Tempus Magazine | Issue 76 | October-November 2021

TIMELESS INSPIRATION

NO TIME TO DIE Behind the wheel of the Aston Martin fleet

stealing the scene in James Bond's latest adventure

007 SPECIAL | PRIVATE MEMBERS' CLUBS | CLAUDIA SCHIFFER ISSUE

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The wait is over...

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has been 18 months in the making. It was originally planned to coincide with the 25th Bond film’s April 2020 release date, until March saw the world shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic. No Time to Die was rescheduled for November 2020 – a date that would go down in infamy at Tempus HQ as, just a week before we went to print, it was pushed back once again to April 2021. Finally, the film settled on its final release date: 30 September 2021.

Proving the old adage that patience is a virtue, James Bond fans can finally sink their teeth into what promises to be the film of the year – not just Daniel Craig’s swansong but also the introduction of Lashana Lynch as cinema’s first female 007, Nomi. The trailer alone has us on the edge of our seats.

In addition to our two spectacular automotive photoshoots, we delve into James Bond’s stylish timepieces (48) and learn how to make the perfect martini (60), discover the holiday destinations fit for a superspy (16), and find out who casting director Debbie McWilliams thinks could be the next 007 (52).

With all this and much more packed into this issue, I’m so excited to finally share this special edition of Tempus with you.

gainst a stormy evening sky, a small fleet of Aston Martin supercars lines up in the forecourt of Oxfordshire’s historic Blenheim Palace.

Although the Palace is closing to visitors for the evening, the few stragglers who spot this spectacle (or hear the purr of powerful engines) try to hang back to snap a picture or two – it doesn’t get past the notice of our ad hoc security, who are as determined as we are to keep this surprise under wraps.

This photoshoot is the most ambitious that Tempus has produced thus far – a feat that unites the entire fleet of Aston Martins driven in the upcoming James Bond blockbuster No Time to Die. See the DB5, DBS Superleggera, V8 and Valhalla captured in their full, scene-stealing glory on page 38.

Earlier in the day, those same palace visitors may have seen our crew tearing along the countryside in 007’s off-road vehicle of choice – the all-new Land Rover Defender – for our second exclusive shoot of the issue.

No Time to Die stunt and racing driver Jessica Hawkins takes us through the death-defying cinema sequences we can expect from this all-terrain behemoth on page 54.

Getting this issue into your hands has been a rather action-packed journey in itself. As I write this letter, we are putting the final touches on a magazine that

Michelle Johnson Editor

AS I WRITE THIS LETTER, WE ARE PUTTING THE FINAL TOUCHES ON A MAGAZINE THAT HAS BEEN 18 MONTHS IN THE MAKING

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update from the world of luxury lifestyle

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Contributors

Editorial team Editor Michelle Johnson michelle@tempusmagazine.co.uk

Judy Cogan Luxury expert Judy takes us on a grand tour of the Bond franchise’s most exciting – and vacation-ready – filming locations on page 16

Creative Director Ross Forbes ross@tempusmagazine.co.uk Digital Editor Gabriel Power gabriel@tempusmagazine.co.uk Wealth Editor Lysanne Currie

The Duke of Richmond The Duke of Richmond tells us what drove him to revive the historic Goodwood Motor Circuit and reinvent motorsports events for future generations (14)

Motoring Editor Rory FH Smith Chief Sub-Editor Dominique Dinse COMMERCIAL Business Development Director Remi James remi@tempusmagazine.co.uk +44 (0) 203 519 1005

Juliet Herd Freelance writer and editor Juliet meets conservationist Victorial Aspinall, as the Aspinall Foundation embarks on its biggest rewilding challenge yet (26)

Sales & Content Executive Freddy Clode freddy@tempusmagazine.co.uk Sales & Event Enquiries info@tempusmagazine.co.uk VANTAGE MEDIA

GF Williams Behind the lens of our two exclusive photoshoots, photographer George captures Aston Martin’s fleet (38) and the new Land Rover Defender (54) in action

Chairman Floyd Woodrow Managing Director Peter Malmstrom COVER IMAGE Aston Martin’s cinematic fleet from No Time to Die, photographed at Blenheim Palace Photography: GF Williams Thanks to: Aston Martin, EON Productions, Aubrey Peck, Blenheim Palace Article on page: 38

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CONTENTS

10 The luxe list Our pick of the must-have gifts of the season 14 The spirit of revival The Duke of Richmond tells Tempus about bringing the Goodwood Motor Circuit back to life 16 On location These No Time to Die filming locations are the ultimate luxury holiday destinations 22 Ahead of the fleet We set sail with the Ferretti Group as its new fleet heads to Cannes 26 Queen of the wild Victoria Aspinall shares the Aspinall Foundation’s most ambitious conservation effort yet 32 Patrons of the arts How Pictorum Capitis is fostering new talent as it launches two new galleries 36 Secret services Security specialists Valkyrie on how we can guard against cybercrime 38 Bond behind the wheel Discover the historic Aston Martin fleet starring in No Time to Die, in our world exclusive photoshoot 48 Facing the odds Daniel Craig’s collaboration with Omega marks the brand’s 25-year relationship with the Bond franchise 52 Behind the scenes Who will be the next 007? Casting director Debbie McWilliams tells us what to expect 54 Rough and ready Stunt driver Jessica Hawkins on the power and performance of Land Rover’s all-new Defender 60 Shaken or stirred How to make the perfect martini with Tanqueray and Azaline 62 Best cellars Show off your wine collection in style with the ultimate new interior trend 66 Join the club Step inside the most exclusive private members’ clubs in London 72 The spice of life Royal caterer Sanjay Anand on the family history inspiring his new Mayfair restaurant 74 Cutting edge Maurice Sedwell owner Andrew Ramroop looks back at the history of Savile Row 78 Beneath the surface Valmont’s Agnes Teffaud shares why our skincare routine should be scientific – and sensual 80 The fashion fix Can biodesign fix fashion’s environmental footprint? These designers say yes 86 Blenheim palace We uncover the extraordinary history of the UK’s only non-royal palace 88 A bold outlook Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert leads the winners of Veuve Clicquot’s Bold Woman Awards 91 RE:VIEW Supermodel Claudia Schiffer’s memories of the captivating ’90s open our guide to the best shows, books and events 96 Save the date The finest luxury events of the season 100 Tried & tasted Chocolatier Jens Knoops takes us on a sweet escape to his favourite dining spots

ISSUE 76

38 Bond behind the wheel 9

The LUXE LIST Our essential guide to the most exciting new launches and finest seasonal gifts

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The Ocean Club, A Four Seasons Resort Featured in the 2006 remake of Casino Royale, this idyllic retreat on the white sands of Paradise Island has been a playground for celebrities and discerning holidaymakers since opening in 1962. Escape to 14 hectares of Versailles-inspired gardens, choose between rooms, suites, villas and residences, and indulge in Balinese spa treatments, a round of golf or myriad ocean adventures.

Restaurants Dune and Ocean serve up extraordinary cuisine in stylish surroundings. Enjoy an intimate dinner under the stars before finishing your day with a nightcap in the Martini Bar and Lounge – shaken, not stirred, of course. fourseasons.com/oceanclub

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Earthshot: How to save our planet The definitive book of the environmental Earthshot Prize (left) – launched by the Royal Foundation in 2020 – Earthshot: How to Save our Planet outlines the ambitious goals that could improve life for us all here on Earth, and is the first to show how these goals could tackle the climate crisis we face. With contributions from the Duke of Cambridge, Sir David Attenborough and ISS astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, this is a must-read for eco-warriors. As Prince William says: “The Earth is at a tipping point and we face a stark choice. The next ten years present us with one of our greatest tests – a decade of action to repair the Earth.” You could make a world of difference… earthshotprize.org

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Girard Perregaux Tourbillon with Three Bridges To mark the 230th anniversary of luxury Swiss watch manufacture Girard-Perregaux, the maison has injected its most iconic models with a modern flourish. Its latest updated novelty is the Tourbillon with Three Flying Bridges (left), part of the hugely popular Girard-Perregaux Bridges Collection. Three Neo Bridges has pink gold adorning the face of the new model, supporting the geartrain, barrel and tourbillon, and acting as the mainplate. Available in 18-carat rose gold and encased in an anti-reflective sapphire crystal ‘box’, the piece is described by the brand as “a bridge to the past, a look into the future”. Time travel, indeed…

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Azaline Vermouth Journey along the Silk Road with Azaline’s premium aromatic vermouth (right).

Made from pinot noir grapes and enriched with eight botanicals – including warming infusions of cardamom, coriander and bitter alpine gentian – this is an intense and sophisticated addition to your cocktail repertoire. The heart of the vermouth is the infusion of high quality Persian saffron, which brings out the complexities of the blend. A true journey in a bottle. » azaline-vermouth.com

girard-perregaux.com

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Leica Q2 007 To celebrate the release of the 25th Bond film, No Time to Die, German photography brand Leica Camera has unveiled its new Leica Q2 007 Edition (left). Designed in collaboration with the film’s star Daniel Craig, the camera is limited to just 250 pieces, each with the 007 logo on the deck cap and the famous Bond gun barrel design on the lens cap. Each limited-edition camera is individually numbered, housed in a customised Ocean Green leather case by luxury brand Globe-Trotter – picture perfect. uk.leica-camera.com

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Aubin Any brand breaking back into the fashion world after a nine-year hiatus needs to make a statement on its return.

September saw ethical menswear firm Aubin announce its comeback with a two-week takeover of the famed White Horse pub in the heart of London, temporarily rebranding the Carnaby Street establishment as the Aubin Arms and hosting a star-studded (re) launch party. But the real star of the show was Aubin’s new collection (right) – a capsule range of lush knitwear, durable shirts and elegant outerwear all made to last. “The fast-paced world of cheap, disposable clothing must stop,” the brand says – and this collection offers a desirable alternative: style that will never wear out. aubinandwills.next.co.uk

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Le Berre Vevaud French architectural designers Raphaël Le Berre and Thomas Vevaud have been transforming luxury private residences and restaurants for over a decade.

The duo’s latest collection of finely crafted furniture exemplifies their powerful design language – pieces are influenced the Memphis movement’s vivid colours and statement shape, with a discreet touch of popular art deco style. From chess piece-like Barth Stools in marble or bronze, the Goa bench (left), to the Giulia Table – with its marble surface and marble-like spherical legs – this is pure sculpture. Home is where the art is… leberrevevaud.com

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Connolly Luggage Collection The perfect accessory for your autumn weekend away, the Connolly Luggage Collection is a sophisticated range of sports bags, carry-alls and wash bags to make travelling in style a (sea) breeze.

Presented in supple leather, the Sea Bag features vintage palladium silver hardware and detatchable shoulder strap for an urbane vintage look, while the Sports Grip (left) teams a racing aesthetic with a classically elegant shape – two roller buckle straps and a hidden passport pocket add extra security.

Completing the collection, Connolly’s Travel Wash Bags are crafted from natural tanned leather with two useful pockets, designed to fit perfectly inside your luggage. Bon voyage! connollyengland.com

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Twisted Adventure RIBs Twisted Automotive’s first series of highperformance boats, Twisted Adventure RIBs, are styled as the “Defender of the sea” – and rightly so. These British-made boats (right) are based on the Cobra Nautique range and the first marine craft developed by the Defender modification specialist. The three custom-built configurations come as a 6.2m six-seater RIB, 7.0m eight-seater and 8.7m 12-seater, with power outputs of 150bhp, 225bhp and 500bhp respectively. Created for exhilarating adventure on water and in all weathers, this is the ultimate all-terrain vehicle for the sea to have you making waves in style… twistedautomotive.com

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Quaglino’s Evoking the spirit of perhaps the most decadent cultural epoch in Western history, famed St James’s haunt Quaglino’s is serving up a spectacular new Art Deco cocktail menu. The drinks, sporting such wry names as “S-Peachless” and “Bee the Q”, are inspired by three artistic movements typical of the era. Floral, refreshing and bright-toned aperitifs represent Art Nouveau; strong, refined digestifs take cues from the power of Cubism; and Futurism is reflected in out-of-the-box cocktails with unique flavour profiles. The perfect pairings to a night of dining and live music. quaglinos-restaurant.co.uk

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The spirit of revival The spectacular Goodwood motorsports events are back and bigger than ever. Their founder, The Duke of Richmond, tells Tempus about his passion for the glamour and excitement of racing’s heyday – and why he is such a driving force for sustainability

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Constant thrill: The Duke of Richmond (top right) presides over Goodwood Revival (right)

’d always been determined to revive the Goodwood Motor Circuit, which closed in 1966, but it was a long and complicated process. We brought motorsport back to Goodwood with the first Festival of Speed in 1993, and its success reassured me that Goodwood still meant a lot to people – not only those who had been to the circuit in the 1950s and ’60s but those who simply love historic cars.

My grandfather [Frederick Gordon Lennox, 9th Duke of Richmond] created the Motor Circuit in 1948 and, finally, in the autumn of 1998, we were ready to reopen it with our first Goodwood Revival. Staged entirely in period with cars from 1948 to 1966, the event was a step back in time to the days when all the great names of the sport raced here.

Then, the Members’ Meeting, an event exclusively for members of the Goodwood Road Racing Club, continued a long tradition of the members-only race meetings of the ’50s and ’60s for fans who’d joined the British Automobile Racing Club.

Since these early days, all three events have grown organically as we began to attract teams, manufacturers and competitors from all around the world, as well as commercial partners who have helped us expand and refresh the content.

There were 25,000 fans at the first Festival of Speed and now we are entertaining more than 200,000 people each summer.

The Revival was incredibly well received right from the start, thanks in part to a huge interest in historic racing and the fact that the Goodwood Circuit is a truly classic layout, unchanged since the 1950s. There was also an enthusiastic response

to the theatrical element of an event staged in period, an opportunity to dress up and enjoy some of the romance and glamour of days gone by.

At its heart, the Revival has always been about reducing, re-using, repairing and recycling – we’ve got classic cars and vintage fashions that are brought to life at the event. Ultimately, it’s a celebration of a time when things were made to last. This year we introduced our new Make-Do and Mend area, showcasing a host of restoration projects with industry experts on-hand to share their insights. We also hosted our inaugural Car Boot Sale, encouraging shoppers to embrace circular rather than fast fashion but, of course, it was a Car Boot Sale with a Goodwood twist – with classic cars, cocktails and a vinyl-spinning DJ. For us, it’s important that these elements are interactive and encourage people to make changes beyond the Revival weekend.

The Festival of Speed is always challenging, simply because of the sheer scale of the infrastructure, building what amounts to a small town in Goodwood Park and ensuring that we meet the highest possible safety standards on the iconic hillclimb itself. Seeing the world’s greatest cars, bikes, drivers and riders back at Goodwood is a constant thrill, an everlasting source of excitement and pleasure.

This year we were given the government’s pilot event status for Festival of Speed, so it was a huge challenge for the team. We obviously had to minimise the indoor spaces, which meant experimenting with many new ideas, some of which we will take into future years such as an open-air Drivers Club and a more open space for Future Lab. I think we avoided all of the potential

pitfalls successfully, and Festival of Speed 2021 had a very special atmosphere thanks to all those who responded so enthusiastically after a difficult year in 2020.

