The house of Chloé will be making its way to our shores with the opening of its first local boutique at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands. The 184 square metre space is one where guests can enjoy an intimate and luxurious shopping atmosphere. Decked out in the brand’s signature hues of rose beige, white and hints of mustard, the boudir-style fitting rooms join the luxurious and elegant interior for a one-of-a-kind shopping experience.
To celebrate the opening of the boutique, Chloé has created a limited-edition Faye bag. Inspired by Singapore’s iconic symbols, the exclusive bags will be made available world wide. To find out more about the brand new store and the limited edition bag, visit L’Officiel Singapore.
Martin Brundle is best known on the track for his duels with Ayrton Senna in the British Formula Three Championship and later on the Formula One track. Whilst he raced for several teams during his Formula One career he is probably best known today for his television work as an F1 commentator.
The Formula One as a whole is undergoing major changes this year with new management and new rules, what do you make of the sport moving forward?
Well, I think time stands still for no man. I hope Bernie is still around a little bit because he has created this as his baby, but it needed to head off in a different direction. There is a lot of competition out there, in the world of sport, media and indeed television. It is a very dynamic business, its changing month by month and year by year so I am pleased that those controlling it now are media people and not financial people. I have said for years, I really hope that the next owners of F1 are a media company that valued the content as well as the bottom line. I think they’ll make mistakes, they’ll take the handbrake off in a lot of areas and need to put it back on again. It’s going to be fascinating to see. There is a lot of talk about new revenue streams. I am looking forward to see how they monetise the media stream because I think its quite clever. In a way i think the lid has been taken off the sport.
I have just done an interview with Ross Brawn that goes out on our race show here and there is one thing that really resonated with me. He said ‘Nobody did his job!’. His (Ross Brawn’s) new, very wide scope of job and he has got a really important comprehensive role and I think that summed it up. I have said to Bernie over the years, you need a pyramid of management around you and maybe you need to move upstairs and empower some younger people, but his answer was always ‘No! I do the best deals’. Of course he does some incredible deals but I think it (the sport) needed to head in a different direction. I think we have gone the wrong way with the cars and it now needs a very strategic and carefully thought through process on what the end goal is and when it is whether it is 2020 or 2021. I personally think that is too far away. But they need to decide what the shape of an F1 car, an F1 weekend and an F1 championship looks like. That’s where I think Ross and company would be good and do a good job. Generally speaking what we have now is not the answer. Said that, though I think we will be just fine now and moving forward.
Let’s talk about Richard Mille and the Formula 1. How do you think they complement each other?
The strap line alone is a racing machine on the wrist. They use a lot of materials that are relevant to aviation and the high-end motor racing industry. They are highly technical watches and Richard likes to work with carbon star materials, light weight metals and so on. It is really cutting edge stuff, which obviously fits very well with the world of F1 which has a ver similar sort of use of materials for performance, strength and to ensure the cars are as lightweight as possible.
Martin Brundle wearing his Richard Mille timepiece
I only ever see you wearing a Richard Mille both on and off the track. Why?
I love the watches! I am good friends with Richard (Mille) and Peter Harrison and when you are in the Mille family, you are in the family for life. It’s great! It’s a fascinating business and I think it would make a good case study at Harvard one day or perhaps it already is. It is a young brand — relatively speaking — it’s dynamic and it’s in a difficult market place yet it is expanding rapidly. People fight over some of the watches despite the prices. Overall it is an interesting and unusual company. They make great products and keep the numbers very low. Richard is a total petrol-head so we fit well together like that plus I do some work with them around the world.
It all started when I bought my first watch from them. I met Richard and I said ‘I am going to do the father and son Le Mans in 2012, would you like to come with us on the adventure?’. Richard very kindly invited me for lunch with Peter and then sponsored us. Then they carried on sponsoring my son who is a world class driver in Le Mans type sports car racing. Richard Mille and I continue to collaborate. Our deal was based on a handshake and if they need me I emcee events like the one in Abu Dhabi (Richard Mille had an exclusive evening cocktail event at the Yas Racing School in November last year) or the one at Harrods in London. I just love being involved with them really.
What made you decide to buy that first Richard Mille watch?
