on el Bulli as a restaurant in 2011. “I had reached my limit,” he said at the time. “When we closed the restaurant, the first thing I wanted to ask myself was who am I in professional terms?” he recalls. “I am a cook, devoted to

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innovative cooking. To be able to innovate, you have to know about management. If you don’t know about management, you will fail. So I began to pull on that thread so to speak.” The el Bulli name is now carried by the el Bulli Foundation, a far-reaching multi-platform organisation built with the aim of promoting industrywide creativity and innovation and preserving the el Bulli legacy. One component of it, el Bulli 1846, an exhibition lab and think tank (‘1846’ refers to the number of dishes Adrià invented and is, coincidentally, the year of Escoffier’s birth) opened this summer in the former restaurant space in Cala Montjoi. Speaking about the industry, the economy, Adrià is clear, forthright, direct. It’s when our conversation turns to the subject of cooking that he gets animated, his eyes widening with intensity, his hands gesticulating to fill my computer screen. Even after four decades, his fervour is undiminished. He’s still asking questions, chief among them, What is Cooking?’ the answer(s) to which he explores in granular detail across 464 pages in his latest book, a heavyweight £100 tome published by Phaidon and out now. Why What is Cooking?, I wonder, and why now? The very question provokes an impassioned discourse that takes in everything from gastronomy in 18th century Paris, to the origins of the tomato, nouvelle cuisine in the 1600s and the recipe as an algorithm. “It surprises me when people are surprised that cooks want to understand what cooking is,” he proclaims. “The most incredible thing of all is that there was no book anywhere in the world that answered this question that I was aware of. Are you aware of any? And the most incredible thing is that cooking schools don’t have this sort of reference work. I had no books about the theory of cooking to read. The first book about the creative process in a restaurant was written by us in 1997 [Los Secretos de El Bulli].” “Let me ask you. What section of the magazine will this interview be published in? Not culture? As you know there is an ongoing debate about whether or not cooking is culture.” 64

Opening pages and left: Portraits of Ferran Adrià, by Juanjo Everman These pages, clockwise from above: Front cover and inside pages from What is Cooking?

For Adrià, it’s the “first culture”. “Humankind began two and a half million years ago because homo habilis took a stone and turned it into a knife with which to cut flesh. The only activity that we’ve been doing in an ongoing way for the past two and a half million years aside from basic things like breathing and walking is cooking. So how can it not be included in culture?” What is Cooking?, illustrated with

Adrià’s own notes and diagrams, situates cooking within culture, exploring its origins, its evolution, the work of the kitchen, the business of restaurants and the history of finedining. “There are no opinions in this book,” he insists. “Just information.” I’ve prepared questions for the interview; I should have prepared answers. Adrià fires a barrage of questions, some rhetorical, some trick, some I don’t know. “Is a tomato

in the refrigerator still alive?” “Is wine a beverage?” “Is cooking art?” (Answers: yes, sometimes, it’s complicated. On wine: “Wine can be a beverage. Wine is a use that we make of an elaboration made of grapes. Twenty per cent of wine produced is not for drinking, it’s for cooking or vinegar or to make grappa.”). “If we don’t believe that knowledge like this is important then frankly I don’t understand a thing.” Interrogating the act of cooking itself, he asks: “When we open an oyster does that qualify as cooking? Arranging the very best strawberries in a lovely arrangement in a bowl of ice at a €500 per person kaiseki restaurant, is that cooking? If you take a precooked pizza and put it in the oven, is that cooking?” “To make a dry martini, would you say that’s cooking?” No. “What if Ferran Adrià makes the dry martini?” Still no. He raises an eyebrow. “But I’m a chef aren’t I? I cook. It is cooking. It’s what we call a specialisation.” “A caipirinha drunk at eight in the morning, would that be a cocktail? If you had it for breakfast?” Yes?

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Now is the time to train, now is the time to acquire knowledge

’