We have partnerships with many of the world’s major car manufacturers so it’s important that our events reflect the biggest changes in the motor industry. Electric Avenue, for example, brings electric vehicle technology centre stage between now and 2030 when fossil-fuelled cars will no longer be made. Over the next 10 years we will see a quantum leap forward in new technologies, whether that be with batteries or fuel cells, and the Festival of Speed will continue to showcase these developments with both Electric Avenue and Future Lab as well as the latest electric supercars and racing cars.

Most importantly, we must not simply react to circumstances as they unfold but must be proactive in our mission to stay ahead in a world that is changing so rapidly. This is not something new for us at the Goodwood Estate, as we have had a fully sustainable food chain from our organic farm for many years. The farm supplies food to our restaurants, hotel and all our events.

More recently we have installed a biomass boiler for heating – just the first step towards using renewable energy across the entire estate.

As a family, we have been the stewards of our land in the South Downs for more than 300 years and we are committed to ensuring that we continue to innovate in order to sustain our businesses and events in the most responsible way possible. goodwood.com

SEEING THE WORLD’S GREATEST CARS, BIKES, DRIVERS AND RIDERS BACK AT GOODWOOD IS A CONSTANT THRILL, AN EVERLASTING SOURCE OF EXCITEMENT AND PLEASURE 14

COLUMN

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ON LOCATION

he high-gloss glamour, death-defying stunts and gripping plot lines we’ve been looking forward to for so long from the latest Bond film No Time to Die have finally arrived. The 25th film in this iconic franchise, and Daniel Craig’s swansong playing the suave British secret agent, was first scheduled for release in April 2020, but delayed repeatedly by the pandemic. Finally set for release on 30 September 2021, the trailer hints that we’re in for an exhilarating ride.

Not only do we have a marvellously malignant villain – Safin, played

by Oscar-winning actor Rami Malek – but we’ll be swept away to tropical islands, hostile frozen lakes and ancient cities in far-flung locales including Italy, Norway and Jamaica. So, with Bond officially back – and travel once more on the agenda thanks to the easing of Covid restrictions – why not mark the occasion by embarking on a 007-worthy break in a destination that will leave you feeling shaken and stirred – for all the right reasons.

If you have a hankering to travel like James Bond, you’re in luck. These breathtaking filming locations are open to visitors Words: Judy Cogan 16

ITALY

Matera ITALY | MATERA Matera is known for having 1,500 cave dwellings that honeycomb the sides of a steep ravine and have had continuous human habitation since the Stone Age. It’s a Unesco World Heritage site, former European Capital of Culture – and now a Bond backdrop.

The No Time to Die trailer begins with a high-octane car chase (naturally) that magically jumps between shots of Matera and Gravina in Puglia (where Bond jumps off the famous two-tier Roman bridge) as the cars zip around south-eastern Italy.

Matera’s tight narrow streets and crumbly nooks make it perfect car-chase territory, but they are also fascinating to explore on foot without a villain in pursuit. In recent years the ancient abandoned caves in the Sassi, the oldest pocket of the city, have been renovated into luxury hotels, shiny boutiques and art galleries.

High-end restaurants serve elevated versions of traditional local dishes such as crapiata, a rich grain and bean soup and fresh breads that have been eaten in the area everyday for centuries.

Staying in a luxurious cave at the exquisite Sextantio Le Grotte Della Civita hotel (below) – will make you feel like a Bond villain ready to take over the world. Inside the tufa rock walls arc up to a lofty 6m-high ceilings, with stone floors dating from the 15th century.

The bathroom sinks are original drinking troughs used by donkeys in the medieval era, but you’ll have Philippe Starck bathtubs, plush bedding and all the mod-cons, only wellhidden to allow you to slip effortlessly back in time. At sunset, enjoy spectacular views of Murgia park on the opposite side of the ravine with your martini. » legrottedellacivita.sextantio.it

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JAMAICA

Port Antonio This tropical island is certainly familiar ground for Bond. It was here that Honey Ryder (Ursula Andress) wandered in from the sea in Dr. No (1962), the spy’s first ever outing, and it featured again in Live and Let Die (1973) as fictional island San Monique. Producer Barbara Broccoli recently referred to it as “Bond’s spiritual home”, so it’s no wonder our man has found his way back to the Caribbean.

Rumour has it the film opens with Bond living in a beach house in Port Antonio, on the island’s north-east coast, having retired from

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Her Majesty’s Secret Service.

Author Ian Fleming created the James Bond character on the very same coastline, and now you can rent his house, Fleming Villa (writing desk still in place). It is one of a scattering of luxury properties on the GoldenEye resort (pictured) enclosed in a lush jungle of tropical plants and trees with outdoor showers, deep clawfoot tubs and hand-dyed batik robes. It doesn’t get much more Bond than this. goldeneye.com; theflemingvilla.com

NORWAY

Hakadal and The North Atlantic Road

In the trailer of No Time To Die, Rami Malek’s villain chases a girl (a young Madeleine Swann, played as an adult by Léa Seydoux) across a frozen lake. This is Langvann, near Hakadal just north of Oslo, a popular outdoor recreation area for locals and tourists.

The absurdly beautiful Atlanterhavsveien (Atlantic Road) that skirts the western coast features in a car chase with Bond navigating his Aston Martin along the dips, curves and arch bridges that connect a series of tiny islets located in stormy Atlantic waters.

In keeping with Bond-levels of glamour, stay

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at the Grand Hotel in the centre of Oslo with its opulent chandeliers, impressive spa and well-versed, white-gloved staff. The prestigious Nobel Suite here hosts the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize every year.

Alternatively, The Thief Hotel (pictured) will fulfil its mission to “steal you away from everyday life” with a quirky mix of Damien Hirst works alongside photos of the Queen of Norway on the walls; an impressive spa and luxurious suites that will swallow you whole. » grand.no/en; thethief.com

THE FAROE ISLANDS

Kalsoy

Welcome to the next James Bond island. The film crew shot on the intimidating outcrop of Kalsoy island, surrounded by mountains in the tiny Faroe Islands, 500 miles west of Norway, in the North Atlantic. Kalsoy, with its untamed shorelines and majestic cliff faces, will become home for Malek’s evil villain.

If you visit the island, why not go full-Bond and arrive by helicopter? The landscape may appear desolate at first glance, but the Faroe Islands offer a truly luxury experience immersed in extraordinary nature. Hotel Brandan is a fourstar-plus eco-friendly operation with a grasstopped roof and excellent high-end restaurant serving elegant takes on Nordic cuisine. With hot tubs, a wine cellar and a bar serving bespoke cocktails, it ticks all the right boxes. hotelbrandan.com

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SCOTLAND

The Cairngorms By now we know Bond’s heritage lies in Scotland. Following on from Skyfall (2012), with dramatic scenes shot at 007’s family home in Glencoe, this film will take him home to the Highlands – specifically the Ardverikie Estate, near Newtonmore in the Cairngorms.

This 19th-century property has previously featured in the BBC series Monarch of the Glen and doubled up as a convincing Balmoral Castle in Netflix sensation The Crown.

The good news is you can stay here.

Holiday cottages ranging from farm houses to miniature castles – the largest sleeping 13 comfortably – are dotted around the estate surrounded by rugged mountains, tranquil forests and the magnificent Loch Laggan.

Gatelodge, for example, sits on the banks of the River Pattack with a fairytale turret, spiral staircase and woodburner – perfect for a cosy, romantic Bond-worthy break. ardverikie.com

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Ahead of the fleet Ahead of the premiere of its newest fleet at the Cannes Yachting Festival, the Ferretti Group pulls out all the stops at a gargantuan private preview in Monte-Carlo – and Tempus was there.

Words: Gabriel Power

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t’s 9am and I am standing in a rather peculiar location. As a guest of the Ferretti Group’s famed private preview event in MonteCarlo, awash with billionaires, businesspeople and harried sea crew all eager to review the latest fleet before it sets sail to the season’s international Yacht Shows – including Monaco and Cannes – I expected to spend my time here skirting along the edges of proceedings, looking but not touching as yachts the size of houses shuttle back and forth across the Yacht Club de Monaco’s harbour.

With 2020’s event curtailed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the buzz this year is palpable. A sense of relief permeates every corner of the Monegasque principality, and thus it seemed a fantastical idea that I might get any sort of priority access among the milieu.

But I was wrong. Instead, I stand barefoot and shielding my eyes from the blazing September sun bouncing off the stern deck of the two-storey bespoke yacht owned by Ferretti Group CEO Alberto Galassi.

To call him a man of action would be an understatement – at 1am last night I had watched as he took to the Yacht Club’s stage to play guitar alongside Italian pop icon Umberto Tozzi – and now he is here, impeccably dressed in a tailored suit and ready to field my questions on his work. And with a series of spectacular new models from each of Ferretti’s subsidiary manufacturers making their debuts at the event, each more innovative than the last, I am intrigued as to how he views each of the brands under his control. »

Sea ready: the enormous Ferretti Yachts 1000 model 23

“The difference between each brand is like the difference between me, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kevin Costner and a Formula One driver; we have seven brands, none of which overlap each other,” he says. “For powerboats, you have Wally; for heritage and timeless elegance, you have Riva; if you want to tailor-make a boat, you have Custom Line; meanwhile, Pershing is like a jet fighter.”

Does Galassi have a preference? “Ah, come on,” he says, emphasising his words with a mano a borsa hand gesture. “This is like asking a mother to choose between her own children.”

From our vantage point, the Ferretti Group Private Preview, taking place just before the Cannes Yachting Festival, is a somewhat overwhelming spectacle. Bobbing gently next to us is the enormous Ferretti Yachts 1000 model, making its premiere as the largest ever produced by the shipyard at 30m in length and hosting five luxury cabins. Meanwhile, across the harbour is the equally brand-new Riva 68’ Diable, a gorgeous, angular vessel with a stunning sunroof design and bucketloads of power, with two MAN V12 engines offering a max speed of 40 knots.

But it would be remiss of me to suggest there wasn’t a clear standout among the premieres – a frankly remarkable feat of engineering and design that had fast become the talk of the event, though a rather polarising one – the Wally WHY200.

Towering above the adjacent vessels, and featuring a truly bizarre 180-degree cabin carved into the bow of the boat, this “spaceship yacht” has captured the attention of virtually every attendee from photographers to prospective buyers. Even Galassi himself, while admitting its envelopepushing design is not to everyone’s taste, cannot resist its unique charms; his impartiality goes straight out the window when I ask which yacht premiere he is most excited about.

“Oh it’s the WHY200,” he says, in a manner which suggests he could not possibly pick any other model.

“The world is talking about it – ‘I love it!’, ‘I hate it!’, ‘I don’t understand it!’,” he chuckles. “But you

don’t judge the interior or the performance of a vessel by looking at its exterior; if you are not a fan of the design, I believe you will end up falling in love with the ship because of how it feels inside and how it performs. And if you already love the exterior, then there’s no problem to begin with.

“It’s a big bet, sure,” he says. “But we think we’ve won that bet.”

The time comes to disembark and, with espresso in hand, I am escorted down the harbour wall to attend a sea trial of the Pershing 9X, which made its debut at the brand’s 2017 Private Preview. Pershing’s yachts are almost a test of how much both performance and comfort can be ramped up without sacrificing one another. From the stern, I can see hordes of onlookers snapping photos of the shimmering exterior as we crawl out of the harbour, until the captain makes it out into open water and opens up the taps.

This is a simply astonishing machine. The bow sweeps up toward the sky, tipping us backwards as an enormous arc of water shoots high into the sky and the wind picks up as we cruise past 20, then 30, then 40 knots. Carving through the Mediterranean’s transparent waters and even the wake of other yachts, the captain makes a series of dramatic figure-eights at full speed, the boat tilting into each turn with such grace that the cup of water on the table to my left doesn’t spill a drop. The smoothness of the ride seems almost illogical; my eyes and ears are informing me that this is an intense, adrenaline-fuelling experience, but my stomach – and my relaxed pose, couchant on a sofa – suggest otherwise. I can only imagine the comfort and precision of this year’s 6X, which, while more compact, is more powerful and technologically advanced.

The Ferretti Group prides itself on exponential innovation year-on-year, and if almost half a decade has passed since this model made its debut, the mind boggles as to what the future has in store for Galassi and his team. ferrettigroup.com

All aboard: Ferretti Group CEO Alberto Galassi (below) presents the Group’s new fleet (top right), including the Wally WHY200 (top left) and the Pershing 6X (right)

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CONSERVATION

Queen wild of the

Conservationist Victoria Aspinall shares her passion for endangered animals as the Aspinall Foundation embarks on its most ambitious animal rewilding project to date Words: Juliet Herd

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endangered species to the wild. “Probably my first thoughts were negative because I’m very much against the thought of a zoo,” she admits.

Born and bred in rural Lancashire, she quickly realised she and Damian were on the same wavelength, and has since thrown herself into the charity’s ambitious and trailblazing rewilding projects: more than 300 animals, including 80 gorillas, 180 langurs and gibbons, eight black rhinos, four cheetahs and 11 Przewalski horses, have been successfully released into their natural habitats to date. “Our parks are very different from conventional zoos, providing the most natural environment possible for the animals,” she says.

Two years ago, Aspinall quit her job as business strategist for British luxury fashion house Burberry to focus full time on what have become her two inextricably connected passions: interior design and wild animals. In her role as creative director, she oversees all the design, branding and partnerships across both the charity and the two reserves with a focus on sustainability and the environment.

From timber-clad lion lodges and wigwams to glass glamping pods and secluded treehouses, all of the luxury accommodation designed by Aspinall is carefully tailored and unique to the space.

Here, she talks to Tempus about creating immersive conservation hotels; her special bond with Saba and Nairo, the first ever hand-reared cheetahs to be returned to their ancestral homeland of South Africa from the UK; and the charity’s most ambitious rewilding project yet. »

ot many people can say they have been foster mum to a gorilla, wolf, leopard and lion cub,” says Victoria Aspinall, creative director of British conservation charity the Aspinall Foundation.

It’s not a light boast. For the past six years, she has worked diligently alongside her conservationist husband Damian at the Aspinall family’s two Kent-based wildlife parks – Howletts and Port Lympne – breeding and saving rare and endangered animals. This has involved her getting up close and extremely friendly with all manner of species – from bottle-feeding orphan cheetahs and lion cubs to howling at night with the resident wolves.

“Hanging out with wild animals puts everything into perspective,” says 34-year-old Aspinall (left, at Giraffe Hall, Port Lympne). “It neutralises all the white noise around you and brings you back down to a very grounded earth.

“It’s a totally different interaction [to that with domestic pets],” she continues, “because it’s based purely on earning their trust and you feel very privileged being in their environment. It’s not a quick fix: ‘come and give me a hug’. You have this kind of silent bond.”

