INDIA
THE BIG FASHION ISSUE
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TO BREAK THE RULES, YOU MUST FIRST MASTER THEM.
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IN THE TIGER'S LAIR Heʼs carved out a mega-successful niche, and how. Written by Omkar Khandekar INDIA
SEPTEMBER 2019 `15 0
THE BIG FASHION ISSUE
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ON THE PROWL
JACKET, JEANS; BOTH BY POLO RALPH LAUREN. VEST BY SUNSPEL
SEPTEMBER 2019
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CONTENTS 73
32 Editor’s Letter 38 Contributors 203 Where to Buy 206 Humour
Arm Yourself
78 THE OUTLIERS
164 DRIVE
The Huracán Evo fills a Lambo-sized void you never knew you had; MotoGP is unlike any other spectator sport
152 GQ Travel Special: Where to go (right now) 41 VIBE Sobhita Dhulipala gears up for her next web series; What to watch on the big screen; Musical festival season officially begins; Glee creator Ryan Murphy is back with another high school drama; Julia Louis-Dreyfus is on the cusp of Emmys history; Bengaluru-native rapper Siri is ready for the big time; Artist Nikhil Chopra is an installation himself at The Met this month; Aasif Mandvi gets lost in the Smithsonian archives for his new podcast; Suketu Mehta talks about writing a book in a fit of rage; Remember your childhood with these vintageinspired gaming consoles
172
Inside Supreme
66 The Mother Plant 14 —
SEPTEMBER 2019
CONTENTS
Born To Run
184
95 THE HYPE Here’s how to make the best of the new FW ’19 season: All the shoes (sneakers or not), bags and statement wear you need in your closet; Catch up on the latest in the fashion industry, including the womenswear brand that’s now creating clothes for men; These labels are (finally) coming to India – including Japanese giant and Roger Federer staple Uniqlo; Homegrown designers who’re raising the bar for menswear; A case for Rolex’s most overlooked watch; Inside the no-rules world of Gaurav Gupta
129 THE GOODLIFE But first, coffee: Best brews to wake you up; This Delhi chef is taking Thai street food to the global level; Where to eat, stay and party (and meditate) right now
COAT BY KENZO. TROUSERS BY DSQUARED2. SNEAKERS BY NIKE
76 Manifesto: Chalk And Cheese 146 WATCH That crazy tourbillon on your wrist exists thanks to Breguet; In case you missed it: Audemars Piguet’s created the world’s thinnest perpetual calendar; A weekend at the Prix de Diane Longines involves hats, horses and Simon Baker
18 —
SEPTEMBER 2019
192 Generation XX
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86 COMPANY LAW
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
MANAGING EDITOR Maniza ART DIRECTOR Mihir
Shah
Shikha Sethi
CULTURE EDITOR Nidhi STYLE DIRECTOR
Charu Adajania, Sneha Mahant Mehta ASSOCIATE ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Sushant Ishwarkar SENIOR ADVERTISING MANAGER Dipti Uchil ADVERTISING MANAGERS Dipti Dani, Shubham Chauhan (New Delhi) ASSISTANT ADVERTISING MANAGER Ria Doshi ADVERTISING SALES COORDINATORS Nishant Santosh Shetty,
Cordo
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Surve
ITALY SALES REPRESENTATIVE Angelo Carredu US ADVERTISING MANAGER Alessandro Cremona
Gupta
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Shivangi Lolayekar
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Channa
Megha Mehta
JUNIOR FASHION STYLIST Shaeroy
Chinoy
ASSISTANT FASHION STYLIST Selman PHOTO ASSISTANT Nidhi
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Marwah
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Fernandes
FASHION STYLIST (LONDON) Ravneet FASHION BOOKINGS EDITOR
HEAD – ADMINISTRATION Boniface D’Souza
Vohra
Nair
ASSISTANT COPY EDITOR Janice
Mehra
PUBLISHER Almona Bhatia ADVERTISING DIRECTORS Kapil Kapoor (New Delhi),
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PHOTO DIRECTOR Gizelle DEPUTY EDITOR
CHIEF BUSINESS OFFICER Arjun
Che Kurrien
Pereira
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR VIDEO COMMERCIALS Kaustubh Belur SENIOR MANAGER – PROCUREMENT Rahul Mulekar ASSISTANT MANAGER – PROCUREMENT Anubhuti Sharma
Shobhana Parmar
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR – COMMERCIAL PLANNING Alisha Goriawala
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Bhanot
ASSISTANT DIGITAL EDITOR Shabdita SENIOR DIGITAL WRITERS Aarthi DIGITAL WRITERS
Pareek
Baliga, Radhika Agrawal
Abhishek Nair, Shikha Talwar
ASSISTANT SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Vrutika
Shah
SENIOR DIGITAL GRAPHIC DESIGNER Anita
Dake
ASSOCIATE PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Sunil COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION MANAGER PRODUCTION MANAGER
HEAD – HUMAN RESOURCES Zeenat Burji SENIOR MANAGER – HUMAN RESOURCES Mohsin Ismail ASSISTANT MANAGERS – HR Ria Ganguly, Neha Pednekar
Nayak
Sudeep Pawar
Mangesh Pawar
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS & PHOTOGRAPHERS
Abhishek Bali, Abhishek Mande Bhot, Adil Hasan, Anish Trivedi, Annie Zaidi, Arun Janardhan, Bhanuj Kappal, Bikramjit Bose, Errikos Andreou, Jignesh Jhaveri, Kerry Harwin, Lindsay Pereira, Manasi Sawant, Manish Mansinh, Max Vadukul, Omkar Khandekar, Parth
CHIEF DIGITAL OFFICER Gaurav Mishra DIRECTOR – DIGITAL SALES & BRANDED CONTENT Shreyas Rao DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY DIRECTOR Kiran Suryanarayana SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER – DIGITAL Dipak Raghuwansi DIGITAL GRAPHIC DESIGNER Deep Shikha MANAGER – TECH PROJECT Vishal Ingale AD OPERATIONS MANAGERS Vinayak Mehra, Reshma Nilankar AD OPERATIONS EXECUTIVE Akanksha Malik AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Saurabh Garg MANAGER – DATA & GROWTH Tanvi Randhar MARKETING MANAGER – SUBSCRIPTIONS V. Satyavagheeswaran MANAGERS – DIGITAL MARKETING Akansha Naik, Priyanka Shivdasani MANAGER – AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT Akash Kumar SENIOR EXECUTIVE – EMAIL MARKETING Tanya Chhateja EXECUTIVE DIGITAL COPYWRITER Pranjali Jakatdar DIRECTOR – DIGITAL BRAND SOLUTIONS Salil Inamdar CLIENT DIRECTOR – DIGITAL BRAND SOLUTIONS Aman Bahl ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR – CLIENT SERVICING & PROJECT MANAGEMENT Neha Dhanani MANAGING EDITOR – NATIVE STORIES Shivani Krishan MANAGER – INFLUENCER MANAGEMENT Insiya Bagasrawala COPY EDITOR – BRAND SOLUTIONS Tanuj Kumar SENIOR MANAGER – BRAND SOLUTIONS Shweta Mehta Sen SENIOR MANAGER – DIGITAL BRAND SOLUTIONS Ankita Bhushan (New Delhi) CREATIVE STRATEGIST Karan Kaul CREATIVE PRODUCER – CONDE NAST CREATIVE STUDIO Mandira Sharma GRAPHIC DESIGNER (NATIVE) Ayushi Teotia
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SEPTEMBER 2019
Jonathan Newhouse
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What a man’s got to do
Chairman of the Board of Directors Jonathan Newhouse
EDITOR'S LETTER
CITY OF GOLD
@chekurriengq
32 —
SEPTEMBER 2019
PHOTO: MAX HERMANS/THOMPSON PHOTO IMAGERY (CHE), MAX VADUKUL (CST STATION). IMAGE: ALAMY (VINTAGE BOMBAY)
I
can’t wait to get my hands on William Dalrymple’s new book The Anarchy, out on September 10, that tells the extraordinary, audacious story of the British East India Company – a privately held firm that ended up controlling the Indian Subcontinent. By unpacking the Company’s role within the colonial narrative – seminal and enterprising, rapacious and amoral – Dalrymple shines a light on this shadowy body, considered by many to be the world’s first multinational corporation. “The more I read, the more I realised that this was not a national story. The EIC was not part of the British government,” he says. “Shareholders owned it, and its only motive was profit.” The Anarchy is Dalrymple’s 12th book, and promises to be riveting, written with a novelist’s flair and a historian’s eye. Yet, for all the Company’s horrific corporate violence, arguably its greatest, most enduring achievement was the establishment of Bombay, now Mumbai. This city, founded on principles of commerce and enterprise, has long been a beacon for ambitious individuals, who poured in from across the country – a wave that continues to date. “A city like Bombay, like New York, that is a recent creation on the planet and that does not have a substantial indigenous population, is full of restless people,” wrote the novelist Suketu Mehta, in his magnum opus Maximum City. “Those who have come here have not been at ease somewhere else. And unlike others who may have been equally uncomfortable wherever they came from, these people got up and moved.” For 350 years, Mumbai has been a magnet. Nowhere else in India do differences between people matter less. It’s your idea, not background, that is paramount. It’s a place that welcomes outliers and compensates creativity. It is safe, progressive and kind. It is, as Gillian Tindall calls it, the City of Gold. Enjoy the issue.
RAJ-कुमारी A/W ‘19 THE COCKTAIL BRIDE & GROOM
www.shantanunikhil.com
CONTRIBUTORS SHIVANGI LOLAYEKAR
RHYS FRAMPTON WHO: Fashion photographer working globally but based in London. Instagram @rhysframpton WHAT: “Born to Run”, page 184 The First shoot: “I was eager, excited and anxious. Come to think of it, I still feel the same today.”
WHO: GQ Style Director, who’s currently consumed by her two French mastiff puppies. Instagram @shivangil23 WHAT: “The Hype”, page 95 Look at Home: “Designers Bodice, Bobo Calcutta, Dhruv Kapoor and Bloni throw up exciting wares every season, and the new guard, Garuda and Jaywalking, are redefining street style in India.”
“New York – there’s nothing you can’t do.”
WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE HOLIDAY SPOT?
“Tulum, Mexico. There’s something about the lifestyle, food and electric energy that interests me.”
DESIREé FERNANDES WHO: Fastion Stylist based in Delhi with a newly discovered love for smoothie bowls. Instagram @dez_fdz WHAT: “The Outliers”, page 78 Breaking Stereotypes: “The surge of gender-fluid fashion has given me the flexibility to be creative, and experiment with different silhouettes and styles.”
“Sydney is a perfect mix of beach and city life.”
ARUN JANARDHAN WHO: Mumbai-based writer and editor constantly caught between not wanting to do anything and being unable to sit still. Twitter @iArunJ WHAT: “Company Law”, page 86 The William Dalrymple Must-read: “City Of Djinns: A Year In Delhi, for reminding us that this city that is constantly vilified is such an astonishing treasure of history and monuments.”
“London. I love going there and my wife’s family is also there.”
38 —
SEPTEMBER 2019
VIBE EDITED BY NIDHI GUPTA
D L R R O E H W A OF PE
E IN T
RE
ST
N W O
O RS
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ala p i l Dhu a t bhi s an o S s, urn a eb g n t i w poetic r w e e the ore h n in th t the e n i f b u o g itin re. Be missi Q abo nts to a of w ywhe scue s to G e wa s r ea ever n a re talk re sh y r e e e ly Aft dden r spy o od, sh et wh g o u is s ercove Of Bl ing to d k und es Bar e’s ta i h ser ces s n lice
WORDS: NIDHI GUPTA. PHOTO: MANASI SAWANT
t
he book of the month, as per Sobhita Dhulipala’s Instagram feed, is Franz Kafka’s Letters To Milena. When we meet in early July, she’s just picked up this collection of stunning love letters from the author best remembered for a story about a man metamorphosing into a cockroach. But what she’s really into right now is another early 20th-century luminary, Ezra Pound. “He’s so hot,” she says, in that way others would talk about, say, Idris Elba. “I’m still discovering his poetry, but I’ve figured out what space my poetry falls into: Imagism.” Dhulipala is a prolific writer and reader of verse – she thinks Charles Bukowski’s work is like “blood under your tongue, you can’t not enjoy it,” and hints at a teenage obsession with Leonard Cohen – but she doesn’t advertise it all that often. Occasionally, you can catch a glimpse of this proclivity in her moody captions; but there are only two people in the whole world who’ve been allowed to read what she writes: Anurag Kashyap (who directed her debut, Raman Raghav 2.0) and, oddly, film-maker Shekhar Kapur. “I remember, Anurag sir was like, ‘Fuck, I thought my movies were dark, what is this!’” she laughs. “That’s how we bonded.” SEPTEMBER 2019
— 41
VIBE Sobhita Dhulipala and Emraan Hashmi in Bard Of Blood
Sitting in Indigo Deli in suburban Mumbai, as the rain drums hard and soft on the plexiglass roof, Dhulipala daintily sips from her cup of coffee to punctuate (what is quickly turning out to be) a dramatic monologue. Or in modern parlance, a TED Talk. The subject line: Dhulipala’s eventful journey from smalltown Visakhapatnam to glamorous Mumbai, and a lifelong pursuit of cool. This has involved transforming from nerdy wallflower to beauty queen to style icon; from painfully shy to an “outspoken introvert”; a stint in the modelling industry followed by an initial adamance to be a part of underground “real” cinema; a nomination for best performance at Cannes for her work in Raman Raghav 2.0 (“I was shook”) to being approached by Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti, “the coolest creators”, for a role in a web series before “that space had popped”. Just the day before, Dhulipala says, “My new ceramic moka pot arrived and I immediately found myself thinking, the French press is for plebs,” followed by an exaggerated toss of the head. She might parody herself, but poetry and literature have always been an escape from the world when it isn’t being very easy to belong to. So whatever happened to her big dream of publishing her work – something she’d told us about at her first GQ photoshoot five years ago? “I just want the freedom to be a fool,” she says. “And poetry doesn’t sell, man.” Insta-poets sell, yes, but don’t even get her started on that “garbage”. Dhulipala’s face on screens big and small also sells now; as do spy thrillers with Shakespeare at their heart. In the Netflix Original Bard Of Blood, those last two things come together – and her stock keeps rising.
B
ased on the bestselling novel by Bilal Siddiqui, the series follows Kabir Anand (Emraan Hashmi), a RAW agent-turned-Shakespeare professor, as he goes on an unauthorised mission to Balochistan to rescue four Indonesian tourists who’ve been taken hostage. For assistance, he has Veer (Vineet Singh), “a really volatile guy, all heart, so naked with his intentions,” and Esha Khanna, the young, bright, idealistic agent played by Dhulipala. “There’s a newness about her that makes her very endearing,” Dhulipala says. “They’re all in it because they’re driven by an impulse to do the right thing.”
