JUMEIRAH OCT/NOV 2019 by Motivate Media Group

THE DESIGN ISSUE October - November 2019

M A G A Z I N E

C U R A T E D

B Y

CMY

Jumeirah Corporate Dubai Design District, Building 5, Floor 5 PO Box 73137, Dubai, UAE, Tel: +971 4 3665000, Fax: +971 4 366 5001. www.jumeirah.com Jumeirah is a trading name of Jumeirah International LLC. A Limited Liability company. Registration Number 57869. Share Capital Dhs 300,000 fully paid up.

M A G A Z I N E

Editor-in-Chief Obaid Humaid Al Tayer Managing Partner & Group Editor lan Fairservice Editorial Director Gina Johnson Senior Art Director Olga Petroff Contributing Editor Conor Purcell Art Director Clarkwin Cruz Senior Editorial Assistant Cecilia D’Souza Contributors James Brennan, Trang Minh General Manager – Production S Sunil Kumar Production Manager R Murali Krishnan Production Supervisor Venita Pinto Chief Commercial Officer Anthony Milne Publishing Director Carlos Pedroza Group Sales Manager Bindu Gupta Senior Sales Manager Neha Kannoth For Jumeirah Claire Henshaw

C U R A T E D

B Y

Head Office Media One Tower, Dubai Media City, PO Box 2331, Dubai UAE, Tel: +971 4 427 3000, motivate@motivate.ae Dubai Media City Office 508, 5th Floor, Building 8, Dubai, UAE, Tel: +971 4 390 3550, Fax: +971 4 390 4845. Abu Dhabi PO Box 43072, UAE, Tel: +971 2 657 3490, Fax: +971 2 657 3489, editor-wo@motivate.ae London Acre House, 11/15 William Road, London NW1 3ER, UK, motivateuk@motivate.ae

Jumeirah International LLC its affiliates, parent companies and subsidiaries (“Jumeirah Group”) and the publishers regret that they cannot accept liability for errors or omissions contained in this publication for whatever reason, however caused. The opinions and views contained in this publication are not necessarily those of Jumeirah Group or of the publishers. Readers are advised to solicit advice before acting on the information contained in this publication which is provided for general use and may not be appropriate for the readers’ particular circumstances. Jumeirah Group and the publishers take no responsibilty for the goods and services advertised. All materials are protected by copyright. All rights are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form (Including photocopying or storage in any medium by electronic means) without the written permission of the copyright owner, except as may be permitted by applicable laws.

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We craft watches not to meet expectations, but to surpass them. SeaQ Panorama Date Dive into the Original

Glashütte Original Boutique ”The Dubai Mall“ Financial Centre Street ⋅ 00971 04 3 39 87 62 ⋅ glashuetteoriginal.dm@rivoligroup.com

CONTENTS

The Edit We explore the must-see events in Jumeirah cities (page 12); A husband and wife team of design icons (page 14); Celebrate the Festive Season and New Year in luxurious style at Burj Al Arab Jumeirah (page 16); We spend 24 hours in Frankfurt, one of Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most dynamic cities (page 18); Exploring a restaurant and design shop with a difference in Dubai Design District (page 22); Chairs we love (page 25); Tracing the history of the lunar boot design (page 26); The rise and fall of the starchitect (page 30); A history of the world in ten iconic designs (page 44); A legendary fashion designer turns her hand to tableware (page 50); The engineering feats that transformed Dubai from a small fishing village to the city it is today (page 56)

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Elegance is an attitude Simon Baker

Available at Longines Boutiques: DUBAI: Al Ghurair Center 04 295 4518 • Dubai Mall 04 339 8528 Dubai Festival City 04 259 1596 • Mall of the Emirates 04 347 5736 Mirdif City Centre 04 284 3604 ABU DHABI: Marina Mall 02 681 3419 • The Galleria Al Maryah Island 02 650 7391 • And available at Rivoli stores across UAE. www.rivoligroup.com

The Longines Master Collection

CONTENTS

Index We pay a visit to a very special new addition at Jumeirah Vittaveli Maldives: a superyacht (page 64); Discovering the cutting-edge charm of Jumeirah Hotel Guangzhou (page 66); Twenty years on, and Jumeirah Emirates Towers is still a design classic. We take the tour (page 68); Explore one of Londonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most exclusive neighbourhoods (page 70); Last Shot: Jumeirah Dar Al Masyaf, Dubai (page 74).

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Film History at the Filmmuseum Covering two floors of Frankfurt’s only museum devoted to the history of the big screen, this exhibition features a variety of entry points to the history of cinema. Featuring interactive exhibits, original artefacts, and big screen projections showing clips from some of cinema’s greatest moments, this is an exhibition not to be missed. German Film Museum, Schaumainkai 41, Frankfurt August 7th to December 29th

We're Feeling Cultural highlights from Jumeirah cities

Eminem Michigan’s finest will be landing for his Gulf leg of a worldwide tour at Yas Island for what promises to be a spectacular show. Expect him to go through his range of hits, from Without Me and Stan to My Name Is and The Real Slim Shady. This is going to be packed, so if you do have a ticket, get there early. du Arena, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. October 25th

Pokémon Exhibition: Detective Pikachu Something for the kids with this Pokémon exhibition, in which characters from the film are brought to life. Expect a number of scenes from the recent hit Pikachu film as well as interactive displays and set replicas. Meet Lickitung, Bulbasaur, Psyduck,

Snorlax and all the other characters you probably don’t know (but your children sure do). A different, but fun, day out. Hongqiao Paradise Walk Shopping Center, Building A, L1, Shanghai Until October 8th

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Gauguin Portraits This is the first exhibition devoted to the portraits of the renowned French impressionist, and is most certainly worth the wait. Although he started off embracing impressionism, he eventually moved towards symbolism and this exhibition showcases his move into that very different style. Featuring more than fifty works, the exhibition includes paintings, works on paper, and three-dimensional objects in a variety of media, from public and private collections worldwide. A must visit for art fans and Gauguin fans in particular. National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London; October 7th to January 26th 2020

Bao Fest 2019 Legendary electronic music producer, Steve Aoki, will be dropping into Dubai for the return of this dance music festival. Expect lots of throbbing beats as well as a spectacular lights show. Tickets start at Dh230, rising to

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Dh1,250 for premium (which includes unlimited food and drinks). Aoki knows how to work a crowd and this should be a fun night. Meydan, Dubai October 4th

ICON

Charles and Ray Eames There are few more iconic names in the world of design than Charles and Ray Eames. Their Eames Lounge Chair is a stone cold design classic, and still as sought out today as it was when it was released in 1956 (it’s part of the permanent collection in the Museum of Modern Art in New York). This husband and wife team managed to translate their boundless enthusiasm for design into numerous iconic pieces of furniture. The common thread through their work was fun – there is a real sense of adventure with the pieces they created; pieces which also caught the public imagination. Charles first met Ray when she was his student in Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan. Charles eventually left his wife and married Ray and they moved to California where they opened their design firm in 1941. Both were believers in experimentation, with Charles once saying that his dream was “to have people working on useless projects, as these have the germ of new concepts.” And what new concepts they were. Take the Side Chair, designed on a commission for La Fonda Del Sol, a New York restaurant in 1961, – it was beautifully elegant, and functional too, with the lower backs ensuring diners were at the same height

as the table tops. Or the Eames Aluminium Group, a collection of stunning chairs that work as well in the home as in the office. First released in 1958, that these are still sold today says a lot about the design ethos the Eames’ brought to their work. Their work stretched into other areas too: witness their remarkable Case Study house, or their sevenscreen film presentation at the 1959 Moscow World’s Fair. They invented children’s toys, and experimented with graphic design; and all of their work, whatever the discipline, was infused with their creative genius. They were also brilliant at processes, understanding that new technologies and materials meant that they could produce their products at prices that America’s burgeoning middle class could afford. Charles Eames died suddenly in 1978, and Ray closed their office and spent the rest of her life archiving their huge body of work. She died almost on the same day ten years later, but their legacy lives on. An original Eames Lounge Chair will set you back at least $5,000. More importantly, their attitude towards collaboration, innovation and fun has inspired generations of designers – in multiple disciplines – that have looked to the couple for guidance. Icons indeed.

Charles and Ray Eames at the Russian exhibit press conference on September 2, 1959.

Words − Conor Purcell

Ring In The New Year In Style Celebrate 2020 in style with Burj Al Arab’s festive offerings Decisions, decisions. While New Year’s Eve is the biggest party night of the year, it can be hard to know just where to ring it in, but luckily, this year, we have made things easy. From Michelin-star culinary creations to private cabanas under the stars, there’s no better place to welcome 2020 than the luxurious surrounds of Burj Al Arab Jumeirah. Start off al fresco with a Private Royal Cabana on the stunning Burj Al Arab Jumeirah terrace. Each cabana has access to the infinity pool as well as the Jacuzzi, not to mention a host of food stations. There’s live music too, which you can listen to as you wash down the complimentary bottle of bubbly. Best of all, there’ll be perfect views of the spectacular midnight fireworks display. At AED80,000, it’s a unique New Year’s Eve experience. If you want something a bit more sociable, how about inviting 50 of your closest family and friends to the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah’s Palm Garden? Al fresco dining doesn’t get any more luxurious, with a sit-down dinner tailored by the head sommelier and master mixologist. As well as the world-class food and drink, there’ll be live entertainment, and – if you book for December 31st – a front-row view of the midnight fireworks display. At AED300,000

minimum charge, it’s a luxurious one-of-a-kind festive experience. Of course, another option is to book the ultimate staycation and get access to the special in-house guest festive pricing across all the signature restaurants. If you want to dine with a view, head to Al Muntaha, located on the 27th floor which offers spectacular views of the Arabian Gulf. Renowned chef Francky Semblat will be preparing his own take on fine French cuisine, so you can expect the food to match the views. It costs AED9,000 per person, or AED2,500 for in-house guests. Those in search of a more daring foodie adventure to end the year can experience the extravagant flair and innovative cooking style at Al Mahara, while dining in the jaw dropping floor-to-ceiling aquarium. For AED8,000 per person (AED2,150 for inhouse guests), you can expect beautifully presented seasonal ingredients and palate indulging seafood. Elsewhere, Scape Restaurant will be preparing a six-course Mediterranean feast on the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah terrace, while the Arabian Gulf glistens in the background. At AED7,250 per person (AED1,750 for in-house guests), it’s an experience not to be missed. Once your meal is over, grab a glass of bubbly and enjoy the midnight fireworks. Bliss.