Mucking in at Howletts and Port Lympne, home to more than 1,000 endangered animals, could not be more different to University of Oxford chemistry graduate Aspinall’s previous life as a corporate highflier. It was something of a baptism of fire when she first met Damian, 61, at a London dinner party, as she had no real idea of the work of the foundation, one of the world’s leading organisations dedicated to returning

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Victoria, tell us about the Aspinall Foundation’s work?

Our commitment is to conservation through captive breeding, education and reintroduction, working in some of the world’s most fragile environments. We fund and manage animal protection schemes in Congo, Gabon, Java and Madagascar.

WE ARE ON A MISSION TO PERSUADE PEOPLE TO MOVE AWAY FROM THE CURRENT ZOO MODEL AND ONLY BREED WHAT YOU CAN RELEASE

Into the wild: cabins and wigwams at Leopard Creek (above) and Lion Lodge (opposite), both at Port Lympne

What’s the ethos underpinning visitor accommodation at the parks?

Because we are a foundation, all the profits go straight back to the animals. At the lion lodges, the lions come up to the windows – the glass is very thick! Nobody can say it’s okay to see an animal through bars. Here, you can see them in their own time. We are on a mission to persuade people to move away from the current zoo model and only breed what you can release.

What are the latest additions?

We’ve built five romantic shepherd’s huts at Leopard Creek [Port Lympne] with wood burners, en suite bathrooms and kitchenettes.

I wanted to inject a sense of playfulness with lots of bold cosy colours, whimsical Lewis & Wood fabrics and a nod to nautical with brass shell lamps and rope bannisters. My favourite design element in the couples’ ‘cub’ cabins has to be the oversized skylight directly above the bed – perfect for stargazing. Damian and I have also designed two fabulous 8m tall wigwams, timber clad with glass ceilings, with 180-degree safari views and a floating fireplace. They were a bit of a challenge as no one has ever built anything like them.

The next project will be renovating the main hotel, Port Lympne manor house, which used to be Sir Philip Sassoon’s Grade II-listed country estate. I am also working on Giraffe Hall, a ten-bedroom boutique hotel, where our resident herd of Rothschild giraffes roam the garden and guests can feed them from their bedroom window.

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You plan to fly a herd of 13 African elephants from Howletts to Kenya in a ‘world first’ rewilding project.

The logistics are hugely complex and the risks are many, but we consider them worth it to return our cherished herd to the wild, where they belong. We are very much in the initial stages but preparation for the move has begun. The translocation itself won’t happen until next year. The crate-training process alone – ensuring the elephants are comfortable entering and being in their custombuilt crates – will take three to six months.

You hand-reared cheetah Saba from birth after he suffered liver problems and needed 24-hour care. How difficult was it to say goodbye to him and his brother Nairo?

It’s like sending a kid to boarding school, but worse because they never come back. We were his parents and encouraged him to be wild – the worst thing we could have done was to make this cat domestic. I hope he recognises me when we fly out to see him later this year, but who knows?

Cheetah numbers in the wild are dangerously low. How are the “English boys” adapting to their new home at Mount Camdeboo Private Game Reserve after first acclimatising at Ashia Sanctuary in the Western Cape?

The brothers are doing exceptionally well and making fantastic progress. It’s so rewarding to see them free – running and hunting under the big, cloudless skies of the main reserve. They’re entirely self-sufficient now and taking down large prey such as kudu [antelope], so they’re eating well. Our teams are discreetly monitoring them using satellite and telemetry tracking collars. Recently Nairo has been sneaking off to meet up with Ava, the female released from Ashia. They have been love chirping and grooming each other. Fingers crossed we may have some cubs on the way. »

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CONSERVATION

One of your rewilded Port Lympne gorillas recently became a father, too.

The birth at our gorilla reintroduction project at the Batéké Plateau National Park in Gabon was the first ever to captive-born gorillas in the wild. The father, Djongo, was born at our reserve and repatriated to Gabon in 2013.

The mother, Mayombe, was born at ZooParc de Beauval in Saint-Aignan, France, and repatriated to Gabon in 2019. It was a pivotal moment for conservation history and a hugely emotional day for our team.

What does it mean to you to be able to connect with wild animals?

It’s the only time I can just sit still and totally relax and don’t feel I need to be doing something.

I find them so therapeutic. Damian has always said he is closer to animals than people but I actually get it. We are both quite private people and would rather spend a Saturday or Sunday sitting with the wolves at Howletts.

Inspired by nature: On Safari at Port Lympne (left) and inside luxury wigwam (above)

As a self-taught interior designer, how would you describe your style?

British eclectic underpinned by elegant and timeless design. I put a lot of my personal taste into what I do; I design a chalet or lodge like I’m designing my own home – blending style 31

with comfort. There is nothing less inspiring than the traditional ‘c ookie cutter’ design of most hotel rooms.

How important is sustainability to you?

I love to source local artisan products, both here and in Africa, and every piece has a story.

For Giraffe Hall we will be doing a concept store where you can take home many of the design features you will find dotted across the rooms.

We also have a fabulous new executive chef Lee Edney, who prepares fresh seasonal plates using locally sourced sustainable produce.

How has working with the foundation changed your life?

I have been incredibly blessed to have this opportunity – learning to make a difference in the world of conservation and playing my part with our #backtothewild release projects. It has been an absolute privilege and life changing in so many ways. Also, having the opportunity to discover I have a talent for design. Not bad for someone who always thought they were just good at numbers! Did I envisage ten years ago my life would look like this? No – but what an unexpected and truly fulfilling adventure. aspinallfoundation.org; victoriaaspinall.com

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ART

the arts Patrons of

Pictorum Capitis founder Matthew Navin, supported by his brother Jackson, is disrupting the art world with their new-school approach as investment incubators and patrons to diverse emerging talent

W

hen it comes to the vibrant world of art investment, there has never been a more exciting time to discover the stars of tomorrow – so long as one knows how to navigate the art world, that is.

While it often seems that so much is focused on ‘who you know’, emerging art investment gallery Pictorum Capitis is creating a clearer path, by disrupting the traditional model with a unique approach that establishes collaboration and incubation at its core. The goal, in short, is to help a diverse collective of emerging artists develop both practically and professionally.

Founded by entrepreneur Matthew (left, with his brother Jackson), Pictorum Capitis fosters a new style of patron for contemporary talent, with a four-pillar strategy to support artists and investors alike.

The company incubates emerging talent through artist management, talent development and representation; disrupts the barriers of entry into the art market for the next generation of collectors by implementing transparency; and is committed to technological development, such as

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blockchain certifications and DNA tagging.

Finally, Pictorum Capitis is devoted to becoming a modern version of an artist’s patron, creating meaningful connections between investors and artists as well as ethical sponsorship of emerging artists to ensure their personal and financial fulfilment.

“Art investment has, traditionally, been a closed shop,” says founder and CEO Matthew, who left the financial sector to focus on his dream of collaborating with young artists. “The domain of those who have experience in the art world and with considerable sums to invest. If you are not part of this inner circle, art investment is an incredibly daunting prospect. This is a shame as art can bring a lot of pleasure and offer considerable returns, both culturally and financially.

“Art can do more than brighten a living space and with the rising popularity of contemporary art, the way this asset is managed should also change.

We are dedicated to setting a new precedent for supporting emerging artists, developing collections and breaking down barriers to ensure that art is open to all,” he says. »

SPACE TO CONNECT First founded as an art advisory and brokerage company in 2018, Matthew is now expanding this model with the opening of two exciting physical galleries that will become the centrepiece of his vision of a collaborative artistic community.

UMA Gallery will open later this year in Loughton to showcase new urban and contemporary works, while the new flagship Pictorum Gallery will come to Mayfair in February 2022 with a range of spectacular original artistic works by artists including SYMBLE, Boogie Moli, Célia Agloboto, JAKOB and Stazzy.

The galleries will provide a welcome space for investors, artists, curators, art-lovers and more to collaborate on impactful programmes to benefit all areas of the art world. Pictorum Capitis’ talent development programme

has already seen 200 works produced by its portfolio of emerging talent, with exhibitions and more planned for next year.

“Pictorum’s primary objective is to transform the historic exclusivity of art and the way art is transacted. We have spotted the necessity for change and ensured our model is both ethical and rewarding for all involved,” says Jackson, who serves as the brand’s director of business development.

Jackson points out that, through the challenges of 2020, contemporary art performance experienced a 6.7% growth as younger, affluent buyers took advantage of easier market access – facilitated by online sales. As such, the contemporary art segment now account to 15% of the global art market, driven by younger buyers – 21% of contemporary collectors are under 40.

As such, Pictorum Capitis offers periodic

valuations on artwork, art advisory services that cover guidance on insurance, transportation and even installation of your art, a personal art investment advisor who can guide the expansion of your collection, educational tools such as auction reports, and access to art fairs and studio tours.

“Our innovative investment business model is ethically designed to both intellectually and financially fulfil the objectives of our investors and partnered artists,” says Matthew.

“Through technological expertise and insightful knowledge, our programme intends to disrupt the entry barriers of the art market for the next generation of collectors who want to benefit from art’s intrinsic value and build a meaningful connection with their collection.” pictorum-capitis.co.uk

WE ARE DEDICATED TO SETTING A NEW PRECEDENT FOR SUPPORTING EMERGING ARTISTS, DEVELOPING COLLECTIONS AND BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS –Matthew Navin

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Contemporary talent: (below l-r) artists JAKOB, SYMBLE and Stazzy; and Frida by artist Boogie Moli (right)

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S ec ret service s Businesses and individuals are more vulnerable than ever when it comes to the high-tech threat of cyber crime.

We turned to Valkyrie’s director of cyber and electronic counter measures to tell us how to stay ahead of the hack

M

any people think of cybercrime as something from the movies, using futuristic technology and Q-style hackers. But, when you look at the way technology has evolved over the last few years, it’s much easier than you might expect for criminals to hit businesses and high net worth individuals where it hurts.

I’ve worked in cybersecurity and technical surveillance countermeasures (TSCM) for several years. When I first started in the industry, you would have to physically manufacture a bug (a discreet surveillance device) yourself. Today you can buy bugs online, readily available and easy to deploy.

As technology has evolved, so have the threats, and your personal information can be worth a lot more to criminals than you might think. One of the first things I look at with my clients, is how to raise awareness of how much information you are releasing that leaves you vulnerable to attack. This often starts with smartphones and social media. We often do a lot of work from our smartphones, and this blur of business and personal data makes our phone an extremely valuable asset.

We tell children not to talk to strangers but,

as adults, we happily post about our lives on social media without considering our right to privacy. It’s important to consider what information you are sharing with potential threats – for example, are you giving away your location by posting a picture from the café you’re in, or checking into a venue on Facebook while you’re there?

In cybersecurity, this is the kind of information we look for to build a pattern of behaviour. A target likes lattes from a specific café and posts using an Apple iPhone – it’s easy then to send an email, pretending to be that café with a special offer, in order to make them enter their details.

Now I can gain that target’s data.

This tactic is similar to phishing scams of years gone by and is prevalent across social media and email. Identity theft – from fake social media profiles to full banking and driving licence cloning – is also on the rise.

I’m a great believer in practising safe clicking – take a second to look at where a request has come from and whether it’s in character of the sender, particularly if someone in your company or social circle is asking for money. If in doubt, give that person a call and double check, or call a specialist and we can advise on a course of action.

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SECURITY

PROTECTING YOUR DATA Protecting yourself and your business from threats of security breaches also involved guarding against potential leaks, misinformation or defamation. It’s impossible to retrieve information once it’s out there on the web.

Valkyrie provides its clients with a full holistic security review, both physical and digital. We don’t just protect one aspect of your lives because technology is so integrated that everything is connected.

The first thing I always advise my clients is to map out your data; find out where it’s actually stored and backed up. If you don’t know where your data is, you don’t know how to protect it.

How we secure that data can then range from taking it offline to instigating a multifactor authentication system, to vulnerability scanning, which ensures all firmware is up to date with the latest security protocols, and implementing best practice security protocols and procedures.

In conjunction with that, we sweep your physical premises for eavesdropping devices, to protect the spoken word, which branches out into looking at the security of

your mobile phones, tablets and laptops.

Be proactive with your security; educate your colleagues and family about the importance of privacy so that you can better protect yourself. Don’t wait until you have been breached, either physically or electronically, to get protected.

It’s always a good time to do an audit on what’s out there about you. My background is in security and, when I do ethical hacking to test the cyber and physical security of an individual, 80% is reconnaissance work, looking at what information is in the public sphere and how that can be manipulated to breach the target’s infrastructure. It’s about building a picture of the target; therefore, the key to protecting yourself is to reduce the amount of information about yourself in order to minimise the risk of a security breach.

Whether we’re working with family offices, high net worth individuals or government departments, our key takeaway is that anyone can be a target – and although the risk may be low, the consequences could be high. valkyrie.co.uk

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Three keys to information awareness 1. Get interested in your data There’s never a bad time to undertake a data survey to know what’s stored on your infrastructure, at work or at home. Be sure to Google yourself so you know and can control the personal information that's out there online 2. Be aware of your social media Social media is ubiquitous with smartphones, but there is a balance to strike. Avoid checking in or posting images from your current locations, and try to avoid identifying your address or personal information in your posts – remember, your privacy is paramount 3. Watch out for free WiFi A common way for opportunists to mine data is by using a Pineapple, a device originally created for penetration testing that can gain access to a device’s data. Avoid the risk by using the official log in information of your venue – and never join “free WiFi” without checking first!

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While 007 is synonymous with British carmaker Aston Martin, how the relationship came to be is a little less obvious. Now, with four generations of Aston Martins at Bond’s disposal in No Time to Die, Tempus celebrates cinema’s most iconic automotive partnership with this exclusive photoshoot

Words: Rory FH Smith | Photography: GF Williams

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L

et’s face it; James Bond wasn’t originally an Aston Martin kind of guy. While Hollywood would have us believe otherwise, 007’s car of choice was, originally, something a little less sleek than the iconic Aston Martin DB5 we all have in mind. Of course, the true 007 fans out there will know that his creator, Ian Fleming, actually placed the infamous international man of mystery behind the wheel of a 1930s Bentley.

“Bond’s car was his only personal hobby,” writes Fleming in his first Bond novel, Casino Royale (1953). “One of the last of the 4 1/2-litre Bentleys with the supercharger by Amherst Villiers, he had bought it almost new in 1933 and had kept it in careful storage through the war. […] Bond drove it hard and well and with an almost sensual pleasure. It was a battleship-grey convertible coupe, which really did convert, and it was capable of touring at 90 with 30 miles an hour in reserve.”

Fleming’s detailed description of 007’s original ride reveals his own soft spot for sportscars – albeit the older variety – with Bond’s vehicle harking back to the days of the debonaire Bentley Boys. First developed by Sir Henry “Tim” Birkin in 1929, the supercharged Bentley – affectionately known as a Blower – caused quite a stir everywhere from the racing circuit to the streets of Mayfair. Fleming was 21 when the first Blower made its mark on the racing scene; it’s clear the author took a shine to the burly British racers of the time when he chose to immortalise them in his novels over two decades later.

