Celebrity Life

There’s no doubt Alex Lam inherited his musical talent from his parents, his father being Cantopop legend George Lam Chi-Cheung, and his mother, Sally Yeh. Still, the singer-songwriter and actor hasn’t let privilege get to his head — he’s not afraid to explore other paths, from a stint in Los Angeles to discover yoga and becoming a yoga teacher, to dipping his toes in fashion.

Lam met Hiro Yoshikawa, founder and designer of Washi Jeans, a Japanese denim brand, a couple years back and was intrigued by the designer’s backstory. Now based in Hong Kong, Yoshikawa is the 18^th generation of a revered sake maker in Okayama, Japan, and the first to leave the family business to pursue his own passion in denim-making. By chance, Yoshikawa had found an old document that charted out his family’s history, written on washi paper. Inspired by this, he developed and patented the Washi No. 6 paper yarn, which he utilizes in his first solo collection launching this month.

Lam, who has always had an eye for detail, quickly became an ambassador and muse for Yoshikawa, and took it upon himself to bring the recognition Yoshikawa deserves by helping him stage his upcoming solo debut.

We sit down with Alex Lam and Hiro Yoshikawa at Washi Jean's studio to talk about style and the upcoming debut of Yoshikawa's solo collection Life on Earth.

Can you describe your style? What are your wardrobe essentials?

AL: My style has always been inspired by musicians. I grew up watching some of my favourite bands like The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, and today, I'm inspired by singers like Drake. For me, my summer essentials include a sleeveless vest, a good multi-functional blazer and a pair of high-quality designer jeans.

Have you always been passionate about fashion and did you want to work in fashion?

AL: I have always cared about how I look and my outfits since I was a kid. I remember there was one time when the collar of my t-shirt wasn't right and I wouldn’t wear it out until my parents fixed it for me. Having friends who are in the fashion industry allows me to execute and experiment my ideas during workshops, like the ‘marshmallow’ colourway of the t-shirt I’m wearing right now. 

How did the both of you meet?

AL: I met Hiro-san thought some of our mutual friends.

HY: have been making jeans for other brands for the past 30 years and it has always been my dream to have my own denim brand. I have always hung out with people from the fashion industry, and meeting Alex from the music and acting world has made my life more fun and exciting.

Can you tell us a bit about your project with Hiro-san?

AL: I was hanging out with a group of producers and we often talk about fashion shows, designer brands’ videos, installation art and music. Once we found out Hiro-san wanted to launch his own denim brand this year, we decided to catch this opportunity and put our ideas together. We are organising a VIP launch event with a fashion show on June 11, 2021.

What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome with this project?

AL: I think the rules of the game changed after Covid started last year. We looked at online fashion shows last year, without the tradition styles, and we knew our team needed to do it in a cleverer way. The restriction for event gathering is 30 persons at the moment, so we were not able to invite too many friends and make the event as big as before. Plus the campaign and fashion show video shoot all in one day, that’s the biggest challenge in this project.

HY:  We have been staying in our studio almost every day is the past few months, meeting different parties like our PR team, models, videographers and producers.

What else are you up to this year that you can share with us?

AL: I have released a new song and I just finished a music video for another song. I have also been working on my YouTube channel and created a few series, but it’s been slightly slowed down because I was focusing in this project.

Has the pandemic affected the way you work or changed your priorities?

AL: Before Covid, I was busy working with clients, who often prepared everything. With changes and restrictions during this period, I am able to organise and create more content by myself.

What are you currently inspired by?

AL: There are many indie musicians and young kids out there who are doing their music in their unique styles. I admire them a lot as they can release songs as long as they think it sounds good. I used think good music requires the best studio and recording equipment, but turned out a lot of indie musicians are producing high quality songs just by working at home.

You have a YouTube channel, you're into fashion, music as well as classic cars. How did you get into each of those passions and how do you balance it all?

AL: Project by project. I’m now focusing more on quantity over quality and I'll keep learning from the progress and mistakes.

Do you have a motto you live by?

Stay healthy. As I was a yoga teacher, I still practice yoga for two to three hours each day. It’s a good way to reflect on myself and find peace.

The post Ying Kwok Takes us Through a Year of Exhibitions, Highlighting the Priceless Role of a Curator appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

There’s no doubt Alex Lam inherited his musical talent from his parents, his father being Cantopop legend George Lam Chi-Cheung, and his mother, Sally Yeh. Still, the singer-songwriter and actor hasn’t let privilege get to his head — he’s not afraid to explore other paths, from a stint in Los Angeles to discover yoga and becoming a yoga teacher, to dipping his toes in fashion.

Lam met Hiro Yoshikawa, founder and designer of Washi Jeans, a Japanese denim brand, a couple years back and was intrigued by the designer’s backstory. Now based in Hong Kong, Yoshikawa is the 18^th generation of a revered sake maker in Okayama, Japan, and the first to leave the family business to pursue his own passion in denim-making. By chance, Yoshikawa had found an old document that charted out his family’s history, written on washi paper. Inspired by this, he developed and patented the Washi No. 6 paper yarn, which he utilizes in his first solo collection launching this month.

Lam, who has always had an eye for detail, quickly became an ambassador and muse for Yoshikawa, and took it upon himself to bring the recognition Yoshikawa deserves by helping him stage his upcoming solo debut.