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Words − Conor Purcell

24 HOURS IN FRANKFURT Germany’s financial capital is filled with cultural and culinary highlights

01 10 am: Café Bitter & Zart Just a few minutes’ walk from Jumeirah Frankfurt, Bitter & Zart (Braubachstrasse 14) is a treasure trove for those with a sweet tooth, filled with an array of cakes, pastries and chocolates. As well as some great coffee, it also has the best hot chocolate in the city, perfect for cold autumn mornings. If that’s not enough to satisfy your cravings, head next door to their chocolate emporium. Be warned though, you will emerge with a full belly and a lighter wallet.

Although Frankfurt is often overlooked when it comes to German cities, overshadowed by Munich, Berlin and even Hamburg; to ignore Germany’s financial capital would be a mistake. From the historic Goethe house to the vibrant art scene, not to mention it houses some of Europe’s

most exciting restaurants, Frankfurt is a real gem. Then there is also the iconic Jumeirah Frankfurt (pictured) to stay at. The only issue you may face is what to see, which is why we have compiled this handy guide to the city, ensuring all you have to focus on is enjoying yourself.

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12pm: Boerse Frankfurt

1pm: Main River

The world’s tenth largest stock exchange, the Frankfurt Boerse (Börsenpl. 4) is the beating heart of Europe’s financial system. Visitors are welcome, and there are daily guided tours, where you can watch the inner workings of the trading floor and see the traders furiously buying and selling. Another highlight is the lobby’s extensive art collection. There’s also a photography foundation located in the Cube right next door.

The Main river dominates the centre of the city and is a popular spot for locals and tourists alike. Lunchtimes see commuters eating lunch on its banks, while at the weekend it’s a popular spot for picnicking couples and families. If you want to get the quintessential Frankfurt skyline shot, head to the left bank of the river, just east of the Museumufer, where you can capture the skyscrapers on the other side.

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3pm: Goethe House and Museum Home of Germany’s most renowned author and thinker, this is a wonderfully restored town house. There’s also a museum which features a range of paintings from the 1700s, and an extensive library. The atmosphere is relaxed and visitors can browse at their own leisure – perfect to get a real sense of Frankfurt’s cultural life more than 250 years ago.

05 5pm: Frankfurt Zoo One of the most respected zoos in Europe, Frankfurt Zoo features more than 4,500 animals and a whole range of habitats spread across its grounds. Opened way back in 1858, highlights include the sheer range of species living here, as well as a huge, fascinating area dedicated to apes. There is also a nocturnal animal house – keep an eye out for the bats! Entrance costs €12 and it’s a great place to spend a few hours in.

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9pm: Max On One By now, you are probably feeling quite peckish, so where better to go than Jumeirah Frankfurt’s stunning international restaurant. From Black

Angus Tomahawk steak, to Italian sea bream, there’s a host of international dishes on the menu, all expertly prepared by the Max On One culinary team. The surroundings aren’t half bad either, designed by Japanese designer Takashi Sugimoto and his team at Super Potato, one of the world’s leading restaurant design firms. Just remember to keep some room for dessert, as this place has a huge selection of sweet treats.

7pm: Römerberg One of the most beautiful squares in Germany, Römerberg is home to an array of beautiful medieval buildings which are wrapped around a large square, dotted with restaurants and cafes (and the famous Fountain of Justice). This is where the city’s Christmas Market is held, and there are other smaller markets held here throughout the year. One of the highlights is The Ostzeile, on the east side, where there’s a row of six half-timbered houses. They were destroyed in air raids in 1944, but faithfully restored in the 1980s.

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10pm: Old Opera House Built in 1880 in an Italian High Renaissance style, the building was destroyed during World War II, but was

reopened in 1981 and has been refurbished impeccably. There are regular shows held here, featuring everything from classical and jazz to mainstream musicals. The interior is as impressive as the exterior, and it’s the perfect place to dip into some culture after a long day exploring Frankfurt.

Jumeirah Frankfurt, Thurn-und-Taxis-Platz 2, 60313 Frankfurt am Main jumeirah.com

Words â&#x2C6;&#x2019; Conor Purcell

The Lighthouse A restaurant and curated concept store in the heart of Dubai Design District

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Dubai Design District (d3) has been a wonderful addition to the city's cultural scene since it opened in 2015. Dedicated to the city’s creative class, it’s a hub of cutting-edge boutiques, studios, restaurants and galleries. Witness Dubai Design Week, the largest design festival in the region, which attracts designers, photographers, artists and entrepreneurs from all over the world. It’s no surprise then to find The Lighthouse in the heart of d3. We meet its co-founder Hashem Montasser, a Harvard MBA graduate with a background in both finance and tech, who decided to follow his passion for design. How did you come up with the concept of The Lighthouse? It all began when on the occasion of a friend’s 35th birthday, I set out to buy her the perfect gift. In my mind, that gift would be minimalist and timeless, made from the highest quality materials, and functional in terms of day-to-day use. Unable to find that gift, we decided to scour the world of product design, source those items ourselves and launch a design store to share those gifting items with our like-minded friends and family. And with that, the concept behind The Lighthouse was born. The Lighthouse was always conceived as a gathering space for creative people, it’s both a restaurant and a concept store that is highly curated and therefore perfect in an entrepreneurial hub like d3. On a more personal note, my late mother, who spent her life as an educator, wrote her thesis on Virginia Woolf, author of the seminal novel To the Lighthouse; so The Lighthouse is, in many ways, a tribute to her generation of women and the defining impact they have had. It is also a nod to Virginia Woolf and members of ‘The Bloomsbury Group’ who gathered for conversation, companionship, and the refueling of creative energy. What role does Dubai Design District play in Dubai’s cultural scene? When we opened in d3 almost three years ago, we were the first licensed venue and one of the very first food spots to open. We chose d3 as a location because we believed in the message behind it and valued the entrepreneurial spirit of fellow business owners and design studios who had opened up shop in d3. We noticed the community atmosphere instantly and felt very much at home. It felt as if business owners and design studios were cheering each other on. D3 has an air of experimentalism where support is witnessed all around and is evidenced in the overall programming as well as the new outlets that set up here. People like Ibrahim Al Mallouhi of Espresso Lab, and Aljoud Lootah and Nadine Kanso with their eponymous design labels, are prime examples of this entrepreneurial fortitude. Hence, we started developing a curated

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programme of talks, exhibitions, and book signings that we felt was very much part of The Lighthouse’s DNA as an entrepreneurial hub. What role does design play in what you do? The very concept of The Lighthouse came about from the search for the perfectly designed gift; functional, minimal and timeless. So, design really is at the core of what we do at The Lighthouse. We also believe that design is not simply confined to the gifting items we sell at The Lighthouse, it is part of an overall aesthetic: everything from our menu to the cutlery and plating we use, our interior design, and our curated playlists is evident of a carefully selected “design experience.” What should good design do? The answer to this question lies in a simple but memorable quote by artist Maira Kalman which we use as our leitmotif: “Isn’t that the only way to curate a life? To live among things that make you gasp with delight?” Good design should be functional, timeless, aesthetically pleasing but above all, offer a gasp of delight. How do you curate the objects on sale in the store? Where do you get them from? Our Creative Director, Layla Aldabbagh and I collaborate closely in making those choices. We apply a coherent editorial eye to our visual merchandising in-store with the aim to highlight the item on display and celebrate their unique attributes. The objects are sourced worldwide and many of them are identified during multiple research trips we conduct on an annual basis. We also keep a close eye on the local/regional design scene and are always keen to include local up-and-coming designers as part of our mix. We pride ourselves in our ‘hybridity’ which is really part of The Lighthouse’s identity and translates into an eclectic yet coherent set of gifting items that we offer our customers both in-store and online via our online store. Do you think Dubai has become more designconscious in recent years? There’s definitely a noticeable shift to the better that we’ve witnessed over the past decade or so. In part because of the overall consciousness of the public, groups such as Art Dubai that we collaborate closely with have contributed to this by launching annual events such as Dubai Design Week which have raised the bar. Local initiatives such as Al Serkal Avenue and Tashkeel have helped raise awareness and massively supported local art and design efforts by creating spaces for both artists and their supporters to congregate and exchange ideas so the ecosystem is slowly but surely coming together. The general team consensus at The Lighthouse seems to be that people want to buy less, but better. What’s the premise behind the restaurant? We were inspired when we discovered that mem-

Three to try

Aesop: Resurrection Aromatique Hand Balm (AED 320)

Bilarabi: Hobyellow gold necklace with diamond (AED 1,313)

Ichendorf Milano: Cilindro oil & vinegar cruet (AED 150)

We love Aesop, it's such a great brand. The Resurrection hand balm instantly elevates any bathroom space with a touch of minimalist glam.

Bilarabi was created by Nadine Kanso, a designerartist who made a name for herself by emphasising Arabic calligraphy in the Middle East.