I really liked the shape. I remember while they were building the watch for me they lent me an RM11 and I remember going to interview Michael Schumacher on the grid in Suzuka and as I walked up to him the first thing he said to me was ‘nice watch’ cause he is a fan of the watches as well. I think the use of colours is really interesting. You know I am not a big guy and I don’t like a heavy watch so the expert use of lightweight materials, titanium or carbon, suits me great. Plus the size suits me just fine. My favourite is the RM 11.
You beat me to it! I was just going to ask you what your favourite watch is. Why the RM 11?
I like the new RM11-03. I think the tourbillons are fantastic! It would actually frighten me to travel the world with a tourbillion. What do they cost? Like 350 (thousand) Euros plus, plus. It would actually slightly terrify me to cruise around the world with one of those on my wrist but I do really like the RM 11.
You clearly understand the finer things in life and you were a former race car driver. What does luxury mean to you?
I think especially for a guy, we don’t wear jewellery or make-up so your watch is very much your statement. If you’re a guy who likes to wear stylish, trendy clothes and the right shoes, your only adornment really is your watch. Your watch says a lot about you, so I think that for me is great. Plus it’s always very nice when people come to you and say ‘Oh! is that a Richard Mille?!’. This happens a lot. Richard Mille has this reputation for being exclusive and reassuringly expensive as they say. *He says with a broad smile*
Following the iconic Mr. Burberry Eau De Toilette, Burberry is back with another stronger and newer interpretation. With the new Mr. Burberry Eau De Parfum, the brand transforms the original scent into its sensual alter ego. Perfected by master perfumer Francis Kurkdjan alongside Christopher Bailey, it fashions itself around an image of masculinity.
The scent opens with a blend of fresh tarragon with cinnamon which adds a interesting layer of spice. Infused with this is rich patchouli, layered atop to create an earthy base. Lavender weaves itself between these layers, softening up the scent with a hint of sensitivity. Rounding up the fragrance is a woody amber and smoky vetiver, bringing a masculine element to the table.
The bottle is an homage to Burberry’s black Heritage Trench Coat and its classic design. A weighted cap seals the fragrance, and is a strong reference to the coat’s horn-look buttons. This is garnished with a hand-tied knot in English-woven gabardine, a tip of the hat to the brand’s English origins and founder Thomas Burberry.
In addition, Burberry presents a limited edition Mr. Burberry grooming line. Aftershave balm, Hair and Beard Clay as well as face scrubs are each included as a set with the Mr. Burberry scent, to bring you the whole package. For an added personal touch, monogramming services of up to three initials on the perfume bottles are available. Simply visit selected Burberry and wholesale stores or log on to Burberry to find out how.
Christopher Bailey, Chief Creative and Chief Executive Officer of Burberry comments “Mr. Burberry is our most significant men’s fragrance to date. Inspired by the iconic Burberry trench coat and by London, a city of great contrasts and contradictions. It is traditional yet irreverent, elegant without being pristine. It perfectly encapsulates a mood and an attitude that today’s Burberry man will recognise as his own.”
Mr. Burberry Eau de Parfum will be available online at Burberry and at Burberry ION Orchard from April 2017.
French artist Fernando Costa was recently in Singapore for a visit. Art Republik caught up with him to find out more about his unusually eco-friendly metallic collage artworks, which are created from salvaged road signs.
How did you get started working with unwanted materials? And why enamel in particular?
Passionate about French sculptor César’s sculptures, I wanted to find a metallic material that had not been used before. The idea came to me when I was in a rest area at a service station in Los Angeles. A couple had gotten hold of a speed limit sign and had placed it on a top of some stones to use it as a picnic table. And that was when it clicked. I had found the material that I was looking for.
Where do you source the road and street signs from? Do they come only from France? How many do you have in your “inventory” at any one time, waiting to be used?
I had to wait for six years before obtaining permission to take old road signs from the DDE (le direction départementale de l’équipement). I also get some from enamel manufacturers and other public work companies. Today, I have 70 tons of street signs waiting in my warehouse. I am using about 2.5 tons per year. The more spectacular signs inspire new directions in my art. 99% are French origin. I sometimes get some from other places when sent by clients for a specific order.
How do you put together an artwork? Do you prepare a lot before you put the pieces together, including sketching, or do you go with the flow and see where it takes you?
80% of the work is in my head before I start to work on a new piece. The rest is adjustment I do during the realisation process. I do not draw. I never throw away pieces. Everything is used!
