Indholdsfortegnelse for September 2021 i Esquire Singapore

Stanley Miller wanted to create life. Miller fired off electrical sparks to simulate lightning into a sealed flask of water, methane, ammonia and hydrogen, which produced small amounts of amino acids—one of the fundamental building blocks of life. Young Mary Shelley was made aware of public experiments involving galvanism—where electricity is inducted into a corpse to stimulate the muscles. This would be the framework of her magnum opus, Frankenstein. Benjamin Franklin wanted to prove that lightning was an electrical discharge. During a thunderstorm, Franklin got out his kite that was outfitted with a pointed wire at the top and at the bottom end of the string, a silk ribbon and a metal key, flew it and died. No. I kid. Lightning didn’t strike him. Franklin’s kite drew negative charges from…

As an engineer for Nestlé, Éric Favre was tasked to domesticate Italian espresso culture; to bring high-quality coffee into the household. Favre and his team would invent the Nespresso coffee machine but the real genius would be his coffee capsules. The innocuous pods can keep the coffee grounds fresher for longer and its design allows for the machine to pierce one end and pump hot water at high pressure—this emulation of high-end coffee bar machines provides more flavour and crema for the home user. And the best part of this is the continued reliance on the capsules from Nestlé. It’s a closed ecosystem, where the company has its own machine that uses its own capsules to make coffee. Classic vendor lock-in play. That didn’t stop competitor brands from creating their…

The concept of new beginnings is usually reserved for spring—a resurgence of nature’s vivid colours after a period of reset. But with all that is happening in the world today, autumn/winter 2021 is proving to be one where the notion rings true as well. Shown during (mostly) virtual fashion weeks this past January, the autumn/winter 2021 collections were conceptualised after about a year of unprecedented global change. The sense of derailment of what was previously comfortable and familiar created new style codes as fashion designers crafted based on the shifts in consumers’ lifestyles. It is a time for new beginnings. As we begin to adapt and wrest control for some form of normalcy once again, we’re about to do so armed with fashion that’s reflective of the new and possibly…

Cory Juneau awaits his turn in the bowl at a skate park in Encinitas, California, one of his go-to spots when he’s home in San Diego. He peers over the lip. “Homie’s teaching the young locals how to skate,” he says. An instructor is working with a kid—a grom, in skaterspeak— no older than six and wearing pads on every limb. The grom wipes out. This will take a minute, so Juneau kills time by riding along the bowl’s perimeter. He lands a kickflip but fudges the heelflip that follows. “My legs are so sore,” he says, slightly embarrassed. It’s late May, and he just got back from competing in the Dew Tour, as in Mountain Dew, in Iowa, where he placed eighth. But it’s no big deal, since he’s…

Clashing colours and patterns can be a nightmare for those who favour coordination and the tried-and-tested. Likewise, nobody would ever leave home in a conflicting get-up. Yet Hermès toys with contradictions and puts forward mismatched ideas in harmony through its newest porcelain tableware collection, Hippomobile. Working again with Italian artist and designer Gianpaolo Pagni, who did many of the luxury maison’s home métier wares including the iconic colourblock tangram lacquer boxes, Hermès stimulates appetites via opposing dynamics suffused in this tea set. Pagni drew inspiration from jockey silks and the world of cartoons to interpret an engraving from the Émile Hermès collection: a monochrome frame which he covered with graphic friezes evoking jockey outfits. Each of the designed pieces starts with the crafting of patterned stamps that goes on to…

Gluten-free food doesn’t have to be bland; just because there’s the absence of wheat protein, the food should be vanilla. Instead, Mariana Campos D’Almeida, head chef of The Butcher’s Wife, has charmed diners through sharp savouries by invigorating Brazilian cooking with a dash of Asian influence and gut-friendly fermentation culinary techniques. Spurred by popular demand, the three-year-old establishment abolished fixed meal hours and introduced a singular all-day menu. Beat the heat and start with some Kampong Cocktails. Although The Butcher’s Wife champions natural wine pairings curated by Drunken Farmer, this new tipple alternative upholds the bistro’s minimal waste philosophy and fermentation practices to perfectly complement its Brazilian-Asian flavour profiles. We stan the refreshing and bubbly Soursop Fizz and the rum-anchored Spiced Pineapple Calamansi. Communal dining is encouraged with a variety…

Seasons matter in the fashion cycle. Each quarter, the industry is only sustained by consumers’ heightened interest and desire for newness. However, these insiders’ outlook proved to be evergreen. All titles are available at Books Kinokuniya. Lives of the Artists: Yayoi Kusama By Robert Shore As one of the most recognisable motifs used in art, design and prints, polka dots are also synonymous with renowned Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. We’ve celebrated the visionary ideas of her works—from her whimsical pumpkin sculptures to mesmerising Infinity Room installations. But who exactly is she? Shore researched the enigmatic living legend and traces her difficult childhood, early creative years leading to her breakout, and overcoming profound recurring mental health struggles in this easily digestible pocket biography. The Chiffon Trenches By André Leon Talley With…

“I’m an asparagus rising!” is just one of many random phrases Faris Samri and Syakeel Kamaluddin shouted during the photo shoot. Well, mainly Syakeel, who also wants it to be clearly communicated that the pair are introverts by nature. It’s hard to see it when they have no qualms playing jester between takes; a consistent image with the content they’re known for. These one-minute sketches of increasingly ridiculous dialogue between two caricatures are so silly they’ll ultimately earn a chuckle or two from you. The duo, who are influenced by the likes of Key and Peele and Dave Chapelle, are convinced the real reason behind the first video’s exponential success was that it was released during circuit breaker when everyone spent more time on their phones. Jokingly claiming to have…