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The novelty of working on this project doesn’t stop there. “The representation of this world, of Taliban and terrorism, is either so glorified or so documentary-like, that you just can’t connect with what’s happening on the ground. It was an eye-opener.” She also remembers asking the director, Ribhu Dasgupta, if she wouldn’t be a mere plus-one on this action-driven ship. “You know, the energy of this show is rather masculine; you hear the word ‘espionage’ and you think guns and moustaches and sweat,” she laughs. “But we came to the conclusion that Esha is sort of the emotional fulcrum between these two guys. They’re all they’ve got. She’s a woman in a man’s world, but she represents today’s woman for me: Someone who isn’t desperate to be a hero, and becomes a better human in the process.” “And it’s certainly not the sort of place where the men go out fighting and the woman stays behind to work from a laptop or something,” she laughs again. “It’s survival of the fittest.” To wear a burqa and hold a gun, she says, “put a lot of things into perspective” and helped her gain a degree of empathy. It is also a far cry from what she did in Made In Heaven. With Tara Khanna, she was contending with a complex psychology and an elaborate wardrobe, and it was a portrayal that squarely put her on the map. “At a social level, the welcomes are warmer,” says Dhulipala, when I ask how she’s dealing with being famous. “I mean, I’m the same person I was eight months ago, but now people smile after a comma.” Fact is, she’s been working hard all this time. After Raman Raghav 2.0, she worked with Saif Ali Khan in Kaalakaandi and made a brief appearance in Chef; she was in the Telugu blockbuster Goodachari, and she’s worked with Geetu Mohandas (Liar’s Dice) on the yetto-release film Moothon. Just before shooting for Bard Of Blood, she’d worked with Hashmi on another project, an investigative thriller by Jeethu Joseph called The Body. “I’ve realised that no matter how well a project does, it doesn’t change much,” she adds. “Maybe you feel like you’ve reached the top of a mountain or something, but you’ve still got to stay there. And that is such a liberating feeling.” These are exciting times to be doing what she does. “In India, we’re on the cusp of an awakening – just like we’ve been for the past 70 years,” she adds wryly. “So every time there’s something new, it shakes up the system a little bit.” What real change does she want to see in her time? “I hope our idea of a hero changes,” she says, after a moment’s pause. Suddenly, she remembers a quote she saw floating on social media from the day before. “I think it went, ‘Sad is the country that doesn’t have a hero; sadder is the country that needs a hero’,” she pieces together from memory. A quick Google search reveals this to be a paraphrased line from Bertolt Brecht’s Life Of Galileo. After we’ve taken a moment to consider just how zeitgeisty this meme was, she adds: “By 2020, the average Indian will be, like, 29 or something. I do hope that the most popular art that gets made is able to free this youngest of countries.” Bard Of Blood is on Netflix on September 27
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VIBE
AD ASTRA James Gray
SCREEN TIME The most exciting cinema of this month – and not a caped superhero in sight
21 BRIDGES
IT CHAPTER 2
THE GOLDFINCH
Nothing like a good old copsand-criminals chase sequence to break from the weekly barrage of CGI scorching our screens. 21 Bridges, produced by the Russo Brothers (who last directed Avengers: Endgame), has Chadwick “Black Panther” Boseman playing an NYPD detective on the trail of a pair of cop killers. With no futuristic weapons of Wakanda at hand, all he’s got is a smart strategy: lock down all of Manhattan and hunt them, along with his own demons.
Pennywise might have been the most terrifying thing to haunt theatre screens when It came out two years ago, but even scarier is the fact that he reappears every 27 years. In this second part of the Stephen King novel adaptation, the action moves from 1988 to 2015; the kids of the Losers Club are all grown up – into James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain and Bill Hader, no less – and back to fix It once and for all. Just don’t look at street gutters when you’re walking home.
Another book adaptation, this time of Donna Tartt’s 2013 Pulitzer winner. The Goldfinch tracks the life of Theo Decker, who survived a terror attack at an art museum when he was young, but lost his mother; mistakenly stole a precious artwork; is adopted by a rich couple; and grows into a life of crime, including art forgery. Among the many reasons to watch this is Nicole Kidman playing another character with questionable mothering skills.
Brian Kirk
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SEPTEMBER 2019
Andrés Muschietti
John Crowley
WORDS: NIDHI GUPTA
FILM
In this Heart Of Darkness-inspired sci-fi mystery, Brad Pitt plays an astronaut who must travel to the outer edges of the solar system to track down his father, also an astronaut, played by the very roguish Tommy Lee Jones. He must do this after a strange event dubbed “the surge” threatens mankind’s existence. Expect enough psychological drama to spark things up in an always hostile space – and possibly an Oscar nod for Pitt.
VIBE
FESTIVAL
CALL OF THE VALLEY
Let your music festival season begin with an epic road trip to the North-East
A
mong the more unique stops on the circuit, the Ziro Festival of Music blends adventure, nature and an eco-conscious approach to partying. It is also, unfailingly, a stellar showcase of local and international indie, rock and hip-hop, along with a growing art scene. In its seventh edition, two stages will light up the UNESCO heritage site for four days. There will be 40 acts for a sonic feast, a lot of them from South-East Asia. We’d recommend you pack your bamboo mugs
to mosh with Japanese psy-rockers Acid Mothers Temple and sway to Jakarta-duo Matajiwa’s spiritual-minded music. And get your nostalgia trip at the special set by Lucky Ali, who’ll probably let you do most of the singing. It takes a bit of an effort to get to Ziro, so find yourself good company for the road (pick a fellow stan at your own risk). The valley will greet you with clouds, rice beer and the Apatani tribe’s hospitality. Issa vibe. September 26-29; Ziro Valley, Arunachal Pradesh
TV
HEAD BOY
P
ayton Hobart (Ben Platt) is a student at Saint Sebastian High School in Santa Barbara, California. He comes from money and has been convinced for a long, long time that he will one day be the President of the United States. So, in this first season, he must do everything to become the leader of the student body; ie, get down and play dirty to raise his appeal among just enough of the students. In The Politician, creator Ryan Murphy (Glee, Pose, Feud) combines all the things he loves: high school dramas, well-aimed sarcasm and telling electric stories about the horrifying things humans do to each other to get what they want. September 27; Netflix
48 —
SEPTEMBER 2019
WORDS: NIDHI GUPTA. IMAGE: SHIV AHUJA (ZIRO)
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STYLISH. SMART. SENSATIONAL Stylish designs. Smart technology. And a host of exciting new features set to redefine the smartphone experience. We discover what makes the new vivo S1 the coolest kid on the block
GQ PROMOTION
A STUNNING CAMERA
Rule Instagram with the S1’s rear camera. Its industry-leading 32MP front camera is apt for selfies.
JAW-DROPPING DESIGN
Choose from Diamond Black or Skyline Blue, both of which offer an elegant play of colours.
GQ PROMOTION
Priced at `17,990 onwards. Available at all offline outlets and on online stores like vivo India E-store, Amazon and Flipkart. For more information, visit vivo.com
VIBE
OUT OF OFFICE TV
With her seven-season run of Veep, a most acerbic roast of American politics, Julia LouisDreyfus won our hearts and minds. Now, the actor-comedian is on the cusp of making history
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continues, then pauses. “I’m looking for a new psychiatrist as we speak.” Louis-Dreyfus has won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for each of the show’s previous six seasons. Combined with another in the category for her work on The New Adventures Of Old Christine in 2006, and one a decade earlier for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy for Seinfeld, Louis-Dreyfus is currently tied with Cloris Leachman for the most acting Emmys in history. She has had, in other words, one of American comedy’s most fruitful runs, and a little break might seem to be in order. Yet, when we met, there was still much to do: one last Veep Emmy campaign, post-production on her upcoming film and her youngest son’s college graduation.
Kevin Dunn, Gary Cole, Andrew Daly, Julia LouisDreyfus and Tony Hale in the final season of Veep
WORDS: NICOLE SPERLING
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ulia Louis-Dreyfus is nestled into a corner booth at the San Ysidro Ranch on a gloomy late spring day, a few weeks after Veep’s sevenseason flambéing of US politics has come to its ashblack finale. Airpods in and curly brown hair pinned to the nape of her neck, she’s 3,000 physical and psychological miles away from Selina Meyer, the soulless DC swamp creature she played on the HBO series. You might even mistake her as one of the rarefied women who can while away a Monday afternoon lunching at one of the finest establishments in all of California. “I said to my husband, I’m taking July and August off, and he kind of laughed,” she says. “I’m going to try to stick to it,” she
Shop no 222, DLF Emporio, 4 Nelson Mandela Marg, Vasant Kunj, 110070. Ph: +91 99109 77778 santonishoes.com
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Work, it turns out, and really only good work at that, is where Louis-Dreyfus seems to feel most complete. She loves grinding through a scene until the rhythm rings just right, when the jokes fly high and the insults land with finely calibrated precision. She seems to take breaks only when they are thrust upon her. So there’s her undeniable work ethic to contend with, but there’s also the fact that with rest comes thought – and the unenviable task of unpacking all that’s happened to her in the last three years. Her beloved father died in September 2016. The following year, doctors diagnosed her 56 —
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(From top) In The New Adventures Of Old Catherine; The cast of Seinfeld
with stage II breast cancer; she underwent six rounds of chemotherapy and a double mastectomy. Then, just as Veep was set to start filming, her 44-year-old half-sister died of an accidental drug overdose. “I hate to have to think about it,” she says. “But I’m very happy to be alive.” Lately, she’s been trying mindfulness: “I realised I didn’t meditate this morning – like an asshole – but I should’ve because it’s useful.” But stillness is just not her strong suit. And Hollywood does seem to be opening up to her in ways that are likely to accommodate her blooming ambitions – primarily delving into things that aren’t necessarily comedic. “I want to expand my creative universe here. I want to do stuff that maybe people wouldn’t think I would do,” she says. Her turn opposite James Gandolfini in Nicole Holofcener’s 2013 drama-inflected romantic comedy, Enough Said, demonstrated that desire. Her dramatic vocabulary was also there at times in Veep, if you were paying attention, especially the moments when life wasn’t going the way Meyer planned. That range will be front and centre in Downhill, based on the 2014 Swedish film Force Majeure, a five-years-in-the-making passion project she produced and stars in opposite Will Ferrell. Louis-Dreyfus plays a woman in crisis – not the kind of manufactured ordeal Meyer trafficked in, but an actual human calamity wherein the life she thought she had turns out to be a total sham. “I just need time to think,” she says on what will come after that. “So I’m thinking, formulating my next move and shit like that. Which is fun but it also requires thought. And sometimes maybe no thought. Maybe [I need time] to just look at those flowers and think: ‘Wow, that’s amazing. What a gorgeous arrangement.’” But soon she is racing out of the restaurant as Veep showrunner David Mandel’s number is ringing on her phone. “We’ve got to go write something,” she says as she heads for the door. Watch the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards on September 23, airing live on Star World, Star World HD and Star World Premiere HD
WORDS: NICOLE SPERLING. IMAGE: ALAMY
Louis-Dreyfus has won the Emmy for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series for each ofveep 's previous six seasons; and is currently tied with Cloris Leachman for the most acting Emmys
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D O O G RM O F MUSIC
hymes r r e w o gual p n n EP i l a i t s l e u i d h the m as she rea t i w f l rse Siri u r o e y p t p n i a lty Acqua luru-born r p-hop roya hi ga of Ben duction into R A M n i B A L r A e V h U for D H R B Y T E N T I W R
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don’t struggle with creative things,” declares Siri Narayan. “I struggle with [the idea of working in an] office.” The budding rapper from Bengaluru arrived at the Dyu Art Cafe in Koramangala minutes earlier, in a yellow-crocodile-splattered pink zip-up jacket. Dyu, a wood-panelled open-plan café built to resemble an old Kerala home, has been chosen today for its close proximity to shops that can fix Siri’s iPhone. It’s one of a dozen errands she needs to run before moving to Delhi – because she now wants to “focus on [her] art full-time.” In her early 20s, Siri has established herself as a rapper, graphic designer and video director to watch out for on the back of her standout single “Live It”. With impressive flows in four languages – Kannada, English, Hindi, Telugu – she has gained fans quickly in the underground music industry. It was while studying design at NIFT Hyderabad six years ago that Siri first encountered hip-hop. She heard American rapper B.o.B’s 2012 track “Out Of My Mind”, on which Nicki Minaj (not yet the global pop star she is now) spits: “You know, I graduated summa cum laude / That’s why they thinking I’m Illuminati / And matter fact, let’s kiss and make up / I’ll help you escape on my blue Ducati”. Siri was entranced by the song, and particularly with Minaj’s speed. “She’s this very eccentric, weird person,” she says, of her fascination with the New York City rapper. ““Out Of My Mind” was very aggressive. It was super cathartic rapping.” Soon, she found that it was easy for her to rap Minaj’s verse. She even performed it at her college. “I was good,” she says proudly. “I started listening to all this old-school [hip-hop]. My favourite was A Tribe Called Quest, [especially] Q-Tip’s voice and his delivery.” Aeke, a Delhi-based rapper, whom she met after a cypher at NIFT, introduced her to the
WORDS: NIDHI GUPTA (IN HIS ELEMENT). PHOTO: MANASI SAWANT (SIRI). IMAGE: COURTESY THE ARTIST AND CHATTERJEE & LAL / PHOTO BY SABINE PFISTERER (NIKHIL CHOPRA)
historical figures of hip-hop like Big L, Tupac, The Notorious B.I.G. and more. Siri felt a path could be forged in the field, but she was still unsure. “For a long time, I was like, should I go for it? Is this my career?” she says. “I used to doubt myself,” she continues, before ordering potato wedges. Though initially excited by the prospect of rapping, she felt that she didn’t have the “zeal that others possessed.” She wasn’t sure where to begin. And after “unpleasant experiences in Hyderabad,” she felt stuck. “I wanted to balance my mental health,” she says wearily. “You need to sort things up there first, to be productive.” This attitude is the essence of “Live It”, which she self-funded, edited, styled and released independently in March 2018 after moving base back home to Bengaluru. Over a boom-bap beat, Siri manoeuvres through Kannada and English verses effortlessly. On YouTube, the video has over two lakh views solely on a word-ofmouth basis. “Live It” also brought her to the attention of Delhibased label Azadi Records, which signed her on as the only female rapper on its forever-expanding roster – even though she refuses to be defined by that trope. “The first thing I get introduced as is a female rapper. If you find that empowering, fine. But it doesn’t have to be like that,” she shrugs. Siri has since been a mainstay at Azadi showcases, rapping alongside Prabh Deep, Seedhe Maut, Sez On The Beat – including at the GQ Style & Culture Awards earlier this year – often decked out in oversized fur coats, statement graphic tees and the most on-point sneakers. She’s often teased new rhymes in these raucous live sets, but she hasn’t officially put out any new tracks since “Live It”. “I wasn’t at all confident that the song would do well,” she admits. “Even now, I’m somewhat like that – hesitant to put out content. I feel that there is a sense of responsibility: I want to introduce things I believe in.” After spending a month in Delhi earlier this year, Siri realised she needed to move there to challenge herself creatively. She feels she’s hit her artistic capacity in Bengaluru; plus, the Azadi crew are all in Delhi. It appears to be working: Her new single, “BedaBeda”, the first from a five-track EP produced by Sez On The Beat, is an anthemic tune. With lines like “It’s my time / Better check that wrist” over sharp staccato drums, she again raps in both Kannada and English. Siri’s also been pushing “DIY content” on her YouTube channel: vlogs that are flecked with humour and advice, like “How To Deal With Hate 101”, a boost to self-confidence; another is called “Am I A Tomboy”, in which she responds candidly to comments about her predilection for short hair and baggy tees. “I want to direct other music videos,” she explains. “I want to make movies, short films, longer videos. I understand how [something] works, how it needs to be done and I execute it.” After a two-hour conversation, the sun is setting and I’ve got a sense of her outsized ambition, but Siri’s errand list for the day isn’t complete. “There’s a lot to do,” she says, getting ready to leave, “and I’m looking forward to it.”
ART
IN HIS ELEMENT Performance artist Nikhil Chopra takes over The Met
Coal On Cotton (2013), Nikhil Chopra; Commissioned by The Manchester International Festival and the Whitworth Gallery, Manchester
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or over a decade, Goa-based artist Nikhil Chopra has donned various personae – the Victorian-era dandy, the 19th-century Maharaja, the loincloth-clad “native” – and held public drawing sessions with everything from tarred roads to tents as his canvas. He’s held these installations everywhere from Lal Chowk in Srinagar to Manchester’s Whitworth Art Gallery and Sensorium Festival at Sunaparanta, Goa. With these durational performances (which are a lot more engaging to watch than you’d imagine), Chopra highlights the contemplative act of drawing – and also examines how identities of all sorts turn solid. This month, as an artist-in-residence at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, Chopra will adapt this performance-as-art series to engage with the museum’s collection, and the multitudes that visit it. Lands, Waters, And Skies will see him get into the skin of various characters for nine consecutive days, and move through the museum like a nomadic traveller following his own whimsical itinerary. You may want to visit the museum more than once, for we have it on good authority that Chopra flips through characters as naturally as a chameleon.