Ichendorf Milano was one of the first design brands that we acquired and this oil and vinegar cruet was the first item that we sold online.

bers of the Bloomsbury Group (which was one of our inspirations in creating a hub and all-day eatery) met over “lingering breakfasts” and “painting lunches.” It was an indication of how central fresh, well prepared dishes were to the way they socialised – and a principal tenet of our own eating philosophy at The Lighthouse. So our restaurant offers a Mediterranean-inspired all day menu created by Executive Chef Izu Ani, who we believe is one of the most creative chefs we have come across. What’s the thinking behind the events/talks/ pop-ups? We see our events and pop-ups as central to The Lighthouse’s overall mission and a natural extension of our values. Our talks act as a gathering point for people to interact with some of the region’s most influential entrepreneurs, and listen to their stories. Guests always express their enjoyment after attending talks as we try to highlight their journey and how they got there, which can offer invaluable lessons to young designers and entrepreneurs who are just starting out. Some guests also make use of our terrace to unwind with a cocktail and discuss the talk. The experience is relaxed and often extends beyond the actual talk. ‘TLH Conversations’ as we refer to them, is our way of giving back to the community and we have uploaded all of them on our website for those who may have missed a few. Some of our most popular sessions featured Sheikh Sultan Al Qassimi, Founder of Barjeel Foundation, Cinema Akil Founder Butheina Kazim, and Christine Macel, who is Centre Pompidou’s Chief Curator.

The Lighthouse Corner of Building 6, Dubai Design District www.thelighthouse.ae

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Objects of Desire

FROM LEFT: Bohinc Studio Apollo dining chairs; Sé Circle armchair; Gio Ponti armchair; Tre Pezzi chair.

Well Grounded Why not start with something special? The Bohinc Studio Apollo dining chair ($4,000) is a stunning piece of furniture. Made from stainless steel and wool and in a vibrant red, this remarkable chair will illuminate even the blandest of living spaces. Equally eye-catching is the Molteni&C Gio Ponti D.153.1 armchair ($4,420), which may have a long-winded name, but is beautiful in its simplicity. Made from Rubelli Punteggiato fabric and brass, it is hand crafted in the Monza and Brianza province of Lombardy, and the company brings more than 80 years of experience to its products.

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Another mouth-watering furniture collection comes courtesy of Ini Archibong’s collaboration with Sé, a furniture brand known for its traits. Archibong, a Nigerian-American designer, brings his own sense of playfulness to proceedings. We particularly like the Circle armchair (POA), which has curves in all the right places. Last, but not least, the Cassina x Franco Albini Tre Pezzi chair ($3,200) manages to be both retro and futuristic at the same time. Made from chrome and a beautiful green fabric, it was crafted by the renowned Italian furniture designer, Franco Albini.

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Lunar Sole John Branch examines the most famous piece of shoe design in the world

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The most famous shoe print in the world is not on this world at all. It’s on the moon, probably still there in the grey dust. On July 20th, 1969, Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin took a step forward, backed up, then took a photograph. What he left behind on the moon and captured for the rest of us on Earth remains remarkable in its simplicity and timeless in its evocation. “Framed in the photo was evidence of man on the moon,” Aldrin later wrote in his autobiography, Magnificent Desolation. “A single footprint, showing in perfect detail a reverse mould of the treads from the bottom of my moon boot.” Aldrin’s footprint is about an inch deep – enough to cast a shadow from the dim sunlight over his right shoulder. It is straight on the sides and rounded at the toes and the heel, the shape of a racetrack. It is filled with lines, like rungs of a ladder, formed by eight flat, straight-edged ribs. Who created such a historic sole? Who decided that straight, thick ribs are exactly what an astronaut needs for traction in the lunar soil? A man named Richard Ellis is the person who captured the perfect blend of form and function. More than anyone, he decided what all the footprints on the moon would look like. Ellis worked as a model maker for ILC Industries, now ILC Dover, the Delaware company that won the bid to create spacesuits for NASA’s Apollo programme. ILC, best known for its Playtex division, also had military contracts for things like inflatable rafts. Part of Ellis’ job was to take the 80 measurements of the astronauts so that engineers could design their suits. His lasting contribution, however, came from the blue silicone soles of the lunar overshoes. Most called them moon boots. They slipped over the shoes worn in the spaceship, like galoshes for the rain. “It wasn’t something that NASA dictated, ‘You have to make the tread look like this,’” said Bill Ayrey, a retired ILC test engineer and long-time company historian. “It was him thinking, ‘What kind of tread would it be? Well, let’s do it like this, with full lines across, and that should keep you from slipping.’” Moon Boot, a book by David H. Mather about the design, suggests that the sole’s wide ribs were meant to accommodate the ladder rungs of the lunar module, but Ayrey doubts it. It is more likely, he said, that Ellis, who worked for ILC for 25 years and died in 2006, just chose to make his job easier. “Maybe Richard’s approach was, ‘I have to make this mould, and I’m going to make it simple, and it probably works fine,’” Ayrey said. “And it did. It worked just fine.” The tread was no afterthought

of shoe design; in the 1960s, soles had become a focus of footwear fashion. Converse made its first All Star basketball shoe, with its complex rubbersole pattern meant to stick to hardwood, about 50 years before Apollo 11. In the 1930s, Vitale Bramani designed the Vibram sole, the “waffle stomper” still popular with hikers and climbers. A trip to any shoe store would have provided Ellis or ILC and NASA engineers with assorted options to imitate. But there were caveats. Before the Apollo missions, NASA had photos but no soil samples

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LEFT: The lunar boot being produced in 1967. PREVIOUS SPREAD: Buzz Aldrin's descent onto the moon surface; Buzz Aldrin's boot print on the moon.

from the moon. The agency was not sure what kind of surface the men would be walking on. Was it deep? Was it slippery? Would it shift like sand or clump like clay? “In case the lunar soil turned out softer than they anticipated, they wanted something that would spread the weight of the astronaut on a pretty large footprint,” said Cathleen Lewis, the curator of spacesuits and international space programmes at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. When Neil Armstrong took his first step on the moon (soon trampled by subsequent ones), he

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clung to the ladder. No one was sure how stable the surface was, or if it “would be like quicksand, literally sucking a person down into a quagmire of dust,” Aldrin wrote. He discovered it was like “powdered charcoal,” and noted that he could create footprints and make out the treads. So could everyone else. Though moon boots had a calf-high upper, made of layers of woven stainless steel and hightech fabrics, which went through several redesigns, the rubber soles and their raised, protective toe barely changed through the entirety of the Apollo programme. Only the last two men to walk on the moon, Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt of Apollo 17, brought theirs back. Other used boots remain on the moon, left behind to save room and weight for return voyages. Armstrong and Aldrin tossed their boots from the hatch, like children dumping muddy shoes to the porch. “They probably went much further than a normal toss given the one-sixth gravity,” Lewis said. The moon boots inspired a generation of off-the-shelf imitators, made mostly for snow. Tecnica quickly introduced Moon Boots. A plethora of cheap foam boots followed. Their thick rubber-soled, softupper influence is still seen in all-weather gear by brands like Sorel and in snowboard boots by Burton and others, not to mention Chanel. But the treads they leave on Earth never match the ones on the moon. Which raises the question: If, someday, humans create a lunar outpost, what will the bottom of our shoes look like? Would Nike and Adidas fight to get a swoosh or three stripes imprinted into the lunar soil? Would Carhartt or L.L. Bean bid to create a tread design solely for the moon’s environment? And would the boots work on Mars? It is hard to imagine that any would equal the original footprints left on the moon 50 years ago. “The footprint ties into Neil Armstrong’s statement when he stepped out onto the surface – ‘one small step for man,’” Lewis said. “It’s a reminder that humans were there, that humans explored. And it’s still there.”

Words â&#x2C6;&#x2019; James Brennan

The Rise And Fall Of The Starchitect James Brennan chronicles the emergence of the architect as superstar and how their star rose and fell in recent years

October - November 2019

Frank Gehry's Guggenheim Museum Bilbao.

We build them up, and then we knock them down again. Whether it’s an actor, a pop singer or the latest reality TV sensation, celebrity usually comes with the caveat that you can be pulled apart just as quickly as you were made a star. But there’s a certain kind of unlikely celebrity that arguably became a figure of ridicule the very moment the term used to describe them was first coined. ‘Starchitects’ are that rare breed of architect who, thanks to their spectacular buildings, have become household names: Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, Norman Foster, Renzo Piano, and Rem Koolhaas, to name but a few. True, we might not have pictures of them on our walls, but when we think about walls – and doorways, and windows, and sweeping roofs with seemingly pointless pointy things on them – we sometimes recall their names, or at least their famous buildings. For many of us, the very essence of modern architecture is encapsulated in Frank Gehry’s striking Bilbao Guggenheim building. The Canadian-born architect’s shimmering titanium landmark resembles a spaceship that has crash-landed among the humdrum buildings of this gritty, industrial Spanish port city. It caused a sensation when it opened in 1997, yet it revitalised a declining city, not only economically, but also in terms of culture and confidence. A downtown area with a population of 350,000 received over 700,000 visitors in the first year. But rising among the tide of tourists was a newfound civic pride, as Bilbao journalist Nerea Abasolo explained in the 2006 documentary Sketches of Frank Gehry: “A kind of community selfesteem increased. We moved from admiring the architect to being proud of being the clever ones who did this project and have chosen this architect, and we have this building which the whole world admires.” It became known as the Bilbao effect, and cities from Beijing to Baku began courting star name architects to build landmark projects that could grab the world’s gaze and transform their civic fortunes. Gehry went on to build the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles, which closely resembled the Guggenheim with Gehry’s trademark flowing metal exterior. Delighted with the success of his buildings, but rather less enamoured with the term used to describe himself and his ilk, in 2013 Gehry told the Financial Times journalist Peter Aspden: “You are not going to call me a ‘starchitect’? I hate that.” Nevertheless, he and his big-name rivals kept on building. In London, Norman Foster’s ‘Gherkin’ skyscraper was followed by an even taller building in the more abrasive shape of The Shard by Renzo Piano. And ‘Queen of curves’ Zaha Hadid built the Phaeno Science Centre in Wolfsburg, the Guangzhou Opera House, the Jumeirah Nanjing and the Sheikh Zayed Bridge in Abu Dhabi among others. She also became the first woman to win the Pritzker prize for architecture. The elevation of architects in the public consciousness had never been higher. Or had it? From Antoni Gaudi in Barcelona, to Le Corbusier in Paris, there have long been celebrity architects who captured the public