We sit down with Alex Lam and Hiro Yoshikawa at Washi Jean's studio to talk about style and the upcoming debut of Yoshikawa's solo collection Life on Earth.

Can you describe your style? What are your wardrobe essentials?

AL: My style has always been inspired by musicians. I grew up watching some of my favourite bands like The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, and today, I'm inspired by singers like Drake. For me, my summer essentials include a sleeveless vest, a good multi-functional blazer and a pair of high-quality designer jeans.

Have you always been passionate about fashion and did you want to work in fashion?

AL: I have always cared about how I look and my outfits since I was a kid. I remember there was one time when the collar of my t-shirt wasn't right and I wouldn’t wear it out until my parents fixed it for me. Having friends who are in the fashion industry allows me to execute and experiment my ideas during workshops, like the ‘marshmallow’ colourway of the t-shirt I’m wearing right now. 

How did the both of you meet?

AL: I met Hiro-san thought some of our mutual friends.

HY: have been making jeans for other brands for the past 30 years and it has always been my dream to have my own denim brand. I have always hung out with people from the fashion industry, and meeting Alex from the music and acting world has made my life more fun and exciting.

Can you tell us a bit about your project with Hiro-san?

AL: I was hanging out with a group of producers and we often talk about fashion shows, designer brands’ videos, installation art and music. Once we found out Hiro-san wanted to launch his own denim brand this year, we decided to catch this opportunity and put our ideas together. We are organising a VIP launch event with a fashion show on June 11, 2021.

What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome with this project?

AL: I think the rules of the game changed after Covid started last year. We looked at online fashion shows last year, without the tradition styles, and we knew our team needed to do it in a cleverer way. The restriction for event gathering is 30 persons at the moment, so we were not able to invite too many friends and make the event as big as before. Plus the campaign and fashion show video shoot all in one day, that’s the biggest challenge in this project.

HY:  We have been staying in our studio almost every day is the past few months, meeting different parties like our PR team, models, videographers and producers.

What else are you up to this year that you can share with us?

AL: I have released a new song and I just finished a music video for another song. I have also been working on my YouTube channel and created a few series, but it’s been slightly slowed down because I was focusing in this project.

Has the pandemic affected the way you work or changed your priorities?

AL: Before Covid, I was busy working with clients, who often prepared everything. With changes and restrictions during this period, I am able to organise and create more content by myself.

What are you currently inspired by?

AL: There are many indie musicians and young kids out there who are doing their music in their unique styles. I admire them a lot as they can release songs as long as they think it sounds good. I used think good music requires the best studio and recording equipment, but turned out a lot of indie musicians are producing high quality songs just by working at home.

You have a YouTube channel, you're into fashion, music as well as classic cars. How did you get into each of those passions and how do you balance it all?

AL: Project by project. I’m now focusing more on quantity over quality and I'll keep learning from the progress and mistakes.

Do you have a motto you live by?

Stay healthy. As I was a yoga teacher, I still practice yoga for two to three hours each day. It’s a good way to reflect on myself and find peace.

The post Hauser & Wirth’s First Global CEO Ewan Venters on His Role and the Gallery’s Sustainable Agenda appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

There’s no doubt Alex Lam inherited his musical talent from his parents, his father being Cantopop legend George Lam Chi-Cheung, and his mother, Sally Yeh. Still, the singer-songwriter and actor hasn’t let privilege get to his head — he’s not afraid to explore other paths, from a stint in Los Angeles to discover yoga and becoming a yoga teacher, to dipping his toes in fashion.

Lam met Hiro Yoshikawa, founder and designer of Washi Jeans, a Japanese denim brand, a couple years back and was intrigued by the designer’s backstory. Now based in Hong Kong, Yoshikawa is the 18^th generation of a revered sake maker in Okayama, Japan, and the first to leave the family business to pursue his own passion in denim-making. By chance, Yoshikawa had found an old document that charted out his family’s history, written on washi paper. Inspired by this, he developed and patented the Washi No. 6 paper yarn, which he utilizes in his first solo collection launching this month.

Lam, who has always had an eye for detail, quickly became an ambassador and muse for Yoshikawa, and took it upon himself to bring the recognition Yoshikawa deserves by helping him stage his upcoming solo debut.

We sit down with Alex Lam and Hiro Yoshikawa at Washi Jean's studio to talk about style and the upcoming debut of Yoshikawa's solo collection Life on Earth.

Can you describe your style? What are your wardrobe essentials?

AL: My style has always been inspired by musicians. I grew up watching some of my favourite bands like The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, and today, I'm inspired by singers like Drake. For me, my summer essentials include a sleeveless vest, a good multi-functional blazer and a pair of high-quality designer jeans.

Have you always been passionate about fashion and did you want to work in fashion?

AL: I have always cared about how I look and my outfits since I was a kid. I remember there was one time when the collar of my t-shirt wasn't right and I wouldn’t wear it out until my parents fixed it for me. Having friends who are in the fashion industry allows me to execute and experiment my ideas during workshops, like the ‘marshmallow’ colourway of the t-shirt I’m wearing right now. 

How did the both of you meet?

AL: I met Hiro-san thought some of our mutual friends.

HY: have been making jeans for other brands for the past 30 years and it has always been my dream to have my own denim brand. I have always hung out with people from the fashion industry, and meeting Alex from the music and acting world has made my life more fun and exciting.