But Bond’s time behind the wheel of his Bentley would be brief. By the time Fleming was on to his seventh book, Goldfinger (1959), Bond had found himself behind the wheel of an Aston Martin. Fleming wrote: “The car was from the pool. Bond had been offered the Aston Martin or a Jaguar 3.4. He had taken the DB III. Either of the cars would have suited his cover – a well-to-do, rather adventurous young man with a taste for the good, fast things in life. But the DB III had the advantage of an up-to-date triptyque, an inconspicuous colour – battleship grey – and certain extras which might or might not come in handy.”

From that moment, the seed was sown for one of the greatest automotive associations of all time. Aston Martin was on its way to spythriller stardom. »

Cinematic partnership: Aston Martin DB5 leads the fleet (main and right); the DBS Superleggera (below left) and V8 (centre)

WHILE THE WORLD’S FAVOURITE SPY HAS DRIVEN EVERYTHING FROM A ROLLS-ROYCE TO A CITROËN 2CV, JAMES BOND AND ASTON MARTIN ARE INSEPARABLE

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ASTON MARTIN DB5 Film debut:

Goldfinger (1964)

Engine:

3995cc 6 cylinder inline

Power:

282 bhp at 5,500 rpm

Torque:

280 lb ft

0-62 mph:

8.0 sec

Top speed:

144 mph

Action heroes: Aston Martin’s cinematic fleet lines up in front of Blenheim Palace

THE GOLDEN AGE By the 1960s, Fleming’s novels had begun their inevitable journey onto the silver screen, with Dr. No, starring Sean Connery, making its premiere in 1962. True to the book, Bond’s ride was a dainty Sunbeam Alpine. From Russia With Love followed in 1963, which saw Connery’s Bond pilot a 1935 Bentley 3.5 Litre drophead coupe Park Ward.

But it was film number three – Goldfinger (1964) – in which 007 was finally united with the iconic Silver Birch Aston Martin DB5, the marque’s state-of-the-art new model replacing Fleming’s DB III.

“There’s a wonderful story behind how it all started,” says Aston Martin’s chief creative officer Marek Reichman. “It was down to a man called Ken Adams, who was the original Bond set designer. He created the whole visual language of Bond, beginning with Dr. No.” While Adams was praised for his work on making the first film such a success, the producers actually awarded him a smaller budget for Goldfinger after they’d overspent significantly on Dr. No. Knowing he still needed to put on a convincing car chase in the next film, albeit on less money, Adams considered using

his own red Jaguar E-type in the film.

“But, deep down, he knew it had to be an Aston Martin or a Bentley,” says Reichman. “And every day on his way into Pinewood Studios he’d pass a silver Aston Martin parked up.”

After leaving a note for the owner on the windscreen, to which he got no response, Adams plucked up the courage to call Aston Martin itself and ask for a car. Though initially relunctant, after seeing the plans for the special effects, the marque was fully on board. “Aston delivered a red DB5 with grey interior to the set, which was then painted in the iconic Silver Birch »

ASTON MARTIN DBS SUPERLEGGERA

ASTON MARITN V8

Film debut:

No Time To Die (2021)

Film debut:

The Living Daylights (1987)

Engine:

5.2-litre twin-turbo V12

Engine:

5.3 litre V8

Power:

715 bhp at 6,500 rpm

Power:

400 bhp at 6,000 rpm

Torque:

664 lb ft

Torque:

390 ft lb

0-62mph:

3.4 sec

0-60mph:

5.4 sec

Top speed:

211 mph

Top speed:

164 mph

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after modifications. Hey presto, the magic of Aston Martin and Bond arrived,” says Reichman.

“Because Adams was persistent and had a vision, we now have one of the longest-running franchise relationships with any product.”

Equipped with a healthy selection of gadgets – including front-mounted machine guns, interchangeable rotating number plates, a shield, oil slick, smoke screen and, best of all, an ejector seat – the DB5 made its debut in Q’s laboratory, before Sean Connery used it to cruise through the Swiss Alps in pursuit of gold bullionhoarding baddy Auric Goldfinger.

In short, Bond and the Aston hit it off perfectly, with the film helping to increase sales of the grand tourer as well as lifting the profile of the small British carmaker. This success signalled the start of a relationship which would span 13 Bond films and more than half a century of cinematic history.

“It’s very difficult to explain why this relationship has lasted so long and that’s part of the mystery,” says Reichman. “There’s just a great resonance with the language, the culture, the overt power but subtle messaging… it’s all about something that evokes style, yet has this instinct that is quite ruthless.”

Since Goldfinger, the DB5 made its first reappearance in Thunderball (1965), and has appeared in a total of nine films, including Bond’s latest adventure, No Time to Die – finally released in cinemas on 30 September after an 18-month delay due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition to the DB5, a total of eight other Astons have crossed Bond’s driveway in 007’s 57 years of onscreen service – a 1969 Aston DBS in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969, starring George Lazenby), a V8 in The Living Daylights (1987, starring Timothy Dalton), and a V12 Vanquish in Die Another Day (2002, starring Pierce Brosnan).

Daniel Craig’s impressive run has seen him drive a V12 DBS in Casino Royale (2006) and Quantum of Solace (2008), as well as the exclusive DB10, specially created for 2015’s Spectre. » Superspy style: The original spec Valhalla and iconic DB5 (main); (below l-r) details of the DB5, V8, DBS and DB5

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TIME TO DRIVE While this tally of Aston Martins in previous Bond films is significant, nothing compares to the bumper crop soon to star in No Time to Die. The 2021 film features a total of four cars from the marque – including the original DB5, the V8 featured in The Living Daylights, the latest DBS Superleggera and the mighty Valhalla, developed with expertise forged in Formula One. Alongside his trusty Aston Martin fleet, Land Rover’s brand-new Defender is put through its paces in a chase scene that sees it jump, wade, bounce and even barrel roll its way across the countryside. In keeping with the past few films, the Defender remains the weapon of choice for Bond’s adversaries.

Celebrating the release of the film and more than 50 years of history, Aston Martin’s own Q-branch and Bond have teamed up to make a series of two special ‘007 Edition’ models of the current Vantage and DBS Superleggera.

For the Vantage, a pair of optional skis, yellow trim and Cumberland grey paintwork pay tribute to the V8 driven by Dalton in The Living

Daylights, while the DBS is trimmed to match the exact spec of the one driven so fearlessly in No Time to Die. But there’s also something rather special for deep-pocketed Bond fanatics.

Entering into production in 2020, a total of 25 DB5 continuation models will be produced for the princely sum of £2.7m, each built to the specification of James Bond’s Q Branch model, with representative gadgets inside and out. Resembling the iconic silver birch DB5 to the letter, the cars even come equipped with ‘simulated’ twin front-mounted machine guns.

While the world’s favourite spy has driven everything from a Rolls-Royce to a Citroën 2CV, Bond and Aston Martin are now inseparable.

Despite Fleming pairing his best-loved character with a burly British Bentley in the first instance, it was the glossy movie producers who created the most powerful product affiliation in the history of Hollywood.

Of course, matching a motor car to the most stylish man in film was always going to be a challenge, but when Sean Connery first paired up with the DB5 in 1964 history was made. Since

Old to new (l-r): 007’s original DB5 with the 1987 V8 and new DBS Superleggera hot on its tail 46

that moment, both Aston Martin and Bond have benefitted from each other’s success, with the carmaker starting to make more special-edition models bearing 007’s name.

“We always used to say that we don’t need Bond and Bond doesn’t need us, but two people can exist, and if they fall in love and get married, then they create a wonderful partnership,” says Reichman. “And, I think, even within that partnership, there may be tough times, but overall they’re better together than apart.”

With No Time to Die sporting the biggest and boldest line-up of cars from the Gaydon-based marque to date, the film’s automotive roster is a sign that the relationship between the two brands remains in rude health. While the new release will see Daniel Craig hang up his holster as Bond and relinquish his licence to kill, only time will tell who will step into his formidable shoes. All we can be sure of, it seems, is that the newly knighted 007 will be back behind the wheel of an Aston Martin in no time at all. astonmartin.com

Credits: Cars provided by Aston Martin and EON Productions; organised/directed by Aubrey Peck; shot on location at Blenheim Palace

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Facing the odds As No Time to Die hits our screens, Omega collaborates with the film’s star, Daniel Craig, to celebrate 007’s timeless style Words: Michelle Johnson

B

ond. James Bond. A name synonymous with suave style and fearless action since Dr. No first hit our screens in 1962. This October, the 25th instalment of the world’s longest running cinematic series will see Daniel Craig return for his fifth (and final) run as 007 in No Time to Die. In addition to new enemies and allies – including double-O-agent Nomi, played

by Lashana Lynch – the latest stylish Bond outing brings us custom cars from Aston Martin and Land Rover, suits by Tom Ford and Massimo Alba and, of course, an impeccable 48

taste in wristwatches.

For the last 25 years, Britain’s best-loved spy has enjoyed a horological love affair with the Omega Seamaster. The partnership began thanks to GoldenEye (1995) costume designer Lindy Hemming, who recognised the same minimalist, military sensibilities in the design of the diving watch that she saw in Pierce Brosnan’s portrayal of Ian Fleming’s smooth hero. The Omega Seamaster 300m Chronometer, with its classic blue dial, ticked all the boxes for Brosnan’s Royal Navy Commander-turned-superspy. »

WATCHES

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Omega 42mm Seamaster Diver 300m 007 Edition

IMAGES: OMEGA

LEAGUES AHEAD Many iterations of the Seamaster Diver have emerged since, building its legacy with input from real-life divers and style aficionados. But the special 007 edition, launched in February 2020 to celebrate Omega’s 25-year, nine-movie collaboration with the franchise, is perhaps the ultimate blend of contemporary technology, military precision and nostalgic elegance.

The 42mm Seamaster Diver 300m 007 Edition is super lightweight, with the case and titanium mesh bracelet, with adjustable buckle, crafted from Grade 2 Titanium. A ‘tropical’ brown aluminium dial and bezel ring further reduces weight, even as it creates a classic look with vintage Super-LumiNova filling the diving scale, blackened hands and indexes.

Comfortable, elegant and precise, this edition is perhaps the ultimate expression of Bond’s character – partly thanks to actor Daniel Craig’s personal input in the design.

“When working with Omega, we decided that a lightweight watch would be key for a military man like 007,” said Craig. “I also suggested some vintage touches and colour to give the watch a unique edge. The final piece looks incredible… it is an incredibly comfortable watch to wear.”

Further ‘personal’ touches can be found on the caseback, where cinematic references follow the format for genuine military-issue watches. ‘0552’ is the code-number specified for Navy personnel and ‘923 7697’ marks it as a divers’ watch. The letter ‘A’ signifies a screwin crown, while ‘007’ needs no explanation.

Finally, the number ‘62’ refers to the release year of the first Bond film.

WE DECIDED THAT A LIGHTWEIGHT WATCH WOULD BE KEY FOR A MILITARY MAN LIKE 007. I ALSO SUGGESTED SOME VINTAGE TOUCHES AND COLOUR TO GIVE THE WATCH A UNIQUE EDGE. – Daniel Craig

Style heroes: Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) wears the Omega 27.4mm De Ville Prestige (left), while James Bond (Daniel Craig) dons the new 42mm Seamaster Diver 300m 007 Edition with ‘tropical’ aluminium dial and bezel (opposite). Above, the Seamaster Diver 300m “James Bond” Numbered Edition.

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APPROVED BY Q Technical highlights of this Seamaster novelty include Omega’s Naiad Lock case back, which keeps engravings in the correct alignment.

The timepiece is driven by the Omega CoAxial Master Chronometer Calibre 8806, an impressive movement that has achieved the industry’s highest standards of precision, chronometric performance and magnetic resistance, and provides 55 hours power reserve.

Raynald Aeschlimann, president and CEO of Omega, says: “James Bond shares many of the same qualities as OMEGA, from exquisite style to adventurous spirit and exacting precision.”

Eagle-eyed viewers will also spot two other Omega references in the films: Nomi (Lynch) is equipped with a 38mm Seamaster Aqua Terra with black dial and black NATO strap, while Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) wears an elegant and practical 27.4mm De Ville Prestige.

Film fans wishing to get their hands on the 007 Edition worn by Craig are in luck, as the nonlimited watch is available via Omega boutiques, either with titanium mesh bracelet or striped NATO strap. omegawatches.com

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BEHIND THE SCENES Interview: Davina Catt

No Time to Die casting director Debbie McWilliams on her enviable black book – and why, when it comes to who will continue Daniel Craig’s impressive run as Bond, the fans will be the last to know

“W

hen the end credits roll and it says, ‘James Bond will return’, it’s always by public demand,” says Debbie McWilliams, who has served as casting director of the 007 franchise since 1981’s For Your Eyes Only. “[Each film] is a behemoth, taking about two to three years from writing to post-production, and shooting for around 22 weeks. I’ve travelled all over the world – I wouldn’t have missed it for anything. Bond films are nerve-racking to work on because it’s like shifting sands, so you have to be constantly on the ball, but it’s all so worth it by the end.”

McWilliams is one of the UK’s most successful casting directors, responsible for discovering acting talent for seminal films and TV series for more than three decades. Acting royalty Daniel Day-Lewis was unknown before McWilliams cast him as London street punk Johnny in his breakout hit My Beautiful Launderette (1985), “I [ first] spotted him in drama school and had been tracking him. I had just seen him in a strange little theatre over a pub in East London for a production of Dracula,” she recalls. “That’s why he has the crazy dyed blonde hair in My Beautiful Launderette, because it had been dyed like that for the play.”

This auspicious discovery encapsulates McWilliams’ methods as a casting director. “I have little black books built up over the years, keep copious notes, go to the theatre a lot. I watch hundreds of films, particularly foreign films, and note down people I find interesting and build up a repertoire,” she says. “I rarely cast the same person twice.”

It is McWilliams’ long-running association with the Bond franchise that has garnered her most acclaim and, as No Time to Die finally hits our screens, she admits it’s been her most challenging film to date. “As films become so much more technical, people want bigger and more exciting action each time, so it all gets pushed to the limit.”

THE FEMALE LEAD Having worked on 13 of the 25 Bond films, McWilliams has a close relationship with the franchise’s revered producer Barbara Broccoli – and is one of the few on-set regulars who also worked with Broccoli’s father Albert ‘Cubby’ Broccoli, who first launched Ian Fleming’s creation onto the silver screen.

“I’ve known Barbara since she was 19,” says McWilliams. “She grew up on Bond, working as everything from art director, runner to assistant director. She just loves everything about it. She took over before Golden Eye (1995) and I think there was a big shift then.”

Although with each new Bond film, there is always speculation and critique centred around the evolution and portrayal of the series’ female characters, No Time to Die welcomes the franchise’s first black female double-O-agent, played by Lashana Lynch (right), with acclaimed British screenwriter Phoebe Waller-Bridge in the writer’s room. Does McWilliams credit Broccoli for these strides forward for female agency?

“Without a shadow of a doubt, women are taking on much more realistic roles, and are no longer set dressing but far more important [to the stories], and I think Barbara had a lot to do with that.” she says, adding she “hates” the term ‘Bond girls’. “But I don’t think it was a conscious choice, for instance, to bring on Phoebe as a ‘woman writer’ – everyone just loved the way she wrote. It’s about who is the best person for the job.”