imagination, who advanced the conversation in architecture, and who helped to shape our urban environment. Perhaps one of the most famous 20th-century architects is the American, Frank Lloyd Wright, whose original Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum building (1959) in New York influenced much of today’s architecture. But Frank Lloyd Wright also had an influence on the architect as a public personality, as Michael J. Lewis wrote in his article ‘The Rise of The Starchitect’ for The New Criterion magazine in 2007: “With him begins the modern image of the architect as free-spirited genius, a part Wright played with relish: decked out in a long cape and cane, and topped by a magnificent mane of flowing white hair, he made his own physical appearance a declaration of imperious authority.” It is perhaps this perception of authority that has given modern day starchitects so much gravitas – this, and the small army of publicists and image consultants, who have become as important a foundation of the modern starchitect’s practice as concrete and steel. The cult of the starchitect is reinforced by the repetition of a discernable style – a kind of instantly visible trademark – that can be recognised in their buildings all over the world, regardless of their surroundings. And in order to realise their wildest professional dreams, starchitects tend to follow the money. The Bilbao effect demonstrated that even though the outlay for a spectacular building might be huge, the returns could be even greater. But the architectural writer and critic Tom Dyckhoff, whose book The Age of Spectacle examines the rise of flashy architecture in the 21st-century city, thinks the starchitect phenomenon predates Bilbao. “Like spectacular buildings, we’ve always has superstar architects, think Frank Lloyd Wright, most famously,” he told the BBC. “But I think the shift really happens in the 1970s when you have a shift in the patron of the architect from the state to the private sector, to the corporation that becomes the main patron.” The Guardian’s architecture critic Oliver Wainwright told ArchitectureAU: “Increasingly, architecture is not the product of functional needs, but the financial forces that are driving development. Architects have always been at the mercy of their clients and the rules of the planning system.” That’s all well and good when it’s a mega-rich corporation or oligarch that’s funding a new building. Not so good when there’s a global credit crunch. The financial crisis of 2007-08 signalled a slowdown in construction across the globe, but also a reappraisal of the ostentatious projects that were emblematic of the boom years. Cathleen McGuigan is the editor in chief of the Architectural Record. In 2010 she wrote in Newsweek magazine: “As Western economies begin to recover, extravagant, eye-popping architecture is giving way to a subtler new aesthetic. In the U.S. and Europe, architectural values are shifting from can-you-top-this designs towards a more efficient and functional building. Innovation and experimentation are increasingly directed at sustainability and new technology.”

Frank Gehry's Guggenheim revitalised a declining city, not only economically, but also in terms of culture and confidence

October - November 2019

LEFT: Gaudi’s iconic Casa Battló in Barcelona. RIGHT AND BELOW: CCTV Headquarters in Beijing; Guangzhou Opera House. PREVIOUS SPREAD: Interior curves of The Guggenheim Museum in New York.

In the years following the global recession, a raft of highprofile projects were either scaled down considerably or cancelled altogether. But of course, the starchitects didn’t crumble and disappear. Like the bankers that caused the crisis, they simply dusted themselves down and adapted to the new economic landscape. “Architects, too, are engaging more in collaboration as they turn their attention to urban planning, civic projects, and the creation of public space,” said McGuigan. Perhaps the move toward social and environmental responsibility, and the return of function over form, was inevitable? But it has also coincided with attempts by architects to refresh their public image, as the Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas told Edwin Heathcote of the Financial Times. “So how do you, as an architect, address the cynicism — which you are probably also partly responsible for but which you have tried in every single operation to counteract? How do you find the terminology even to discuss it? When we set up OMA [Office for Metropolitan Architecture], we deliberately left our names out [of it]. Every other office had the names of their partners in it. I think the word ‘starchitect’ implies one who doesn’t care.” Koolhaas is perhaps best known for his CCTV Headquarters building, which rises like an angular optical illusion above Beijing. His AMO research office also designed the Italian luxury fashion house Prada’s flagship ‘Epicentre’ stores in New York and Los Angeles. But he has had most impact upon his birthplace of Rotterdam in The Netherlands. Silvia Plaggenborg is an architect and tour guide, whose Walk Rotterdam tour company shows tourists the architectural renaissance along modernist lines of a city that was heavily bombed by the Nazis during World War II. “Rotterdam was an empty page, a playground for architects and urbanists. It was already becoming a unique laboratory for the avant garde in architecture,” she says. “Rem Koolhaas is undoubtedly the biggest celebrity in Dutch architecture and he inspired a whole generation of ‘SuperDutch’ architects. The city was the scene of new experiments, there was space enough, and the city development commission and marketing department had ambitions to set it on the international map of architecture cities.”

Rotterdam was the perfect environment for a starchitect like Koolhaas to thrive. Even during the global financial crisis, the city council supported the construction of the Timmerhuis and De Rotterdam projects – both by Koolhaas’s OMA office – by moving its own offices into both buildings. But has the presence of Koolhaas and other starchitects in Rotterdam hampered the development of young and independent firms? “The legacy of OMA, MVRDV and WEST 8 – the ‘big three’ in Rotterdam - has influenced the scene, but also made it more difficult for emerging architects,” says Plaggenborg. “Some professionals are worried that the city is getting addicted to sensational buildings like the Markthal, or the Boijmans Museum ‘Depot’... and the fancy bureaus behind them. The whole generation of architects following [Rem Koolhaas] has been educated in the spirit of conceptualism, the diagrammatic and super modernist design, with unlimited opportunities. And then they had to face the biggest construction crisis, a lot lost their jobs, and had their idealistic dreams shattered.” In a city like Rotterdam, then, the permanent presence of starchitects can be a blessing as much as it is a curse. The very thing that inspires young local architects to have a positive effect on their environment can be the thing that prevents them from realising their dreams. But what are those dreams? To become starchitects in their own right, and perpetuate the circle of celebrity? Or simply to do good work that will benefit the wider community and be environmentally sustainable? There are plenty of signs of the latter in Rotterdam, thanks to this traditionally working class city’s community spirit. Relics of its old industrial wastelands are now being repurposed and turned into interesting smaller-scale architectural projects. The Luchtsingel or ‘air canal’, by the ZUS studio, is a crowdsourced urban pedestrian pathway comprising a public park and vegetable garden. M4H is a rebranded and rebuilt Makers District, and the Blue City project on the north bank of the Nieuwe Maas river is a former derelict aquatics centre, which now houses over 30 businesses that exist in a sustainable zero-waste ecosystem. “Star architects are falling as a phenomenon,” says Plaggenborg. “The image of the sophisticated artist is outdated, although their offices, in a more anonymous way, keep monopolising and controlling the scene.” Indeed, thanks to high demand, Koolhaas’s OMA office continues to work on large-scale projects like the soon-to-be-completed Forum Building in Rotterdam, a mixed-use development that will eventually house a flagship Primark store. “There’s a joke in Rotterdam,” says Plaggenborg. “OMA/AMO has gone from Prada to Primark!” Those big name starchitects aren’t quite going away, but perhaps one or two of them are downsizing their ambitions somewhat?

TOP LEFT: Sir Norman Foster’s ‘Gherkin’. OPPOSITE PAGE: Rem Koolhaas designed the De Rotterdam building in the Dutch city.

October - November 2019

Fashion Forward Is Back Fashion Forward Dubai is back for its seventh edition on a ‘see-now, buy-now’ platform. Here’s everything you need to know

October - November 2019

OPENING PAGE: Hussein Bazaza THIS PAGE CLOCKWISE: Models backstage at Anna K, at Asya Krasnaya, at Nafiska Skourti and at Nabil Nayal. OPPOSITE PAGE: Designer Arwa Al Banawi.

October - November 2019

RIGHT: Models backstage at Atelier Zuhra. BELOW: Backstage at Eudon Choi. OPPOSITE PAGE: Backstage at Zareena.

Celebrating the fashion and retail scene in UAE and the Middle East, the event, which is back after a year’s hiatus, is to be held at Dubai Design District – Dubai’s leading creative hub. Taking a cue from other fashion weeks as well as from global brands who have embraced the ‘shop now’ formula, the October edition of one of the leading fashion events in the region provides a stage for designers showcasing collections that are available for purchase via a digital and physical presence at the event. Be ready to witness a four-day extravaganza of shows, presentations, activations and events by couture and ready-to-wear designers around the globe with the spotlight on regional talent. Arwa Al Banawi, Madiyah Al Sharqi, Eudon Choi,

Essa, Hussein Bazaza, Michael Cino, Amato Couture and Bedouin are just some of the illustrious names that were part of the last Fashion Forward show, and are expected to present their latest designs this season as well. Apart from the fashion shows, visitors can also expect a social commerce marketplace where visitors can purchase the outfits they see in real time. The event runs from October 30th to November 2nd. The location is ideal for Jumeirah guests, with Jumeirah Emirates Towers conveniently located close to Dubai Design District, while Jumeirah Creekside Hotel, Jumeirah Al Naseem, Jumeirah Al Qasr, Jumeirah Dar Al Masyaf, Jumeirah Mina A’Salam, Burj Al Arab Jumeirah and Jumeirah Beach Hotel are all a short taxi ride away.

