'W Hotel London: Resolving the Dualities of British Culture through Luxury', Schon #14

14

rick genest by matthew lyn & kay korsh

14

Andrej Pejic

by christos karantzolas

&

kyle anderson

STRIKE! Where to begin with our striking 14th issue? Our latest offering is like a lucky dip of treats, each prize as lovely as the last. We’re opening our issue with a double cover with two of the emerging heavyweights of the fashion industry: Andrej Pejic with “Allure”, and Rick Genest with “Undercover”. Shot by Christos Karantzolas and styled by Kyle Anderson, Andrej Pejic, Jean Paul Gaultier’s choice pick for his SS11 men’s show and ad campaign, shows us the right way to approach the theme of androgyny, taking it from a totally new angle and raising it to new heights, where he simply drips glamour and style, clutch handbag and all!

The enigmatic Canadian-based Rick Genest, who shot to fame for his remarkable full body tattoos of a human skeleton and decomposing flesh, shows us the attitude and charisma that has kept him firmly in fashion’s goodbooks. Shot by Matthew Lyn, and styled by our very own Fashion Editor Kay Korsh, he even gives us a peek at his true face under his signature tattoos, giving Schön! a very privileged exclusive!

Editor’s Letter

As you pass through the pages, you’ll join on us on our globe-trekking adventure, where we pick up the very best of international creative talent along the way – as always! Hye Jung Lee and Lina Zhang continue the theme of Allure with a sharp and edgy twist, showing us a new side to ‘Asian Girls’, as captured by our treasured Christos Karantzolas and styled by Elle’s Magazine very own senior accessory editor Kyle Anderson. Think glamour, steeped in patent leather and statement shades, and you’ll have the picture!

As we celebrate our recent print distribution to China we also speak with Hung Huang, hailed as ‘China’s Oprah Winfrey’, and gain an earnest insight into her truly inspiring upbringing in her home country and impressive rise to fame as a woman in a largely patriarchal society. We also skip over to Spain with beautiful actress Ivana Baquero, who talks to us about how she went from her school uniform to the big screen in a heartbeat, displaying her newfound prowess with lensman Sergi Pons.

Rick Genest

by Matthew Lyn and Kay Korsh

Andrej Pejic

by Christos Karantzolas and Kyle Anderson

Rick wears Coat / Rag & Bone

Andrej wears Jacket / Louis Vuitton Pin / Chanel

Now have you ever wondered who gets to create the amazing superhero costumes, or the haunting creatures that feature in all of your favourite blockbusters? We talk to Christian Beckman of Quantum Creation FX who is responsible for many of the ‘marvel’-ous makeup effects and costumes that make cinema seem so very real. Then, from bringing heroes and legends to life, we speak to a real life legend in photography, Oliviero Toscani, where we give to you the most candid interview of the iconic figure, which will certainly leave you with an impression of the well accomplished man.

Revelling in the gloriously vintage, Mary Pierce and Sebastien Mercier bring us straight back to the mid-20th century, rejoicing in the timeless class of a past era of fashion, shot by Anne Combaz and styled by the keen eye of Laurent Dombrowicz, who also works his magic in our gloriously dark ‘Better The Devil You Know’ feature. With his rugged beard and manly scowl, Mateus Verdelho is the epitome of masculinity in the aptly named ‘Draconic’, where Omar Macchiavelli captures the gentleman within from this fiercely handsome model. And there is so much more!

So join us in luxuriating in the international magnetism of this issue, and the thrill of uncovering the gems that we have in store. You may well find yourself love struck!