Can you tell us a bit about your project with Hiro-san?

AL: I was hanging out with a group of producers and we often talk about fashion shows, designer brands’ videos, installation art and music. Once we found out Hiro-san wanted to launch his own denim brand this year, we decided to catch this opportunity and put our ideas together. We are organising a VIP launch event with a fashion show on June 11, 2021.

What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome with this project?

AL: I think the rules of the game changed after Covid started last year. We looked at online fashion shows last year, without the tradition styles, and we knew our team needed to do it in a cleverer way. The restriction for event gathering is 30 persons at the moment, so we were not able to invite too many friends and make the event as big as before. Plus the campaign and fashion show video shoot all in one day, that’s the biggest challenge in this project.

HY:  We have been staying in our studio almost every day is the past few months, meeting different parties like our PR team, models, videographers and producers.

What else are you up to this year that you can share with us?

AL: I have released a new song and I just finished a music video for another song. I have also been working on my YouTube channel and created a few series, but it’s been slightly slowed down because I was focusing in this project.

Has the pandemic affected the way you work or changed your priorities?

AL: Before Covid, I was busy working with clients, who often prepared everything. With changes and restrictions during this period, I am able to organise and create more content by myself.

What are you currently inspired by?

AL: There are many indie musicians and young kids out there who are doing their music in their unique styles. I admire them a lot as they can release songs as long as they think it sounds good. I used think good music requires the best studio and recording equipment, but turned out a lot of indie musicians are producing high quality songs just by working at home.

You have a YouTube channel, you're into fashion, music as well as classic cars. How did you get into each of those passions and how do you balance it all?

AL: Project by project. I’m now focusing more on quantity over quality and I'll keep learning from the progress and mistakes.

Do you have a motto you live by?

Stay healthy. As I was a yoga teacher, I still practice yoga for two to three hours each day. It’s a good way to reflect on myself and find peace.

The post Art Basel Hong Kong: 4 Leading Korean Artists to See Online and at the Shows appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

With Art Basel and Art Central kicking off concurrently next weekend, satellite shows abound. Here are a few of our top picks for where to get your fill of art this coming month, and beyond.

Lévy Gorvy: Eternal Seasons Part II

Part two of Lévy Gorvy's Eternal Seasons opened at the end of April following the critical success of Part I, which featured Impressionist and post-Impressionist masterworks by Claude Monet, Edvard Munch and Vincent Van Gogh, juxtaposed by the magnificent jewellery sculptures by Wallace Chan. The second part explores postwar and contemporary works by international artists such as Alexander Calder, Francesco Clemente, Alex Katz, Yayoi Kusama, Andy Warhol, Joan Mitchell and more, and looks to be equally as spellbinding as the first.

Open now until May 31. Lévy Gorvy, Ground Floor, 2 Ice House Street, Central. More details on www.levygorvy.com.

Perrotin: Spectrum

Marking Josh Sperling's first solo show in Hong Kong, Spectrum is dedicated to the two art forms that have really defined Sperling's works: "squiggles" and "double bubbles" in bold and bright pop-art colours. What makes the works so special are the way they're constructed as sculptural paintings; Sperling has developed a meticulous process that culminates in canvas stretched over precisely stepped plywood support in the shape of curving lines or circles, that are then painted over with acrylic paint and varnish to create each "painting".

Open now until June 12. Perrotin, 807, K11 ATELIER Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. More details on https://www.perrotin.com.

Crafts on Peel: Creations Enlivened - Metal

Crafts on Peel brings together traditional craftsmen and contemporary artists together to collaborate on a series of exhibitions that showcase one particular material or craft in the region and beyond. Its third exhibition, Creations Enlivened: Metal, focuses on metal crafts created by artisans from Hong Kong and Japan. Working across a myriad of metals from copper, brass, silver, tin to galvanised iron, the exhibition showcases a wide-range of common objects and invites the viewers to look at them through new eyes and appreciate their infinite beauty and durability.

Open now until July 24. Crafts on Peel, 11 Peel Street, Central. More details on www.craftsonpeel.com.

L'École School of Jewellery Arts: The Art of Gold

The preciousness of gold has often been overshadowed by that of porcelain and jade in the appreciation of Chinese treasures, but this exhibition at L'École School of Jewellery Arts, supported by Van Cleef & Arpels, dispels the myth by showcasing 3000 years of Chinese treasures in gold. Expect an absolute eye-opener to the meticulous crafting process and learn all about the evolution of the art and craft of gold jewellery and objects in ancient China.

Open now until August 29. L'École School of Jewellery Arts. 510A, 5/F K11 MUSEA, Tsim Sha Tsui. More details on www.lecolevancleefarpels.com/hk

Alisan Fine Arts: Symphony

The life and work of Chu Teh-Chun is majorly celebrated this year on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of the Franco-Chinese artist. Apart from a documentary premiering at Art Basel Hong Kong and at select cinemas as part of Le French May's programming, Chu's works will also be showcased at Alisan Fine Arts. The exhibition displays a curation of 16 of Chu's most important works on paper that highlight his iconic abstract compositions and calligraphy.

Opens May 12 until 10 July. Alisan Fine Arts, 21/F Lyndhurst Terrace, Central. More details on www.alisan.com.hk.