Lands, Waters, And Skies begins on September 15, and will move through The Met’s galleries and wings over the next nine days. Visit the museum’s website for the complete schedule
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VIBE PODCAST
LIVE FROM THE ARCHIVE
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Actor-writer-director Aasif Mandvi feels like nerding out over the pop culture he grew up with – and he wants you to tune in
on the spot for him, had conversations with TV giant Norman Lear and Sesame Street creator Frank Oz and “impersonated the Bee Gees on a national stage”. It’s great fun – in spite of some awkward jokes that refuse to fly, Lost At The Smithsonian is worth your time, for it investigates these defining moments in American pop culture from the POV of someone who was born in India, raised in the UK and has, in essence, adopted the US. For over two decades, Mandvi has used every platform afforded to him to shed light on the Muslim immigrant experience: in theatre with Sakina’s Restaurant; on TV with the HBO series The Brink; in his memoir, No Land’s Man. He made it his mission to deploy “the power of satire to illuminate the truth” a long time ago, something he learned during his time on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart. Lost At The Smithsonian may or may not be a Trojan horse to prove that Mandvi’s “blood, too, runs apple pie”. But it’ll likely make for cool trivia-swapping and dinner table conversation. Lost at the Smithsonian is on Stitcher and Apple Podcasts from September 26
WORDS: NIDHI GUPTA. IMAGE: ADAM CANTOR
oday, you see American actor Henry Winkler win an Emmy and accolades for his work in Bill Hader’s outstanding HBO comedy, Barry. But once upon a 1970s series, Winkler played Fonzie on the much-loved sitcom Happy Days. The Fonz never got Winkler any trophies (just three nominations), but he was a style icon, a sex symbol and the epitome of American manhood. At least, that’s what the polymath Aasif Mandvi concluded when he watched Happy Days as an impressionable teen in the UK. On the first episode of his new podcast, Lost At The Smithsonian, our narrator observes that Fonzie’s womanising may not have aged well, but his signature leather jacket certainly has – preserved as it has been inside the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History’s storage room, also called “The Nation’s Attic”. From the Smithsonian’s collection, Mandvi “takes ten objects from American entertainment history and uses them as a launching pad to have larger conversations with museum curators and the people associated with that object about culture, art, society, politics.” This is no easy task, considering there are 19 active Smithsonians and research centres around the world, with over a million objects on display – and yet, as Mandvi informs us, that’s less than 1 per cent of its entire collection. In the process of recording, Mandvi says he had Puerto Rican musician José Feliciano write a song
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ROYAL SALUTE THE ULTIMATE GIFT
Join us as we take you on a trail through the remarkable history of Royal Salute. Tracing the label’s distinguished legacy, we show you why Royal Salute is the king of gifts for all those special milestones Steeped in history and crafted for royalty, Royal Salute is a prestige blended scotch label for the discerning connoisseurs who enjoy celebrating in style. Hailing from the Strathisla Distillery – the oldest working distillery in the Highlands of Scotland – Royal Salute embodies luxury in every way. Here is where you will find the finest blends, tucked away deep into the Royal Salute Vault. From its refined blends to its exquisitely crafted flagons, Royal Salute transforms the gifting experience. A RICH LEGACY It all began in 1953. Created as a tribute to the British monarchy, the first bottles were crafted by entrepreneur Sam Bronfman, who wanted to create a scotch blend fit for a queen. And so, Royal Salute was officially launched at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. In fact, its name draws inspiration from royalty, too. Royal Salute was named after the 21 Gun
Salute, a traditional sign of respect to celebrate special Royal occasions. That’s why their blends are all aged for at least 21 years before they’re bottled in distinctive flagons. Drawing inspiration from the monarchy, Royal Salute also launched a number of special editions to celebrate various royal milestones. The 50-Years-Old, for instance, with a 24-carat gold
plaque emblazoned onto the flagon, was launched as a celebration of Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee while the Diamond Jubilee, a 21-Years-Old blend in a rich blue glaze porcelain flagon, marked 60 years of both the creation of Royal Salute as well as Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation. Remember - when you choose to gift someone a flagon of Royal Salute, you’re choosing to give them a gift fit for royalty.
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the Imperial State Crown. Two new drams were also introduced to the 21-Years-Old range – The Malts Blend and The Lost Blend, created by Master Blender Sany Hyslop, leaving you with plenty of choices when it comes to the art of choosing the right gift. The British Royal Menagerie illustration
THE JOURNEY BEGINS WHERE OTHERS END Royal Salute is the only permanent range of blends aged 21 years and older, making it the world’s leading luxury range of drams. Each offering from Royal Salute is unique and bears a mark of supreme craftsmanship. Its exquisite porcelain flagons are crafted with an unerring eye for detail, featuring a striking porcelain glaze in a distinctive hue. Colin Scott, the brand’s fourth Master Blender since its inception, is responsible for ensuring the continuity of the label’s prestigious legacy. Apart from maintaining the high standards of the signature Royal Salute 21-YearOld blends, Scott also takes charge of creating new masterpieces, such as the 62 Gun Salute, flaunting a midnight blue crystal decanter,
individually hand-blown by master glass blowers, making it the perfect gift for a special occasion. CONSTANT INNOVATIONS One of the many things that Royal Salute is renowned for is its need to push the boundaries of design. From stunning new packaging to striking new designs, the brand is always enthralling its loyal followers with the most exciting offerings. Case in point? The allnew look that Royal Salute created for its signature 21-Years-Old, showcasing a contemporary take on its rich heritage with a colourful depiction of the British Royal Menagerie. Designed as a tribute to Royal Salute’s esteemed legacy, it features everything from cannons representing the 21 Gun Salute to
GIFTS THAT DELIGHT Royal Salute’s many variants make for excellent gifts, across multiple occasions. With its marvellous blends bottled in porcelain flagons, its inimitable royal flavour, its superior craftsmanship and its rich history, it’s easy to understand why Royal Salute is the perfect gift for those who settle for nothing but the best. No matter which offering you choose to gift a loved one, you can be rest assured that they will cherish it for a lifetime. For more information, visit royalsalute.com
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As Suketu Mehta’s call for “open hearts, not just open borders” catches like wildfire, the author tells Arun Janardhan how his new book – a long, incisive argument in favour of global migration – came about in a fit of rage
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f Suketu Mehta wanted reactions to his new book, it’s come in two forms: It’s been debated all over, and he’s got threats from white supremacists. “I am fascinated by the terms of racial abuse towards Indians,” he says. “When I was growing up, it was ‘You guys are growing on trees’. Now, American racists have become sophisticated enough to learn about the caste system. It’s this heated response by the wingnuts – and I know it’s occupying a place in the national debate.” This Land Is Our Land: An Immigrant’s Manifesto is a personal polemic, in which Mehta argues for the immigrants and seeks reparation from former colonial powers. More directly, it is a response to US President Donald Trump’s policies against migrants. “This book is almost like my patriotic dharma as an American,” says Mehta, over the phone from New York. “I believe I can contribute to the discourse in America by writing a book that’s critical of American policy. It’s in the best tradition of democracy – what every writer should do.” Before he goes back to finishing his next book on New York, the author of Maximum City: Bombay Lost & Found explains why he segued into this book, and his expectations from it.
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What was the purpose behind writing this book? I am an immigrant – I moved from Bombay to New York at the age of 14. I am now an American citizen and have never seen the country so polarised. There is a debate around the issue of global migration, not just in America, but all across the world. Today, a quarter of a billion people are living in a country other than the one they were born in. The rich countries stole the future of the poor countries through war, colonialism and climate change. Now, the people whose futures they stole are coming to their countries, not to rob or rape, but to work. For them to tell immigrants, don’t come, is the height of hypocrisy. I wrote this in a fit of outrage, and it’s the fastest book I have written – took me a little over a year. Trump hopes [his policies against immigrants] will win him the next election, and I am going to fight him on that. The book is also personal. When the British arrived in India at the beginning of the 18th century, India’s share of world GDP was 23 per cent. By 1947, India’s share had plunged to under 4 per cent. During the colonial period, the European share went from 20 per cent to 60 per cent. History has consequences. It’s a personal book for me because I connect to the reasons why families like mine had to move, as a consequence of colonialism and for economic possibilities elsewhere. The anger you felt while writing the book – you wanted it to come through? I do mean it to be a rant [laughs], but I calm down at the end. When people move, they benefit the rich countries that are simply not making enough babies. All old people need young, energetic immigrants to work and pay old-age pensions. Immigration dramatically increases the GDP of these countries. It’s a happy ending for the immigrants themselves because when they move – in many cases, like Central Americans – it’s a matter of life and death. It’s great for the country they move from because of remittances, the money that people send back. Last year, migrants sent $689 billion in remittances [globally], which amounts to three times more than the gains from abolishing all trade barriers. In one place, you say: “They are here because you were there.” Are you talking to white Americans and Europeans? No. It’s aimed at anyone around the world who is interested in why people move. The point is, these ideas of national allegiance don’t make sense any more in this shifting world. Am I Indian or American? I am both. I am also a little bit French and Brazilian because I have
WORDS: NIDHI GUPTA (RETRO KO)
FREE AGENT BOOKS
spent time in these countries. I am part of the “we”. I too am complicit. I have lived in America for a long time and enjoy the benefits of living in the West. My own position, like all immigrants, fluctuates. I am not calling for open borders, necessarily, but for open hearts. Would the book have happened if Trump had not been elected? Probably not. When Trump became President, for the first time I found my position in America challenged. He’s telling people to go back to where they came from. As an Indian in a Catholic school in Queens during the 1970s and 1980s, I got that all the time. I knew incredible racism there – it’s also where Trump grew up. The fathers of the kids I went to school with are all Donald Trumps. The Republicans who vote for Trump are afraid of the magic number 2044, which is the year when America will become a majority-minority nation – the majority being non-white. But the whole idea of whiteness or brownness or race is disappearing. Lots of Indians are marrying whites. Are their babies white or Indian? You say migrants should be given a home in the countries that are to blame for the inundation. Is that too simplistic a solution? Countries that have ruined, stolen and taken what they needed – and continue to ruin them through corporations and climate change – absolutely need to pay. About 85 per cent of the immigrants in the world don’t go from a poor country to a rich country, but go to a slightly less poor country. The bill is not being paid by the debtors, but by other, surrounding countries. That’s an enormous injustice. Why are people moving in the first place? Not because they hate their home or families, but because they have no choice. The evidence is irrefutable: Through colonialism and climate change, the rich countries are responsible for the worldwide migrant crisis. By the middle of this century, up to a billion people will be displaced (by climate change) and the land that’s home to 650 million people will be under water. About one-third of Earth, home to 1.5 billion people, will be desert. The poorest half of the world population is only responsible for about 10 per cent of the excess carbon, but bears 75 per cent of the costs. That is what my book argues: First, determine who’s at fault, who has to pay the bill, and then figure out an intelligent way of moving people around the globe for sheer survival. This Land Is Our Land: An Immigrant’s Manifesto is published by PRH India, and available for `599
TECH
RETRO KO
Nothing like a vintage gaming console to bring home the arcade – and a lost era Atari VCS Atari’s bringing back its 1970s Atari 2600 as the entertainment system for the 21st century. Inside the sleek OG-inspired Black Walnut design box sits a 4K-capable machine that lets you boot up two different operating systems, a selection of 100 classic games from the Atari Vault (Pac-Man and Space Invaders included, of course) and the ability to not just launch new titles like Fortnite, but also stream content from Netflix, Spotify and more. There are two versions, the VCS 400 and the VCS 800, both of which come with wireless controllers and a paddle you can buy separately. This is a comeback done right. SEGA Genesis Mini Contra fans, get your hands on SEGA’s brand new Genesis Mini before stocks run out. Tiny, black, it sports a cartridge slot that actually opens and closes, and comes with two of those large controllers in the box. It also packs a punch with a whopping 42 games (including Sonic The Hedgehog, Gunstar Heroes and Streets Of Rage), the highest number in this league of miniature consoles right now. PlayStation Classic This pocket-sized console might be lighter than a smartphone, but that’s where any attempt at belonging to 2018 stops. The Classic is a replica of the original PlayStation in colour and design (the disc tray is purely ornamental), but comes with 20 videogames, including Grand Theft Auto, Tekken 3 and Metal Gear Solid – a selection that encapsulates the dawn of the 3-D era. No internet, wired controllers (not DualShock) or the all-important reset button on the console: You’re effectively travelling back in time. FEBRUARY 2019
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PLANT One man’s journey with ayahuasca W RIT TEN BY UDAY BENEGAL
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ILLUSTRATION: SACHIN SHETTY
THE MOTHER
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he room for the night’s ceremony had been meticulously set up: 20 single mattresses lined up neatly along three walls. Along the fourth, facing the U-shaped bedding arrangement, sat a divan bearing an array of exquisitely coloured, carved and plumed musical instruments. Placed atop each mattress was a meditation chair and blanket, and by its side a bottle of mineral water, a roll of toilet paper, a hand towel and a small plastic bucket. “That beautiful bucket is your best friend,” the Spanish-accented man in the brightly coloured shirt intoned cheerfully. “Keep it close.” I had signed up for a triad of ayahuasca ceremonies, to be guided by a Peruvian shaman, or medicine man. The shaman had been trained in the preparation and administration of traditional Amazonian plant medicine by his grandparents, themselves lifelong shamans who had descended from a long line of nature-based healers. I picked an unclaimed mattress and awaited the next step with some trepidation. I’d never done anything like this before and was unsure of what to expect. It didn’t help that the few others in the group who’d done ayahuasca before looked nervous too. I was to learn that no matter how many times you do it, every experience is totally unpredictable. A highly concentrated tea brewed from a combination of the ayahuasca vine and leaves of the chacruna, both native to the Amazon jungle, ayahuasca is often called a drug by people who know little about it. In South America, it is referred to as medicina, or sacramento. Although it contains DMT (present in the chacruna leaves), the trip is unlike any other psychedelic experience. This is not the kind of thing you take to get your rocks off. Because it can get pretty intense. Not long after sundown, the ceremony began. I sat before the shaman, who proffered me a little wooden cup. I downed the viscous liquid in one gulp; it wasn’t anywhere near as bad as I’d heard. I thought I tasted liquorice. But it also had a strong acrid overtone that created some discomfort in my gut. Thus, the bucket. Purging is integral to the ayahuasca experience. It’s just a matter of time before you start to vomit or feel the need to rush to the toilet. The fluid is meant to stir up the insides, not just physically but, also emotionally. After everyone had had a dose of the medicine, the music began. Icaros are songs that accompany every ayahuasca experience. The selection and sequence are up to the shaman, who performs the songs as the potion makes its way through you. Having been a professional musician for over 30 years, I thought I was acutely aware of music’s innate power – until I experienced the magical synergism of icaros and ayahuasca. Each song has an energy and a force that is uniquely powerful and plays a specific role in the dynamism of your inner journey. Some are foreboding, others uplifting, yet others sublimely soothing and reassuring. The ceremony began with the first kind. As we waited for the medicine to take effect, a low, breathy whistle started out of the darkness. The medicine man was gently initiating and guiding our energies.