Because you use signs, there is more often than not text in your collage works. Is there any significance to the texts that are finally featured on your artworks?
When I use words, pictograms or numbers in my work, I usually follow an idea, a story or something I express through those signs. I am a very talkative storyteller and
I love to use my art to tell stories. Stories start from a specific plate I find or from a story I’ve heard, often as a tribute to outstanding women. I also love numbers and play with them a lot in my work.
Some of the pieces are only made up of coloured pieces, with no texts or symbols. Do you approach the making of the two types of artworks differently?
Abstract pieces are more about using leftover material from my previous works. Recycling is a big part of my work.
You were the artist in charge of designing the OAK racing art car for Le Mans in 2013. Tell us how that opportunity came about. Has the project opened more doors for your artistic practice?
I have always loved cars and that was such an amazing opportunity that Jacques Nicolet owner of OAK Racing offered to me. First, I was supposed to make a big rectangular piece and we planned to stick a picture of it on the car. But I ended with a real racing car in my atelier and covered 100% of it with metal plates. That was a very rewarding project. The real sculpture is 500kg of metal. This special order from Jacques and OAK Racing changed my perspective and was a booster for my reputation.
What do you have planned for the rest of 2017?
I have exhibitions lined up this year, mostly in Europe. And of course, I am also thinking of Asia in general and Singapore in particular, as a new frontier for my art.
For CEO Jean-Marc Pontroué, Roger Dubuis doesn’t just make watches that are unique. For this to be wholly consistent, honest, and spontaneous, the very principles upon which the company operate have to be somewhat different from the norm in the industry. As such, Roger Dubuis the manufacture is on several counts at least as interesting as the timepieces it creates.
Under Richemont, it is part of a large luxury conglomerate, yet it maintains the nimbleness and entrepreneurial zest more typical of small companies, while possessing the professionalism and polish that the former grants.
As a young company without much watchmaking history, it cannot do the “we were also there” boasts that older companies often make with regards to milestones in history. Instead, it throws itself wholeheartedly to the future. Yet, its creations sparkle with respect for traditional craft — consider for example that all its watches bear the Geneva Seal.
When it comes to creating in-house calibres, Roger Dubuis is among the most prolific, amassing a range of manufacture movements within the span of its short history to turn established companies a shade of pink. How does the company accomplish this? For Pontroué, it begins with how creativity and teamwork is instilled in a space that has “no room for ego”.
Roger Dubuis CEO Jean-Marc Pontroué.
What is Roger Dubuis’s approach to watchmaking?
Everything we do is through the filter of what already exists. As a result, many watches we encounter these days are things you’ve seen before or bear much resemblance to things that have already been made. That’s normal. But it is also the worst thing for Roger Dubuis! We don’t follow the market; we don’t care if the trend is for cheaper watches, flatter watches, bigger watches, or what sort of material is now fashionable in the watch world. We do things our own way, we have a mission: to provide an alternative to traditional high-end wristwatches.
Watchmaking is steeped in tradition; do you believe there to be much appetite for something unremittingly modern?
I meet a lot of young people, and young for me is 25 to 55, because I’m 53. These young people say: “I don’t want to wear a watch that looks like it belongs to my father. I don’t drive his car, I don’t wear his shoes, I don’t wear his pair of glasses. Why would I want to wear his watch?” These young people make their own decisions, they are keen to go for something new. And this is a phenomenon I see very strongly in Singapore.
Roger Dubuis defines itself with watches that reject convention. Is this quality also reflected in the way the company is run?
We are a brand with only around 400 people: in our industry, that is not a big number. When people in a company are not united, the company suffers, and this is especially true in a small company like ours. So at Roger Dubuis, ego has no place. How does this work? For example, in many brands, only the CEO is allowed to give interviews, because nobody should say something different. At Roger Dubuis, we have around five executives authorised to give interviews. I believe that as long as we align ourselves properly, we will be able to tell the same story but from different perspectives. As a result, you will always come away with the same impression of Roger Dubuis regardless of whom you interview.
Roger Dubuis manufacture in Geneva.
What is it like working at Roger Dubuis?