Ben Brown: What is in a Head?

This exhibition features two of Britain's leading figurative painters, Frank Auerbach and Tony Bevan, cantered around the philosophical and intriguing question, "What is a Head?" The exhibition is a powerful one, displaying works ranging from the 1960s to the present day, and comparing and contrasting the works of Auerbach and Bevan and the way they interpret this most defining feature of humanity.

Opens May 15 until July 3. Ben Brown Fine Arts, 202 The Factory, 1 Yip Fat Street, Wong Chuk Hang. More details on www.benbrownfinearts.com.

Villepin: Myonghi Kang

One of contemporary Korean art's leading figures, Myonghi Kong has, for five decades, sought to represent nature on paper and canvas in an assortment of ways, from abstraction to figuration. Extremely poetic and soothing, the artist's works constantly probe at our collective perception, embodiment and understanding of nature. Kang also draws from her own extensive travels, and uses her work to reconcile eastern and western sensibilities.

Opens May 17 until October. Villepin, 55 Hollywood Road, Central. More details on www.villepinart.com.

David Zwirner: The Real World

The Real World is a group exhibition featuring paintings, sculptures and installations from some of New York and Los Angeles most prominent art influences from the 1990s and early 2000s, such as Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Raymond Pettibon, Jason Rhoads, Diana Thater, Rirkrit Tiravanija, and Lisa Yuskavage. Additionally, the exhibition serves as a mini-survey of Gonzalez-Torres (1957-1996), a renowned conceptual artist known for his minimal installations and sculptures that use common objects like lightbulbs, clocks, paper and even packaged hard candies, to track and measure the inevitable flow of time.

Opens May 18 until July 31. David Zwirner Hong Kong, 5-6/F, H Queen's, 80 Queen's Road Central. More details on www.davidzwirner.com.

Gagosian: Horizontals

Leading American painter Mark Grotjahn's first solo exhibition in Hong Kong comprises a new body of paintings from his Capri series. Grotjahn is known for his approach to colour, perspective and seriality and his uncanny ability to incorporate different modes of expression into an instantly recognisable aesthetic. The exhibition, titled Horizontals, brings Grotjahn's artistic language into the realm of full abstraction, inspired by the landmark modernist house of writer Curzio Malaparte on the island of Capri.

Opens May 18 until August 7. Gagosian, 7/F Pedder Building, 12 Pedder Street, Central. More details on www.gagosian.com.

Leelee Chan: Tokens From Time

Hosted during the period of Art Basel, the fair's partner BMW is unveiling the works of local artist Leelee Chan, who was the recipient of the BMW Art Journey prize last year. Exhibited at the car brand's Wanchai showroom, Tokens From Time, is the culmination of Chan's time spent in Europe on the first leg of her journey with BMW, and traces the material culture from the past, present and future, touching on contemporary debates on ecological and cultural sustainability today.

Opens May 19 to 23. BMW Luxury Class Wanchai Showroom, G/F Everbright Centre, 108 Gloucester Road, Wanchai. More details on www.bmw-art-journey.com.

Phoebe Hui: The Moon is Leaving Us

Did you know the moon is slowly but surely drifting away from Earth? Hong Kong-based multidisciplinary artist Phoebe Hui explores this notion in the most poetic way possible through a large-scale installation that is currently on view at Tai Kwun. Her work marks the fifth Audemars Piguet Art Commission, presented by Audemars Piguet Contemporary. The work also represents the first time Audemars Piguet Commission is shown in Asia. While the exhibition is invite-only, it can be accessed digitally via www.audemarspiguet.com.

Open now until May 23. Invitation only. Tai Kwun Centre for Heritage and Art, 10 Hollywood Road, Central. More details on www.taikwun.hk/en.

ArtisTree: Films by Fredrik Tjærandsen and Paul Cocksedge

Led by Swire Properties, ArtisTree in Taikoo Place will be home to two extraordinary exhibitions, featuring life-size installations and digital art by Norwegian artist Fredrik Tjærandsen and British design firm Paul Cocksedge Studio.

Light In/Out Film and Exhibition, by Tjærandsen, marries fashion with movement, film, photograph and visual arts, and spotlights the eccentric bubble dresses that earned Tjærandsen viral attention.

Please Be Seated, part of an ongoing collaboration between Swire and Paul Cocksedge, is a piece that features arches and curves constructed from sustainably sourced timber, and makes for a welcoming space for people to pass through or pass the time in contemplation.

Opens May 24 until June 8. ArtisTree, 1/F Cambridge House, Taikoo Place. More details on www.taikooplace.com.

The post Art Month: 12 Exhibitions to Catch this May appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Renowned international gallerist Ben Brown Fine Arts opened his first location in the early 2000s in London’s Mayfair, where the gallery quickly established itself as a point of reference both locally and internationally, especially after setting up its Asian outpost in Hong Kong. Famed for displaying contemporary and 20th-century art by the likes of Pablo Picasso, Lucio Fontana and Alighiero Boetti, Ben Brown recently took on a new challenge when he opened a space in Palm Beach, Florida, though this busy man nonetheless found time to share with Prestige readers his thoughts on the current state of the art world.

Tell us about your upcoming exhibition featuring Frank Auerbach and Tony Bevan.