The whistling soon gave way to a rhythmic rustling as a shaker made of jungle leaves pulsed ominously in accompaniment to the shaman’s lilting voice. The journey had begun. I found myself running the gamut of emotional highs and lows: discomfort turned to delight, ecstasy to pain, joy to despair. I felt a deep confusion, but also a peculiar sort of clarity. As I warped through the wringer of opposing feelings, I was able to observe myself going through it all. One part of my being calmly watched the other spin, twist and tumble in a whirl. I looked on as it ramped up in momentum. Something was wrong, I was losing control. I suddenly felt the shaman’s presence beside me, urging me to let go. “Muy bien, very good, let it out,” he kept saying, as he blew shamanic tobacco smoke around my head to slow my turmoil. But it was relentless and felt as if I were stuck in an infinite Möbius loop. And then it came. What had started to feel like a long, turgid snake trying to make its way out of me morphed into a primal yell that emanated from the furthest depths of my being. I collapsed in tears and relief before emptying my gut into my beautiful bucket. And felt the lightest feeling I have ever experienced. I became aware of the shaman’s voice, his charango guitar underscoring the icaro’s divine reassurance that all was well with my world. It felt as if my mother were lulling baby-me into a deep and comforting slumber. Fear is pointless; love is everything. Those words didn’t just resonate in my mind, but echoed outwardly from the very centre of me. The purge, I understood, was far more than a physical ejection. Along with the contents of my gut, I had expelled stacks of emotional detritus that had for years collected and compacted inside me. I had exhumed and discharged a long-held cache of fear, guilt and grief. It’s been three months since the ceremonies. The DMT bliss has faded. This is when the real work begins – to allow the medicine to fully integrate and employ all that I learned: that I must slow down, love myself (and by extension others) and allow my connection with the earth and all that she harbours to grow. The most visible benefit has been the almostend of a chronic sinus condition I endured for years. I believe I ejected a large quantity of bad bacteria that had taken up residence in my gut microbiome. The one less evident to others is my view of the world – I see it through a more trusting and hopeful lens now. Ayahuasca, referred to as the Mother Plant whose love for you is boundless, looks to your most profound needs and takes you where you need to go to achieve them. That includes travelling to the deepest, darkest emotional spaces within yourself in order to confront and overcome your gravest fears. This is a heavy-hitting leveller, a ruthless ego demolisher, the ultimate humbler. It is also increasingly being recognised across the world as a critically important medicine in the treatment of PTSD, depression, addiction and a host of psychological and emotional aberrations. The world is gradually relearning the importance of ancient plant-based medicines and SEPTEMBER 2019
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One part of my being calmly watched the other spin, twist and tumble in a whirl. it ramped up in momentum; then suddenly I felt the shaman’s presence beside me, urging me to let go
psychedelics like cannabis, mescaline, iboga and psilocybin – the compound found in magic mushrooms, whose growing research of its medicinal and spiritual benefits has been covered widely in Michael Pollan’s recent bestseller, How To Change Your Mind: What The New Science Of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence. Why did I do it? Simply, to become a better person. The only way to get there was to feel better – about
myself, my life, my loved (and not-so-loved) ones, the ever-mutating world around me. This was no recreational drug trip. I’ve never done anything as difficult in my entire life, or felt so rewarded for my effort and resolve. An aya-experienced friend of mine told me before I embarked on my journey that I’d never be the same person again. The shaman, copping a phrase from the beaches of Thailand, fine-tuned that thought: “Samesame but different,” he said. He was right. My world is still the same – but I see it differently.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW It’s critical that you research your shaman carefully, and only choose one who comes recommended. As with most unregulated medicine, and with the growing popularity of alternative treatments, there are plenty of impostors and inexperienced healers. Though ayahuasca is known to be free of side effects (and is completely non-addictive), the experience is intense and requires a highly trained healer to shepherd the process.
SET AND SETTING
Set denotes your mindset, your outlook. It’s important to prepare yourself for a healing experience, albeit an unconventional and challenging one. Psychedelics focus in on, and enhance, your existing state of mind, so you need
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to be as mindful as possible. That said, ayahuasca is increasingly used to treat people with a variety of mental conditions and addictions. So while a troubled mind will be more challenged, spiritual clarity and greater awareness is the goal. Thus the need for a reputed shaman to guide one through the treatment. Setting is the environment in which the experience takes place. Treatment should only be done in places you feel completely safe. That means going with a trusted shaman in a quiet, secure place among trustworthy people, ideally as close to nature as possible.
THE DIET
The importance of following the prescribed diet before any ayahuasca treatment cannot be overstated. Although very stringent
(eg, no pork, sex or marijuana for at least one month before the treatment, among other restrictions), being true to the diet will reduce the physical upheavals you might experience during the treatment, helping you focus your energy where you need to.
MEDICAL HISTORY
Any reputed ayahuasca retreat or shaman will require that you send in your medical history before you’re accepted. Be totally honest. There’s nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed about. The retreats are created to help, not judge. Your honesty could save you. People with certain medical conditions are advised not to undergo ayahuasca, so it’s in your interest to be completely truthful about your medical conditions, past and existing.
ILLUSTRATION: SACHIN SHETTY
THE SHAMAN
arm yourself Knowledge is power
IMAGE: MATT SAYLES
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he greatest power we have as humans lies in our ability to make decisions. More (and better-quality) information allows us to make better decisions. Imagine you’re a warrior: Seeking information is the equivalent of adding to, and sharpening, your weaponry. Let’s take the example of nutrition, which I’ve always felt to be a multi-faceted weapon. Implementing the right nutrition plan will allow one to have more physical capability, more mental capacity, better health, a desired physical appearance and, most importantly, a higher degree of self-love (something that’s generally overlooked). But there are a million and one different diets out there. How do you know which one to try? Enter your desire to learn and gather information.
A M R I T R A J
Everyone’s body is different, as is their goal – so we shouldn’t compare ourselves to the next person. Look at a group of successful people, all at the same level, and more often than not each person would have arrived there in a different way. You need to figure out what works for you. Let’s look at my journey with nutrition, to see how knowledge can bring you more power. When I first started bodybuilding, my knowledge consisted of: “Lift weights, and you will gain muscle.” Kind of comical, when I think about it now. But as I sought out more information from magazines, videos, as well as individuals who knew more than I did, I realised that it’s not just the act of lifting weights that allows you to gain muscle. It’s a combination of doing it the correct way (form, programme and intent), combined SEPTEMBER 2019
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with a diet (types and ratio of foods and timing of meals) that aligns with your fitness goals, combined with an appropriate rest and recovery regimen. Suddenly, it becomes more complicated, with several moving parts. At the same time, there’s a direct route to achieving my goals, and a clearer thought process in my decision-making – all because of the added information I’ve gathered. Now, apply this to a desired goal that many people want to achieve, but don’t know how: losing weight. Most think that if they eat less, they’ll lose weight. But instead of starving yourself (which is unhealthy), I’d suggest that you actually eat more times during the day. This allows you to speed up your metabolism, which, in turn, allows you to burn more calories on a daily basis. I’d throw in a very manageable combination of weightlifting and cardio (a regime that can be based around your schedule). I’d also adjust the ratio of protein, carbs and fats based on what you’re most sensitive to (different individuals react differently to different foods). Generally, this ratio will depend on whether you’re trying to lose fat, gain muscle, a combination of both or trying to maintain your current physique. To lose weight, you would
goals faster. For example, fatty fish (like salmon), blueberries and turmeric help cognitive function. Green tea has wonderful fat-burning properties. Your diet should be sustainable, so incorporate foods you like to eat, and time your meals correctly. For example, rice and roti are staples of most Indian meals, but for fat loss, I’d have them earlier in the day, and ideally before or after a strenuous workout. I wouldn’t eat them late at night, as those carbs will turn into sugar, and be stored as fat instead of being expended as energy. Then, of course, there are those decadent meals we all love. A rich curry, some desserts or a burger and fries. I know only too well that I need my loved cheat meal of cheeseburgers, sweet potato fries and pancakes somewhere in my weekly diet! So I make sure to work it in. But I do it in a manner that still allows progression towards my goals. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to give up most of what you love when you want to slim down. If you’re trying to lose a massive amount of weight or preparing for a competition, the cheat meals should be less frequent. If you’re trying to maintain your weight, you can afford more. And if your weight loss has plateaued,
CHEAT MEAL
generally try to lower the carbohydrate intake and up the fat intake, a philosophy seen largely in keto diets. Along with the right workouts, this routine will also help build and tone muscle – which is great for fat loss, as the more muscle you possess, the more calories you burn in a resting state. The amount you eat, the ratio of what you eat and the rate at which you will see results all depend on your body. What works for one person may not work for the next. It’s a constant process of trial and error. And even when something is working for you, after a certain period of time, your body will get used to that rhythm. The key to always making improvements is to “shock the body”, or give it something new. So it’s key to implement changes to your nutrition and exercise routine when you reach a plateau. Nutrition can also improve your overall performance, which may assist in reaching your 74 —
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Along with the right workouts, this routine will also help build and tone muscle – which is great for fat loss, as the more muscle you possess, the more calories you burn in a resting state
and you need to jolt your metabolism, that’s another reason to throw a cheat meal in. So, with additional information, the path to losing weight (or whatever your goal may be) becomes much clearer. Learning is an ongoing process, so your desire for new information should never stop. Like our “belief muscle”, and our capacity for effort, which I’ve discussed in previous columns, we should constantly nurture our “desire to learn”. You will, without realising it, create a world in which you are more process-driven and results-oriented. Beginning this month, as a third item in your journal entries, add a new piece of information each week about one of the many goals you’re chasing. Search the internet, scour through books, seek out individuals who know more than you. Find joy in being a student of the game. Prakash Amritraj is an actor, film producer and sports broadcaster. Follow him on Instagram @prakashamritraj
EDUCATION
CHALK AND CHEESE
The Akshar Foundation is rewiring access to education, and its impact, for underprivileged children in India with a groundbreaking model. Co-founder Mazin Mukhtar details how they practise what they preach
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t 16, Mazin Mukhtar was an aerospace engineering student with excellent prospects. He had a rare paid internship at the University of Maryland, and an even rarer job offer from Boeing. By 18, he’d found a side gig: He was volunteering his time teaching children in the slums around Washington, DC. “Poverty in the US is really quite bad,” he says. “There are a lot of issues with guns, violence and drugs in these slums. It was traumatic.” One day, Mukhtar asked a teenage student about what he hoped to achieve that year. “He told me he wanted to have a child,” Mukhtar says. “At 14! And he said he wanted this because he wasn’t sure he’d live till he was 18, and wanted to leave something behind.” For Mukhtar, who’d already begun to be disillusioned with the education system in the 76 —
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(Clockwise from top) The Akshar Forum; Principal and co-founder Parmita Sarma with students; Sarma with Mazin Mukhtar
US, and “couldn’t live with the guilt that came attached to [his own] privilege,” this was a turning point. He dropped out, and started to work towards changing the education model so it would be accessible to the underprivileged. His first attempt in 2013, a school in New York City, failed due to “real estate problems”. It was around this time that he met Tej Hazarika (Assamese singer Bhupen Hazarika’s son), who in turn introduced him to Parmita Sarma, then a student at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai who was also researching better access to education. By 2016, the two had put together the Akshar Foundation. “The defining feature of our school is to incorporate social problems into our curriculum,” says Mukhtar, “so we can prevent both dropouts and child labour.” Three years after the first model school in Assam – Akshar Forum (backed by Oil India Limited) – took off,
WORDS: NIDHI GUPTA
LET’S DO THINGS RIGHT
Mukhtar explains what sets it apart. At its core is the idea that every student learns to teach younger students, and to earn while they learn. The older kids are employed at an in-house animal shelter or the landscaping business, as well as in administrative work. The school also has a plastic recycling centre. Until this year, Akshar Forum was free to attend; now, in lieu of fees, the kids bring in a polyethylene bag filled with recyclable plastic every week. Not only does this teach the kids to be eco-conscious, it also tackles the rather harmful and common practice of burning plastic. “We went door-to-door trying to convince the parents [to send their kids here], and it was hard at first. At age 9 or 10, they were being sent off to nearby stone and sand quarries to work,” says Mukhtar. “I would go too, but I was scaring the kids off,” he laughs. Still, despite his dreads and Pink Floyd graphic tees, the kids came. “I’ve seen violent, angry children stop being bullies because they now see the younger ones more as a source of earning respect than as rivals competing for limited attention from the grown-ups.” Akshar might’ve been all over the news this year for its plastic fees tactic, but its vision – “to readjust the education system” so we don’t only value college degrees – demands a holistic, constantly evolving approach. “We also focus on financial literacy, sanitation and healthcare, attending to documentation,” he says. Inside the bamboo stick and thatch classrooms, the student-teachers and volunteers conduct daily private sessions on tablets. “If we can teach these kids English, and how to access online courses, they can have tutorials from around the world at their fingertips,” he says. For accreditation, the kids register for exams at the National Institute of Open Schooling. Akshar Forum has also partnered with a local university in Assam that offers free admission to students who finish Class 12 for placements, as well as with businesses (invested in solar power, landscaping and more) that offer graduates a job, on the condition that they stay in school. “We’re trying to build a school-tocareer pipeline,” he says, “so that they aren’t just employed as Uber drivers or something.” It’s with simple, effective moves like these that Mukhtar and Sarma (who are also married) have been able to create a template for education that’s been recognised by the UN. Last year, they were invited to roll out their model at a government school in Delhi, where, “half the kids came from orphanages, with others who’d been abandoned or whose parents had been jailed. The administration told us that these kids were criminal – not that they might grow up to be criminals,” recalls Mukhtar. In the time it’s been around, Akshar’s formula,
“we try to incorporate social problems into our curriculum, so we can prevent both dropouts and child labour”
Akshar Forum students learn to erect solar panels
supported by Mumbai-based NGO Motivation for Excellence, has replicated the successes of its Guwahati school, enough to aim to reach 100 government schools in the next five years. Mukhtar and Sarma aren’t the first to reimagine access to and an alternative form of education – the Khan Academy, Sonam Wangchuk’s SECMOL and Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Bunker Roy’s Barefoot College are among the more successful initiatives working on the axis of technology, with handson approaches specific to their context. But Akshar’s emphasis on skill-based learning itself borrows from a nearly century-old philosophy: Mahatma Gandhi’s Nai Talim. “Basically, Gandhi imagined a village- or community-based education system with a focus on vocational training with education,” explains Mukhtar. “We were both encouraged and dismayed when we learned about it, that India had gone to too much effort to imitate the West.” He also finds the Finnish education system inspiring, since it’s figured out how to “cultivate a lifelong love for learning,” and keeps in mind American educator Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences. “Statistically speaking, we know that 90 per cent of these kids will not be going in the direction of higher academics.” It’s one of the main reasons Akshar focuses heavily on the practical bits: As the world’s youngest population comes of age, its children will need to, at the very least, find sources of income. It’s an uphill task, but Mukhtar seems optimistic. “Our goal is to generate middle-class citizens,” he says, “and transform social problems into teachable moments.”
SUNGLASSES, EAR JACKET, RINGS; ALL BY GUCCI. KURTA BY KALLOL DATTA 1955 (OPPOSITE) ON OPASHONA: TURTLENECK, CORSET, TROUSERS, NECKLACE, SHOES; ALL BY GUCCI ON ISHAAN: TRACKSUIT, SHIRT, SHOES, TIE, SOCKS; ALL BY GUCCI. EARRINGS BY MISHO
KALLOL DATTA
He was the progenitor of an alternative fashion movement, putting out unstructured, gender-fluid clothes in monochromatic colours with a touch of grunge and goth. This was ten years ago. Today, as the world moves back to slow fashion, Datta is very much a trailblazer. 78 000
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OUTLIERS Meet India’s urban culture squad
P H O T O G R A P H E D
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S A W A N T B Y
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L O L A Y E K A R
ISHAAN NAIR
You’ve seen his massive portfolio of celebrity portraits, brand campaigns and ad films. But after his directorial debut, Kaash, the eminent photographer is switching gears to movie-making with a strong focus on real, everyday stories.
OPASHONA GHOSH
A queer revolution is brewing, and this bona fide artist and illustrator from Kolkata taps into themes of femininity, gender appropriation and erotica by way of thought-provoking visuals that’ve found success in the galleries of Berlin and London.
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RADHIKA VAZ
After establishing her place in the male-dominated world of standup comedy, this darkly funny, quick-witted Bengaluru native is on to her next project: writing a women-led, gender-bending web series.
SHASHANK ARORA
His love for strong scripts and unconventional cinema has seen him take on roles in critically acclaimed movies like Titli and Manto, and web series like Bard Of Blood. Now he’s set for the Anurag Kashyapproduced Malayalam movie Moothon, ready to break into the big time.
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NAYANTARA JAIN
The executive director of ReefWatch in the Andamans and prominent scuba diving instructor is the face of every important dialogue and endorsement of marine conservation in India.
POORNAMRITA SINGH
An understated stylist who doesn’t just believe that the world is her oyster; she’s actually claimed her place at the high table. This year alone, Singh’s dressed up the cast of Gully Boy, Made In Heaven and the Julianne Moore-Michelle Williamsstarrer After The Wedding.
MUKUL BHATIA
This photojournalist and nomad’s authentic captures of living within war-torn Kashmir, prostitution and transexuality in Pune’s Budhwar Peth, and expressions of identity across 40 countries make him an important witness to a changing India.
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RAHI CHADDA
His love for vintage bohemia and urban luxe plays out on his Instagram in the form of sagacious high-fashion imagery that few other influencers in his domain can match.
