EDITOR’S LETTER

It has been a gloomy period during covid times, yet there is light at the end of the tunnel and perhaps even some positive spins have come from it, which we explore in our covid feature. One of the changes is that the world is becoming more digitalised, which is scary but also perhaps progressive, our special feature on AI digs deep into the topic. Staycations have globally been on the rise, which for me personally has meant I have had an increased appreciation of my home country and neighbouring countries to boot. One of the places I discovered last year was Northern Ireland, and to date it is one of my most memorable trips, for the reasons I tell you in my travel feature, another trend has been escapes to the countryside and our feature navigating the best finds in the quaint Cotswold region is documented within. Travel internationally is already, thankfully, easier and so we can start to look to broaden our holiday horizons, both our Doha destination article and South Africa foodie feature will whet your appetite. My Mauritius feature is a nostalgic look at one of my best trips shortly before lockdown, one which I recalled with joy many times when confined to England. We have discovered ways to preserve food when things were tough and shortages were a reality for some, our food preservation piece will give you ways to use your food sensibly and sustainably in everyday cooking. The Baltics is a region where eating seasonally and preserving vitamin packed ingredients from summer to winter is standard, read my article detailing some of the ‘must eats’ when visiting. Talking of sustainability, our vintage clothes feature, highlights how reviving clothes is on trend. We have all become more health conscious and biohacking or making the best of your health and looking at a diverse range of treatments from ‘natural’ to ‘alternatives’ are discussed in the health feature. Some things didn’t change however and a spritz of perfume still perked us up even when things seemed doomed, our perfume feature looks at the power of perfume from business to personal use. We all watched Netflix a lot more and one of the most popular series was Emily in Paris, which Patricia Field, whom we have a profile feature on within, being the lady behind the wonderous wardrobe of the main protagonist – which the series is most noted for. A tribute to fashion designer Virgil Abloh, who sadly passed last year celebrates a fashion icon worth talking about. Art takes many forms and sculpture is one of them, arguably one of the most internationally acclaimed sculptors is Antony Gormley whom you can read about within. Things at Fifth Chukker didn’t halt, you can keep up to date by reading the Last Season at Fifth Chukker pages. Last but certainly not least, we delve into how the game of basketball has improved lives and economies, particularly in the continent of Africa with our special feature reported from Senegal and an exclusive interview with a pioneer and the man who has graced this editions’ cover – Amadou Gallo Fall.

“Staycations have globally been on the rise, which for me personally has meant I have had an increased appreciation of my home country”

Editor - YASEMEN KANER-WHITE Editorial Team - FRANCESCO FIORILLA, YUSUF SAAB, BILLY ZACS, FRANCISCA MILLWARD Contributors - YASEMEN KANER-WHITE, BEN WEST, JOE BARTLETT, LILBY SKAZ, DAVID NICHOLSON, LISA GERALD-SHARP, ANJI CONNELL, FRANCISCA MILLWARD, LYNN CARRAT, ADAM TAYLOR, ALICE BEVER

Photography - Contributors credited Design - TONI BARRINGTON, THE MAGAZINE PRODUCTION COMPANY www.magazineproduction.com YASEMEN KANER-WHITE Editor yasemen@parmuto.com