Frank Auerbach/Tony Bevan: What is a Head? runs at Ben Brown Fine Arts Hong Kong from May 15 until July 3. Curated by art historian Michael Peppiatt, it features two of Britain’s leading figurative painters, Frank Auerbach and Tony Bevan. Through 22 works, it explores
the philosophical question, “What is a head?” which is one of humanity’s most defining features.

In the exhibition, which is a conversation between Auerbach and Bevan, the two artists try to achieve something new and revealing through the same theme. Individually, they possess a powerful and unique style. Together, they represent the rewarding opportunity to look at paintings as a whole, without preconception or previous knowledge – a radical exploration of a theme that involves us all: “What is a Head?”

Throughout your career, one of your main passions – which is now turned into expertise – has been Italian art. Can you tell us more about it?

It’s one of my fortes and what I’m best known for. It’s mostly because I speak Italian and I used to run the Italian department at Sotheby’s in the 1990s. By going to Italy a lot, you become an expert in certain things. I’m an expert in Boetti and Fontana and a few other things.

How has the gallery adapted throughout the pandemic?

It’s been hard in London, because we’ve been completely closed, so we’ve been trying to do as much as we can on screen. We’re all bored with that now, and want to go and see real art. Last year was the first year in my life that I didn’t come to Hong Kong, but managing director Amanda Hon has done very well with the gallery. Hongkongers can’t travel and, to be honest, they’ve been buying art, which is great for us. If you have the right product at the right price then the market’s fine. Overall, the pandemic has forced us to become better in certain areas, but we’ve had to learn to live without art fairs, something that we’re very good at.

Has the pandemic changed art forever?

Quite possibly, yes. It’s definitely changed the world forever, hasn’t it? I don’t think art fairs will be as successful as they used to be. Or maybe, like many companies in other sectors, some will benefit and some will flounder and die. That’s true for galleries too – some have already died, unfortunately. The same can be said about artists, because some don’t come across as being good on screen. So it’s going to be difficult. Some galleries will go back to doing what they were doing before and maybe it won’t work. But we’re ready for the new challenges, whatever they might be.

Has your passion for art helped you to cope with the challenges of the past year?

Yes definitely. When you’re on lockdown, it really helps. If I didn’t have as many artworks on my walls, I don’t think my mental health would be the same.

What do you think of the Beeple NFT sale?

It was a great marketing exercise. The guy, in a way, is a genius – good for him. Here’s an artist that nobody had ever heard of and now he’s worth US$69 million. Everybody’s scratching their head. I don’t think he’s worth that much – to be honest, I think it’s pretty irrelevant. This isn’t about making art, it’s about making money, which is not the traditional reason why art was created – it was about creating something enjoyable for people to look at and feel good about. Now it’s become part of investment portfolios to make money, but it shouldn’t be like that – you should be prepared to lose money. You should be buying exactly what you like and that makes you happy. If a US$69 million Beeple makes you happy, then you should buy it. For people like me, it’s totally irrelevant.

If you could pick an artist from the past to have dinner with, who would it be?

Pablo Picasso. He was a fascinating man with a big brain – a great painter whose career changes throughout his different phases, which I’ve examined and which I’d ask him about. I’d also ask him why he slept with so many women and I’d be fascinated to know whom he was actually in love with.

What’s next for Ben Brown Fine Arts?

We just opened a gallery in a fantastic location in Palm Beach. We’re going to be doing different shows, including Boetti and Warhol. We were looking for a space when the pandemic hit, and we ended up finding one in Florida, where I’m also going to have a partner. I also love going to Palm Beach in winter, which is the season down there. We have a lot of art fairs coming in autumn, which should be very busy for us.

The post For Art’s Sake: Ben Brown on the Present and Future of the Art World appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

At La Prairie, beauty is all encompassing. The House has made it its mission to bring beauty to society, not only through premium products, but also through its patronage to the arts and sciences.

Its tireless pursuit of timeless beauty has long inspired the House to support initiatives that strive to preserve and promote culture and science with a shared connection — beauty through the prism of Switzerland. Below, we look at how La Prairie is giving back to society: from its collaboration with local artist Carla Chan on an artwork to be shown at Art Basel Hong Kong, to its breakthrough in creating refillable packaging for its Pure Gold Collection, to its continued support to ETH Zurich on its important glacier studies.

Patronage through Arts

La Prairie has invited a local artist to create an artwork inspired by the light of the golden hour. The commissioned work, by Hong Kong based artist Carla Chan, will be unveiled on the occasion of Frieze New York in May. The commissioned work is an installation and the result of a unique artist residency, a first for La Prairie, at the energy self-sufficient Monte Rosa Hut in Switzerland designed by ETH Zurich.

Being in remote Switzerland and surrounded by nature became the core inspiration behind Chan's piece. She says: “The human encounter with raw nature – the stillness, the beauty it imparts pushed me to reflect on the relationship between nature and the humankind and how we cohabitate together. It was important for me to create an immersive experience conducive to such contemplation.”

The piece, titled "Space Between the Light Glows", is a time-based video installation that will immerse guests in the majestic and yet fleeting beauty of the golden hour. "The golden hour is a singular moment that focuses on change and the in-between," says Chan. "It is a moment where you lose the sense of time and space during which emotion, thoughts and imagination are heightened."