KOSA CHAIRS BY RED BLUE & YELLOW
Moses Koul
WORDS: JEENA J BILLIMORIA
This stylistically promiscuous economy gradturned-guitarist for prominent bands MOSKO and Kraken fuses hiphop and UK garage to create the sound of this generation.
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KAVYA TREHAN
The full package of talent and style, she has no shortage of magazine editorials and brand endorsements in her arsenal. But what we’ll always keep coming back to is her ethereal voice and progressive music.
TOP, TROUSERS, SANDALS, SCARF; ALL BY GUCCI. EARRINGS BY MISHO HAIR: FRANCO VALLELONGA/FAZE MANAGEMENT MAKE-UP: MANIASHA/ FAZE MANAGEMENT ASSISTANT STYLIST: SELMAN FAZIL PRODUCTION: MEGHA MEHTA FEBRUARY 2019
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THE SPIRIT OF SUSTAINABILITY
Get ready to engage your senses with Bombay Sapphire’s array of exciting experiences courtesy its ‘Stir Creativity’ Campaign. In collaboration with Klove studio, the brand unveils ‘The Sapphire Supernova’, an arresting installation that effortlessly blends the best of creativity with sustainability
Here’s to those who think beyond the ordinary. Here’s to those who aren’t afraid to unleash their creativity. Having launched the ‘Stir Creativity’ campaign in 2018, the brand is now leading a global mission – a call to arms for everyone to push the boundaries of creativity through various stories and actions. With this campaign, it strives to inspire people to unlock their true potential. The brand recently collaborated with Klove, an avant-garde lighting design studio based in Delhi. Klove lifts the art of glass-blowing to a contemporary platform with its larger than life 3D installations and chandeliers. Since its inception in 2005, the co-founders Prateek Jain and Gautam Seth have established themselves as thought leaders in the domain of interior décor in India. Klove and Bombay Sapphire’s Stir Creativity then came together to create ‘The Sapphire Supernova’ – a spectacular 10 foot tall installation, which incorporates over 120 discarded Bombay Sapphire bottles, consumed at various spirit festivals last year. The installation beautifully bridges the gap between sustainability and creativity.
GQ PROMOTION
Sapphire Supernova
Aastha Gupta
Sanjit Randhawa and Anshuman Goenka
A TOAST TO EXCELLENT DESIGN
Kalyani Saha and Priya Paul
Designer Rahul Khanna and Gautam Seth
Laxmi Rana
Bombay Sapphire and Klove Studio came together to unveil ‘The Sapphire Supernova’, an aweinspiring, 10-foot tall installation, at Klove Studio, New Delhi. The event was attended by the crème de la crème of Delhi’s fashion scene and high-fliers the likes of Kalyani Chawla, Malini Agarwal, Ambika Anand, Priya Paul, Archana Vijaya and Dheeraj Puri, Gautam Kalra, Diipa Khosla and Oleg Buller and Avantika Bakshi. India’s top designers including Gaurav Gupta, Rahul Khanna, Rohit Gandhi, Falguni and Shane Peacock, Tarun Tahiliani, Kanika Goyal, Shivan and Narresh with Siddharth Mahajan and Siddhartha Tytler, among others, also graced the occasion.
Narresh and Shivan
Sapna Bhagwani and Archana Vijaya
Lylah Shaw, Ashray Gujral and Shalini Passi Nowshad Rizwanullah, Gautam Seth, Malini Agarwal and Pankhuri Harikrishnan
Kiran Lohia, Siddharth Mahajan and Nimish Shah
Fatima Karan
Avantika Bakshi
Harathi Reddy Rebello and Bandana Tewari
GQ INSIDER
COMPANY LAW William Dalrymple’s latest book traces how a nondescript company took over the Subcontinent I N T E R V I E W E D
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IMAGE: BIKRAMJIT BOSE (WILLIAM DALRYMPLE PORTRAIT)
ow did a small, unregulated private company with a handful of employees seated in London seize an entire subcontinent in Asia? How did this corporation, with its own private military, grow so big that it could subdue an entire nation of powerful rulers and unimaginable riches in less than half a century? William Dalrymple’s latest book The Anarchy: The East India Company, Corporate Violence, And The Pillage Of An Empire is about a firm that was among the world’s first multinationals, and its extraordinary story. “[Robert] Clive was answering to an office that was five windows wide,” Dalrymple says over the phone from Algeria. “It was almost invisible on a London street – people could walk past and miss it. Yet, this corporation was so incredibly rich, it had a mercenary army of its own. Imagine Google having an infantry.” Dalrymple goes on to speak about why this period is relevant today, how we view historical characters and what went into writing this book. What was the idea behind writing The Anarchy? When I was writing this Guardian long-read piece four years ago, I realised we always looked at the British in India through the lens of nationalism – on both sides. For one, it was a tale of imperial conquest and glory. For the other, it was a tale of exploitation and looting. The more I read about the East India Company – this is my fourth book on the EIC, but the first to look at it as an institution – the more I realised that this is not a national story. The EIC was not part of the British government. It was a privately owned corporation. What it did in India is the world’s most well-documented and horrific example of corporate violence. In our colonial narrative, the East India Company’s role gets overshadowed. The East India Company was controlled by a bunch of merchants sitting around a table in a small office in London. Shareholders owned it and its only motive was profit. This is also a story about collaboration – many Marwari bankers preferred the rule of the Company to the unpredictable wiles of the Murshidabad Nawabs, while several Maratha generals had invested their
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GQ INSIDER
”The more I read about the East India Company, the more I realised that this is not a national story. The EIC was not part of the British government. What it did in India is the world’s most well-documented and horrific example of corporate violence“ life savings in the EIC stock. Collaborators invited Clive to topple Siraj ud-Daulah [the last nawab of Bengal before the EIC took over]. Subsequently, many banking families provided financing to the Company’s mercenary army. This book took you six years to write. Would you say it’s your most ambitious work yet? That is the publisher’s blurb rather than mine [laughs]. In terms of the history books I’ve written, it certainly takes the biggest sweep. My books have been micro-histories so far. White Mughals was about four years in Hyderabad (1795-1800), The Last Mughals was three years in Delhi (1855-1858) and Return Of A King was four years of Afghan history (1839-42). This one starts with the founding of the EIC in 1599 and ends with the conquest of Delhi in 1803. It’s taken a long time to write because there was so much material. Was that one of the main challenges? Yes, the sheer amount of information. The East India Company was a corporation that was spectacularly efficient and bureaucratic – everything was reported. The National Archives of India [in Delhi] contains miles and miles of documents, including the archives of the Indian HQ of the EIC, Fort William in Kolkata. You can spend half a lifetime there. Then there is the library in London, which contains records from the head office, about 35 miles of records sitting in the basement. The main new research was the previously unearthed Persian documentation. Sources like the two different Shah Alam Namas – one in the library in Tonk, Rajasthan – and most of the others were from the British Library’s Persian collection, including the Ibrat Nama of Fakir Khair-ud-Din and Ansari’s Muzaffarnama. The best account of all is by Ghulam Husain Khan, who is a brilliant Indian eyewitness to all this. [What comes up] are all these issues of privatisation, corporate power, the ability of corporations to strike down entire economies – we’ve seen that during the bank collapses, and so on. It takes us to the root of so many problems of the modern age.
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The book took you far and wide as well. You can’t really write any form of narrative history without going everywhere. The only place I didn’t visit, that’s relevant to this book, was Buxar. I went to Plassey, Srirangapatna, the sites of all the battles of the Marathas, to Murshidabad and other parts of Bengal. Once you’ve read the primary sources, your mind often has a picture. For example, the Battle of Assaye [where the Marathas were defeated]... I knew it was near the Ajanta pass. I presumed it was a rocky, precipitous landscape like that around the caves, and I had that in my head when I was reading the sources. But the Battle of Assaye was on a completely flat flood plain – it could not have been more different from what I imagined. Were there any interesting historical discoveries you made during the process? It’s an exciting and depressing period. When the Mughal empire crumbles, the title refers to the anarchy that followed. As the Marathas, the Sikhs, the Rajasthanis were rising up, fragmenting what had once been the Mughal Empire, the EIC ruthlessly took over, using the developments of 18thcentury warfare in Europe, and scythed through Indian armies. It’s the story of two rival companies, the French and the English, which, piece by piece, took the disintegrated parts of the former Mughal world and created what becomes the Raj later on. Historical characters are not seen as human beings in our textbooks. They are often presented as lifeless, with no urges and desires or passions and intellectual life. The attempt of this book is to infuse them with blood and life and ideas. In India, there’s a tendency to see them as heroes or villains. Are they like [Chhatrapati] Shivaji and, therefore, national heroes? Or are they like Tipu Sultan and, therefore, more complicated? He was unquestionably the single most effective opponent the British had. The British lost more battles [to him] than to anyone else. Yet he is seen, like in Kerala and parts of Tamil Nadu, as someone who destroyed temples. Like a character from any work of literature, they are not black and white, but have their flaws and moments of brilliance.
GQ PROMOTION
INSPIRING STYLES. IMPECCABLE DESIGNS For the man of today, fashion is not just a word. It’s an expression of who he is – an extension of his persona. And now, with The House of Raymond’s Autumn Winter 2019 collection, he can make a distinctive style statement wherever he goes Inimitable designs. Versatile ensembles. Exquisite patterns and the finest cuts. The House of Raymond – pioneers in fine fashion for men in India – promises all of that. As we usher in a new season, the brand presents its Autumn Winter 2019 collection, complete with formal outfits and casual picks. While the former promises playful checks and prints, the latter blends timeless designs with contemporary silhouettes. So, whether you’re looking for an overcoat to tide you through the season or a bandhgala for an upcoming wedding, this collection will impress.
FINE FABRICS
In a world full of trends, a true gentleman always opts for the classics. But he also has a penchant for vintage designs and prints. This is where the Raymond Fine Fabrics range comes in. Think warm tones, innovative fabrics and impeccably tailored details. From flawlessly crafted jackets to trousers in a playful mix of checks in varied hues, the collection offers all that him and his wardrobe could possibly need.
Available across: 950 Raymond Shops | Select Multi Brand Outlets
GQ PROMOTION
READY TO WEAR
Whether it’s heading out for a leisurely Sunday brunch or an important gettogether with the family, the man of today is always on the go. And acting as his perfect sartorial companion is Raymond Ready to Wear, featuring everything from smart denim jackets and tone-on-tone pairings to relaxed chinos and shirts. Comfort, style and versatility come together here to offer an array of fashionable ensembles, designed to enhance his style.
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MADE-TO-MEASURE
Meet the new royal – a tireless, true blue-blood ambassador with a keen eye for great fashion. He fuses the opulent with the classics in his sartorial choices, to embody sophistication in every way. He travels a world of impossible glamour – a world that is glamorous because of his presence. The elegantly handcrafted pieces he chooses to wear only complement his luxe lifestyle. And when it comes to the intricacies of detail and style, Raymond Made-to-Measure is the one name he trusts. His clean aesthetic and personal style have inspired Raymond’s new Autumn Winter 2019 collection, expressed through an array of quilted bandhgalas, jodhpuri trousers and other investment pieces.
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ACCESSORIES BY RAYMOND
Scouting for a timeless piece that you might someday want to turn into a family heirloom? Look no further than Raymond’s many offerings. The brand’s exquisite selection of handmade cufflinks and fine leather shoes are crafted to leave you feeling like royalty. With the cufflinks’ distinctive gleam and the shoes’ quiet elegance, you can be sure that there’s no way to escape the spotlight!
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WORDS: SHIVANGI LOLAYEKAR. IMAGE: ALESSANDRO LUCIONI/ GORUNWAY
EDITED BY SHIVANGI LOLAYEKAR
THE
DA R K HORSE When Saint Laurent’s in the house, you’re guaranteed high-octane, unapologetic rock star status. Clothes so full of leather, bold stripes, skinny cuts and shine, they mimic David Bowie’s transition from Ziggy Stardust to his Let’s Dance era. The good news is, you don’t have to go too far to channel your inner rebel. Starting next month, the French house comes to India under the creative direction of Belgian designer Anthony Vaccarello, with a heady, disruptive party wardrobe. Gear up to make some noise. SEPTEMBER 2019
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THOM BROWNE DOLCE & GABBANA BALMAIN
RICK OWENS
VERSACE
IN THE KNOW
TO INFINITY AND BEYOND When we started this series of fashion trend reports a few eons ago, the menswear universe existed within a larger code of conduct: Black-tie occasions called for formal shoes. Trainers were only meant for the gym. Backpacks were restricted to tech geeks and college students. Socks with sandals were the emblem of tacky tourists. Today, there are no rules, and how you wear your wares or stockpile your accessories is very much about individual taste. Luckily, designers all over are paying close attention to every type of man – age and preference no bar. We’ve gone a step further, and filtered down the best of the season to help you get in sync with your personal style.
HOT TREND
PITCH BLACK
GIORGIO ARMANI
SEPTEMBER 2019
HERMÈS
PRADA
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CANALI
DRIES VAN NOTEN
In a world where style is balkanised, the one thing you, your dad, your best friend and basically the entire planet will happily unite on is the return of the sexy dark suit. Only it must give off less management trainee and more mafioso at a funeral vibes – with silhouettes that oscillate from painstakingly slim-cut to largerthan-life slouchy. Think if Marlon Brando and Kanye had a boss baby.
IMAGE: ALESSANDRO LUCIONI / GORUNWAY (NEIL BARRET, BALMAIN, PRADA), FILIPPO FIOR / GORUNWAY (RICK OWENS), ARMANDO GRILLO / GORUNWAY (THOM BROWNE)
GQ EYE
THE HYPE
THE HYPE
LOUIS VUITTON, `4,00,000
E H T N I G A B HERMÈS, PRICE ON REQUEST
IT
DIOR MEN, PRICE ON REQUEST
g win ces. a r e d fluen f m i t f n this rsian i s you o , r yea d Pe show e. h c n c c ea anga a ly that erpie i h t p l gra ck, m sted a ll mas e r mo n Pollo st tru overa g n i tt so ur mo seur, e k g c a s o is eep ks of J s on y conno k r e o wea laybo plash shion s n s Me the p aint t-fa r a p p from ts and ured, lt n Pri rt-cu a as p
ETRO, `1,11,000
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SEPTEMBER 2019
BERLUTI, `2,40,000
FENDI, PRICE ON REQUEST
IMAGE: ALESSANDRO VIERO/GORUNWAY (HERMÈS)
T
ED HE
PHILIPP PLEIN, PRICE ON REQUEST
GQ PROMOTION
Elie Houbeich, Gemma Paterson and Sunila Duggal
OF BLENDS AND BANTER
The beautiful set-up at The St Regis Mumbai
What: The Balvenie X The St Regis Mumbai Where: Luna, The St Regis Mumbai
Laveena Mitha, Paul Kinny and Sajjid Mitha
Anuraag Bhatnagar
Vikram Raizada and Almona Bhatia
Shishir and Shilpa Shrivastava Nicholas Dumbell and Sharad Datta
Caption here
Up above, on Level 37 of The St Regis Mumbai, Luna was aflutter with activity as the venue presented a glitzy evening that celebrated oaks, spirits and storytelling. Hosted by Gemma Paterson, Global Brand Ambassador, The Balvenie, and Elie Houbeich, Executive Assistant Manager – Food & Beverage, The St Regis Mumbai, the event was all about inspiring storytelling and immersive conversations dedicated to the indigenous single malt scotch – The Balvenie. An intimate affair, the soiree was attended by the crème de la crème of the city, who listened with rapt attention to Paterson as she delved into The Balvenie’s rich heritage. Among the luminaries were Anuraag Bhatnagar, MultiProperty Vice President, Mumbai and Goa, and GM, The St Regis Mumbai; Prahlad Kakkar; Seema and Jaideep Mehrotra; Vikram Raizada; Fahad Samar; Nikoulina Berg; Chaitanya Rathi; Almona Bhatia; Sunila Duggal; Paul Kinny; Saurabh Dube; Dimi Lezinska; Nicholas Dumbell; Sharad Datta; Shilpa and Shishir Shrivastava; Aneesha and Romil Ratra; Roopa Nath; Satyen Dalal; Anju Chulani; and Theron Carmine de Sousa.