October - November 2019

Words − Conor Purcell

From the trench coat to the telephone box, we profile the iconic designs that changed the world

10 Iconic Designs That Made History

BURJ AL ARAB JUMEIRAH It’s hard to overstate the collective gasp around the world when Burj Al Arab Jumeirah opened in 1999. The hotel, designed to look like a traditional Arab sail boat, was immense, both in its ambition and its execution. Standing on an artificial island and soaring 280 metres into the sky, the scale of the project is illustrated by the fact it took five years to build and had 2,000 construction workers working on it during the busiest period of its construction. The building’s architect, Tom Wright, said the goal was to make the building iconic, “something that would rival Sydney’s Opera House, or the Eiffel Tower or Big Ben.” The fact that it is as iconic as any of those other buildings shows the power of compelling design and the bravery required to take such architectural chances. Designed by: Tom Wright Year: 1999 BURBERRY TRENCH COAT First developed as an alternative to the heavy winter coats worn by British soldiers during World War 1 (hence the name), it was produced for the British Army, and originally only allowed to be worn by officers. That legacy can be seen in the coats today: the shoulder epaulettes were added so officers could display their rank, the ‘storm shield’ on the upper back allowed water to run off the coat and keep the wearer dry, while the pleat on the back enabled the wearer to be able to ride a horse. Each trench coat takes weeks to put together, it is made from gabardine, and has become something of a fashion staple in recent years with everyone from Jessica Chastain to Cara Delevingne stepping out in it. Designed by: Burberry Year: 1912

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THE VW BEETLE One of the most iconic cars ever produced, the Beetle has sold more than 21 million units since it was unveiled 65 years ago. Its bulbous, playful design caught the public imagination – how many other cars got their own feature film, as the Beetle did with Herbie The Love Bug? It also featured on the cover of The Beatles’ Abbey Road, and inspired some of the greatest print advertising of the 20th century. So what made it so compelling? “The Beetle had a genetic code of mass production and mass appeal written into its DNA,” says VW’s Klaus Bischoff. “It’s similar to what the Bauhaus movement did for living spaces, but while Bauhaus remained elite and expensive, the Beetle became a mass-market success.” The car’s simplistic, cute design was also a factor, explains Bischoff: “The Beetle has a strong personality, soft shapes, sympathetic shapes. It’s like a pet or a family member sitting in the garage.” Designed by: Ferdinand Porsche Year: 1938 THE POLAROID CAMERA Probably the single most important invention in photography, the arrival of the Polaroid instant camera in the late 1940s allowed the user to shoot and develop a photograph in one go, democratising photography for the masses. The original instant camera was invented by the American scientist Edwin Land, who unveiled the camera in 1948, a year after he invented instant film. The first Polaroid camera, which used Land’s technology, is a thing of beauty in its own right. Take the 1972 model, the SX-70, which developed a picture within ten minutes, something quite astonishing back then. In a move mirroring one that Steve Jobs would ape decades later, Land arrived on stage at Polaroid’s annual meeting that year, took out the camera from his pocket and took five pictures in ten seconds. While Polaroid went bankrupt in 2001 (despite having revenues of $3 billion only ten years previously), the legacy of its instant camera lives on today. Designed by: Edwin Land Year: 1948 THE SONY WALKMAN Great design is often the result of a problem that needs to be solved, so when Sony’s co-founder, Masaru Ibuka, was unhappy with the weight of Sony’s portable tape recorder, the Pressman, he decided to do something about it. The result, launched in 1979, made an instant impact. It ran on two AA batteries, and featured a headphone jack, but no external speaker, and allowed users to listen to music in private. It also allowed people to create their own playlists, and went hand-in-

October - November 2019

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: VW Beetle, Burberry trench coat, Sony Walkman, red telephone box, Polaroid camera. PREVIOUS SPREAD: Burj Al Arab atrium.

hand with the growing aerobic and jogging crazes. It also hastened the demise of vinyl, with cassette tapes outselling them for the first time in 1983. Since then of course, the iPod and streaming technology has rendered the cassette tape obsolete but for nearly two decades the Walkman transformed music culture. Designed by: Akio Morita and Mazaru Ibuka Year: 1979 RED TELEPHONE BOX The first telephone boxes that were unveiled in the early 20th century got such a hostile reception that the London Metropolitan Borough Joint Standing Committee organised a competition to find a more appealing design. Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, a renowned architect (who also helped design the Battersea Power Station) won the competition. The British Post Office, in an inspired move, decided to produce it in steel and paint it red. The rest, as they say, is history, and the phone box still stands the test of time today, a throwback to another era, albeit one fast disappearing with the advent of the mobile phone. Designed by: Sir Giles Gilbert Scott Year: 1920

October - November 2019

LEVI’S JEANS Originally designed for manual labourers, Levi’s Jeans were work pants, with copper rivets to prevent them from tearing. Hard wearing and practical, they quickly took off, particularly among cowboys and miners, a legacy that Levi’s capitalises on to this day. Later a watch pocket was added, which is still there today. Culturally, there’s been few items of clothing that have had more impact. James Dean wore them in the 1955 film, Rebel Without a Cause, which made them wildly popular among teenagers at the time. Later they would become a symbol of American freedom, particularly in the Soviet Union, in which bootlegged jeans were produced for consumers, hungry for a taste of Americana. These days jeans, are as popular as ever, and while the preferred style veers from skinny to baggy to boot cut, the general principle remains the same: hard-wearing trousers that also happen to look good. Designed by: Jacob Davis, Levi Strauss Year: 1873

October - November 2019

APPLE IIC COMPUTER It’s hard to overstate the impact Apple’s IIC model had on the world: it was the first truly personal computer, the first computer where aesthetics were as important as what was under the hood. At 3.4kg, it was considerably lighter than its IBM competitor, and it was aimed at people who had never used a computer before – it was easy to set up, unlike many of the other computers on the market at the time. It also utilised an off-white colour scheme that Apple would use right up to the original iPod decades later. While the machine didn’t meet the company’s sales expectations (Apple predicted it would sell 100,000 a month; it ended up selling that many each year), it showcased what was possible when design meets technology, something Apple would do over and over again. Designed by: Frog Design/Apple Year: 1984 CLOCKWISE FROM BELOW: Chesterfield Sofa, Levi's jeans, Apple IIC, the t-shirt

THE T-SHIRT The first t-shirts were designed by the US Navy at some point between the 1898 Spanish-American War and 1913. The idea was to create a simple undergarment that could be put on and off quickly. Previous undershirts had cumbersome buttons or cut into separate top and bottom garments. The beauty of the t-shirt was its simplicity: one piece of material, made from breathable cotton that could be washed and dried quickly. It rapidly entered mainstream culture – a prime example being Marlon Brando wearing it in a Streetcar Named Desire. White was the colour of choice back then, and today, the t-shirt is regarded as an icon of fashion design, up there with blue jeans in terms of its impact on American culture. Designed by: US Navy Year: 1913 THE CHESTERFIELD SOFA Supposedly invented by Lord Philip Stanhope (the fourth Earl of Chesterfield) at some point in the 18th century. The story goes that the Earl wanted a chair he could sit on without creasing his suit, and so the Chesterfield was born. It quickly caught on, even being the favoured sofa of Sigmund Freud, on which his patients would lie down on while he psychoanalysed them. These days, the sofa has transcended the upper class and can be found everywhere from coffee shops to studio apartments. The design is timeless – its leather finish, deep buttons, low back and high arms are instantly recognisable. And that, in the end, is one of the markers of great design, along with the fact that it is incredibly comfortable. Designed by: Lord Chesterfield Year: 1760s

October - November 2019

Words â&#x2C6;&#x2019; Lou Stoppard

Photos â&#x2C6;&#x2019; Julien Mignot

Made To Measure Lou Stoppard meets the renowned Belgian fashion designer who has turned her hand to another form of craft: tableware. Her debut collection is out this month.

October - November 2019

Six years ago, when Ann Demeulemeester walked away from the fashion label she founded in 1985 – a house known for an ethereal, monochromatic aesthetic embodied by nymph-like models with penetrating stares and dark brows – speculation ensued. What would she do next? Could the label, which she had so carefully cultivated to be the visual incarnation of a Patti Smith lyric, really go on without her? It is not unusual for designers to step away from fashion – some burn too bright, crashing out broke or exhausted – but Demeulemeester’s case was unusual. She left something that was still succeeding – handing creative control to Sébastien Meunier – seemingly for no pressing reason other than urge. It turns out, though, that she was not finished with designing. She was simply looking for a new language. “I wanted to leave myself time to try another kind of life,” she says. “I wanted to be vulnerable again. To be starting out, finding something difficult.” She has landed on a new medium, and Ann Demeulemeester Serax, a collection of porcelain dinner services, silverware, glasses and, in the near future, larger housewares, will be available this

OPPOSITE PAGE: (Clockwise from top left) Porcelain cutlery from her Serax collection; Glassware from the same collection; Anne at home in her garden in Kessel, Belgium. PREVIOUS SPREAD: Anne sanding a porcelain plate in the workshop in the basement of her home.