Ego is important at a personal level, and all creative people have an ego. But as a company, ego has no place at Roger Dubuis. For example, the technical director developed the Quatuor three years ago. This was a technical idea in the beginning. But an engine alone doesn’t make a car. We need the design team to design the other parts that make up the watch, the marketing team to explain the watch, and the distribution team to get it out to market. Somebody started an initial idea, but the product is the shared project of everyone in the company. No one “owns” an idea because we all worked together to make it a reality. And we want to avoid the wastefulness of fighting internally; we are fighting our competitors and the market.
What are some of the biggest challenges you face as CEO?
The biggest challenge in my work is in hiring the right people. In terms of markets, Singapore has greater potential than Cambodia. You don’t have to be very strategic to know that. America is greater than Singapore, and China is greater than France. In Singapore, to open a store in Orchard Road is better than someplace else 10 streets away. We know all this. We have access to a lot of data and information from being part of a large group that has been in the luxury business for a long time. What remains for me to do is to hire the right people who can take what we know technically, and have it implemented in a smart, service-oriented way that wins over customers. That attention towards service is not something you learn from books, it is in your character. That is why I don’t hire a lot of people from the luxury industry. I prefer to hire more from the hospitality industry— learning how a tourbillon works takes you two hours. Empathy — the sense of connecting to your customer beyond a transactional level — is an altogether different thing. If you don’t have it in your heart, if you don’t have a service-oriented character, you don’t have what it takes to work in a boutique.
Excalibur Spider Skeleton Flying Tourbillon
Give us your reading of the current market and what strategy do you have in response?
I see there is growing instability and uncertainty. For me, winning is a relative thing; it is not about setting ambitious targets, but rather about running slightly faster, doing slightly better than others. If we are down 10 per cent while others are down 20 per cent, that’s OK. I’m more concerned if we are up 10 per cent, but others are up 20 or 30 per cent. In this regard, I see a lot of opportunity for Roger Dubuis. Because we are small brand in a very big group and this is a powerful cocktail, in that we can call upon the support of a big group with all that data, market intelligence, etc., while remaining very creative, nimble and entrepreneurial like a small company.
New shades of “Rouge Coco Shine” and “Rouge Coco Stylo”. Image courtesy of Chanel
The French luxury label has unveiled its first Cruise 2017 makeup collection, created by Lucia Pica, Chanel’s global creative makeup and colour designer. The new collection, called “Les Indispensables de l’Eté”, redefines the notion of glamour, channelling a liberated and natural vision of it, as envisaged by Gabrielle Chanel several decades earlier.
This sunny offering is inspired by the liberty, audacity and carefree, laid-back vibes of the summer season. It is this spirit of summer, this ability to let go, that Lucia Pica set out to capture in the Cruise 2017 collection.
“Les Beiges Healthy Glow Luminous Colour”. Image courtesy of Chanel
The products in the “Les Indispensables de l’Eté” collection are designed to create a naturally glamorous summer face, with a makeup look that’s not overly complicated. Inspired by summer landscapes and their inherent luminosity, as well as summer sunsets, the collection draws inspiration first and foremost from nature.
“The concept is that there is no concept! It is about sensuality, feeling and the spirit of things,” explains Lucia Pica. “It’s about being yourself, rising above judgements or perceptions of what you should be.”
Anna Ewers wears products from the Chanel Cruise 2017 collection – “Les Indispensables de l’Eté”. Image courtesy of Chanel
These natural vibes are captured in Chanel’s “Les Beiges Healthy Glow Luminous Colour”, which, as the name suggests, gives skin a healthy, radiant and lightly bronzed glow. This facial powder has a lightweight texture for a natural, second-skin effect, with ultra-fine gold particles bringing luminosity and glow. It’s available in five shades (Light, Medium Light, Medium, Medium Deep, Deep), ranging from a pink/beige to an intense bronze.
The collection’s nature-inspired lip colours reflect a spectrum of sunny shades from sunrise to sunset, bringing summery sensuality to this seasonal beauty look. The iconic “Rouge Coco Shine” comes in new shades, with the peachy “Golden Sun” and the nude “Golden Sand”, while “Rouge Coco Stylo” comes in the soft beige of “Panorama” and the coral pink “Esquisse”.
New colours of “Le Vernis Longue Tenue” nail polish. Image courtesy of Chanel
Four shades of “Vernis Longue Tenue” nail polish complete this Chanel Cruise 2017 collection. “Sargasso” is a shimmering grey and “Coquillage,” “Coralium” and “Sea Whip” are softer, pinkish shades.