In that moment of profound beauty, Chan hopes viewers could take the time to reflect on the world around us. After its premiere at Frieze New York from May 5 to 9, the video installation will be exhibited at Art Basel Hong Kong from May 19 to 23, 2021.

The Art of Packaging

Chan's artwork is also created in celebration of the launch of La Prairie's new collection, Pure Gold. In creating the Pure Gold Collection, La Prairie sought to revitalise skin and recreate a unique radiance with a precious and rare ingredient: gold. The exclusive Pure Gold Diffusion System is designed to provide immediate and sustained results; the gold particles give the skin an instant glow upon application, and continues to penetrate and nourish the skin.

The design of the packaging is a manifestation of a will to make beauty endure and is La Prairie's first designs for refillable products. For each creation of the Pure Gold Collection, the metal casing and the cap are designed to be kept indefinitely. The cream and eye cream also come with the durable 18K gold plated spatula. This collection is La Prairie’s first step to building the beauty of future. It is an expression of sustainable luxury.

Through science: studying glaciers

Since its beginnings, La Prairie has looked to nature to unlock the secrets to timeless beauty for the people. Now, La Prairie is giving back to nature and dedicating its efforts to preserving the beauty of nature itself.

In 2019, La Prairie partnered with ETH Zurich's Glaciology Section, with the hopes that its long-term patronage can help understand the effects of climate change through research into our glaciers. First and foremost, the two institutions are born in Switzerland. Greatly attached to the country in which they operate in, both institutions are committed to preserve the pristine environments of their natural habitat.

"We are both deeply fascinated by the beauty of the pristine environments that harbour glaciers," says Professor Daniel Farinotti of ETH Zurich. "Indeed, we must recognise that these are some of the last places unaffected by human activity."

La Prairie's support since 2019 has contributed majorly to two ongoing projects at ETH Zurich. This year, with the announcement of La Prairie's ongoing patronage, the Glaciology Section at ETH Zurich will be operating two ground-breaking ice monitoring initiatives.

To learn more about La Prairie's Pure Gold Collection, click here.

The post La Prairie: Preserving Beauty Through the Arts and Science appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

The Carlyle hotel-inspired bolthole -- slated to open on the uppermost floors of Rosewood Hong Kong later this year -- will offer a blueprint for the eponymous group's vision of "a new kind of international members' club". We venture north of the harbour to discover just what that entails...

Hitherto, the Hong Kong ecosystem of private members' clubs has been split broadly between two camps: at one end, you have venerable institutions catered to the needs of the city's professionals (the FCC) and those who surround them (the KCC); at the other, a burgeoning array of social haunts meant to profit from the growing number of Silicon Valley types -- hawkers of crypto, CBD cafes, and other speculative investment opportunities -- who reside here.

Call me Debbie Downer, but neither feels like an especially glam place to visit. After all, such clubs justify their patronage by way of mostly pragmatic considerations: a convenient location; access to business networking opportunities; affordable gym membership; and so forth. This, as Rosewood Hotels CEO Sonia Cheng well knows is where Carlyle & Co. can break the mould -- by conjuring a little glamour into Hong Kong's mostly comatose members' club scene.

Best thought of as a kind of pied-à-terre to the Rosewood Hong Kong (spanning the 54th-56th floor of the hotel) Carlyle & Co. is, in effect, Cheng's answer to the boutique members' clubs that have dominated pop culture these last 20 years. In Hong Kong -- where bureaucratic red tape is frequent; and decent-sized real estate scant -- her hotel group's latest venture feels especially impressive -- if for no other reason than the sheer audacity of it all.

In recent weeks, the first details of the club's leviathan 25,000 sq. ft. premises have begun to emerge, inspired in broad strokes by the "intriguing, inimitable and ultimately indefinable" style of The Carlyle in New York (incidentally also a brand owned by Rosewood Hotels). To orchestrate this vision of Hong Kong-via-Manhattan, Rosewood turned to British designer Ilse Crawford, whose approach has imbued the club's many rooms with a light, playful sensibility -- affording each a healthy dose of individual personality.

For fusty decadents like yours truly, the gentlemen's spaces -- including a barber, shoeshine, and capsule store by an award-winning haberdasher -- hold immense charm -- even though they espouse just one of many eclectic visual styles members will enjoy each time they navigate the club. The aforementioned differ significantly from spaces like the Cabaret Bar and Sitting Room, both of which employ the medium of painting (by artists Jean-Philippe Delhomme and Christina Zimpel respectively) to celebrate The Carlyle hotel's legendary Bemelmans murals.

Supper & Supping

In the spirit of its progenitor, the various dining venues at Carlyle & Co. seem to be accompanied by an august sense of occasion. The crux of the action happens at the brasserie, which (like any decent club restaurant in Hong Kong) serves a medley of Western, Chinese, and all-day delicacies. Here, the focus is on simply cooking the freshest produce the club can source -- various of the small plates are smoked, cured, or otherwise preserved in-house -- yet it's hardly the most theatrical outlet. That honour belongs to Café Carlyle, an intimate supper club intended as the local chapter of the eponymous tippling destination in New York. Members can expect this to be the repository of the club's live musical programming, which (consistent with the historic acts that have taken to the stage at the Carlyle hotel) will include an assortment of uniquely American artforms like jazz, funk, and blues.