Raoul Keil, Editor-in-Chief

Special Thanks

CEO and Editor-in-Chief

Zohra Bakhsh

Assistant Editor-in-Chief

Kay Korsh

Fashion Editor

Writers

Saskia Reis Rebecca Chuks Lauren Cowley Charlotte Summers

Contributing Writers

Editors

Graphics & Layout Rebecca Hamersley Chloe Hwang Alexandra Walton Kaisa Kokko

Global Advertising

Alby Bailey alby@schonmagazine.com

Public Relations

Andrew Collins team@schonmagazine.com

Distribution Print Pineapple Media UK pineapplemediauk.com

Web Development Hara Mihailidou

team@schonmagazine.com

Kyle Anderson, Luis Munoz-Rodriguez ♥, Taylor Hendrich @ DNA, Wen-Hsin Yang, Kay Korsh, Matthew Lyn, Christos Karantzolas, Laurent Dombrowicz, Donnacha Gleeson, Colin Singer, Andrej Pejic, Hung Huan, Nina Ventura, Ann Harrison, Mariana Jungmann, Cleide Carina Cardoso, Gael @ Elite Barcelona, Ivana Baquero, The Team of Motif Managment, Barcelona, Alby Bailey, Caroline Barnes, Roger Erickson, Luis & Len, Hans Keil, Anette Grässler, Ria Thompson, Caroline Lindorp, Sally Richards, Karen Ainscow, Alyssa Monks, Oliviero Toscani, Terry Barber, Frederic Malle, Andreco, Felix Martinez, Naye Quiros, Christian Beckman, Dimitris Theocharis, Lynfa Jenkin, Nikki Tibbles

Raoul Keil

Andre Da Silva Danielle Dzumaga Emma Ruttle Giulia Cardoso Meghan Hutchens João Paulo Nunes Emma Ruttle cleide carina cardoso

General Contact

W

W Hotel London: Resolving the Dualities of British Culture through Luxury

by João Paulo Nunes In most hotels, the identity of the brand can usually be found in logos choicely displayed on patterns on worn-out carpets in cluttered lobbies, or on the stacks of stationery paper scribbled with numbers and doodles on bedroom desks. This is most definitely not the case of the W London. Surprising as it may seem, the character of the newest hospitality addition to London’s Leicester Square can be best witnessed in the gigantic images that occupy two of the walls in its gym, which is almost too stylish to be used.

On one wall, a muscular and half-naked male model wears a tartan kilt, while the opposite wall features a female model wearing only a pair of impeccably tailored pin-stripe trousers. The choice of images at the gym of the W London was undoubtedly carefully planned to portray the hotel’s profile: the attempt to resolve British cultural dualities, like tradition vs. contemporary innovation; staid decorum vs. explicit sensuality; and timid style vs. conspicuous luxury.

Described as an innovative, contemporary, design-led lifestyle hotel, the W London is one of dozens of W Hotels all over the world, which are part of the conglomerate Starwood

Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. It is virtually impossible to avoid the presence of the numerous W Hotels and Retreats that have mushroomed in cities and exotic destinations worldwide, particularly over the last decade.

Having started in 1998 with the W New York (on 49th Street and Lexington), the brand now comprises over 40 properties internationally, with plans to double its footprint by 2011, as announced in March 2011.

W Hotels are renowned for offering innovative design and architecture, and for celebrating the lifestyle of fashion, music and entertainment professionals that work hard and play hard. The hedonistic sensibility of the brand is made possible by integrating contemporary restaurant and retails concepts, nightlife experiences, and signature spas.

For years, the brand has been working with designers and architects including Gwathmey Siegel, Yabu Pushelberg and Clodagh.

Architecturally, W Hotels have been pushing boundaries, but not without controversy.

For example, the opening of the massive W Barcelona (designed by Ricardo Bofill) was mirred with criticism and rumours of

corruption regarding its building permission.

In London, the W Hotel in Leicester Square with its translucent glass façade, has attracted similar criticism by conservative architectural factions. It has been suggested that the volume and design of the hotel is not sympathetic with the architectural context and with the community life of neighbouring China Town and Soho. Nevertheless, the hotel has secured prestigious architectural and design accolades, including ‘Special Tribute to UK Country of Honour’ at the 2011 MIPIM Awards.

W London has been shortlisted in several categories at the 2011 European Hotel Design Awards and the World Architecture Festival Awards, whilst Jestico + Whiles, the architects behind the build, have been shortlisted for Hotel Architect of the Year.