“No. Because what defines a cocktail is when you drink it, the time schedule.” I can’t get anything right. “Please no offence at these questions. I just want you to understand the importance of the book,” he insists. And I think I do. He’s just asking us to pay closer attention. When he tells me that fried eggs, “fried the Spanish way with good olive oil, one of the greatest things there are to eat” are “liquid raviolis” I laugh. But having fried eggs since, I’m not sure the comparison’s so very far-fetched. “I have always questioned things. I’ve always questioned the status quo,” he says. His book urges us to do the same. “Now is the time to train, now is the time to acquire knowledge.” Drawing him back to the subject of the times, I ask Adrià how he sees the future of fine dining. “I am hopeful

but it will be very tough, he says. “Above all, no one knows the future. We can analyse the past. The so-called Spanish flu epidemic in 1918, the First World War, the Second World War, the Spanish Civil War, crises at the same level as the one we are living through now or worse. The restaurant industry always reactivated. Look at the Roaring Twenties for example. That was a very fast response to World War One and the flu epidemic of 1918.” Does he think, hypothetically, there would be space for a cutting-edge, creative restaurant such as el Bulli in a world transformed by Covid-19? “Of course. The world evolves through innovation. It’s mandatory. It’s an obligation that we have places that innovate. It’s an obligation that we have places that take risks, that blaze new trails, but there can only be maybe five places like el Bulli in the entire world, no more. For them, it’s not a business but a way of life.” What is Cooking by Ferran Adrià and the el Bulli Foundation is published by Phaidon 65

Amanzoe Porto Heli, Greece

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JOURNEYS BY JET

Travel AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020:ISSUE 108

eclusion doesn’t come any more stylish than this. Spanning an entire hilltop – a vantage point bestowing sweeping views of the Aegean Sea and the Peloponnese – Amanzoe is a collection of recently opened (back in June) Pavilions, Beach Cabanas and Villas designed to meld with the spectacular landscape. Surrounded by olive groves, each of the one-to-nine-bedroom Villas (served by a dedicated chef and host) features an open terrace with sand-coloured marble floors, traditional dry stone-clad walls and concrete columns and cornices. But it’s the grandest of them that’s our go-to for unrivalled privacy, space and service. With a private spa, six pools and a multitude of dining spaces, including two outside barbecue areas and a typical Greek taverna under the olive trees, Villa 20 is the ultimate private retreat – even accounting for the 18 members of staff solely dedicated to this one abode. That’s one per guest. Those 18 guests are housed in six Suites and three Luxury Studio bedrooms, all opening onto private terraces and some featuring plunge pools. In all, Villa 20, which is spread over six levels, occupies four acres. Large scale sculptures are creatively placed throughout the property, and the owners’ selection of art, books from their personal library, and artefacts gathered over their years of travel, creates the mood of a private home. This is a home built to spend time in, whether working remotely (the villa’s fifth level is a livingmeeting room, ideal for business meetings), or working out (a private spa and gym in the villa covers 650m2 and offers a wide range of facilities, including treatment rooms, sauna, steam room, water massage bed, whirlpool, 15-metre indoor pool, cold plunge pool, and an outdoor yoga pavilion). There’s also a games room, tending to younger members of the family. Should one grow too familiar with such splendour, an escape to the beach awaits: Guests of Villa 20 also enjoy access to a dedicated Beach Cabana at the Amanzoe Beach Club, ensuring maximum privacy and comfort. The one-bedroom Cabana has a private terrace and plunge pool, with direct access to the sea just 30 metres away. Fly into Athens International Airport, from where Amanzoe is a 2.5-hour drive or a short helicopter flight away. 67

What I Know Now

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AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020:ISSUE 108

Aurélie Picaud DIRECTOR OF TIMEPIECES AT FABERGÉ

The best piece of advice I’ve ever received is that you don’t have to forget your values to succeed. It may take more time to get where you want to but keep your target in mind and be patient.

inspired, and think of the next steps in our upcoming timepiece projects.

I first felt successful when Fabergé won the GPHG Award for our compliquée peacock timepiece in 2015. It was a collective effort and a huge moment for the Fabergé team, our suppliers, and all the people who made the challenge of creating and developing a new timepiece (incuding a new mechanical, exclusive movement) in 18 months, possible.

Outside of work I’m inspired by women such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Marie Colvin, Sofia Coppola, and many others. I’m motivated by women who are strong and determined.

I make sure to walk and meditate each day. it allows me to get my negative energy out, develop clear ideas, get

If I could tell my younger self anything it would be to be patient, remain strong, persistent, believe in yourself

A lesson I learned the hard way was to find the right work/life balance.

My definition of personal success is to reach your targets, whatever they are, while remaining your true self.

and don’t pay too much attention to what other people might say and think. You will find that there will always be people who will judge you and your actions in a negative way, but the key to dealing with it is to simply follow your instinct: trust yourself. One thing I’m very proud of in my career so far is being able to contribute to the ever-growing reputation of our timepieces department at Fabergé. I’m equally proud of our workshop in Geneva, where clients can come to discover how their timepieces are made and where they can meet the watchmakers and workmasters who devote their skills to creating the pieces.

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