Hot Right Now

SHROOM WITH A VIEW

Athleisure brand lululemon recently announced that they plan to launch a vegan leather goods line, made with Mylo, a mushroom-based (yes, really!) material. Made from mycelium, the underground fibers of mushrooms and other fungi, this crueltyfree alternative to leather rivals the look and feel of the real stuff . But, it also emits fewer greenhouse gases, while using less water and land required in traditional livestock farming. It’s no secret that we’re heading towards a vegan future, and that means changing more than just our diets; switching to animal-free materials is just another essential step to reducing our carbon footprint! The three-item collection, which includes a yoga mat and two bags, will launch in early 2022.

lululemon.com.hk

DINE & DASH

It’s been a hard couple of years for everyone, but Hong Kong’s F&B workers have been among the worst hit by the pandemic’s eff ects. F&B Run Club is a new initiative with a two-pronged eff ect: bring hospitality workers together to participate in shared, healthy lifestyles, and raise money for charity. Here’s how it works: industry workers can sign up to the Strava F&B Run Club group to start logging their miles, and receive notices about meet-ups and other updates. The more you run (or walk or hike, no judgment), the more money you raise for charity. To sweeten the pot, you can also snag awesome prizes, like dining experiences, vouchers, staycations, even a one-year membership to PURE. Anyone who’s part of the city’s F&B ecosystem is welcome to join, so get involved if that sounds like you!

fnbrunclub.com

BEACHY KEEN

Beach, please! Head up to the New Territories to check out Hong Kong’s newest sandy oasis: Tai Po’s Lung Mei Beach. Newly opened in June, the new gazetted beach has everything you need to enjoy a day of fun and sun, including changing rooms, shower facilities and toilets, not to mention some stunning surrounding mountain landscape. Make a day of it by renting bikes at nearby Tai Mei Tuk, one of the city’s most popular cycling trails.

168 Ting Kok Rd., Tai Po

RAISING THE BAR

Buh-bye, Blue Bar, and hello, Argo! The Four Seasons made the bold move of closing their iconic Blue Bar, and in its place is a brand new drinking den that we absolutely love - in no small part due to its mission of highlighting niche ingredients that may soon be threatened due to climate change in its debut cocktail menu. Titled “Here Today, Gone Tomorrow,” the menu highlights ingredients such as honey, cacao, vanilla, coff ee, rice and apple. For instance, their negroni is matured in a cocoa pod from a sustainable cocoa farm in Malaysia, lending it a deliciously chocolatey bitterness. Or try the Bark, Leaf & Love, a cognac-based cocktail that showcases honey from Argo’s very own hive in Mai Po, with locally sourced longnan shell, split cream and sandalwood. Masterful cocktails, supporting ethical supply chains and an absolutely gorgeous location? Sign us up!

Lobby, Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, 8 Finance St., Central, 3196-8888, fourseasons.com

GOING UP

High Neck, One-Piece Swimsuits

Bikini tyranny is over! Stores are now off ering swimsuits that you can actually swim in without them coming off , and we are so here for it!

Fencing Appreciation

Let’s hear it for Olympic gold medalist Edgar Cheung! Is fencing about to have a moment in Hong Kong?

Spider Season

The golden orb weavers are out along the hiking trails. We love to admire from a distance, but running face-first into a web? Not so much.

Quarantine Flip-Flopping

We feel nothing but sympathy for folks facing a three-week stint in Dubai aft er last month’s sudden quarantine reversal.