Dimi Lezinska
Nikoulina Berg
Chaitanya Rathi
Fahad Samar
Theron Carmine de Sousa
Jaideep and Seema Mehrotra
Anju Chulani
Prahlad Kakkar
HYPE NAMES TO KNOW
ON THE ROSTER
ANANKE It’s had no shortage of celebrities from Vicky Kaushal to Jim Sarbh sporting its elegant shirts and blooming suits – not to mention Ranvir Shorey looking like a dapper don in Sacred Games. But for designers Deepit Chugh and Ajay Verma, the superstar of Ananke will always remain high-quality tailoring presented with a modern twist. 102 —
SEPTEMBER 2019
Jay Jajal
JAYWALKING
Deepit Chugh & Ajay Verma
Not since the 1990s hip-hop scene have baggy clothes and loud prints been so cool. But make no mistake: Jaywalking isn’t a reimagination of The Notorious B.I.G.’s wardrobe, but Jay Jajal’s new take on edgy, statement-making clothes.
WORDS: SHIVANGI LOLAYEKAR. IMAGE: RAFIQUE SAYED (ANANKE LOOKS)
The new guard of menswear labels
CURATO In a big win for menswear, this firstof-its-kind dudes-only store stocks some of the hottest Indian labels including Rajesh Pratap Singh, Khanijo, Antar-Agni, Kunal Rawal and Nought One. Run by Shibani Bhagat and Tanisha Rahimtoola Agarwal, the tony space in Bandra, Mumbai’s hipster suburb, covers everything from suits, street and alternative wear to modern Indian clothes and accessories. Basically, your entire wardrobe under one roof.
Harsha and Shruti Biswajit
Shibani Bhagat and Tanisha Rahimtoola Agarwal
VALKYRE We love a good in-yourface tee. And Arindam Bora’s full-on handpainted versions that blend past and present cultures are what the hypebeast ordered for a loud night out. Choose from Kanye’s lyrics or a lollipop-licking Mona Lisa splashed on to your back. Top it up with a printed denim jacket to go all out.
BISKIT The dress code for zero gravity would probably be the futuristic, space suitresembling wares being put out by visual artist Harsha Biswajit and designer Shruti Biswajit. The duo take things up a notch by ensuring all their clothes are genderfluid, for double impact.
TORAMALLY We’re constantly searching for new labels to update our closets with. And Rahul Shastri’s Tōramally is a top contender for sumptuous leather shoes – from brogues to loafers – in colours like woody brown, deep purple and wine. To really elevate your suit, opt for a bespoke serpent- or peony-printed pair and walk the talk with a cigar in one hand, and a glass of Aberlour in the other.
Rahul Shastri
SEPTEMBER 2019
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THE HYPE
CELINE It’s no secret that Hedi Slimane has a proclivity for gutter-punk, whippet-thin models, whom he sends strutting down the runway in tight-as-hell leather. His stint at YSL could’ve passed for a Kurt Cobain campaign. But as he introduced menswear to fêted Parisian house Celine, the creative director threw in a few codes of New York art rock and India love. Is that a bandhgala we see there? Slimane’s got his eye on you. IN THE NEWS
There are mega menswear labels making their way to India, and a womenswear brand’s catching on to what we’ve been saying all along: Designing a man’s wardrobe is way more fun
BERLUTI These days, designers enter and exit fashion houses at about the same speed as a Jasprit Bumrah yorker. But for menswear heavyweight Kris Van Assche, who occupied the hot seat at Dior Homme for 11 years, the move to Berluti was met with anticipation. Out came leather bombers and cut-to-perfection tailoring in the ultra-skinny silhouette and slick finish Van Assche is revered for. Going by the hard praise for his debut effort, you may want to start saving up for a luxury suit from here. 104 —
SEPTEMBER 2019
ETRO Etro’s unabashed love for paisley, dragon suits, lush textiles and chintz scarves may have long adorned the colourful men of Italy. But the beloved brand founded by Gimmo Etro, and now run by his son Kean Etro, first came to life in 1981 after Gimmo’s trip to India, where he fell in love with our rich handlooms. As the label launches here with a store in Delhi, we can only say: Welcome home, sir.
IMAGE: FILIPPO FIOR / GORUNWAY (CELINE), ALESSANDRO VIERO / GORUNWAY (BERLUTI)
WELCOME TO THE CLUB
MOVE
THE HYPE
Tip: Unlike sneakers, your dress shoes will last you years, not seasons
106 000 —
SEPTEMBER 2019 FEBRUARY 2019
(FROM TOP) FLORSHEIM, `7,000. TORAMALLY, `32,900. SANTONI, `79,700. BERLUTI, `1,80,000. RUOSH, `7,000. RAYMOND, `8,000
PHOTO: JIGNESH JHAVERI. STYLIST: SELMAN FAZIL
THE EDIT
ON THE
While spending your shoe budget on anything but sneakers right now can seem like a tall order, gentlemen’s shoes will forever remain the mark of a welldressed man. These are the best you can slide into
THE HYPE
GLAM ROCK MEETS HOT TREND
ALEXANDER MCQUEEN
BALMAIN
WOODSTOCK
PHILIPP PLEIN CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN
You know those baggy, comfy-as-hell bellbottoms your dad wore through the Summer of Love? And the vinyls of Alice Cooper, Iggy Pop and David Bowie he played on loop? Now imagine those two universes colliding and manifesting into some kick-ass fashion. Clothes that borrow from the silhouettes of flower children at Woodstock with the shine and embellishment beloved by glam rock gods. You’ll pay homage to two mega cultural moments, while looking totally on point for 2019. We call that a win-win.
THE COLLAB
THE FASHION ART PARTY It’s only been a year since he took over as Creative Director of Dior Men, but Kim Jones wasted no time in setting the menswear universe ablaze with a genius move: collaborating with big-ticket tastemakers on each collection for maximum impact. This season, Jones brought on American experimental artist Raymond Pettibon, known for his satirical visual commentary on everything from politics to sexuality. The result is striking graphics with quotes like “The Remaking of the Renaissance Man” on sharp tailoring. In other words, buzzy Dior gear with a dollop of art.
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SEPTEMBER 2019
DIOR MEN
GQ PROMOTION
CLOTHING WITH A CONSCIENCE
Men’s fashion gets an eco-conscious update with LENZING™ ECOVERO™ in Indian ace designer duo Abraham & Thakore’s inspiring collection at Lakmé Fashion Week Fashion has always been about trends, creativity and evolution. One of the hottest trends right now and one that’s set to become popular among the style-conscious is that of green fashion. With the world at large becoming more environmentally responsible, the demand for slow clothing, or sustainable fashion, has witnessed a rapid rise. For Sustainable Fashion Day at Lakmé Fashion Week this year, Indian designers David Abraham and Rakesh Thakore, the faces behind legendary fashion label Abraham & Thakore, showcased an inspiring kurta line for both men and women that was created entirely with LENZING™ ECOVERO™, a completely sustainable viscose fiber. LENZING™ ECOVERO™ is one of the most exciting new environmentallysound innovations in the world of style. The Lenzing Group is internationally renowned for creating high-quality fibres made with wood pulp from sustainable tree farms. Working with only certified renewable wood sources, they are the choice of fabric for couture houses that are passionate about contributing to a cleaner, greener environment. The company has also partnered with international brands like Levi’s and Esprit to have a global impact
and create menswear that is fashionforward and future conscious as well. Taking up the challenge to create an entirely green Indian clothing line, Abraham & Thakore chose to reinvent the classic kurta using LENZING™ ECOVERO™. With ‘Kurta 2.0’, they used the fabric to update the kurta to make it socially responsible yet maintaining its social status as an international menswear favorite. They experimented with a palette of black, ivory, olive and khaki hues and upped the ante with embellishments such as epaulettes, prints and appliqué. The line also included immaculately-tailored dhoti and kurta duos, hoodies, shorts, tunics and relaxed pants for men. In this way, the collection showcased how responsible fashion as a concept can be seamlessly integrated into menswear, whilst simultaneously retaining a sophisticated aesthetic. In essence, this collection showcases simple, linear, contemporary garments that represent the duo’s design language and an ethic that is earth-friendly. It is fashion with a conscience. And we’re definitely on board! For more information, visit ecovero.com or follow @ECOVERO_india on Facebook and Instagram
HYPE NEW IN
BACK TO BASICS
As the beloved Japanese brand Uniqlo opens doors in India, ageless cool is yours for the taking W R I T T E N
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B Y
N I D H I
G U P TA
HYPE
IMAGE: NIDHI GUPTA (STORE)
E
arly in the 2011 blockbuster romcom Crazy Stupid Love, alpha male lounge lizard Jacob Palmer (Ryan Gosling) meets frumpy, stuck-in-a-midlife-crisis Cal Weaver (Steve Carell) at the mall for a “makeover date”. Once Weaver’s divested of his trusty New Balance 407s, Palmer takes charge: Between advice like “You could rebuild your entire wardrobe with 16 items” and far too many credit card swipes, he implores: “Cal, you’ve got to be better than The Gap!” Standing outside Uniqlo’s flagship store in Tokyo’s Ginza district, I wonder if Palmer would’ve approved of my four-hour shopping spree around the 12-storey store. Not just for the seriousness with which I’ve gone about the self-appointed mission (“How fast can you get rid of ¥50,000?”), but for the finesse of Uniqlo’s plentiful range of clothing itself. Two years before Crazy Stupid Love hit theatre screens, Tadashi Yanai, Founder and CEO of Fast Retailing – and the richest man in Japan – was reportedly telling the American press that he wanted to buy The Gap. By the turn of the decade, Uniqlo (owned by Fast Retailing) had truly begun to grow beyond Japan’s shores and rule the high-street space. Wallet-friendly, eco-friendly and perfectly savvy, the Uniqlo LifeWear concept has struck such a chord with post-materialism urban millennials that today there are over 1,200 Uniqlo stores in the world, including massive flagships in New York, Paris, London and Shanghai. Where there’s a large, young and diverse workforce, Uniqlo can’t be far behind. And yet, Uniqlo’s is a story of humble beginnings: In 1984, Unique Clothing Warehouse arrived as a departmental store in Hiroshima with ambitions of selling the “cheapest Levi’s jeans or Adidas sneakers” in the country. Yuki Katsuta, Head of Research and Development at Uniqlo, calls this the first of four phases of the brand’s evolution. Then came the decision to manufacture its own clothing, a period dedicated to improving quality and figuring out what the brand’s about, and, now, taking its message far and wide into the world. “Making things that last longer is fundamental to our design approach,” Katsuta says. We’re sitting in the oasis of a library in the spanking new Uniqlo City HQ in the Ariake district. Here, the wooden tables date back 70 years, vinyl record players occupy pride of place next to a display of homegrown coffee and a carefully curated collection of beautiful big design and culture books sit invitingly on the shelves.“Say you’re producing clothing with the most eco-friendly material and processes,” he says, “but if people don’t need it, all you’re doing is creating junk sustainably.”
"Say you’re producing clothing with the most eco-friendly material and processes, but if people don’t need it, all you’re doing is creating junk sustainably" In other words, if you don’t feel the urge to make more, or buy more, you won’t need Marie Kondo’s magical tricks to declutter either. “We never start from the base of fashion, but always from usefulness,” he says. Once they’ve figured that out, they “look out into the world” and apply the trends and cultural filters. In menswear, this translates into a focus on material and the latest form or silhouette, rather than chiming in to the latest ravewear craze (no, tie-dye isn’t for everyone). Yet, Uniqlo’s is not a “deadpan nonchalance to fashion” as exhibited by, say, American streetwear brand Carhartt, or outdoor clothing giant Patagonia: labels that exist perennially outside the trend mill. “We respect fashion,” Katsuta adds, “because people value emotion and fashion can bring in emotion. It’s our big challenge to bring emotion into our clothing.”
T
o create “the right components” for your style language, whatever it might be, Uniqlo experiments with both material and design. It’s come up with technologically forward innovations like Heattech (body warmers), AIRism (moisture absorbers) and the Ultra Light Down (extremely warm and portable puffers), born out of collaborations with the Toray Research Centre, near Kyoto. In design, the brand has frequently courted some of the world’s biggest fashion names, to create unique and accessible capsule collections. Still, “we’re never going to design clothes for hype,” says John C Jay, President of Global Creative for Fast Retailing. Over a videoSEPTEMBER 2019
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HYPE
"People like KAWS, Takashi Murakami, Andy Warhol recognised the value of democratising art" (From left) Uniqlo brand ambassadors Roger Federer, Shingo Kunieda, Kei Nishikori and Gordon Reid
112 000 —
SEPTEMBER 2019 FEBRUARY 2019
Days before I maxed out in Uniqlo Ginza, a KAWS x UT collaboration (the in-house line of graphic T-shirts) that had released in China was making headlines because of the chaos in stores. “They’re removing tees off the mannequins!” news articles screamed. The coming together of Brian Donnelly with Uniqlo had been an explosive match from the get-go: Not just tees, but any accessory printed with his signature crossed-eyed characters had quickly become collector’s items. “People like KAWS, Takashi Murakami, Andy Warhol – they started from the streets and recognised the value of democratising art,” says Rei Matsunama, who leads the UT division at Uniqlo. “It’s our goal to look at the past, present and future, and interpret the work of those who built present-day culture.”
T
he 12th storey of the Ginza store, normally reserved for newly debuting collections, is a makeshift museum to UT tees when I visit: with collaborators and inspirations as diverse as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Disney’s Star Wars, Murakami, Volkswagen, manga and anime, Fender, Keith Haring, Hokusai and many more (KAWS was, as anticipated, out of stock). Descending closer to Earth, through the three storeys dedicated to menswear, I stocked up on polo tees in exceptional colours; button-down shirts in soft corduroys and light chambray; extremely breathable flannels; basic striped roundneck tees in Supima cotton. I picked up a pair of jeans (Japanese-origin denim is, undoubtedly, the best in the world) and an Ultra Light Down puffer jacket (and promised myself a winter vacation). I would’ve even copped one of those merino wool V-neck jumpers (in that beautiful teal colour, most likely). But all good things, such as my credit card limit, must end. Zipping up and down those strategically placed escalators like Super Mario on mushrooms, I stumbled upon another clue to Uniqlo’s stupendous worldwide popularity: An in-store experience fuelled by speedy, cordial and knowledgeable staff who actively root themselves in the community and context they operate in. Online shopping loses some (a lot) of its sheen. What’s clear is that 35 years and global success later, Uniqlo still strives to interpret the Japanese idea of kaizen: a continuous search for perfection.
IMAGE: NIDHI GUPTA
conference call from Portland, Oregon, Jay is reiterating what every employee, manager and designer we’ve met at Uniqlo so far has said to us: “We wouldn’t make disposable clothing either. We draw our inspiration from the power of everyday people.” With previous stints at ad agency Wieden+Kennedy and Bloomingdale’s, Jay is well-versed in the trials of grafting an enterprise into new territory; and he’s just as familiar with the tectonic shifts that India has seen in the past two decades. It’s why he can say, with great authority, that now is the right time for the brand to be setting up shop in India. Uniqlo’s first store, a three-storey, 35,000sqft space, opens next month at Ambience Mall in Vasant Kunj, Delhi, followed by another in Saket and in Gurugram. In stores, along with all the classics, you can expect to find the Fall/Winter 2019 capsule collections from British designer JW Anderson and Uniqlo U, a line created in collaboration with French maverick Christophe Lemaire. While Anderson focuses on plaid scarves, fleeces and woollen caps, Lemaire’s new line is anchored by coats, turtlenecks and jackets in earthy tones. “Quality will remain paramount,” Jay says, sitting under a large horizontal canvas of the uberpopular American street artist KAWS’ work, “but fashion is not our enemy here.”