AN EYE FOR TALENT So, who does McWilliams see as her greatest casting triumph? She points to 2006’s Casino Royale. “No-one knew Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen when I first cast him as the villain [Le Chiffre]. I don’t think he would mind me admitting he wasn’t our first choice. When I got him to meet Barbara in Prague, we had already

started shooting; she said get him into costume and introduce him to [director] Martin Campbell.

Mads strolled onto set as cool as a cucumber, Martin said, ‘Hi, Le Chiffre’, and that was that!”

For the same film, McWilliams tracked down her “teenage obsession” – long-retired German model and aristocrat Veruschka von LehndorffSteinort – for a role, as well as arranging poker lessons for the cast. “A number of people had said that no film had ever managed to pull off poker as it should be, so I set up personal poker lessons with a real-life croupier,” she says. “It became an obsession as they all sat day and night perfecting their skills.”

McWilliams says that, while there is more access to behind-the-scenes roles for women today, she laments the lack of recognition but, “Bafta finally caved in and created a casting category in 2019; the Oscars are in our sights next”.

“As a child growing up, I was always fascinated by cinema,” she says. “I was extremely lucky to get my first position at The Royal Court Theatre [in Chelsea], which was a hot bed of creative talent.

I later worked for the legendary casting director Mary Selway. When she couldn’t do the casting for Superman II (1980), they asked me. That production manager went on to recommend me for For Your Eyes Only when I was only 30 years old – I feel so fortunate.”

Which brings us to the burning question of who will become the seventh actor to take on the role of James Bond, now that Daniel Craig has hung up his sidearm for good?

While under contract to keep her lips firmly sealed, McWilliams does confide that she knows nothing about any new casting yet.

“The speculation, for the most part, is utter nonsense,” she says, before dropping a satisfyingly cryptic hint: “I can pretty much guarantee that anyone discussed in the newspapers as ‘the next Bond’ will not be.”

License to kill: Lashana Lynch as Nomi in No Time to Die (© Metro Goldwyn-Mayer/Universal Pictures)

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SPEED

Rough and ready Stunt driver Jessica Hawkins takes us through the most thrilling car chase in 007 history – with the new Land Rover Defender

Words: Rory FH Smith | Photography: GF Williams

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V

ery few cars can compare to the Land Rover Defender. What started life as a curious post-war project by Rover bosses and brothers Maurice and Spencer Wilks, developed into an automotive landmark over the past 74 years. According to Land Rover legend, the Wilks brothers first penned the Land Rover’s outline as a simple drawing in the sand, while on holiday in Anglesey back in 1947.

From there, the iconic bug-eyed brute was born, cobbled together from aluminium - because steel was in short supply in post-war Britain and painted green with surplus military aircraft paint. With its accidentally iconic outline formed entirely by function, the Land Rover Defender became an unlikely style symbol, appealing to everyone from farmers to film stars. But, after 68 years of service, 2015 saw Land Rover put the original Defender out to pasture, announcing it would be taking on the mammoth task of reinventing it for the 21st century.

That tall order fell to seasoned Land Rover designer Gerry McGovern and his team as they set about designing a Defender fit for the modern age. Years passed and, on 10 September 2019, the world finally got its first look at the new Defender at the Frankfurt Motor Show. As ever with the oh-so-difficult follow-up album, the car split opinion – with die-hard Defender fans claiming it could never live up to the original while a new, more appreciative crowd respected the retro yet modern take. Needless to say, the hardened critics have softened somewhat, especially those who’ve had the opportunity to get behind the wheel on a muddy trail.

Now, with the help of complex electrical systems, the modern Defender takes on with aplomb gradients you wouldn’t consider scaling on foot. Not to mention wading through just short of a metre of water. Of course, it was always its off-roading abilities that secured the Defender starring roles in countless blockbuster films, most notably the 007 franchise. With Land Rover’s relationship with the Bond producers dating back to 1983, when a Range Rover burst onto the silver screen alongside Roger Moore in Octopussy. This year No Time to Die once again places the new Defender in the thick of all the action. »

Thrilling chase: Jessica Hawkins (top) drives the all new Land Rover Defender through death-defying stunts in No Time to Die

LAND ROVER DEFENDER 110 HSE

THE MODERN DEFENDER TAKES ON WITH APLOMB

GRADIENTS YOU WOULDN’T CONSIDER SCALING ON FOOT

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Film debut:

No Time To Die (2021)

Engine:

3.0l P400 AWD Automatic MHEV

Power:

400 bhp

Torque:

550 Nm

0-62mph:

5.8 sec

Top speed:

119 mph

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BEHIND THE WHEEL “The second we hit the jump, all I could see was sky – just grey sky,” says British stunt and racing driver Jessica Hawkins, the W Series star who operated the 2021 Defender through deathdefying stunts in No Time to Die. “I couldn’t see the ground. It was at that point I thought, ‘What am I doing? This landing is really going to hurt!’ I was anticipating a heavy, painful landing but – a testament to this car – it did all eight jumps and I didn’t have one bit of pain.”

Hawkins was one of a select few stunt drivers chosen to pilot one of the 10 new Defenders that take the lead in an epic chase scene across the Cairngorms. Despite taking the kind of battering usually reserved for military vehicles, the Defenders used in the filming were built completely as standard – aside from some essential safety proofing.

“The only thing that was different about the car was the safety aspects,” reveals Hawkins.

“It had a roll cage, hydraulic handbrake and fire extinguisher but everything else was bogstandard as sold – not that I’d suggest you do what I did with it, if you do buy one!”

Taking direction for the sequence from stunt coordinator Lee Morrison, the team worked alongside Oscar-winning special-effects and action-vehicles supervisor Chris Corbould. The result is a remarkable chase scene, with the cars making short work of eight 30m jumps, wading through rivers, swamps, trails... and more than a few knocks with nature.

“Lee creates a scene that literally pushes the boundaries as to what’s possible,” says Hawkins.

“So, we needed cars, vehicles and everyone around the set to be working at the highest level.

The cars just stood up to the test and they did the job. I don’t think we would’ve been able to say the same had we been doing it in anything else.

“I look back at some of the photos now and, although it is real, it doesn’t look it because, in your head, you just think that’s not possible.”

With Bond fans the world over eager to see the finished result – especially after the film’s release was pushed back an unprecedented three times due to the pandemic – this particular chase scene will be a treat for those on the lookout for some classic Bond-style automotive action.

For those looking to mark the occasion with something more permanent, Bond and Land Rover super fans can now get their hands on a limited-edition Land Rover Defender V8 Bond Edition created by the marque’s SV bespoke division. With its release limited to just 300 cars, the V8-engine Defender has a trademark stealthy look inspired by the vehicles in the chase scene and comes equipped with 007 badging and allblack paintwork.

As for the new ‘follow-up’ Defender in general, filling the shoes of a 68-year-old predecessor is no easy task and there's no shying away from its enviable legacy. Still, if the action in No Time to Die is anything to go by, then the new Defender looks set to be a mighty fine action sequel. landrover.co.uk With thanks to: Land Rover; EON Productions; Aubrey Peck; Blenheim Palace 59

Shaken or stirred Create the perfect martini with these classic cocktail recipes

“I

’ll have a martini: shaken, not stirred.” Sean Connery’s immortal lines in Goldfinger established the humble martini’s place in cocktail history. Deceptively simple to make – and all too effortless to drink – this gin and vermouthbased cocktail, served in its ubiquitous cone-shaped stemmed glass with a simple garnish, is a stalwart of the mixology world.

The martini first appeared in the Bartenders’ Manual in 1880, with cocktail mythology suggesting it was invented in Martinez, California during the mid-1800s Gold Rush, when there was no champagne on hand to celebrate a windfall. The miner who struck rich returned to San Francisco and gave the recipe to his bartender. Others say it was invented at New York’s Knickerbocker Hotel.

Regardless of its origins, a legend was created. The cocktail’s popularity peaked in the Mad Men days of the 1960s and ’70s, when Manhattan advertising

gurus became famously known for the leisurely, creative ‘Three Martini Lunch’.

Traditionally, a martini contains equal parts gin and vermouth, stirred with ice (shaking can bruise the botanicals in the gin – but it does make the gin colder), strained into a chilled martini glass, and garnished with lemon peel or olive. However you like your cocktail, premium gin brand Tanqueray suggests storing your gin in the freezer for a couple of hours to keep it ultra-cold and silky.

Popular variations include the dry martini, usually with a 5:1 ratio of gin and vermouth; dirty martini, served with a splash of olive brine; a kangaroo, which replaces gin with vodka; the Gibson, garnished with a cocktail onion; and, of course, Casino Royale’s Vesper martini, which specifies white Lillet Blanc instead of a more usual dry vermouth.

Here, we share some of our favourite recipes...

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1. Classic Dry

No Ten Martini A classic dry martini recipe by Tanqueray, this is the ultimate starting point for any martini tasting.

50ml Tanqueray No Ten 10ml Dry Vermouth 3x dash orange bitters Add all ingredients into a mixing glass full of ice and stir until chilled (60 seconds). Strain into a martini glass and garnish with lemon zest.

2. Grapefruit No Ten Martini

This summery variation was created by Sweet & Chili to celebrate “Tucci and No. Ten: Open for Orders”, the launch of Stanley Tucci’s partnership with Tanqueray No. Ten. 40ml Tanqueray No Ten 30ml grapefruit juice 20ml honey (2:1) Add all ingredients into a mixing glass with ice and stir until chilled (60 seconds). Strain into a martini glass and finish with a garnish of grapefruit peel.

3. Azaline Wet

Martini

Also known as a reverse martini, this variation by Azaline Vermouth is a perfect, flavoursome aperitif.

60ml Azaline vermouth 30ml dry gin Add ingredients to a cocktail shaker and shake well with ice until chilled. Straining into a chilled martini glass and garnish with an orange peel.

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Best cellars Show off your wine collection in style with a bespoke wine cellar – the ultimate new interior trend Words: Michelle Johnson

A

s any wine enthusiast will tell you, the only thing more important than how we store our collection is the pleasure we take from enjoying it. So, when it comes to keeping our prized vintages in perfect condition, it’s crucial to not only keep fine wines stored at the right temperature and humidity level, but to also keep one’s bottles stored horizontally and somewhere they are safe from light and vibration.

While these rules of wine storage have not changed, contemporary technology means the days of uninspiring basements full of dusty bottles are long gone in favour of a fun new twist on the wine cellar. Inspired by new trends in interior architecture, the modern wine cellar is as much an opportunity to show off your unique style as the rest of your interior décor, whether that means creating a bespoke wine library to complement your traditional country pile, or a high-tech, space-saving solution tucked away in your pied-à-terre.

According to Andrew Speer, founder of London-based bespoke makers Cellar Maison, there are ways to create the perfect cellar for any space, thanks to new technologies that allow for temperature and light control.

“With the help of technology such as specialist climate control systems and UV filters, to block harmful lights, there is much more scope to locate a wine room or wine wall in many above-ground areas of a property that might have been avoided in the past, when a subterranean cellar was the only safe option,” he says. “Although there are some areas that should be avoided, such as direct sunlight or near other heat-omitting sources.” »

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DESIGN

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Spiral Cellars

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DESIGN Speers’ major considerations for a wine room or wall depend on individual properties, but he suggests taking your lifestyle and entertaining style into consideration to identify the most practical locations, and suitability of space for technical and practical elements – such as the size and scope of your collection.

Cellar Maison’s mission is to match wine cellars, rooms and walls to each client’s specific style, and its projects include the homes and yachts of private individuals as well as major London landmarks. The firm’s bespoke designs include the champagne wall at Shangri-La The Shard hotel – designed to wrap around a lift shaft and extend into the hotel’s exquisite champagne bar – and a cave à vin at Gerald Chan’s Heckfield Place, Hampshire, made to play up the luxury hotel’s rustic charm.

“Design elements need to complement one another, and proportion and space is key if you want something truly spectacular,” says Speers.

“I recommend creating a focal point to draw the eye, such as a niche or feature wall. Size and height make a difference but are not critical to creating an amazing space, whereas plenty of subtle ambient lighting is vital to showcasing any wine cellar.”

Conversely, Dr Aylin Gurer, partner at Focus Wine Cellars, says great design must start with purpose. “Osman Gurer, our head of design, always says that a wine cellar has two main tasks: to provide an environment ensuring the best storage conditions for wines, while displaying them in the best way that the wines deserve,” she says. “In this sense, the primary element to be exhibited shouldn’t be the design of the cellar, but the wine. In other words, the cellar design should not surpass the wine, which is actually the most precious thing in there.”

It is this ethos that has inspired Focus Wine Cellars – which has branches in Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore and Turkey – to create aweinspiring visual spectacles for its clientele, spanning heads of state, private collectors, hospitality brands, Michelin-starred restaurants, casinos and leading architects. Playing with shape and colour, the company’s contemporary cellars and walls emphasise its clients’ impressive collections. One of the most stand-out designs must be its innovative two storey cellar at the Divan Istanbul Hotel, housing 2,000 bottles of wine across two floors, allowing long-term storage as well as immediate access to fine wines.

“There are, and will always be, wine lovers who love to have a wine cellar in the traditional style – where solid wood, mainly oak, dominates the design,” says Gurer. “The warm touch of wood always has an irresistible appeal to most of us.

Having said that, the more contemporary wine cellars incorporating minimalist design are the rising stars of our time.”

With wine investment, like the worlds of

Message in a bottle: bespoke cellars

by Cellar Maison (opposite and top), and Focus Cellars (above)

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art and cars, remaining a passion investment for devoted oenophiles, it is no wonder some of today’s most innovative home solutions were created by – and for – collectors seeking practical space in modern apartments. Such was the case with the ever-popular Spiral Cellars.

“Georges Harnois was running out of space to store his wine collection when, one day, crossing a spiral-staircase-shaped bridge, he realised the large amount of space around the central column, and voila: the idea for the Spiral Cellar was born,” says the company’s owner and managing director Lucy Hargreaves.

Since then, the company’s space-saving – and photogenic – designs have enjoyed growing popularity; the eponymous spiral cellar is built into the ground floor of a property, with a clear opening hatch that allows the owners to look down at their prized collection. It is, says Hargreaves, made more exciting by current trends towards contemporary design.

“While we aren’t seeing one particular style coming to the fore, we are seeing clients more willing to push design boundaries, wanting to take their wine cellar design to the next level, which has been a thrill for us as experts in the field,” she says. Ultimately, she recommends wine collectors ensure they look to their needs first – and always check the storage conditions.

“There are a lot of wine cellars that look stunning but, when you dig a bit deeper, they aren’t fit for purpose. A common error we see is a cellar which may have been created with storage based on a uniform bottle size basis, whereas wine bottles come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Additionally, perhaps no allowance has been made for the storage of wooden wine crates, or – the greatest sin of all – the atmospheric conditions within the wine room aren’t conducive to maturation.”