Regardless of the awards and the controversy, the five-star W London is regarded by many as an enhancement to London’s Leicester Square. The W London, with its 192 bedrooms, retail and leisure spaces, and residential accommodation spread over 200,000 square feet, is the result of the work of James Dilley, an associate director at Jestico + Whiles.

Dilley conceived the hotel’s façade as a second skin of frameless glazing with an undulating, abstract pattern suspended from the face of the building. The design also allows for the façade of the building to function as a vast pixelated screen, intended to project dynamic light displays at night. The light intensity and colour saturation of the veil is supposed to change the presence of the building as day turns to night, but has been defective from the beginning. To maximise activity at street level, the lower floors of the building are occupied by shops, bars and restaurants, whilst the hotel entrance is located off Wardour Street.

Contrasting the rowdy environment that often typifies Leicester Square, once patrons of the W London enter the building, they are presented with a very different atmosphere. The interiors of the hotel, which have been designed by the Dutch company Concrete Architectural Associates, aim to offer guests an experience of London culture by combining the formal with the frivolous, from varied spheres of London life, into one idiosyncratic experience.

In a mix of traditional and contemporary materials, and comfortable and cutting-edge design, Concrete’s interiors illustrate the face of London pop and street cultures and attempt to resolve the dualities of British culture.

Guests make their entrance underneath a sculpture made of 280 disco balls surrounded by black glass walls. On the left side of the entrance, Concrete’s Spice Market restaurant mixes the ethnic vintage feel of Spice Market New York to the contemporary architecture of the new building. On the first floor, visitors are led through the reception atrium into the Wyld bar, which overlooks Leicester Square.

On the floors above, and spread across six levels, there are 165 standard-size rooms ingeniously decorated with enclosed bathroom areas behind mirrored doors to maximise space. In addition, there are nearly 30 suites, vast bathrooms, Jacuzzis with television, spacious dining areas, and gigantic rotating sofas in the entertainment room encapsulates the conspicuous luxury of the hotel.

“...the attempt to resolve British cultural dualities, like tradition vs. contemporary innovation, staid decorum vs. explicit sensuality, and timid style vs. conspicuous luxury.”

The decor of the bars and the rooms are marked by traditional British cultural elements such as the UK (‘Union Jack’) flag, Chesterfield sofas, gentlemen-club fireplaces, and displays of knick-knack plates that are reinterpreted to fit into a 21st century aesthetic. The sofas are clad in conventional pin-stripe patterns but with contemporary shapes, whilst the goldrimmed plates are emblazoned with punk imagery, illustrating the intention to revitalise tradition and genteel antique collecting habits by means of present-day images of luxury.

When asked about their occupancy rates, the management of the W London were proud to state that the opening of W London represented the fastest launch of any W in history, with 90% occupancy during the first month of operation.

The success of the build can also be measured in its wider achievements, where the hotel recently created the (W)riters’ Library, which

saw journalist Damian Barr invite ten of his favourite international writers to choose a personally significant book each, and inscribe in them a handwritten introduction. The books were then made available to guests and visitors of the hotel to borrow and read. Over the summer of 2011, W London also collaborated with choice artists to design bicycles, with the profits going towards the Elton John Foundation.

If the size, form and purpose of the W London were to be questioned in the context of London’s West End, the hotel could certainly improve its image by refurnishing itself as a hosting venue for cultural activities in the heart of the British capital. But by going beyond the belief that the value of its brand lies in engendering luxury into bedroom pillows, bar sofas, or on the walls of its gym, the W London would certainly be taking positive steps towards embracing Leicester Square’s residents and visitors, by offering new and enriching cultural experiences.

All interior images provided by Jestico & Whiles © Ewout Huibers Drawings © Jestico + Whiles Words / João Paulo Nunes

BR ANDS

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Andrej Pejic

by Christos Karantzolas and Kyle Anderson

Rick Genest

by Matthew Lyn and Kay Korsh

Andrej wears Louis Vuitton

Rick wears Shirt / Cheap Monday Shirt / Rag & Bone Trousers / John Galliano

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