In the pantheon of can I pull it off? the sweater vest is especially perplexing. “What is this for?” we ask as we stare at the enigmatic, sleeveless wonder once considered fuddy-duddy even for the most classics-professor-ish classics professor. It wasn’t always so—in fact, the sweater vest was once the province of jocks. In menswear, it dates back at least to 1907, when University of Michigan football players were awarded versions with an embroidered ‘M’ to celebrate their on-field achievements. It was downright chic around the jazz age—certainly Jay Gatsby would’ve had one or five in his closet—but became the mark of the geek by midcentury, adopted by grandpas and fusty academics. Since then it has at times swung back into fashion—the Ralph Lauren-clad, prepster-studded ’80s were a particularly good…

Far from it being just a marketing gimmick, Zegna’s What Makes A Man campaign—which started in 2019—has been part of an important evolving conversation. The debut began with a simple pointed question: What makes a man? It was a normalising of examining a man’s role in today’s context and an initiative to dispel notions of toxic masculinity by a brand that’s been clothing men for 110 years at the time. From personal testimonies by noted figures (and for lack of a better term, traditionally masculine personas) like Nicholas Tse and Oscar winner Mahershala Ali, the campaign switched gears with mother-and-son duo Isabelle Adjani and Gabriel-Kane Day-Lewis. It became a question of ‘What makes my man?’, a more reflective angle based on personal relationships for spring/summer 2021. The next development coincides…

Under ordinary circumstances, the Cartier Pasha would never have come to exist. In both form and spirit, the watch bore little resemblance to other icons of the maison. Its hulking presence was a far cry from the svelte, elegant shapes of the Tank collection. The miscellany of ornaments and fixtures all over its case make Pasha a completely different animal than the sleek and ever so refined Santos de Cartier. As much as it is a round watch, it is no Ballon Bleu whose gentle curves harmoniously adhere the watch perfectly to the wrist. On the contrary, Pasha doesn’t care to blend in. Although with that portly, mildly oversized case and about half a dozen atypical details all around, it couldn’t even if it tried. Yet, here it is, which…

ESQUIRE: How was the theme of Hero conceptualised? Did you work alongside Riccardo Tisci to come up with this vision? AURÉLIEN GUICHARD: As a perfumer, I start a project when there’s a brief. I obtained that at the beginning without formally meeting Tisci but it was a brief from him. Submissions followed after and Tisci picked those that he liked the best. That’s how I knew that I got picked. As we moved forward, I kept on working on the fragrance while Tisci smelled and made modifications to it. Eventually, he picked my fragrance—which was a dream come true. ESQ: What made you pair a woody scent with bergamot to best convey the essence of Hero? GUICHARD: I wanted to create a fragrance that was, to me, translating the textures…

The term It bag first found its way into the heart of fashion in the early ’90s when the idea of a carry-on that carries all stormed into the scene. Besides designing clothing and accessories, designers sought to create carriers that would earn a brand the reputable and often consumer-knighted title. The very definition of an It bag is one that should be owned and with it, a collective sense of exclusiveness and hierarchical status. In the past, an aspect of what makes an It bag was heavily stemmed from celebrity culture or inspired by a particular media personality. It’s undeniably a marketing strategy to push for the next must-have bag of the season with the bag latching on to a celebrity’s name to create desirability. Fast forward to today,…

The evolution of fashion, especially in recent uncertain times, has proven itself to not only be adaptive but an ever-changing and expanding entity. While the fashion landscape shifts at a rapid pace, we’ve come to realise that it is no longer enough to focus on just a piece of garment or an end product. The experiential aspect offered by a brand with every collection creates a desirability that surpasses previous methodologies. Today, consumers are buying into narratives behind the design process as well as what the label stands for. The pandemic has been a huge awakening and a chance for the multi-billion-dollar industry to re-evaluate the path it was on; this presents an opportunity to question fashion’s raison d’être and its detrimental effects on our environment. The result is seemingly…

SUIT UP LIKE A STYLE REBEL Everyone is a disrupter these days, expressing their maverick selves by undercutting style rules that, let’s face it, no one actually cares about anymore. But if disruption is a rebellion against norms, there is one perhaps surprising way to out-disrupt everyone right now: put on a suit. And a tie. Not just any suit, of course. And not just any tie. You don’t want to be confused with your city comptroller. Look for sharper cuts, higher waists and even a structured shoulder. Pair them with dress shirts with taller collars, slim belts and sharp ankle boots with a definite heel. This isn’t the soft, millennial Italian vibe you remember from a decade ago. There’s a harder edge to it—think ’80s Anglo-French style or 30-something…

Around the end of June, when Malaysians were grappling with the worst of the pandemic, an Instagram square with three white flags on a black background started making the rounds on social media. It was stark and simple and called for those in need of food and other aid to wave white flags-#BenderaPutih—from their homes so that help might reach them. There was no need to feel ashamed, it said. It wasn’t entirely clear whom the clarion call originated from, or whether there would be ready lines of assistance to the white flag bearers, but it took off; some were moved to tears when help actually came. As they had throughout the pandemic, ordinary Malaysians rose to the occasion and filled the gaping void left by an insecure government that,…

There are times when you appreciate change. On a Sunday night, for example, when the party’s run out of mixers and the only place with lights on is the vending machine. Or a Monday morning when the tails mean that the gods of chance have permitted you to call in sick. Then, there are other times. Times when change feels like walking down a bad neighbourhood with a pocket full of coins. Something’s bound to go wrong—it’s just a matter of when. When Singapore eased restrictions after last year’s lockdown, we celebrated our progress towards a new normal. The following months would help us realise that progress can, in fact, be reversed. Quite easily too, in this case. Each relapse—whether it was suffered at the hands of a socialite, a…