Members craving a dose of sunshine can also take a selection of food and drink on the club's 55th-floor terrace, which (much like the Rosewood property at large) enjoys the sort of view that's conducive to sonnet writing or spontaneous tears of joy. Flanking one end of that terrace, you'll find the local chapter of Bemelmans Bar. Like its namesake, the menu here is split roughly equally between fine wines, punchbowls and classic cocktails; though, at the weekend, you can expect a certain frenetic atmosphere to take hold, as the space merges with the terrace for live DJ performances against the backdrop of Victoria Harbour.

Cosy quarters, brimming with personality

Though Carlyle & Co. members can easily book themselves into one of the 400-plus rooms at the surrounding Rosewood property, the entire 54th floor of the club is given over to eight themed suites -- all of which celebrate the history of The Carlyle hotel. More or less equal in size, each offers an inviting and distinctive interior personality. If you're retiring following an evening spent drinking (one too many) Martinis for instance, the 'Tommy' seems an apt choice -- named for and inspired by the legendary Bemelmans bartender Mr. Tommy Rowles. Other known personalities include Dorothy Draper, the original 'modern Baroque' decorator of The Carlyle's interiors; and Eartha Kitt, the renowned actress and Broadway musician. For dedicated students of café society, a stay in every single suite would seem like money well-spent.

A variety of membership packages are available at Carlyle & Co., with or without health club membership. To learn more about rates (or inquire about eligibility) visit Carlyle & Co. online.

The post Everything we know so far about Carlyle & Co., Rosewood’s answer to the ubiquitous private members’ club appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

The Carlyle hotel-inspired bolthole -- slated to open on the uppermost floors of Rosewood Hong Kong later this year -- will offer a blueprint for the eponymous group's vision of "a new kind of international members' club". We venture north of the harbour to discover just what that entails...

Hitherto, the Hong Kong ecosystem of private members' clubs has been split broadly between two camps: at one end, you have venerable institutions catered to the needs of the city's professionals (the FCC) and those who surround them (the KCC); at the other, a burgeoning array of social haunts meant to profit from the growing number of Silicon Valley types -- hawkers of crypto, CBD cafes, and other speculative investment opportunities -- who reside here.

Call me Debbie Downer, but neither feels like an especially glam place to visit. After all, such clubs justify their patronage by way of mostly pragmatic considerations: a convenient location; access to business networking opportunities; affordable gym membership; and so forth. This, as Rosewood Hotels CEO Sonia Cheng well knows is where Carlyle & Co. can break the mould -- by conjuring a little glamour into Hong Kong's mostly comatose members' club scene.

Best thought of as a kind of pied-à-terre to the Rosewood Hong Kong (spanning the 54th-56th floor of the hotel) Carlyle & Co. is, in effect, Cheng's answer to the boutique members' clubs that have dominated pop culture these last 20 years. In Hong Kong -- where bureaucratic red tape is frequent; and decent-sized real estate scant -- her hotel group's latest venture feels especially impressive -- if for no other reason than the sheer audacity of it all.

In recent weeks, the first details of the club's leviathan 25,000 sq. ft. premises have begun to emerge, inspired in broad strokes by the "intriguing, inimitable and ultimately indefinable" style of The Carlyle in New York (incidentally also a brand owned by Rosewood Hotels). To orchestrate this vision of Hong Kong-via-Manhattan, Rosewood turned to British designer Ilse Crawford, whose approach has imbued the club's many rooms with a light, playful sensibility -- affording each a healthy dose of individual personality.

For fusty decadents like yours truly, the gentlemen's spaces -- including a barber, shoeshine, and capsule store by an award-winning haberdasher -- hold immense charm -- even though they espouse just one of many eclectic visual styles members will enjoy each time they navigate the club. The aforementioned differ significantly from spaces like the Cabaret Bar and Sitting Room, both of which employ the medium of painting (by artists Jean-Philippe Delhomme and Christina Zimpel respectively) to celebrate The Carlyle hotel's legendary Bemelmans murals.

Supper & Supping

In the spirit of its progenitor, the various dining venues at Carlyle & Co. seem to be accompanied by an august sense of occasion. The crux of the action happens at the brasserie, which (like any decent club restaurant in Hong Kong) serves a medley of Western, Chinese, and all-day delicacies. Here, the focus is on simply cooking the freshest produce the club can source -- various of the small plates are smoked, cured, or otherwise preserved in-house -- yet it's hardly the most theatrical outlet. That honour belongs to Café Carlyle, an intimate supper club intended as the local chapter of the eponymous tippling destination in New York. Members can expect this to be the repository of the club's live musical programming, which (consistent with the historic acts that have taken to the stage at the Carlyle hotel) will include an assortment of uniquely American artforms like jazz, funk, and blues.

Members craving a dose of sunshine can also take a selection of food and drink on the club's 55th-floor terrace, which (much like the Rosewood property at large) enjoys the sort of view that's conducive to sonnet writing or spontaneous tears of joy. Flanking one end of that terrace, you'll find the local chapter of Bemelmans Bar. Like its namesake, the menu here is split roughly equally between fine wines, punchbowls and classic cocktails; though, at the weekend, you can expect a certain frenetic atmosphere to take hold, as the space merges with the terrace for live DJ performances against the backdrop of Victoria Harbour.