GQ PROMOTION
TAILORED PERFECTION
Gentlemen, it’s time to give your wardrobe a very stylish update. Indulge in the art of tailored precision by opting for attire from the masters of bespoke – The Darzi Group
There’s something to be said about a well-tailored outfit. Unlike regular clothing, customised clothing allows you the luxury of picking out your fabrics and shades. Not to mention, you get an outfit that perfectly reflects your aesthetic sensibility, making it uniquely ‘you’. And if there’s one label that’s been blazing a trail in the world of bespoke menswear, it’s The Darzi Group. Founded in 1981 by visionary Sunil Mital, the Group’s legacy of measured precision began with The Darzi. Interestingly enough, Mital was among
the first to computerise the entire tailoring process in 1986 and introduce Italian fabrics to India. Under his watchful eye and expert guidance, The Darzi has evolved to become the label of choice for those seeking the finest in tailored fashion – from formal suits and tuxedos to bandhgalas. Expanding their expertise, Mital added Studio Firang to the brand’s repertoire in 2001 to offer the best in bespoke ethnic wear to the discerning man of style. What’s particularly noteworthy is that Studio Firang is the official retailer for international brands like Ermenegildo Zegna, Dormeuil, Cerruti, Vitale Barberis Canonico and many more. In 2013, Mital’s son Sushain Mital took over the reins of Studio Firang in an effort to modernise the brand. Thanks
to his pioneering vision, today, the label is renowned for its Italian ready-to-wear garments and traditional Indian attire including sherwanis, achkans, kurtas and Jawahar jackets. As if that wasn’t enough, the relentless father-son duo took their ambitions to even greater heights, with the launch of Mirasu in 2016, offering clients an assortment of some of the finest, most luxe fabrics to choose from. With their offerings spanning the entire gamut of menswear, there’s something to be tailored for every kind of occasion. So, don’t be surprised if, soon enough, your wardrobe’s stocked with The Darzi Group’s bespoke attire from top to bottom – with their unique combination of contemporary cuts and classic styling, we get why it can be hard to resist!
For more information, visit thedarzigroup.in, email feedback@thedarzigroup.in, call 011 25100894 or follow @thedarziofficial on Facebook and Instagram
THE HYPE
THE EDIT
THE
MICRO (FROM TOP) DUNHILL `35,000. VERSACE `53,500. FENDI `56,000
If the art-meets-fashion bags are too much for you, then what you carry right now should be no bigger than your phone. Although, for the past seasons, personal luggage for men has been all about crossbody, bum and belt bags, there’s a new pack in town. Introducing the micro man bag. Big enough for your phone, your keys and your Juul, yet small enough not to get in the way. Just think of it as a wallet on a strap. And if anyone calls it a handbag? Well, they wouldn’t be too far off the mark, to be honest.
114 000 —
SEPTEMBER 2019 FEBRUARY 2019
WORDS: TEO VAN DEN BROEKE. PHOTO: COLIN ROSS
MAN
GQ PROMOTION
MILLENNIAL STYLE MOMENTS
Style your way through the week with KURTEES. Combining the best of comfort with the best of style, the brand’s versatile garments will fast become every millennial’s wardrobe staple When it comes to the millennial man, fashion plays an important role in his life. He’s always on top of the latest trends and never fails to leave an impression. That said, fashion, to him, is more than just the clothes he wears – it’s the way he owns his look. Needless to say, then, that his wardrobe is packed with attire that blends comfort with style. And no fashion brand is better suited to his aesthetic sense than KURTEES. This Singapore-designed menswear label by Steven Jhangiani brings millennial men a distinctive offering – the kurtee. It combines the sharp cut of the kurta with the relaxed form of the T-shirt. What really makes the kurtee the ideal fashion choice for the modern millennial is its versatility. From turtlenecks and V-necks to crewnecks and button-up Henleys, there’s enough and more to choose from to suit varied moods and occasions. Be it at work or at an outdoor concert, the kurtee lends itself wonderfully to the millennial lifestyle. Here’s how. AT A CO-WORKING SPACE With the number of co-working spaces cropping up, it gives you the flexibility to work at your leisure and experiment with different looks. Consider this button-up Henley kurtee. Its light grey hue gives it a touch of professionalism while the white, navy and red stripes along the length of the sleeves lend it an element of fun.
AT A CONCERT With a slew of music festivals on the cards over the next few months, it’s best you get your look in order. Pick something that’s trendy yet comfy. Just like this plain black button-up Henley kurtee. Give your look that added edge with distressed jeans and style it with a bold red jacket and matching kicks.
AT A MALL Mall shopping can get exhausting, so choose something that’s stylish yet comfortable. Take, for example, this smart navy button-up Henley kurtee, made that much cooler thanks to the broad white racing stripes down the sleeves. Wear it with white pants and white kicks, and you’re good to go. For the full collection, visit KURTEES.com or follow @ kurteesindia on Instagram
THE HYPE MARNI BANANA SOCK BOOT Inspired by – no joke – Disney cartoons, Marni’s Francesco Risso finds the fantastical in well-worn menswear staples. Take the sneaker sock (or “snocker”): Risso’s new creation “evokes an amplified banana,” he says, proving that the freshest footwear can come from anywhere – even the grocery store.
THE KICKS TO BOOT The streets are teeming with head-turning, trend-starting sneakers, from socks to stompers. So we grabbed the most covetable pairs dropping this season and asked: What are those? 116 —
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PHOTO: TYRELL HAMPTON. STYLIST: MATTHEW HENSON
THE BUZZ
THE HYPE GUCCI ULTRAPACE
NIKE X OFF-WHITE ZOOM TERRA KIGER 5 What do you do after you deconstruct Nike’s ten most iconic silhouettes? If you’re Virgil Abloh, you hit the track, pulling vibes from some of the world’s fastest runners – like Caster Semenya – for your next Off-White collab with the Swoosh. And sure, your pair will look cool on Instagram, but they’re built for more than that: Abloh wants you to train in them, too.
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PHOTO: TYRELL HAMPTON. STYLIST: MATTHEW HENSON
When Alessandro Michele introduced heavy hiking bootsneaker hybrids into the Gucci universe, he turned gorpcore into a full-scale fashion revolution. Now, he’s run a justadd-leg-warmers sneaker from the 1980s through his baroque, maximalist playhouse. With four different Gucci logos, the result is the perfect pair of kicks for the sport that is fashion.
THE HYPE
Virgil Abloh’s first sneaker silhouette for Louis Vuitton is as rock solid as the house’s famed luggage. It takes six hours of stitching to make each shoe out of 106 different components. (In Italy, that too.) But Abloh’s not precious about how to use them: You can skate and play basketball in them before taking them out to a party.
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PHOTO: TYRELL HAMPTON. STYLIST: MATTHEW HENSON
LOUIS VUITTON TRAINER SNEAKER
E R A R THE HYPE
Y T I S S E C E N
LA-based artist Wes Lang makes a strong case for Rolex’s Air-King and why it’s the ultimate everyday pilot’s watch, bringing the right mix of style and sobriety to your wardrobe
THE HISTORY
During World War II, Rolexes were popular among British Royal Air Force pilots for their relatively large size and reliability.
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SEPTEMBER 2019
THE CASE At 40mm in diameter, this is the largest AirKing Rolex has ever produced.
THE DIAL Pilot’s watches have to be extremely legible – hence the 3-6-9 markers, bold Arabic minute scale in a black-and-white colour scheme.
THE MOVEMENT The Air-King’s calibre, housed in a steel case, is resistant to magnetic interference.
WORDS: SAMUEL HINE
T
hese days, everybody wants a steel Rolex. The resale market has never been hotter, and the waiting lists for new releases have never been longer. But there’s one steel Rolex you could probably buy tomorrow from your local authorised dealer: the Air-King. The Air-King was introduced in 1943 as part of a series of timepieces that, it is said, paid tribute to the RAF pilots who flew in the Battle of Britain. It’s gone through many incarnations since then, eventually settling into the brand’s lineup as an entry-level model. But when Rolex re-introduced it in 2016, the only similarity to past versions was, essentially, the Air-King stamp on the dial. Of all the classic Rolexes I’ve come across, this is the one I like wearing the most. It’s the only dial Rolex has ever made where the crown is a different colour from the word “Rolex” – which set purists off when it was unveiled. But who cares what they think? The bold logo, the green second hand, the white gold numerals and the OG Air-King make it fuckin’ fun – a rare quality in serious timepieces. It’s also an absolute powerhouse. At 40mm, the AirKing feels heavier than other Rolexes of this size (since it’s a pilot’s watch, the movement is housed in a sturdy antimagnetic inner case). And it can take a beating – I keep my Air-King in my studio and wear it every day when I work, for ten to 12 hours at a time. But even though it’s covered in paint and grime, I can still put it on with a suit. There aren’t many watches with that kind of versatility. The crazy thing is, I’ve only seen it on two other people – and I look at everybody’s wrist, everywhere I go. Especially when you consider the price: Rs 3.9 lakh. If that doesn’t wake you up to this great option from the most sought-after watch brand in the world, nothing will.
G PHOTO : MANASI SAWANT (GAURAV GUPTA)
THE HYPE
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METEORIC VISION Gaurav Gupta is master of his own universe W R I T T E N
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Gaurav Gupta cuts a distinctive figure with his piercings, angular buzz cut and edgy personal style. Over the past 15 years, the Central Saint Martins graduate and goth at heart has not only carved out his own unique space in the Indian fashion industry, he’s done so by defying convention. The 40-year-old designer is soft-spoken, effortlessly warm, with a devilish sense of humour. He loves to party with an entourage of close friends dressed in his extraordinary clothes. Gupta recounts how, at London’s most recent Animal Ball (hosted by the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall to support wildlife conservation), he spent hours conversing with the Godmother of Punk, Vivienne Westwood – “the real Queen,” he says wickedly, tongue-in-cheek. He’s openly gay, and a strong supporter of the LGBTQ+ community. He’s also a passionate advocate for a comprehensive anti-pollution policy in Indian cities. Gupta is a rule breaker. He’s known for his alluring, alternative vision of Indian luxury – and his menswear is no exception. The elemental forces of nature and mysteries of the galaxies and universe are enduring themes in his work. Meteorite particles seem to have taken form on the surfaces of his women’s gowns and menswear. His suits have names like “Iridescent Star Rain Tuxedo”, and are literally starry suits for starry people. His formal eveningwear has been seen on every Indian celebrity from Saif Ali Khan to Shahid Kapoor to Ranveer Singh.
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upta launched “Gaurav Gupta Man” just two years ago, at GQ Fashion Nights 2017, with a show comprised of men’s Western formalwear called “Diamonds and Demons”. “I think Padmanabh [Singh] is the embodiment of a GG Man – the perfect modern royal who carries himself with utmost grace and style,” he reflects. “I like Jared Leto for his fearless fashion moves, like when he carried a mannequin head to the Met Gala. I’m also obsessed with Gael García Bernal and his unique style. And, of course, Zayn Malik, because he exudes the perfect amalgamation of East-meets-West.” Gupta’s menswear covers the spectrum from classic tuxedos to formal sherwanis. However, none
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are prosaic iterations; instead, they are edgy and flamboyant. “Until five or so years ago, the groom was wearing a plain black tuxedo – that was the only option. The kind of formal menswear I’m doing wasn’t available,” he says. Now, “All my gay friends buy my clothes, but straight men are also wearing them. And that’s changing culture. It’s exciting.” This is an era of unprecedented economic, social and cultural change, and it’s clear that fashion is a crucial conduit through which affluent Indian consumers are experimenting with identity, and expressing a new-found sense of confidence. Instagram, new money and millennials are fuelling this potent cocktail of fashion aspiration. Gupta’s tuxedos, for example, tick all the formal menswear boxes of impeccable tailoring and luxurious fabrics, with an added twist of his signature design techniques. These include lapels with his curved boning, or glistening embroidery. One, made from heavy velvet, makes for a modern, edgy version of a 1930s smoking jacket. It speaks of luxury and elegance, with just the right dose of debonair insouciance. Unsurprisingly, he mentions Gatsby as one of the touchstones for his 2019 Couture collection. As is always the case with Gupta’s daring design vision, the key is in the way futuristic elements and darkly gothic undertones are realised for the Indian The Gaurav Gupta flagship in Mehrauli, Delhi
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THE HYPE
The designer launched his menswear line, “Gaurav Gupta Man”, at GQ Fashion Nights in 2017; Ranveer Singh in a floral digital-print velvet tux; Karan Johar closes Gupta’s LFW 2019 show in a red velvet studded tux with sculpted shoulders
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upta’s new Mehrauli, Delhi store is the perfect backdrop for the designer’s vision. It’s elegant and proportioned in the way that French salons are, with smooth, pale oak wooden floors and chalk-white walls. A tree that existed before the store was built has been incorporated in its centre with a faceted glass cage around it that follows and echoes its shape. It allows
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"All my gay friends buy my clothes, but straight men are also wearing them. The culture is changing, and that is exciting" for a skylight above, through which the tree’s canopy is clearly visible. Elemental forces are also present in a rippling water fountain. Look more closely, and you’ll see mythical animals rendered in iron and brass as decorations on walls and the custom-made clothes rails, as well as on the plush silver-grey furniture – all of it designed by Gupta, because he can never find furniture that he likes. His brand logo is a centaur – half-man, halfanimal – because it’s a fantasy creature, and “it’s the man and the horse together; the man isn’t living his fantasy enough, and this is a fantasy space.” Two new stores will open later this year, in Kolkata and Hyderabad, making for a total of five across the country. Gupta’s own totem animal is the panther, a cat that represents grace, strength, agility and enormous power. Meeting him in person and observing how effortlessly he manages a busy team and several things at once, as well as seeing the roster of stars whom he not only dresses but also parties with, this makes perfect sense.
IMAGE: SAGAR AHUJA (GQ FASHION NIGHTS RUNWAY)
consumer. He’s realistic about how the market has, in some ways, shaped what he does, even while he stands out for being a successful couturier who hasn’t curtailed his design vision to the demand for boilerplate groom’s sherwanis. “We’ve really kept the soul of the brand alive for our men’s eveningwear,” he reflects. “It will be relevant 30 years from now.” He’d like to do more bombers and athleisure, but the numbers won’t justify it. “India doesn’t have a hundred designer stores that can sell luxury casual wear. That’s why it doesn’t make sense for brands like Givenchy, D&G, DSquared2 to be here at the moment.” He points out a slim-tailored sherwani with intricate stitching that’s contraposed in diagonals through the careful mitring of the pattern. He calls it “the SpiderMan sherwani”. It was recently worn by Saif Ali Khan. “It was just the right amount of experimentation for a nawab,” Gupta says. Another slim-line sherwani is made from brocade woven by Ekaya in Benaras to look like snakeskin. A small selection is embroidered in a style more typical of wedding wear. Despite its relative newness, menswear already comprises 20 per cent of his overall business, and looks set to keep growing at around 30 per cent annually.