“I wanted to leave myself time to try another kind of life. I wanted to be vulnerable again, to be starting out.” month. It was all conceived by Demeulemeester and her husband, Patrick Robyn, a former photographer and her long-term collaborator. For years, Demeulemeester, 59, lived in central Antwerp, in the only surviving Le Corbusier building in Belgium. During her final year in college, she produced a fashion collection inspired by modernism, and Robyn thought they should photograph it in a complementary setting, so they tried to contact the building’s owner. A few years later, after a slight miscommunication over their intentions, they ended up buying it, cobbling the money together from relatives. Now, country life defines her day. To be specific: a house in Kessel, a small town, where at one time, most residents were employed in diamond cutting. It is about 45 minutes from Antwerp, Belgium, by car, and just shy of an hour from Brussels. “It’s really in the middle of nowhere,” Demeulemeester says. The house, from the outside, is imposing: giant, square, Palladian. It was built in 1864 on the instruction of a woman who had fallen in love with an Italian man and hoped to entice him with a house modelled on a Lake Como residence. (Her plan failed.)

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Inside, it’s cozier. There is well-worn midcentury furniture, a stuffed horse’s head with an added horn to suggest a unicorn and an abundance of lamps. At the end of the grounds, a river flows, which, if followed for a little over three miles, leads to the country house of her fellow Belgian designer Dries Van Noten. He and Demeulemeester were members of the Antwerp Six, a cluster of talented students who graduated from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp in 1980 and 1981 and quickly put Belgium, previously unremarkable for its fashion, on the map. Today she and Van Noten often compare garden notes, hers is 50 acres and includes Shamo chickens, which she recently bought for Robyn. There is also a small bathing pond, in which she takes a mid-afternoon dip, and a thriving vegetable patch. In Kessel, Demeulemeester has come to respect the relentlessness and unpredictability of tending to nature. She likes how slow the process is, the fact that validation takes years. “You have to be strong,” she says. “There can be a storm, and suddenly something you love dies. You have to learn to start again. I learnt that if an old tree goes away, another one will grow. A small one will take the place, in the light that becomes available.” The obsession with rearing things by hand is what led her to housewares. One afternoon, she bought a bag of porcelain clay and set to work. She took to the process well, trying little bowls, then bigger bowls. Then came the cups, plates and ornaments, including two eerily lifelike heads, an angel and a devil, that sit, one cheek down, on her dining room table with candles extended from their necks, as if they’ve been impaled. Part of the appeal of porcelain was having suitable homes for her carefully harvested fruit and vegetables. Her husband suggested building a little atelier downstairs. There, clad in a white lab coat, Demeulemeester worked away for five years, slowiy learning new techniques. “I had to learn to be so patient, to wait days until things dried, to wait while it baked, to accept that it may break and I’d have to start again,” she says. “It was the opposite of fashion.” She found it relaxing but would often find herself working into the night. “I always loved to sculpt,” she says. “My clothes were always about shape. That’s why they were always black and white. I felt much more like an architect than a decorator.” Demeulemeester attended porcelain master classes in England and France. She employed tutors. She went to Germany to see traditional manufacturers. She taught herself to make moulds. She tested endless glazes. (Forty squares of porcelain,

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each a different, barely distinguishable shade of white, sit lined up by the atelier window.) She invested in an enormous German kiln by Rhode, which came only in bright turquoise. (“It’s a horrible colour,” she said.) “I wanted to know how to do it all,” she said, surveying shelf upon shelf of her creations. Why the mania? “I was raised Catholic – maybe that has something to do with it,” she said. “If you wouldn’t give the best of yourself, you would be lazy. I never saw my parents sitting down or relaxing or doing nothing. I still feel guilty doing nothing.” Fittingly, her home came with its own chapel upstairs, a round room decorated with ornate frescoes, which today contains a record player and a couch. So perfect are the acoustics that sometimes the local choir asks if they can borrow it to rehearse. At the intimate dinner parties (fish suppers for between four and six) that Demeulemeester enjoys hosting, she began to introduce her handiwork. “I loved to always put a new plate on the table,” she said. “Look what I made!” Sometimes guests asked to buy them. “It’s amazing,” she said. “It’s like seeing your first collection, only it’s not clothes.” “‘But it’s so Ann!’ ” she recalled her guests saying. One business-savvy guest suggested she meet Axel Van Den Bossche, a founder of Serax, the housewares manufacturer. On visiting her castle, as he calls it, Van Den Bossche was struck. “I was really surprised because I’ve been in the business of tableware for years, and I’d never seen something like that,” he said by telephone, referring to Demeulemeester’s hand-painted plates with meticulous, delicate brushstrokes creeping in from the edge, resembling something between the edge of a feather and a hazy ray of light. “This was really something special.” They spent a year working out how to produce the Serax collection. Much of the complexity came from the demands of Demeulemeester’s unrelenting eye. “I said to him in advance, ‘Are you sure you want to do this? Because I’m a perfectionist,’ ” she says. “It’s my best and worst element.” It was an “emotional” process, Van Den Bossche says. “I’ve worked with several well-known designers, and I’ve never seen anyone like this, who goes into the detail like this.” At one point, no one could be found to adequately reproduce the hand-painting. In the end, they settled on a studio of porcelain experts in China who received regular WhatsApp videos of Demeulemeester painting. The Chinese experts would film themselves and take pictures of the plates and send back the footage. Worried that their brushes weren’t

October - November 2019

OPPOSITE PAGE: Porcelain dinnerware and cutlery from her Serax collection. BELOW: Anne checks the glazing on a bowl in her home workshop.

exactly right, Demeulemeester sent them her own. Finally, Demeulemeester said, one woman mastered the brushwork and slowly trained the others. The Serax line also contains lighting, which Robyn helps design. The pieces are made with platelike porcelain spheres and strips of porcelain ribbon. Each model has a sweet name: Lou, Luna, Gilda. Robyn always wished he had gone into interiors, he said, surveying the Kiki lamp, which has red fringing attached to long, spiky supports. When he was called up for military service (a practice Belgium suspended in 1992) while he was in college, he occupied his time painting the barracks a muted green to give them a new lease on life. Back in the garden, Demeulemeester surveyed her crop. “For me, the biggest luxury is going out with my basket and saying, ‘OK, what are we going to eat?’” she says. “You feel completely self-sufficient. The things we need, we make.” Since leaving her label, she said, she feels free. She has not attended any recent Ann Demeulemeester shows, even though they still bear her name. “If I start to interfere, I know myself, I won’t be able to stop,” she said. She hardly speaks to Meunier, she said, and she hasn’t bought any new clothes, apart from a pair of Birkenstocks, which she wears to garden. In the greenhouse, she plucked a swollen Coeur de Boeuf tomato. Later she served it chopped in a salad, divvying it up on delicate plates, which were hand-edged in red.

The world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa.

October - November 2019

Words − Conor Purcell

Photo − Ashim D'Silva

To Build A City From a small fishing outpost to one of the most important cities in the world, Dubai has come a long way. Here are the designs that transformed it BURJ KHALIFA Build it and they will come is an oft used phrase, and one that is particularly apt when it comes to the Burj Khalifa. The tallest building in the world has had acres of column inches, since it opened in January 2010. While much of the publicity was down to its height (829.8 metres), it also got a wonderful reaction from the world of architecture critics which were near unanimous in their praise. The technical side too, was impressive. It took more than 12,000 workers a collective 22 million man hours over six years to finalise the project, which is three times the height of the Eiffel Tower. It features 110,000 tonnes of steel rebar and 26,000 glass panels as well as 192 piles buried 50 metres deep. Designed by Adrian Smith of SOM architects, the design was inspired by “the geometries of a regional desert flower and the patterning systems embodied in Islamic architecture,” according to the architect’s website. What that means is a stunning building, one that looks different from whichever part of the city you view it from. Inside is equally appealing: At. Mosphere on level 122, offers picture-postcard views as well as five-star dining, while there are 900 apartments which offer incredible views of Old Town and be-

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yond. Getting there is part of the fun: the building features the world’s fastest elevators, which bring passengers from the ground floor to the 124th in less than a minute (around 10 floors a second). It stands as a testament to Dubai’s vision as well as a beautifully designed building in its own right. DUBAI CREEK The first – and in some ways the most important – large scale infrastructure project in Dubai; the dredging of Dubai Creek, was a precursor of how Dubai’s leadership would not let reality get in the way of their ambition. The Creek, previously a shallow fishing port, was dredged in 1961, allowing for breakwaters and large quays, which allowed goods to be loaded and unloaded. That put Dubai on the map in terms of a trading hub, and further dredging in the following two decades allowed ships of 500 tonnes to berth. The dredging allowed a constant flow of ships, which meant a constant flow of commerce, which soon saw Dubai become the preeminent trading hub in the region. That in turn has seen Dubai turn into a truly global city – and it’s astonishing to think the remarkable growth the city has witnessed all stemmed from the decision to dredge the Creek all those years ago.

The most important infrastructure development in Dubai's history was probably the dredging of the Creek JUMEIRAH AL QASR The opening of Jumeirah Al Qasr in 1999 marked a new era in Dubai’s growth. It showed confidence that the city would attract enough visitors to grow – and that Dubai’s neighbourhoods would soon extend past the Jumeirah district. That the development’s four hotels and countless restaurants and bars are full year-round is a testament to that confidence. It’s not hard to see the attraction: there’s 2km of private beaches to start with, along with over 60 restaurants and bars, 29 Arabian summer houses, and of course, a network of winding canals. The design of the development focused on that 3km of winding canals, on which guests can sail from their room to the restaurant and back again. The canals and the exteriors were modelled on the winding laneways and wind towers of the Bastakiya neighbourhood by the Creek, an inspired choice. The seawater canals, and the plethora of palm trees that dot the resort give the place a calm, almost secluded feel.

ABOVE: Jumeirah Mina A'Salam waterways. RIGHT: Dubai Creek back in 1978.