Echoing this advice, Speers emphasises the art of letting your entertainment needs guide your design. “Many of our clients utilise warehouse storage so that their entire collection doesn’t necessarily need to be crammed into the home cellar, which allows aesthetics to be prioritised over capacity,” he says. “This means there is space other lifestyle enhancing features, such as a sink and tap, spirits or whisky collection, cigar humidor, stemware cabinet, bar or counter surfaces for wine tasting and, generally speaking, a more open and inviting space that has been well-considered and tailored to suit their needs.”

All that’s left to do is select your vintage – and raise a glass. cellarmaison.com; focuswinecellars.com; spiralcellars.co.uk

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INDULGE

JOIN THE CLUB Step inside the most exclusive and innovative private members’ clubs in London

FOR THE FASHION ELITE | ANNABEL’S No list of London clubs would be complete without Annabel’s, whose ever-changing flower-covered façade on Berkeley Square (left, showcasing this September’s Rainforest theme) has become as iconic a landmark to Mayfair as its enviable clientele, which has included Diana, Princess of Wales, and Kate Moss. Known for its world-famous nightclub and incomparable maximalist décor – designed by Martin Brudnizki – Annabel’s has been one of the capital’s best loved clubs since it launched in 1963. From the unicorn suspended from the lobby chandelier, the Rose Room’s hand-painted mural by Gary Myatt to the ‘Loos in the Mews’ (perhaps the most beautifully designed bathroom in the world), Annabel’s is a feast for the senses, with new restaurant Matteo’s adding to its reputation as a tastemaker and trendsetter. » annabels.co.uk

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FOR CREATIVE SPIRITS | THE ARTS CLUB The Arts Club was founded in 1863 as a haven for members with a professional or amateur relationships with the arts, literature or sciences.

An historic club with a young soul, it has kept this artistic ethos through two world wars and plenty of economic and political upheaval – with famous members including the likes of Charles Dickens, Claude Monet and James Whistler. With interior design featuring an extraordinary art collection curated by Wedel Art – and including work by Tomás Saraceno, John Baldessari and John Stezaker – as well as a hotel, winter garden (pictured) and restaurants offering fine cuisine. In the evening, don’t miss Leo’s – a hidden cocktail club that plays host to jazz and soul performances and resident DJs. theartsclub.co.uk

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FOR WINE LOVERS | 67 PALL MALL Created by wine lovers, for wine lovers, awardwinning club 67 Pall Mall brings together likeminded people with a passion for rare vintages and fine dining. The refined members’ lounge, wine library (left), and stylish clubroom offer ideal meeting and workspaces, while the club’s impressive events calendar is centred on wine tastings and masterclasses, live music, travel excursions and family events at weekends.

The success of the club’s digital events during lockdown – which included sending members wine kits for at-home tasting sessions – has led to the creation of the club’s new TV channel, 67pallmall.tv, which features programmes from the world’s most exceptional vineyards and more. This year, the club is also celebrating its international expansion with the opening of 67 Pall Mall Singapore.

67pallmall.com

FOR ECO-INNOVATORS | THE CONDUIT Described as a ‘club with a conscience’, this new Covent Garden members’ space is designed for businesses and individuals investing in environmental solutions and social activism.

Members have included influential NGO founders and sustainable fashion designers, as well as the likes of Salil Shetty, former secretary general of Amnesty International. Relaunched in a new six-floor location on 13 September, The Conduit offers its collaborative community of changemakers a plethora of networking opportunities, development programmes and showcase events designed to solve real world problems as well as restaurants, library and rooftop terrace. » theconduit.com

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FOR WORK/LIFE BALANCE | PAVILION CLUB, KNIGHTSBRIDGE With food from Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge and incredible views of Hyde Park, the newly launched Pavilion Knightsbridge is where intellect and indulgence meet. The sixstorey property (sister to the Pavilion’s City and Kensington Clubs) contains fine food from Kerridge, two bars, private office spaces and a penthouse suite, as well as inviting like-minded members to enjoy talks and parties throughout the year. And for those who like their clubs to look as good as their events, the Pavilion’s classic façade is matched only by its opulent and colourful interior.

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pavilion.club FOR CURATED EXPERIENCES | THECLUB GROUP TheClub Group is an invitation-only members’ club focused on sharing extraordinary experiences and events across the UK and beyond. Unlike traditional private members’ spaces, TheClub Group does not have a physical location, instead curating a series of lifeaffirming experiences for members to choose from, ranging across fine dining (pictured), culture and sporting events, to suit every taste.

With a personal concierge service available to complete the experience by organising everything from travel arrangements to event planning, TheClub’s mission is to bring likeminded people together to expand networks and broaden horizons. theclubgroupltd.com 71

The spice of life Renowned royal caterer and restaurateur Sanjay Anand MBE on being inspired by his roots and launching two fine-dining venues during lockdown Words: Michelle Johnson

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rom catering for the Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace to launching two new fine-dining restaurants in May and June this year – as well as the prospect of his first international venture on the cards for early 2022 – it is no wonder Sanjay Anand MBE is in a celebratory mood.

The renowned caterer and restaurateur started his career more than 40 years ago by founding a modest restaurant in the West London suburb of Southall, inspired by his father and grandfather’s culinary success in Nairobi, where he was born. That restaurant is still a local favourite, supported by a counter at Harrods in 2005 and sisterrestaurant in Heathrow’s Sheraton Skyline Hotel established in 2014.

Meanwhile, Anand has racked up awards for his exquisite outdoor events catering – famous clients include 10 Downing Street and Prince Charles, for whom Anand and his familyrun business have become regular provisioners. Now, he has launched his most high-end restaurants yet – Madhu’s Mayfair at the prestigious Dilly Hotel (a space once overseen by chef Marco Pierre White), and Madhu’s at The Grove, Hertfordshire.

Anand’s menus are as exceptional as they are romantic. His Punjabi-style Indian cuisine has a Kenyan twist that remains true to his grandfather’s original recipes.

A true family affair, Madhu’s of Mayfair’s creative chef is Anand’s sister Poonam Ball, while the venue’s mastermind business director is his son, Arjun.

Here, Anand shares the family history that inspires his pioneering approach to Punjabi cuisine, and how his new ventures are inspiring the next generation of his brand.

Clockwise from top: Sanjay Anand; Madhu’s Mayfair; fine dining at The Grove

Sanjay, tell us about opening Madhu’s of Mayfair?

We had always wanted to open a restaurant in central London. When the world came to a standstill, we had the time to really plan and simply could not refuse these two opportunities – The Dilly and The Grove.

The Dilly is a stunning location, it has an incredible, palatial feel that knocked my socks off. We invested a lot to transform the dining room into something that really made a statement – even the playlist is bespoke, by the DJ of Buddha Bar Marrakech. My sister, Poonam created the menu, which enhances our signature dishes to a level comparable to any Michelin Star restaurant.

Finally, I hand picked our entire team, because for any restaurant to make a statement, it’s all about the people looking after our guests.

How does The Grove compare?

The clientele at The Grove is amazing. There isn’t a week that goes by that we don’t have a footballer or celebrity dining there. Two weeks ago, [actor] Michael Douglas dined there. It appeals to people who want to get away from central London but still experience a high level of fine dining – the expectation of our clients is enormous and we are determined to exceed them.

How do your menus set you apart from others?

We are unique because of our family’s roots. In the 1930s, my granddad moved from Kashmir, India to

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Nairobi, Kenya, to start his business, and developed something of an empire. In Nairobi, the quality of meat and fresh produce was far better than the produce of India – barring the spices, of course, which are always best from India! With this Kenyan influence, my granddad’s traditional Kashmiri recipes became renowned.

In fact, we still use his secret garam masala recipe today.

Do you have a favourite signature dish?

One of my favourite meals is Nyamah Choma, because it reflects my roots.

My father and I were both born in Nairobi, and I was only 10 when we came to the UK. The name Nyamah Choma is Swahili for ‘barbecued meat’. This dish is made of lamb strips cooked on a Japanese charcoal grill, which sounds simple, but it’s an experience you can’t describe until you’ve tasted it.

How does family inspire you?

I inherited my entrepreneurial genes from my grandfather. He was nicknamed Madhu, and was a very famous chef in Nairobi. I was inspired by him to start my company, Madhu’s Brilliant, in 1980 aged 17 – I approached 21 different banks before the State Bank of India finally agreed to give me a loan. I was willing to work all hours of the day, and I had my mum in the kitchen (although my dad was a master chef, my mum’s cooking was truly amazing) and my grandfather’s original recipes, so I was confident and determined to succeed.

You now work side by side with your son, Arjun.

Arjun is the fourth generation and has that same determination to work hard. He practically runs the business, and his energy and passion are incredible – it inspires everyone. Without that kind of commitment, no business can ever compete at the top end.

How does it feel to be the Prince of Wales’ caterer of choice?

It is an amazing feeling. On three occasions – twice at Buckingham Palace and once at Windsor Castle – I was lucky enough to not only be the caterer, but also be a guest.

Prince Charles was no more than 18ft away from me, giving his speech in the palace state rooms, and then we sat down to eat – it gives you goosebumps. You think, ‘is this really happening?’ To have started out 40 years ago with a big loan hanging over my head to be sitting in Buckingham Palace enjoying my grandfather’s recipes. It’s an incredible journey. I feel blessed to be able to tell this story. I’m a very happy man indeed.

What’s next for you?

Madhu’s is opening our first international restaurant in Istanbul, Turkey. Our plan is to open a 250-seater restaurant at Swissôtel The Bosphorus Istanbul and, touch wood, we will be opening in early March 2022. madhus.co.uk

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Cutting edge He’s dressed the rich, the famous and the royal – and has firm views on who really was the best dressed Bond. Tempus meets Andrew Ramroop, the owner of legendary Savile Row tailor Maurice Sedwell Words: Lysanne Currie 74

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amaica, 1962, and CIA agent Felix Leiter points his Walther PPK at James Bond’s ribs. “Interesting,” he remarks. “Where were you measured for this, bud?”

The reply: “My tailor. Savile Row.” It’s an understated and brilliant introduction to the longstanding friendship between two of the silver screen’s coolest spies. But that fleeting banter between Jack Lord and Sean Connery in Dr No was all that was needed to introduce an essential character to the world’s most famous film franchise: Savile Row tailoring.

In nearby Trinidad and Tobago, a teenage Bond-loving tailoring apprentice was having his

own horizons widened by such sartorial talk. In time, Savile Row would be a world that would fit him like a bespoke suit.

Andrew Ramroop is the owner and managing director of Maurice Sedwell in London’s Savile Row. Among a vast number of awards, including 2017 Black Business Person of the Year, he was awarded an OBE in 2008 – the first Savile Row tailor to be awarded the honour – the same year he established the Savile Row Academy.

His clients have included cricketer Brian Lara and film stars Tony Curtis, Samuel L Jackson and Diamonds are Forever actor Charles Gray. “I knew him very well, he became a friend and I made suits 75

for him for years. He was great fun to work with.”

It’s all a long way from Trinidad, where Ramroop grew up in “very humble circumstances”. He made his first pair of trousers out of a pillowcase aged nine, and by 14 was working for the village tailor, before wangling a tailoring apprenticeship in the Port of Spain.

Ramroop’s employer had trained at the Tailor & Cutter Academy in Soho’s Gerrard Street and talked often about Savile Row. So, when 007 arrived on the silver screen clad in suits from that famous London location, it only further fuelled his dreams of one day working on the famous “golden mile of tailoring”. »

WE ARE COMMITTED TO DELIVERING EXCELLENCE SO THAT IS WHAT WE DELIVER A PERFECT FIT Ramroop saved $1,000 over three years and bought a ticket to Southampton, departing in July 1970. At first, the UK proved a bit of a culture shock. “Even though I spoke English, it was a very different English,” he says. “It took a little while to understand how people speak.”

He made himself two suits; a brown-check that he wore, and a green-check with an inverted box pleat instead of a vent, which he brought to Savile Row while looking for a job.

That first Monday morning, he was hired by Andrew Sinclair – only to be fired 20 minutes later when a white English candidate turned up to interview for the same position. Ramroop’s double-breasted suit was noticed, however: a telephone call to Colin Hammick was made and, by 10.30 that same Monday morning, he was working for Huntsman.

There, Ramroop sewed in the workroom, but he really wanted to be out front. Packing himself off to the London College of Fashion, he completed the three-year course in two years – and received

a diploma of distinction, created just for him.

Nevertheless, he still found himself struggling to get jobs. Ramroop attributes his difficulties not to overt racism on the Row but, rather, to a lack of “confidence that [employers could] keep customers if they had a Trinidadian in the front of the shop”.

New employer Maurice Sedwell had him mainly doing admin and alterations, until Ramroop finally convinced his boss that he needed to be present at fittings to suggest improvements. A fitting with MP Mark LennonBoyd, then Parliamentary private secretary to the Secretary of State for Energy, finally opened the doors to the wardrobes of the rich and powerful that young Ramroop had dreamt of.

Soon, he was doing fittings for six members of then-PM Margaret Thatcher’s Cabinet, and further went on to make clothes for Diana, Princess of Wales – most famously the inky blue cashmere jacket she wore for her 1995 Panorama interview with Martin Bashir – and a host of celebrity names.

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STYLE

MODERN TAILORING The relationship between tailor and customer is of the utmost importance to Ramroop – who was the first to coin the term ‘bespoke tailors’ in 1994 – and one he believes has shifted since the pandemic. It’s been “a real challenge. Our core business, the clothing, is very relationship based, very touchy feely… And then suddenly no one’s allowed to travel.”

With 70% of the business being export, the travel ban made things tricky. “As soon as I was able, I popped on a plane and went off to the US to get reacquainted with some customers.”

Thankfully, the orders are pouring in.

In terms of style, Ramroop thinks sophistication of tailoring will return as we emerge from the pandemic and start to pack away our leisure wear.

“There’s so much in the wardrobe to be worn and has not been worn. People want to get back to some semblance of normality. But it won’t be throwaway clothing,” he says. “Customers really want to wear something that not only looks good, but actually feels fantastic to wear. People want to wear luxury now. We are committed to delivering excellence so that is what we deliver.”

Perhaps people are redefining their style to psychologically lift them out of this time – a reset, to change how they want to be seen.

“That is actually happening,” he confirms, adding that sports jackets and tailored jeans seem to be especially popular. “I work on expressing an individuality for customers.”

For Ramroop, a customer does not come to Maurice Sedwell to buy a suit but rather, “to commission a sartorial image”.

The Bond-loving tailor is recently returned from New York, having been invited to talk on the importance of 007’s sartorial image. “Bond’s image is one of sophisticated elegance, but it’s also to some extent a little deceiving, because you’d get the impression he’s a businessman.

This is the secret agent in all of us… a suit can also be a disguise.”