Cosy quarters, brimming with personality

Though Carlyle & Co. members can easily book themselves into one of the 400-plus rooms at the surrounding Rosewood property, the entire 54th floor of the club is given over to eight themed suites -- all of which celebrate the history of The Carlyle hotel. More or less equal in size, each offers an inviting and distinctive interior personality. If you're retiring following an evening spent drinking (one too many) Martinis for instance, the 'Tommy' seems an apt choice -- named for and inspired by the legendary Bemelmans bartender Mr. Tommy Rowles. Other known personalities include Dorothy Draper, the original 'modern Baroque' decorator of The Carlyle's interiors; and Eartha Kitt, the renowned actress and Broadway musician. For dedicated students of café society, a stay in every single suite would seem like money well-spent.

A variety of membership packages are available at Carlyle & Co., with or without health club membership. To learn more about rates (or inquire about eligibility) visit Carlyle & Co. online.

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Luminescent. Ethereal. Otherworldly. Ceramist Jennifer McCurdy’s artworks beg for tactile engagement. Each of her highly architectural ceramic pieces are influenced by forms in nature, from a cracked conch shell on the beach to brilliant airborne milkweed seed wafting through the air. To McCurdy, the ordered symmetry and asymmetry of nature reveal the movement of life, […]

The post The Ethereal Art of Ceramist Jennifer McCurdy  appeared first on Upscale Living Magazine.

Founded in 2010, Peter W. Mullin’s astonishing luxury car collection has been open to the public under the name of Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, California. But due to COVID-19 induced lockdown, the establishment was forced to close down. But here is some good news for the fans. The museum will now be starting from […]

The post Mullin Automotive Museum to reopen for the public from April 9 appeared first on Upscale Living Magazine.

The Master draughtsman, the late French illustrator Pierre Le-Tan had assembled a captivating and sprawling collection of art and objects over the course of 40 years of his career. Sotheby’s offered approximately 400 lots from the Paris collection this month, including 40 of his own rare works. This exceptional sale opened to the public from […]

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The latest ready-to-wear design from The Anthology deepens the brand's burgeoning reputation for sartorial clothing that's elegant yet easy-wearing -- a winning combo even when you're aren't 'working' from home.

Last April, while institutions around the globe were struggling to contain the fear and uncertainty wrought by a now-familiar contagion, huge numbers of clothing brands dealing in what we'd call 'classic menswear' were on the brink of a similarly existential collapse. With offices emptying out at record rates and 'stay home' orders being enforced worldwide (many of them still ongoing today) it seemed that the long-prophesied 'death of the suit', and by association, tailored clothing, had finally arrived.

Multinational menswear outfitters in the mould of J Crew -- known in their heyday for peddling slim, modish suits in malls from Indonesia to Alaska -- disappeared overnight, having failed to recognise (or worse, acknowledge) the sea change that has been taking place in men's fashion these last six years. And that's before we were all locked up, drinking badly-made cocktails over Zoom.

Fortunately, a handful of smaller brands (including an inexplicable number focusing on sartorial clothing, in Hong Kong) have managed to make lemonade out of the current crisis, principally by taking familiar styles of clothing and cranking the comfort factor, both literal and emotional, up high. Those themes were at the forefront of the design process when Hong Kong-based The Anthology released its 'Lazyman' in 2020: a "casual, multifunctional jacket" that's a no-brainer for the 'working from home' brigade, but still smart enough to warrant a place in your wardrobe when the pandemic inevitably ends.

To complement this beloved "blazer alternative", the brand has just released the 'Taskmaster' -- a quasi-outerwear design that rustles many of the same thematic feathers as its predecessor, while expanding The Anthology's casualwear universe. "If the Lazyman is an alternative to the office-appropriate navy sport coat," says co-founder Buzz Tang, "then the Taskmaster is our answer to the classic American work shirt."

It turns out that The Anthology's answer to workwear of the 21st century owes a debt to designers like Ant Franco and Jerry Lorenzo. In an era when fashion's influences are rapidly decamping between art, history, and pop culture, that's certainly no bad thing. Commencing from the reference point of the American workshirt, Tang & co continually tweaked the Taskmaster until they arrived at something suitably "fast-adapting" for a mixture of modern urban situations. It's for working, for loafing, for when you're stuck at home working on your loaves.

Almost by necessity, that makes this different to the scores of workwear designs which have come before: the body is shorter and slimmed for a closer fit, ensuring it wears well even whilst tucked beneath a trouser waistband; whereas the chest pockets have been expanded to handle the tools of modern professionals -- two oversized, postbox-style shapes roomy enough to stash your phone, spectacles, currency or even a palm-sized writing aid.

Intriguing choices in fabric are a signature at The Anthology, and the Taskmaster is no exception in this regard. For the Taskmaster, the brand has chosen to keep its sartorial sensibilities low-key, working closely with its Italian textile partners on a corded glencheck that juxtaposes a sumptuous handle with hardwearing, robust externalities. I say 'low key' since the colour here has enough degrees of separation to isolate it from the exploded plaids we're used to seeing on the high street. According to Tang, this corduroy begins life as a dusty beige cotton that's woven over with cords, shaded in what he likes to call "bleeding fountain pen". Collectively, those colours are redolent of a quill and ink -- an allusion, very nearly imperceptible, to The Anthology's blue feather logo.

The 'Taskmaster' overshirt is now available for HK$3,300. To learn more, visit The Anthology online.

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