DUBAI CANAL If there was ever a Dubai project that showed what can be done with the right amount of vision, then surely Dubai Canal is it. It required ‘lifting’ Sheikh Zayed Road’s 16 lanes of traffic so the canal could be built underneath it, as well as excavating and constructing a 3km passage for the water. The sheer scale of the project is breath taking: more than 3.2 million cubic metres of soil were dredged, while 15,000 concrete blocks (weighing 40 tonnes each) were used to protect the banks. The Canal also connects with Dubai Creek, a fitting testament to the vision of Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, who had the Creek dredged back in 1961. DUBAI MARINA While design is all about execution, it’s also about vision – coming up with an idea no one else would have thought of. A case in point is Dubai Marina, a mammoth infrastructural undertaking that changed

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Dubai’s coastline for good, and showed that a new, bespoke community could be every bit as vibrant as the older parts of a city. Built along a 3km stretch of the coast, it currently is home to more than 120,000 residents, something rather astonishing when you consider there was nothing there 20 years ago. It also set the precedent for Dubai’s deliberate extension of the coastline, with the very logical premise that coastal property (and the land on which it sits) is the most valuable. Developed by Emaar and designed by HOK Canada, it’s dotted with residential towers, hotels, bars, restaurants and shops. THE PALM JUMEIRAH There’s a real chance you will run out of words when attempting to describe the sheer chutzpah it took to construct The Palm Jumeirah. Not only did this palm-shaped island lengthen Dubai’s coastline by 520km, it put the city on the map, with the construction gaining headlines across the world. It’s little surprise it did: it was an astonishing feat of engineering and construction. To give just one example of the work involved: ten dredging rigs worked 24 hours a day for two years to dredge the material for the islands. Bisected by a 5.4km-long monorail which connects the Atlantis hotel with the mainland, the Palm is made up of 16 ‘fronds’ each of which are lined with beach-side villas. The 60

outer ring is filled with hotels, all of which overlook the sea. The construction phase was long and drawn out – no surprise given the huge scale of the project. Now, we can look at the entire project with awe – it did everything it said it would and more. For the nearly 15,000 people living on The Palm, it’s home, for everyone else, it’s a miracle. DUBAI AIRPORT If you want to trace the growth of Dubai, you could do worse than look to Dubai Airport. Opened in 1960 by Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, who realised that Dubai needed an air connection if it was truly to prosper. That turned out to be a very wise decision. The airport was only able to handle aircraft the size of a Douglas DC-3, on a runway made out of compacted sand, before it expanded in the 1970s so it was able to handle the new generation of wide body aircraft. By 1988 two terminals were open, while 2000 saw Concourse 1 unveiled, which transformed the airport into the best in the Middle East. The scale of the airport’s journey is revealed by the stats: it employs more than 90,000 people, and contributes more than $26 billion to the UAE economy each year. Last year 89 million passengers travelled through it, and earlier this year it installed the largest solar energy system in the region.

TOP: Dubai Marina's buildings under construction in 2005. OPPOSITE PAGE: Dubai Airport and The Palm Jumeirah.

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Index MY Vittaveli Maldives Jumeirah Living Guangzhou Jumeirah Emirates Towers Grosvenor House Suites Neighbourhood Jumeirah Dar Al Masyaf

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Sea Life

Jumeirah Vittaveliâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s superyacht brings a new meaning to luxury lodgings

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LEFT: The MY Vittaveli is the perfect way to explore the area’s coral reefs. RIGHT: The lounge and dining area combines state-ofthe-art tech with elegant design.

Picture the scene: you and your family are perched on the deck of your very own superyacht as you glide through the picture perfect waters of the Indian Ocean; your four-person crew making sure every whim is catered for. For guests at Jumeirah Vittaveli, that dream is now a reality thanks to the launch of the MY Vittaveli, an 85-foot superyacht that will transport guests around the atoll for day trips with a difference. MY Vittaveli is an Azimut superyacht that accommodates up to eight guests for overnight stays in two master cabins and two twin cabins, all with en-suite bathrooms, or up to 20 guests for leisurely daytime cruises. This luxury vessel’s sophisticated exterior design conveys the comfort and style experienced when staying onboard. The yacht features beautiful crafted wood joinery, with cherry wood panels and Italian marble inlays, as well as modern noise suppression technology. Each twin cabin can be converted into a triple cabin by extending the retractable extra bed. Bathrooms include hydrosonic massage bathtubs and full-sized Hermès amenities. Set sail from the resort’s turquoise lagoon on an overnight trip and enjoy four hours cruising around the idyllic Indian Ocean. Stop-off for a beach BBQ dinner on a deserted island, explore the sandbanks and uninhabited islands, try a fishing trip or discover the underwater world on a snorkelling excursion. Or if you prefer a full day cruise, you can meet the ocean’s elusive gentle giants. Snorkel with whale sharks in the Ari Atoll and dive into

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the deep at one of the Manta Ray cleaning stations in the North Male Atoll to admire these majestic creatures from below. Choose to combine your holiday with a stay on land in the lavish five bedroom Royal Residence; over the water in the Private Ocean Retreats with Slides or floating in the Indian Ocean onboard the superyacht for exciting adventures. The yacht is fully air-conditioned and equipped with: WiFi, a blue-tooth enabled music system and state-of-the-art navigation technology. It provides guests with a stylish, smooth ride, in all kinds of weather. MY Vittaveli runs on two 1500 HP MTU engines at a depth of 3.1 metres. The yacht is capable of 25 knots top speed, with a cruising speed of 22-25 knots. Originally built in 2008, it was completely refurbished in 2016. The crew of four will ensure a safe and relaxed experience. “It has long been my dream to add a superyacht to our luxurious resort villa accommodations,” said Amit Majumder, Regional Vice President, Boutique Resorts, at Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts. “I’ve had many guests mention to me that they love our resort and the surrounding house reef, close-by snorkel and dive spots, as well as the deserted sandbanks, but I always felt that the best way to fully experience the Maldives would be with a combination of an island stay, together with a journey across the atolls. Maybe this is the spirit of the explorer in me speaking, yet, the idea of setting sail to explore the stunning variety of over and underwater wonders the Maldives offers, has always been

irresistible to me. I am proud my team has made it possible to offer such a special experience for our guests.” Special is an apt word. The experienced crew can guide you to secluded powder white beaches and hidden spots around the atolls, making it possible to go beyond the beaten path and discover your own private Maldives. Whisk your family away on an exploration into the marine world and visit a local island on the way to admire the art of lacquerware or mat weaving. The three decks invite you to spend leisurely mornings gazing out at the infinite ocean, or balmy evenings soaking in the four-person Jacuzzi on the top deck. The swim platform allows for comfortable entry and exit for water-sports, diving or snorkelling. If you love watersports, take a jet ski or jet tender out for more adrenaline-fuelled fun. Learn how to fish the Maldivian way and enjoy the spoils of your catch with a fresh seafood meal on the aft deck dining area, or lie down on the fore deck as the breeze whispers in your ears. Upon your return to the resort, continue your holiday with a stay at the lavish five-bedroom Royal Residence, complete with its own dedicated restaurant, spa, gym, and two swimming pools, or check into the exhilarating overwater Two Bedroom Private Ocean Retreat with Slide. Equipped with the longest slides in the Maldives, you can experience a whole new way to enter the magical underwater world, straight from your villa into the gentle waters of the lagoon below.

JUMEIRAH LIVING GUANGZHOU Jumeirah’s ﬂagship property in China’s third largest city is a stunning architectural feat

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Jumeirah Living Guangzhou, No 14, Zhujiang East Road, Tianhe, Guangzhou, Tel: 86 20 8883 8888

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While Guangzhou might not get the plaudits that Beijing or Shanghai does, it’s one of Asia’s biggest and most vibrant cities. Fitting then, that Jumeirah’s latest hotel offering is right in the heart of this city of 13 million. The first thing you will notice about the hotel is the stunning design (the hotel’s architects also designed Burj Al Arab Jumeirah), rather apt given the architectural gems that dot Guangzhou (check out Zaha Hadid’s Opera House and the Canton TV skyscraper). Set across two towers, the hotel features 169 residences, all with wonderful views of the city. The North Tower is more contemporary in design, while the South Tower is more traditional – but both offer cutting-edge amenities and the hospitality Jumeirah is famous for. Set smack bang in the middle of the Central Business District, the address is perfect for long-stay business travellers, who want a five-star home away from

home. And once that work is done, there’s plenty in the neighbourhood to explore, from GT Land Winter Plaza, which features a range of world-class boutiques, to the City Museum and a range of parks and gardens, not to mention a host of world-class restaurants. If you want to explore more of the city, the metro is only a few minutes’ walk away, as is the East Train Station, which will have you in Hong Kong within an hour. Of course, you will be hard pressed to leave the hotel in the first place, such are the amenities on offer. Take, for example, Etsu, a cutting-edge restaurant combining Japanese and Peruvian cuisine; or Bar on Six, which offers an outdoor terrace with breathtaking city views and some of the best mixologists in the city. The rooms themselves are spacious and luxurious in equal measure, with large workspaces and an attention to detail that will make you feel right at home.