Oh, and incidentally: Connery was his favourite Bond, From Russia With Love his favourite film but Daniel Craig in Casino Royale was his best-dressed 007. mauricesedwell.com Tailored to perfection: Andrew Ramroop (left), owner of Savile Row tailor Maurice Sedwell (opposite) , says people want to wear luxury now more than ever 77

Beneath the surface Valmont’s Agnes Teffaud tells us why our skincare routine should be both efficient and sensual – and reveals how to combat the most common causes of problem skin

THERE’S A MISCONCEPTION THAT MEN REQUIRE DISTINCT COSMETIC PRODUCTS WHEN, IN FACT, ‘MASCULINITY’ IS A MARKETING TOOL Skin deep: Valmont founder Sophie Guillon (right) is inspired by her travels

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have worked for cellular cosmetics brand Valmont for more than 25 years and, in that time, efficacy has always been our law – but we also believe in cosmetic pleasure.

Valmont was born in the heart of a Swiss beauty clinic, and the philosophy of [ founders] Sophie and Didier Guillon is really at the heart of all our formulas. Sophie never follows fashion movements or trends; she is a woman who travels a lot and inspired by the needs of the people she meets. She always wants to create something different for women of different ages – we just need to understand how to rebalance our skin as we enter different stages of our lives.

The menopause is just one factor that changes w o m e n’s skin, and so it’s important to nourish and heal the skin by finding creams that are rich but not greasy, sensual but not sticky.

At the core of Valmont’s philosophy is our Swiss glacier water. We use 20% glacier water in our products because, scientifically, it’s a wellbalanced mineral water with the right trace elements for stimulating cell exchanges in the skin. When we created the Elixir des Glaciers

collection 20 years ago, we also realised that the purity of the glacier water is the perfect added value for our brand.

We now have three collections of l’Elixir des Glaciers. The Precious collection uses plant extracts and glacier spring water, the Majestic collection uses elements of the beehive for healing and nourishing, and our new Essence range uses the DNA of the gold sturgeon for powerful radiance. It was Didier who inspired the Essence line – he called me out of the blue and said, “I want to create something precious and exceptional – from the DNA of sturgeon.”

Our laboratory team answered: “Why not?”.

During their research we discovered that the DNA of the male sturgeon has a level of active cells that penetrates deeply and quickly into the skin to effectively combat skin ageing, and another that stays more on the surface and works on hydration and glow. We work with an organic farm that really takes care of the fish, so it’s very eco-responsible.

SKIN DEEP The three important causes of any skin aging are dehydration, loss of energy and poorly cleansed skin. Valmont’s rituals focus on these elements, offering a range of 150 sensual products that work together to thoroughly cleanse, moisturise and stimulate all types of skin.

It’s so important to take the time to clean our skin every day, particularly if we’ve being wearing makeup. Cleansing really is 50% of the work done. We understand that different cleansers suit different skin and different lifestyles – so if you want to create a sensual 78

15-minute ritual or spend less than five minutes a day on skincare, there is something that will fit into your lifestyle and still be a pleasure to use.

Weather also takes a huge toll on our skin.

In recent months, the UK has experienced hailstorms to heatwaves in a matter of weeks, and those sudden changes will naturally unbalance our skin. My first advice would be to hydrate, because stable hydration helps to rebuild our skin’s hydrolipidic film, which is like an invisible veil protecting our skin. So, moisturise every morning and drink plenty of water.

In the evening we need to nourish and help regenerate the cells of our skin, so we need to know how damaged our skin is to best oxygenise and energise, while younger skin should focus on hydration in the evening, too.

When it comes to skincare, there is also a misconception that men require distinct products of their own, when in fact “masculinity” is just a marketing tool. As women age, their skin becomes thinner than men of a comparative age, but this just means men should look for products designed for combined skin with a thick epidermis, combined with something to soothe the skin after a shave.

We want to change the mentality that men don’t need to moisturise, and instead encourage everyone to care for their skin, and take pleasure in their skincare routines. For us, cosmetics shouldn’t be something we just put on our skin: it should work with our skin. That’s really the definition of cellular cosmetics. lamaisonvalmont.com

INDULGE

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The fashion fix

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s the textile industry struggles to comprehend the scale of its environmental impact and how to improve it, a new generation of biodesigners are disrupting the industry by creating durable clothing and accessories out of organic materials, with mushrooms, slime and even human hair in the frame.

Today’s clothing industry has become synonymous with overconsumption, worker exploitation and a snowballing waste crisis that shows no sign of slowing.

Yet, despite recognising the long-term viability of sustainable development, the industry still relies on using virgin petrochemical plastics and harmful production methods when churning out textiles to the global market.

For many, tackling these issues head-on seems like an impenetrable and costly task, but for these revolutionary designers, it presents an opportunity to explore bioinformed strategies to drive sustainable innovation.

Can biodesign fix the environmental footprint of fashion? Tempus meets the remarkable designers who say yes

Words: Georgia Lambert

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CHIP[S] BOARD Built on the philosophy that a circular economy within waste management and material production will create a new self-sustaining model, London biodesign company Chip[s] Board is replacing conventional petrochemical plastics with a more versatile ingredient – potatoes.

Company founders Rob Nicoll and Rowan Minkley developed Parblex (below) – a bioplastic polyester made from repurposing industrial potato waste from McCain UK. Reinforced with fibre, this bioplastic has a translucent finish and the ideal durability and functionality for use in fashion and interior design. Parblex has been rigorously tested to perform the same as conventional plastics but it is recyclable and compostable after use.

The company has focused largely on the

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fashion industry by working with independent designers to produce sustainable trims, including collaborations with designers such as Courtney & Co buttons and London-based Isabel Fletcher.

Nicoll and Minkley believe we have a shared responsibility to change attitudes about plastic pollution and to encourage the integration of bioplastics into the matrix. As the company has focused its business model on maintaining green credentials while matching the price point of petrochemical plastics, they could not have made this shift to a more resourceful future any easier.

“Materials often need to have short lives, so our vision is to create materials that work with the cycles of nature, not against them,” says Nicoll. » chipsboard.com

ISABEL FLETCHER London-based textile designer Isabel Fletcher works predominantly with production waste by manipulating and dyeing offcuts to create functional works of art and, just like Chip[s] Board, views byproducts of fashion not as waste but as the “starting point for further design”.

Using polylactic plastic, Isabel (below) created bespoke tortoiseshell buttons, which featured in her 2018 clothing collection Offcuts One. The collection celebrated discarded and sustainable materials – such as British wool, hemp, linen and bamboo – and explored the bolder shapes and colours seen in the layering of waste materials in a workshop space.

The importance of traceability and transparency in society is woven into the fabric of Isabel’s collections, and it is clear that her designs mean much more to her than a garment on a hanger. Since the launch of Offcuts One, Isabel has released more collections based around the idea of repurposing landfill waste.

Using natural dyes to create earthy tones, Isabel used her designs to educate viewers to make changes in their micro world to generate a macro impact in her latest release, Offcuts Two (2020) and 2021 collaboration with UK clothing brand Toast.

“I’m using textiles as an art form to talk about a concept which is broader than design – it’s about our daily lives and our ways of living,” says Fletcher.

“It’s about the small acts of checking what’s gone into your food or questioning how a product is packaged and if you can buy an item of clothing second hand or brand new – it’s about thinking and consuming less as a result.” isabelfletcher.com

I’M USING TEXTILES AS AN ART FORM TO TALK ABOUT A CONCEPT WHICH IS BROADER THAN DESIGN – IT’S ABOUT OUR DAILY LIVES AND OUR WAYS OF LIVING – Isabel Fletcher 82

DESIGN

TÔMTEX When it comes to waste, there are many culprits responsible for the degradation of our ecosystems. Every industry could reimagine their surplus waste so, in a bid to kill two birds with one stone, Vietnamese designer Uyen Tran (below right) developed a material that repurposes coffee grounds and seashell waste.

The New York-based designer works with suppliers in Vietnam to gather waste left by mariculture, including crustacean shells, fish skin and shrimp waste, to extract a biopolymer called chitin. When the extract is combined with the coffee waste from her own kitchen and from local cafes, it forms the basis of naturally dyed TômTex. With the vision to act as a sustainable alternative to faux and animal leathers, TômTex is a flexible, biodegradable material which mimics the embossed patterns, durability and softness of high-quality animal leather (right).

Although TômTex is still in its research and development phase, Tran says the leather is durable while remaining soft enough to be machine or hand-sewn.

“At the end of their life, our products can be disassembled and fed back into TômTex production or are fully biodegradable in a natural environment,” says Tran. “Not only using various wastes as raw material inputs, our production consumes significantly less water, energy, and land use compared to the standard production of faux or animal leather.” » tomtex.co 83

NATURE HAS PERFECTED BOTH A CIRCULAR AND ZERO WASTE SYSTEM, WHICH WE CAN LEARN FROM – Simone Lawler

SIMONE LAWLER Simone Lawler may be a new face on the fashion scene, but she is already making a marked impact. When studying fashion and textile design at the University of West London, her stand-out collection, prioritising sustainability, landed the young designer a place at Central Saint Martin’s University where she is studying for a Masters in Biodesign.

Inspired by the American mycologist Paul Stamets and augmented architect Nancy Diniz, Lawler founded Amanita Studio to replace exhausted trends and repeated silhouettes with fresh biological practices that look good and serve a purpose, documenting her design process on Instagram and TikTok. Lawler’s fascination with fungi inspired her to begin working with mycelium fabrics and creating biomaterials from food waste, after focusing on the symbiotic culture of scoby bacteria – typically used to make kombucha tea

– and Physarum polycephalum or ‘slime mould’.

She is also currently developing alginate yarn (above) from carrot, potato and orange waste.

“I wanted to work with mycelium to first address the issue of waste, which is abundant throughout the process of garment-making.

This multicellular organism can be used to grow clothes and dye fabric, offersing a mindful alternative to clothes off the rack. Its properties filter pollutants from the air,” says Lawler.

“Nature has perfected both a circular and zero waste system, which we can learn from. It doesn’t overproduce; whatever is created can be decomposed, returning nutrients back into the ecosystem. I am interested in implementing biological practices into my design thinking, so I can resolve the issue of waste from the beginning.

“My experimentation in biodesign demonstrates that our traditional processes can be developed, and I am excited for the future of an interdisciplinary industry.”

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ECOVATIVE Leather is one of man’s earliest and, arguably, most useful discoveries, and demand for the material is at an all-time high. However, the industry has always raised sustainability concerns. The industrial rearing of livestock and carcinogenic chromium needed to produce animal and plastic leather contributes to deforestation, gas emissions and water overuse.

New York-based biotech company, Ecovative, is poised to offer a scalable alternative found in mushrooms. Mycelium leather is a strong competitor for animal leathers. It is ingeniously made from the root of the mushroom, incubating the mycelium fungi results in controllable degrees of fabric strength, thickness and breathability.

What’s more, Ecovative’s Forager Hides (pictured, bottom) can be grown to specific dimensions, eliminating scrap completely.

Co-founder and CEO Eben Bayer (right) realised the potential to disrupt the animal leather market at university. With dual degrees

in mechanical engineering and design, she grew up on a farm in rural Vermont which “instilled a passion for looking to biology to solve our dependency on fossil fuels and industrial processes.”

Now, as the first company to pioneer fungi materials for commercial use, Ecovative grows sustainable materials for the food, packaging and textile industries, as well as licensing their technology to partners around the world to scale up production across the global market.

“Mycelium is a renewable natural resource hidden right beneath our feet that is better for the environment by offering homecompostability and soil nutrition back to the earth at the end of our products’ lifecycle,” says Bayer. “Just like mushrooms, there are thousands of different types of mycelium, and each of them has different properties. Some are tougher, some are more flexible – and some are especially delicious.” ecovativedesign.com

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PARTNER FEATURE

Blenheim

Palace We uncover the extraordinary history of the UK’s only non-royal palace Words: Antonia Keaney

“W

e have nothing to equal this…” These words were uttered by George III when visiting the 4th Duke of Marlborough at his Blenheim Palace home in 1786. At the end of his visit to the vast Oxfordshire landmark, the King hurried away and set about transforming his own relatively modest home into the Buckingham Palace we know today.

Blenheim Palace is unique – not only as the only non-royal, non-ecclesiastical palace in the UK, but also because of its designation as a Unesco World Heritage site. Designed by former playwright Sir John Vanbrugh, the money to build the Palace and the surrounding 2,000 acres of land were a gift to John Churchill, the 1st Duke of Marlborough, from Queen Anne and a grateful nation, after he had led the nation to victory during the War of Spanish Succession in the early 1700s. Churchill’s wife Sarah, the indomitable duchess, was also, for some time at least, beloved by Queen Anne – she was The Favourite portrayed by Rachel Weisz in the Oscar-winning 2019 film of the same name).

Blenheim’s fortunes changed frequently; a period of prosperity and improvements in the mid-18th century – Lancelot Brown having realised the ‘Capability’ of the landscape – was followed by hard times in the early 19th century when the bailiffs were called in to seize the assets of the resident 5th Duke, who had been careless of his wife and his vast fortune, and so was reduced to living off whatever game might be found roaming his lands. A period of relative calm ensued,

punctuated by the unexpected birth of future Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1874, while his grandparents, the 7th Duke and Duchess, were managing Blenheim Palace and all its inhabitants with an unflinching Victorian hand.

When Winston’s cousin became the 9th Duke of Marlborough in 1892 he realised that, in order for Blenheim to thrive and survive, he would have to follow the path taken by many of his fellow aristocrats and set off for America in search of a ‘dollar princess’. He secured the hand of heiress Consuelo Vanderbilt. Despite her initial protestations, Consuelo was persuaded to accept the young duke’s proposal, thus securing a welcome injection of funds which was spent on restoring and improving the Palace – funds which continued to be spent well into the 1920s, long after the Duke and his wife had separated.

The 1930s saw another major change in Blenheim’s fortunes with the outbreak of the Second World War. During the Great War, Blenheim had been used as a convalescent home. Under Sister Munn’s care, soldiers suffering from the devastation and trauma of battle slowly regained their strength and enjoyed their glorious surroundings. During the Second World War, life couldn’t have been more different.

The 10th Duke and Mary, his formidable Duchess, prepared for Blenheim to be invaded by 400 Malvern Schoolboys who spent the first academic year of the war eating, sleeping and being educated at 87

Blenheim. They departed in July 1940 and were soon followed by the government’s Security Service – MI5.

MI5’s headquarters had been damaged in the Blitz so, after a temporary stay at Wormwood Scrubs, the HQ was transferred to Blenheim Palace; a welcome change for the hundreds of workers involved. The Palace corridors and state rooms soon echoed with the sound of typewriters, trolleys and telephones.

The most pressing job of the ladies of MI5 was to rebuild ‘the registry’ – the database containing information on key figures that had been lost in the bombings. So vital was this to Britain’s war effort that Winston Churchill himself kept a careful eye on the work being carried out at his ancestral home.

It’s now 71 years since the 10th Duke and Duchess took the decision to open the the historic home and gardens to the public, and today we welcome visitors from all over the world. There’s something for everyone and always something new to enjoy – 2021 has seen the opening of a new Winston Churchill exhibition plus an exhibition in the magnificent Palace Stables, highlighting the role horses have played in the life of the Palace and its inhabitants.

Next year will mark the tercentenary of the death of the 1st Duke of Marlborough and we will be hosting a series of events and displays throughout the year in order to mark the importance of the other great Churchill in our nation’s history.