JUMEIRAH EMIRATES TOWERS It is one of the most iconic buildings in the UAE, with a design inspiration that continues throughout the property

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Drive along Dubai’s Sheikh Zayed Road and you are sure to see them: two stunningly designed skyscrapers that jut out of the cityscape, glinting in the late afternoon sun. Widely recognised as one of the most iconic buildings in the world, Jumeirah Emirates Towers caused quite a stir when it opened in 1999. Designed by the celebrated architect, Hazel Wong, the towers are inspired by traditional Islamic themes and are connected by a ground-floor boulevard. Comprising of two equilateral triangles, the 350-metre high office tower and the 305-metre high hotel tower are clad with aluminum panels, copper and silver-reflective glass, which ensures the

sun’s changing light is reflected at different angles. The fact that the towers still look as fresh now as they did twenty years ago is a testament to the quality of the design and architectural work. Even the building’s architect, Hazel Wong, was surprised by the reaction. “Even though it was to be the 10th tallest building in the world on completion, that wasn’t the goal,” she said. “The goal was just to come up with very simple elegant forms, and deliver a building that fits into the context.” Of course, it’s not just the exterior of the building that is so impressive. Take the huge, light-filled lobby, which is a buzz of restrained activity any time of

the day and night. Its low slung couches offer the perfect place to the watch the world go by, while the 30-metre high atrium gives the whole area a sense of calm. Four glass elevators noiselessly take guests to their floors at a speed of four metres a second. The design touches don’t end there. Each room and suite effortlessly blends modern European-style decor with refined furnishings, designer bathrooms with separate showers, and sophisticated business amenities to ensure all guest needs are met throughout the duration of their stay. Floor-to-ceiling windows offer panoramic views across the city, while state-of the-art technology has been conveniently integrated into the design of each room and suite to deliver a streamlined guest experience. This includes complimentary Wi-Fi and broadband internet access as well as VoIP phones featuring digital room controls. If you can drag yourself away from your room, the hotel is filled with worldclass F&B outlets, from the New Yorkchic inspired interiors of The Rib Room to the skyline views and slow cooked Italian food at Alta Badia. That attention to detail is reflected outside as well, with more than 42 acres of gardens, lakes and waterfalls wrapped around the building, providing an oasis of nature in the heart of the city. For Hazel Wong, the building has left a lasting impression. “It certainly does mean a lot, and the appreciation everyone has in terms of how one tower is reflected off the other and how one sits higher than the other, has come back in a positive way. And I carry that theme of movement throughout most of the buildings I design, that when you walk around the building, the building moves with you.” For those who stay at Jumeirah Emirates Towers, it’s hard not to agree with that last sentiment. Twenty years old and the towers are looking as good as ever.

Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai Tel: 971 43 300 000

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Illustration − Trang Minh

London Neighbourhood Guide Exploring Knightsbridge, one of the English capital’s most exclusive neighbourhoods Located walking distance from Knightsbridge, (1) Grosvenor House Suites (44 20 7518 4444) is the perfect place to base your London sojourn in. First though, the hotel itself. Start your day off right with breakfast in The Atrium, or head to the Fitness Suite, and work up a pre-breakfast sweat on our state-of-the-art equipment. Of course, you may prefer to relax over a coffee on the balcony of one of our amazing suites, each of which has views over Hyde Park. The rooms themselves are all understated chic, modern but with a nod towards the area’s regal heritage. And once you are fed and refreshed, you can explore the area. First stop should be (2) Harrods (44 20 7730 1234), which really needs no introduction. Easily the world’s most famous department store, it has literally everything you ever need (and plenty of things you don’t). From two-tone bicycle cufflinks from Paul Smith to $600 oak cutting boards to Fendi handbags and chinaware from the British Royal Collection Trust, you won’t be hard pressed to get that Christmas gift. Oh, and there’s also the hampers, a veritable feast of wonderful condiments, cookies and wines. Yum. After all that, we recommend heading north to (3) Hyde Park which is one of the jewels in London’s crown. Set over more than 350 acres, it’s the largest of the four Royal parks and was established by King Henry VIII in 1536. These days its filled with tourists, lunching commuters and couples strolling hand-in-hand, but due to its size, it’s always possible to find shade under a tree hundreds of yards from the nearest person.

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There’s plenty of things do here to, from a visit to the wonderful Serpentine Gallery to lunch in one of the park’s cafes. Or you can just feed the ducks and take in the fresh air. One definite highlight is the (4) Grand Entrance, which certainly lives up to its name. Built in the 1820s, it’s the perfect place to pose under and get that #HydePark hashtag going on Instagram. Speaker’s Corner is here too, which is a great place to listen to the weird and wonderful orators who put the world to rights. Across the road is the magnificent (5) Wellington Arch, which is one of the city’s architectural highlights. Designed by the wonderfully named Decimus Burton and opened in 1828, visitors can go inside where there are three floors of exhibits documenting the history of the arch and wonderful views from the public gallery. It was also home to London’s smallest police station until 1992. From there, we recommend a leisurely stroll back through Belgravia, which is filled with high-end restaurants and al fresco cafes. Make your way to (6) Sloane Square, which marks the boundaries of Belgravia, Knightsbridge and Chelsea. It’s something of a shopping hub these days, with the area surrounding it lined with designer boutiques and wonderful independent shops. The renowned music venue Cadogan Hall is also nearby, which hosts everything from the BBC Proms to live podcasts from the Freakonomics theme. After all that, you will probably want to lie down – lucky then, that your hotel is only a few minutes’ walk from the heart of the action.

Our Hotels

Jumeirah Beach Hotel

DUBAI Burj Al Arab Jumeirah This iconic sail-shaped hotel redefined luxury when it opened, and still offers the finest in service and experience.

Jumeirah Beach Hotel With ocean-view rooms and suites, restaurants, cafés, bars, swimming pools and a private beach, this is the ultimate family hotel with its recent refurbishment is looking fresher than ever.

Jumeirah Al Naseem This sprawling five-star property features lush gardens, generous terraces and stunning views of the Arabian Gulf.

Jumeirah Al Qasr Designed in the unparalleled opulence style of a Sheikh’s summer residence, Al Qasr offers the ultimate in Arabian luxury.

Jumeirah Dar Al Masyaf Understated luxury is the byword here as this intimate yet generous property.

Jumeirah Mina A’Salam Located in the heart of Madinat Jumeirah, Mina A’Salam is a luxury boutique hotel. Take an abra through the canals that surround the hotel and soak up the atmosphere.

Jumeirah Creekside Hotel Offers wonderful views of the Creek and the Dubai skyline. It’s perfect for business travellers who need to unwind.

Jumeirah Emirates Towers These two towers are icons of Dubai’s skyline. The hotel offers 400 rooms, eight meeting rooms, 11 bars and restaurants and lots of business and meeting facilities.

Jumeirah at Saadiyat Island Resort A resort that redefined luxury in the capital, this property, situated on a 400-metre private beach offers a host of leisure activies.

Jumeirah Al Wathba Desert Resort & Spa Nestled in the spectacularly beautiful Arabian Desert, this boutique resort offers unrivalled tranquillity and views.

Jumeirah Living World Trade Centre Residence Executive living reaches new heights at these serviced apartments in the heart of Dubai’s business district.

ABU DHABI Jumeirah Zabeel Saray

Jumeirah Zabeel Saray Royal Residences Set amid lush tropical gardens and facing a magnificent lagoon pool, the Royal Residences set a new bar for luxury accommodation in the city.

Jumeirah at Etihad Towers These five dramatically sculpted towers have become an Abu Dhabi landmark, and they are as spectacular inside as out.

Jumeirah at Etihad Towers Residences Redefine the idea of home at these fully serviced luxury residences in heart of Abu Dhabi.

Jumeirah at Saadiyat Island Resort

Nestled in the serene environs of The Palm Jumeirah’s West Cresent, this property exudes Ottoman-era charm and stunning views to bask in.

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Jumeirah Royal Saray

Jumeirah Lowndes Hotel

BAHRAIN

LONDON

MALLORCA

Jumeirah Royal Saray

Grosvenor House Suites by Jumeirah Living

Jumeirah Port Soller Hotel & Spa

There’s nowhere quite like Mayfair, and this Park Lane property exudes oldworld charm and understated service.

Nestled amidst Sóller Valley and the UNESCO World Heritage Tramuntana Mountain range, the Port Soller offers understated luxury in the heart of one of Europe’s hippest destinations.

Situated on a private beach in Bahrain’s new Seef district, the Royal Saray marries Arabian opulence with worldclass service.

FRANKFURT

Jumeirah Carlton Tower

Jumeirah Frankfurt

This striking Knightsbridge property is currently under renovation and expected to open in spring 2020.

Experience discreet luxury in the heart of the continent’s financial hub at this 218-room five-star property.

GUANGZHOU Jumeirah Living Guangzhou Located in the heart of Guangzhou, this already iconic building offers 169 luxurious residences, a temperaturecontrolled outdoor swimming pool and a host of F&B options.

Jumeirah Nanjing Jumeirah Lowndes Hotel Located in the heart of Belgravia, and perfectly located between Hyde Park and the West End, Lowndes offers a boutique townhouse experience with the unrivalled hospitality Jumeirah is renowned for.

MALDIVES Jumeirah Vittaveli

KUWAIT Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa Go for the huge private beach, seven world-class restaurants, kid’s club and a comprehensive fitness centre.

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NANJING

Vittaveli mixes island charm with worldclass service. Enjoy the views, watch the sunset or cycle one of the complimentary bikes out to a deserted spot. Bliss.

SHANGHAI Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel From the 16-metre high lobby to the artwork that adorns the walls, the Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel is an eclectic fusion of new and old.

COMING SOON Bali – Jumeirah Bali Guangzhou – Jumeirah Hotel Guangzhou Oman – Jumeirah Muscat Bay

The shot

Jumeirah Dar Al Masyaf

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DIVER 300M MASTER CHRONOMETER CERTIFIED Behind the elegance of every Master Chronometer timepiece is the highest level of testing: 8 tests over 10 days, to ensure superior precision and anti-magnetic resistance. OMEGA Boutiques: DUBAI: The Dubai Mall • Mall of the Emirates • Mirdif City Centre • Deira City Centre • Dubai Festival City • Al Ghurair Centre • Bur Juman • Wafi • Jumeirah Beach Hotel ABU DHABI: Yas Mall • Marina Mall SHARJAH: Sahara Centre. Rivoli stores across UAE. Toll Free: 800-RIVOLI