Plan your visit at blenheimpalace.com

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Outlook Champagne maison Veuve Clicquot raises a glass to female leaders at the 49th Bold Woman Awards

IMAGE: VEUVE CLICQUOT

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very year since 1972, the Bold Woman Awards has spotlit and celebrated inspirational women with a trailblazing track record of success, innovation and entrepreneurism. So who else could possibly lead the winners list for the annual honours after this most extraordinary year than vaccine pioneer Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert?

Dame Sarah, who spearheaded the development of the University of Oxford’s breakthrough Covid-19 vaccine, prompting a major turning point in the global pandemic, led winners of the 49th annual awards, created

by Veuve Cliquot and held at the London headquarters of the Royal Institute of British Architects on 9 September.

Dame Sarah was recognised not just for her recent work, but for her decade of experience developing cutting edge vaccines at Oxford with university spinout Vaccitech. In her acceptance speech, the professor acknowledged the dedication and professionalism of her groundbreaking teams of scientists and volunteers.

“What an honour to receive this award, among a shortlist of women who are all so exceptional in their fields. It is fantastic to get recognition from such a prestigious award and I am truly grateful,” she said. “For the last 18-months a dedicated team worked hard

to deliver the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.

It illustrates what can be achieved when academic institutions and the private sector work together and this is something we must build on. We salute the success of the vaccine rollout by the NHS in the UK, but there is still much to be done globally.”

Also taking to the stage was entrepreneur Sharmadean Reid MBE (pictured opposite, with Dame Sarah), who was awarded the Bold Future Award. Her business and editorial platform The Stack was launched to supercharge the value of the female economy by offering women a platform to source professional services, funding and mentorship from other female entrepreneurs and professionals. Her network has built up more than 1,000 members since launching earlier this year, and has already raised more than £3m in funding, with Monzo founder Tom Blomfield among investors.

“These awards enjoy a decades-long legacy of championing women who have turned ambition into success and I’m proud to celebrate this win after founding The Stack with similar principles in mind,” said Reid. “Much of the language around businesswomen’s networks has traditionally focused on emotional support, whereas male networking groups often emphasise savvy connections and tangible opportunities. The Stack was launched to offer these practical 88

business benefits to a new intersectional generation of businesswomen, providing access to much-needed financing, valuable new customers and relevant advice that can be put into practice straight away to drive revenue growth.”

The Bold Women Awards was founded in 1972 to celebrate Veuve Clicquot’s 200th anniversary and recognise women who capture the enterprising spirit of grande dame of champagne Madame Clicquot, as well as her values of innovation, audacity, fearlessness and drive, aiming to identify the role models of today and tomorrow. Barbe-Nicole Clicquot was just 27 when she was widowed in 1805, but her indominable spirit saw her turn her husband’s company into the thriving champagne maison that still bears her name today.

“Madame Clicquot took risks and pushed boundaries at a time when women weren’t even able to open a bank account, and it is an honour to be able to celebrate women that very much reflect her trailblazing spirit,” said the brand’s president, Jean-Marc Gallot. “This year’s winners truly reflect the extraordinary circumstances that we have found ourselves in. They have demonstrated pioneering female leadership and innovation and contributed to much more than simply business growth.” veuveclicquot.com

LEADERS

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BECOME PART OF THE GOODWOOD COMMUNITY

F

I EL LOWSH

P

JOIN THE GRRC FELLOWSHIP

The first step to becoming a member of the Goodwood Road Racing Club, the Fellowship offers a host of year-round benefits, including access to the GRR C -only Members’ Meeting.

Plus, secure your 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed and Revival tickets in the exclusive Fellowship purchase window.

Fo r m o r e i nfo r m ation visit g oodwood.com/fel l ows h ip

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RE:VIEW SUPERMODEL CLAUDIA SCHIFFER PRESENTS THE 1990s FASHION REVOLUTION

PLUS + • A racing start with the Goodwood Fellowship • The premiere of the BFI London Film Festival • Frieze London puts art in the frame • Save the Date: your luxury events calendar

Claudia Schiffer, Palmdale, California, 1992 (©Herb Ritts Foundation/courtesy Camera Work)

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BOOK | CLAUDIA SCHIFFER

Captivate!

Supermodel Claudia Schiffer takes readers on a personal photographic journey through fashion’s most exciting decade – the 1990s

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laudia Schiffer is best known as the original supermodel, and now she is giving fashion fans a glimpse inside couture’s most illustrious decade in a new coffee-table book, Captivate!. Featuring over 150 images – including unseen material from Schiffer’s personal archives – Captivate! celebrates the 1990s with contributions from photographers such as Arthur Elgort and Ellen von Unwerth and supermodels including Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss. Schiffer accompanies the book with an exhibition at Kunstpalast Düsseldorf – the city where she was first discovered.

Claudia, what inspired Captivate!?

The book and exhibition are about fashion photography in the 1990s and great images that captivate the imagination, and become part of pop consciousness.

Since the beginning of my career, I have collected fashion images, and my personal collection forms the basis of the book and exhibition. I wanted to encapsulate the vision of fashion that helped captivate and shape the perspective of a generation. I also wanted Captivate! to capture the visual experimentation and freedom of expression [of the ’90s]. My primary hope is that Captivate! – both the exhibition and the catalogue – attracts a wide audience to the Kunstpalast and boosts a love of fashion and photography.

Did you enjoy going through your archives?

The task of editing Captivate! made me appreciate the extraordinary creativity of the ’90s. I do miss the camaraderie and adventures, but you can never repeat such a time. [Editing the book] took a lot of time and patience – there were literally thousands of images to choose from. I wanted to show the numerous formats of fashion photography in the pre-digital age – from fine art prints to Polaroids, contact sheets to campaigns – and create strong contrasts between iconic covers shots, runway imagery and candid backstage snaps. I always asked myself, ‘Is this quintessentially ’90s? And does the image represent the photographer’s eye?’

Why was 1990s fashion so transformative?

The 1990s was a watershed period that upturned ideals of beauty and fashion. Campaigns became a valued part of visual culture, and fashion photography was a new, democratic art form. The competition to create definitive global campaigns was fierce.

The ’90s gave way to the birth of the supermodel, but also the superstar designer, stylist and photographer.

And the fashion! Wearing a Chanel jacket with vintage jeans, body con Alaia dresses [with] sneakers, Marc Jacobs grunge or a Helmut Lang suit – it was high/ low mix that was individual, fun and cool. Above all, there was innovation and experimentation. That’s hard to beat, and it really resonates now when young creatives are collaborating and building from the ground up.

Tell us about the supermodel era?

It was insane: like being like a rock star. You couldn’t get to your car unless a path was carved for you.

People would cut holes into fashion tents and try and take pictures. We had security at every fashion show – even to guard my underwear, which was constantly disappearing when I was out on the runway.

What moment defined the 90s for you?

One of the most amazing shoots was the Valentino campaign in Rome, with Arthur Elgort [1995]. The shoot was based on Fellini’s film La Dolce Vita.

Throughout the day, we attracted more and more attention until life finally imitated art: we were chased through the streets by paparazzi. In one balcony scene, a crowd of people formed below and, when I was directed to wave out at them, they responded by chanting my name. It was surreal.

Captivate!, edited by Claudia Schiffer, published by Prestel in hardback on 19th October, RRP £49.99. The exhibition will be at Kunstpalast Düsseldorf until 9th January 2022; kunstpalast.de

Read the full interview online at tempusmagazine.co.uk

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Model behaviour: Kristy Hume, Nadja Auermann, Nadège du Bospertus, Claudia Schiffer, Carla Bruni, Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Shalom Harlow and Brandi Quinones photographed by Michel Comte in 1994 (© Michel Comte Estate)

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MOTORING | GOODWOOD FELLOWSHIP

Get closer to Goodwood Plan your year of motorsports with the ultimate membership experience

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fter a thrilling return to form this year, fans of Goodwood’s motorsport meetings can get back to the heart of the action as tickets for 2022’s Festival of Speed and Revival become available to the public on 8 November.

But, for those who want to get a racing start – and experience exclusive access to the annual Members’ Meeting – the Goodwood Fellowship is the hottest ticket around.

The only route to full membership of the Goodwood Road Racing Club, the Fellowship provides members first refusal of the Chichester estate’s most prestigious events each year, including

priority booking for public events from 1 November, an invitation to the Goodwood Members’ Meeting (held this year on 16-17 October), and moneycan’t-buy competitions and offers, such as access to The Kennels clubhouse and special discounts on Goodwood driving experiences.

Members also gain access to an enviable digital catalogue of the world’s most exclusive races and demonstrations over 25 years of Goodwood racing. With exclusive archive footage such as Sir Stirling Moss and Rowan Atkinson racing a Jaguar Mk7 at Revival to Sir Jackie Stewart’s Monaco memories, there is a wealth of unseen video to

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keep motorsport enthusiasts entertained while awaiting the next meeting.

The GRRC Fellowship also provides its members with a welcoming, global community united by a love of motorsport. You can meet fellow F1 fans, chat with other rally addicts and meet vintage car collectors to pick up restoration tips and swap stories and, most of all, share your passion for cars with fellow enthusiasts.

Get priority tickets, access to the annual Members’ Meeting and more, by purchasing your GRRC Fellowship for just £43 at goodwood.com

RE:VIEW EVENT | CINEMA

BFI London Film Festival

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he BFI London Film Festival returns with a new home this year, as the UK’s premier film event launches a new partnership with the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, where star-studded gala premieres will take place, as well as virtual premieres on the BFI Player.

This year’s festival will feature some of the biggest awards seasons contenders and new critical triumphs, opening with the world premiere of Jeymes Samuel’s The Harder They Fall (left)– a righteous new-school western starring Jonathan Majors and Idris Elba and produced by Shawn Carter (aka rapper Jay Z). Closing the festival is Joel Coen’s theatrical adaptation The Tragedy of Macbeth, starring Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand, while last year’s popular LFF Expanded programme of XR and immersive art returns via the BFI’s virtual exhibition space, The Expanse.

The Southbank Centre, 6-17 October bfi.org.uk

ART | FRIEZE LONDON

Contemporary art meets historic masters

M

ajor international galleries reunite at October’s Frieze London and Frieze Masters, both based in The Regent’s Park, with an inspiring schedule of museum and gallery events across London.

The fairs will feature a programme of talks and special projects, featuring artists including creative collective Ruangrupa, Rindon Johnson and 2021 Frieze Artist Award winner Sung Tieu (whose piece Emalin is pictured, right).

A new exhibition titled Unworlding, curated by Palais de Tokyo curator Cedric Fauq, will showcase new major works by Nora Turato, Ndayé Kouagou and Natacha Donzé. Across the park, Frieze Masters will bring together six millennia of art – from rare antiquities, to Old Master paintings, to luminaries of the 20th century – where visitors can acquire a piece of art history.

The Regent’s Park, 13-17 October 2021 frieze.com

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the

SAVE DATE Your London luxury events calendar for October and November 2021

2-3 OCTOBER

22-24 OCTOBER

PRIX DE L’ARC DE TRIOMPHE Prepare for two days of spectacular action at Europe’s most valuable horserace.

Hosted at Longchamp racecourse in Paris, the prestigious Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe is attended by the world’s best horses and trainers. parislongchamp.com

FORMULA ONE UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX Formula One heads to Austin, Texas for this thrilling leg of the motorsports series.

Reigning champion Lewis Hamilton goes head to head with rival Max Verstappen (pictured) on the Circuit of the Americas. f1.com

10 NOV - 11 DEC

19-20 NOVEMBER

ARGENTINE OPEN POLO CHAMPIONSHIP The world’s most important international polo championship returns to the Campo Argentino de Polo in Palermo, Buenos Aires, for its 128th year. Argentinian team La Dolfina will defend their eight-year reign. aapolo.com

YI PENG LANTERN FESTIVAL Unique to Chiang Mai, Thailand, this aweinspiring festival of lights is a traditional celebration of the full moon. Today, it is a time to wash away bad luck, invite good fortune and celebrate Northern Thailand’s rich culture. yipengchiangmailanternfestival.com

While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, changes to event calendars may occur. Please check with individual event organisers for more information.

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27-31 OCTOBER

FORT LAUDERDALE INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW It’s smooth sailing in Florida as the world’s largest in-water boat show returns to Fort Lauderdale. Unique superyachts, marine innovations and a luxury marketplace – plus VIP hospitality via the Windward Club. flibs.com

25-28 NOVEMBER

CHAMPIONS TENNIS End the tennis season in style at the Champions tournament, which has been held at London’s Royal Albert Hall since 1997.

Former Grand Slam champions, world no.1s and sporting icons all compete inside the legendary venue. atpchampionstour.com

Journey to Kinlochewe by amy shore amyshorephotography

FEATURING THE woRld’s FIRsT lUxURY cAR FRAGRANcE Steel Pomander - Leather Cap - Fragrance Ceramic

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Specialist chocolate drinks company Knoops first opened in Rye in 2013, and today claims stores in London, including Chelsea and Kensington, and Brighton. With his new book of chocolate recipes recently published, founder Jens Knoops (right) shares his recommendations for a sweet escape…

INDULGE | HARRODS CHOCOLATE HALL Harrods’ new Chocolate Hall is a paradise for sweet-toothed fans. Explore the in-house chocolaterie or treats from luxury chocolatiers including William Curley and Läderach.

Knoops says: “I can often be seen in Harrods Chocolate Hall. I’ll choose something delectable for pudding, then like to sit somewhere and watch the London world go by.”

IMAGES: KNOOPS, HARRODS

harrods.com

CONVIVIAL DINING | SHOREDITCH HOUSE

COASTAL CUISINE | THE PILOT, DUNGENESS

This trendy members’ club and hotel, part of the Soho House family, has a range of dining options available – including a heavenly rooftop terrace – serving everything from British cuisine to Italian-influenced dishes, and delectable cocktails to accompany your meal.

Located on the coast of Kent, the Pilot Inn is an impossibly picturesque restaurant specialising in traditional fare. Around the restaurant is a treasure trove of washed up artefacts. After your meals, explore Dungeness National Nature Reserve and discover Britain’s only desert.

RISE AND SHINE | KNOOPS MOCHA Knoops’ collection of 10 luxury hot chocolate flakes range from a sweet 34% milk chocolate to a 70% extra dark, while his recipes and accessories ensure you can make the perfect blend at home, every time.

Knoops says: “This was my old stomping ground before I moved to the countryside.

Great for catching up with friends.”

Knoops says: “Enjoy proper fish ‘n’ chips and take a walk on the beach afterwards Perfect.”

Knoops says: “The Knoops mocha is my favourite way to start the day. I might add some orange zest or cardamom and, ideally, sit in the garden and dip in some home-baked biscotti from the recipe in my new book.”

sohohouse.com

thepilotdungeness.co.uk

knoops.co.uk

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ANTHONY

SINCLAIR BESPOKE

James Bond’s original tailor and creator of the Conduit Cut B Y

A P P O IN T M EN T

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34 Montagu Square, London, W1H 2LJ +44 (0) 207 4377 007 info@anthonysinclair.com

www.anthonysinclair.com

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