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GoodLife THE
EDITED BY SAUMYAA VOHRA
Art of Brewing India’s excellent artisanal coffee deserves standout equipment. Meet the kettle and the pour-over apparatus that look as good as your morning cuppa will taste P H O T O G R A P H E D
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R O N A K
D O S H I
WORDS: SHWETA MEHTA SEN
The Steamcatcher, `7,200, The Caffeinator, `9,200; both by Shazé
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Sleepy Owl made its name with its overnight Cold Brew Bags, but its new Hot Brew Bags are just as good. Available in Original and Dark Roast, they need to sit in hot water for just five minutes, before preventing your morning meltdown. `300 for 10 bags
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Octavius Gold Instant Coffee is brewed by a company that was set up in 1898, but only started making coffee in 1986. Whatever Octavius Tea & Industries Ltd did in between those years, it’s figured out how to make a delicious blend. `260 for 100g 4
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Korebi Coffee’s Hot and Cold Brew Bags simply need 300-400ml of water. Our pick to keep us awake during that long meeting: the Light Roast beans, sourced from Chikmagalur’s Thogarihankal Estate. `500 for 5 bags The Luxury Instant Coffee by Teddy Roosevelt (yes, named after the US president who was rumoured to drink a gallon of coffee a day) is a single-origin Arabica Bean agglomerated instant coffee that comes in an elegant, gift-worthy box. `299 for 30 sachets
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WORDS: SHWETA MEHTA SEN
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GOODLIFE 5
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Arabica and Robusta beans are blended together in TGL Co.’s Euphoria Instant Coffee to create a powerfully tannic flavour – charcoal-like at first, followed by sweetness from its nutty undertones. `249 for 50g
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Colombian Brew Coffee was inspired by Francisco Romero, a 16th-century priest who kickstarted the South American country’s coffee revolution. Flavours include mint, cinnamon, blueberry chocolate mocha and vanilla. From `119 for 50g
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Rage’s Coffee Shots are the perfect afternoon pick-me-up, combining plant extracts like ginkgo biloba, panax ginseng and rhodiola rosea with highquality Ethiopian coffee beans. They’re small, but deceptively potent – you don’t want to be jumping off the walls. `499 for 10 shots or 100g
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Cohoma’s innovative CohomaCup comes in three flavours – original custom roast, cinnamon hazelnut and french vanilla. Each cup also includes an in-built filter bag, sugar and creamer. Your job’s easy: just add hot water or milk. `99 per cup; `485 for 250g
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MAKE LIKE YOUR barista with these small- batch indian beans w Marc’s Coffees Kaveri Espresso Blend, `175 for 100g (Puducherry) w Smoky Falls Tribe Coffee, `150 for 100g (Shillong) w Flying Squirrel Rohan Bopanna’s
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If you haven’t yet decided how you like your coffee, Country Bean’s Assorted Flavour Box has you covered. Each features a mix of hazelnut, caramel, choco orange, berry and original sachets. Figure out your favourite, then buy an entire jar of it. `350 for 25 sachets; `325 for 60g SEPTEMBER 2019
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Thunder Thai Gurmehar Sethi is taking Thai street food to the world through his brand, Ziu
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WORDS: SAUMYAA VOHRA
23-year-old Cordon Bleu grad backpacks around Thailand, hopping between obscure villages and popping into locals’ homes for a meal and cooking lessons: It sounds like an Anthony Bourdain-esque travel show, but it’s how Gurmehar Sethi’s obsession with Thai food began. This world of raw, fresh ingredients seemed to resonate with Sethi, who adopted the cuisine. Ziu came about by chance in 2015, when Sethi was shown an empty space in Delhi’s RK Puram. Fast forward to today, and his Thai street food restaurant has become a South Delhi staple. Ziu has also expanded in the past year into Dubai, Abu Dhabi and, this month, Gurugram, with plans to open in London, Amsterdam and possibly Rotterdam in 2020. Sethi admits it took this long to go beyond Delhi because he wasn’t ready. “I hadn’t figured out the loopholes – but now my base is strong, and I can set up in a new country with more ease,” he says. The path he’s taking seems so simple: upscaling Thai street fare, with no fusion or molecular gastronomy involved. “Indian food never excited me the way watching Bangkok street vendors did,” he shares. “I was mesmerised as they’d toss pork, glass noodles, tofu, shrimp paste into a wok, and serve up a hundred flavours in
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a minute. People want that rawness; they just won’t hustle through the streets to get it. My job with Ziu is bridging that gap – and since the Thai embassy crowd is down here for lunch all the time, I’m clearly doing something right!” A comparison to Gaggan Anand’s namesake restaurant and Garima Arora’s Gaa, both in Bangkok, seems natural. But, unlike the former’s progressive Indian menu and the latter’s ThaiIndian crossover, Ziu isn’t breaching the confines of its cuisine, but rather innovating within them. It’s also why setting up in Thailand itself has never made sense for Sethi. “The OG food streets are right there!” he laughs. Sethi likes to play with ingredients and techniques to give things his own touch, like using masala gud instead of palm sugar for an Indian twist, or air-frying a traditionally raw papaya salad. However, bringing the raw, authentic flavours from the street to the table is what makes Ziu successful – something he insists even restaurants in Thailand don’t do. He can’t think of a fine dine he liked during his time there, and mostly ate on Bangkok’s food streets: Sukhumvit, Soi 14 and Soi 11. “People think there’s just Pad Thai and green curry, but those streets have so many hidden gems: pork porridges, Thai barbecue, sous vide lamb. I asked the vendors there all my questions when I was an eager kid, learning to cook. Restaurant chefs don’t have the same kind of knowledge.” At just 29, Sethi’s got the confidence of a man with more than his ten years of experience. Perhaps it’s because he was handling multiple Nobu kitchens by the time he was 22. “Chef [Nobuyuki] Matsuhisa is the best person I could’ve learned from. I helped set up Nobu in Dubai, South Africa, Monte Carlo and London, and it was great training for now, when I’m opening kitchens across the world myself,” he tells me. Yet, despite his Nobu experience, he was still thrown by how hard it was. “I was an idiot to believe I knew everything about opening in another country. It was a nightmare!” he says. Setting up a staff was a gargantuan task, for one. “You can take trusted people with you, but you need to work with locals – and the language barriers can be frustrating.” Ingredients were his next hurdle. When freshness is your big sell, you can’t not grow your own produce. “For Ziu Delhi, I grow them at my greenhouse in the North-East,” Sethi says. “But the Middle East doesn’t let most people do it.” He’s finally managed to get a wall garden going there, and has procured the hook-ups he needs to grow his star ingredients in London and Holland. When it comes to restaurant permissions, however, he claims there’s no prep like India: “Nothing’s more harrowing than getting licences
Thai Pomelo salad with water chestnut and mango in spicy Nam Jim dressing; (Below) Ziu Delhi
“I don't think I've ever liked a fine dine restaurant in thailand. I only ever ate on the streets” sorted out in Delhi. In contrast, Europe and the UAE were a cakewalk.” With Ziu, Sethi’s created a global umbrella brand focused on Thai, which also includes Ziu Bâ (gastropub/tapas bar) and Ziu Ko (satellite kitchen). “Gurgaon made sense for Ziu Bâ, it’s ideal for a 200-seater Asian gastropub,” Sethi explains. “I kept it casual dining in Abu Dhabi, tailored to the locals, because it’s still a raw market with fewer big players.” With Dubai, the culinary scene was saturated, so Ziu Ko seemed a smarter bet. The London and Holland Zius will focus on locals too. “They love Thai, but I’ll need to temper my spices,” he grins. “I’ll be free to use more of the meats traditionally cooked on the streets, though.” As I taste his savoury update on a traditional Thai dessert, the Kanom Krok (a coconut crème brûlée with shredded chicken, kaffir lime and a Tom Kha dressing), and the Khao Tang Gai Yang (rice crackers topped with roasted chicken in curry paste), his obsession with homegrown ingredients falls into place. The flavours I’m left with are a thoughtful mixture of sweet, sour and subtle, each equally distinct and impossibly fresh. True to the streets of Thailand, but still very much a worldclass meal. SEPTEMBER 2019
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THE BRUNCH
THE HONG KONG CLUB, ANDAZ DELHI |
Delhi
The Hong Kong Club, the Cantonese nightlife hub at the quirky, Delhi cultureinspired Andaz, is now doing a languid, four-hour Sunday brunch. Grab a table by the pool and have a little champagne before you jump in for a swim. When you emerge hungry, tuck in to some appetizers and mains, or start instead with the 16 types of dim sum (which you can make yourself at the chef’s masterclass, if you turn up an hour early) on the menu. We’re thinking you might pull a Schwarzenegger next Sunday and be back. 85888 42919
TASTE ALL THAT MATTERS THIS MONTH
THE HOTEL
KATHMANDU MARRIOTT Surrounded by the Himalayas, the new Kathmandu Marriott is a getaway rife with elements of local design – be it the art, traditional carpets or the 500kg Nepalese prayer bell hanging in the foyer. Enjoy a live jazz gig and a cocktail crafted with locally sourced ingredients at the bar, Raksi, post a dinner of local delicacies at the live-counter restaurant, Thamel Kitchen. This, after spending the day sight-seeing at the Narayanhiti Palace Museum or the Garden Of Dreams, both a stone’s throw from the hotel. Since you’re also here to chill, hit up the M-Wellness spa for an Ayurvedic massage, or the tranquil-looking pool for a little downtime. marriott.com 134 —
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NEPAL Kathmandu
WORDS: SAUMYAA VOHRA
| Nepal
GQ PROMOTION
A WILD RETREAT
Luxe spaces. Delightful menus. And inimitable experiences. All topped off with eco-conscious touches. Expect all of this – and much more – at The Blackbuck Lodge. Here, in the lap of nature, is where you can celebrate the quiet beauty of the wilderness
City life can get hectic and chaotic. So, it’s important to press pause and take a break. For your next getaway, trade fivestar hotel accommodations in metropolises for something quieter. Consider a short getaway to The Blackbuck Lodge. Situated adjacent to the Velavadar National Park in Gujarat, here is where you can experience silence and stillness amidst the wilderness. Not to mention, this is also where you’ll get a glimpse of the rare Indian blackbuck. Founded by wildlife enthusiast Mickey Desai, this quaint eco-conscious property, spread across 150 acres of arid grassland, is unique in that it has, very thoughtfully, incorporated a host of eco-friendly edits – think paraffin lamps and stationery made of recycled materials. Here, 14 rustic cottages, flaunting natural elements like wooden furniture, granite floors and rough-hewn stone walls, welcome you. Well-kitted with an en-suite room, indoor and outdoor bathrooms, a patio and a deck which looks out at the grasslands, each offers a wonderful blend of familiar luxuries and modern amenities. The elegant offerings of The Villa will delight you, while the private pool area of the Plunge Pool Cottage will have you spending hours luxuriating in tranquility. And, at The Pool Villa is where you can enjoy lounging by the pool on chaises, with a good book. But there’s more to The Blackbuck Lodge than meets the eye. Plenty distinctive and exciting experiences await. Like, an exclusive – and rather romantic – Bush Dinner. As the sun dips behind the horizon, make yourself comfortable at tables arranged by the lakeside and indulge in perfectly barbecued nibbles and delicious Kathiawadi cuisine. For the adventurous few, the property even curates fun itineraries. Consider touring the sprawling Velavadar National Park in an open jeep and keep your cameras on standby for when you spot Indian foxes, nilgai and of course, the elusive blackbuck. Or, book a visit to the archaeological site of Lothal and the spiritual temple town of Palitana. Luxury in the midst of wilderness – expect nothing less at The Blackbuck Lodge. For more information, visit theblackbucklodge.net
GOODLIFE
THE LUXURY HOMESTAY
THE ROHET HOUSE | Jodhpur
The noble Rohet Family of Jodhpur has added a third experience to its hospitality arsenal (which already included the ancestral seat-turnedhotel Rohet Garh, and the newer Mihir Garh), opening up its private home to travellers last month. The traditional estate is that quintessential cross between the warmth of a homestay and the luxury of a hotel. On offer are nine suites and rooms, a lounge by the pool and a quaint garden dining area that serves up authentic, private family recipes. If you’re feeling outdoorsy, partake in a curated market excursion, or an Old City bike ride. If you’re a history buff, the double whammy of staying here while you visit the Blue City’s heritage sites is too good to pass up. reservations@houseofrohet.com
THE BAR
THE TATUM ROOM
| Delhi
Created by the folks behind The Piano Man Jazz Club – Delhi’s favourite jazz bar – The Tatum Room is a members-only Prohibition-themed throwback. Located right above PMJC, the key-access-only 13-seater keeps the ethos of Piano Man alive (ie, music is king), with little luxe extras you wouldn’t ordinarily find at a bar: think butler service and a private smoking room. Go on, kick back on the Chesterfield with a Singhal Malt (cinnamon-laced whisky sour) and a wood-fired sandwich. Every man deserves his cave. thepianoman.in
TASTE ALL THAT MATTERS THIS MONTH
THE RETREAT
PATH OF THE URBAN YOGI RETREAT AT VANA | Mix things up this month with a holiday that actually makes you work a little – on yourself. Contemporary wellness centre Vana’s four-day, five-night Path of the Urban Yogi Retreat is just the kind of thing to restore you to full battery, with meditations (both sitting and walking), short talks, group conversations and yoga on the itinerary. There are also workshops like Awareness Through Activity and Integrating With Senses, tailored to deepen your connection with yourself and your surroundings in a way that an at-home meditation wouldn’t be able to manage. Some of the evenings will end with a mehfil, to give you a chance to reflect on the day. We aren’t knocking that a peg of whisky is a great go-to for spiritual healing, but this may likely have more lasting results. vana.co.in. 136
WORDS: SAUMYAA VOHRA
Uttarakhand
IN THE TIGER's LAIR He can outrun, out-dance and out-kick any one of his peers. Five years after his debut, Tiger Shroff’s popularity remains unparalleled, with a loyal fan following tracking his every (gravity-defying) move. He’s marked his territory, and there’s no stopping him now
PHOTOGRAPHED BY TARUN VISHWA STYLED BY RAVNEET CHANNA
WRITTEN BY OMKAR KHANDEKAR
JACKET, TROUSERS; BOTH BY MRP. AVAILABLE AT MRPORTER.COM. JUMPER BY JIL SANDER 139
POLO T-SHIRT BY PRADA AVAILABLE AT MRPORTER. COM. TROUSERS BY BRUNELLO CUCINELLI. SNEAKERS BY ASICS
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Each time I met Tiger Shroff – once at his apartment, and once at GQ’s cover shoot – he spoke in a measured tone, called me “sir” even though we’re the same age and was always up for homilies like, “It’s a surreal feeling...” and “I’m just so grateful...” It shouldn’t have come as a surprise. Shroff’s public persona seems carefully cultivated. “In public, I’m my mother’s son,” he once admitted in an interview with Karan Johar. “[With friends], I’m my father’s.” Such grooming is in sharp contrast to his more garrulous father, superstar Jackie Shroff. “The challenge has been to carve out my own niche,” he says. “I think I’ve done a fairly decent job so far.” It’s not an unfair assessment. From his debut in Heropanti in 2014 to the super successful Baaghi franchise (a third film is forthcoming), he’s rehashed the role of a shirtless Good Samaritan with a sixpack. On the odd occasion his characters start seeming vulnerable, his directors get him to say things like, “Ye jo tera torture hai, woh mera warmup hai.” It’s all textbook Bollywood, but he makes it work, courtesy his martial arts prowess and sick dancing skills. Shroff’s home in Mumbai is a sea-facing fourbedroom apartment, one he shares with his parents and sister. The living room is well-lit, spacious and centrally air-conditioned, featuring numerous portraits, oil paintings and fan art dedicated to the father-son duo. There are shelves crowded with numerous “Best Actor” trophies. Are any of them more special than the rest? I ask. “The Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice award,” Shroff says, which he won in the “Favourite Dancing Star” category. It’s a hat-tip to one of his most loyal audiences, who see in him a homegrown Michael Jackson. “I owe them my
stardom,” he’d said shortly after receiving the award in 2016. Today, Shroff is wearing a nut-brown tank top and navy-blue trackpants. There’s a Fitbit on his wrist, and two red streaks on his right shoulder. For the past few days, he’s been rehearsing non-stop for a promotional dance number for his upcoming action flick War, also starring Hrithik Roshan. The movie, Shroff says, is “like an Ethan Hunt-meets-James Bond” flick. Their on-screen battle is for glory, and the affections of its only female lead. Off-screen, it seems to be for the title of Mr Congeniality. When he’s working opposite Shroff, Roshan said in a recent interview, he can’t afford to be complacent. “He’s so hardworking... He’s going to be untouchable for the next 50 years.” “I don’t believe it [Hrithik’s praise], to be honest,” says Shroff, relaxing on his ivory couch. “He’s too big a personality. You know how in videogames you choose characters and [then] see their powers? He’s got every power.” The teaser trailer for War racked up a whopping 20 million-plus YouTube views in 24 hours. It’s slickly produced, and promises some serious riproaring action. But isn’t it also more of the same: a two-hour-long chase sequence spanning exotic locales across the world, starring chiselled torsos and bikini bottoms? “I love being typecast because it gives me an identity,” Shroff says. “You think of Shah Rukh sir, you think ‘Romance King’. You think of Salman Khan, you think ‘Bhaijaan’ and swag. Each one of these guys has a label. That’s important in an industry that has so much competition.” There’s also the versatile Aamir Khan label of being a “Thinking Man’s Hero”, I point out. Shroff pauses. “Every time I do something offbeat, it’s not been as kind to me. Take A Flying Jatt or Student Of The Year (SOTY) 2. In A Flying Jatt, I was a bumbling superhero, afraid of heights, fights and of using his powers. In SOTY 2, I was a college guy getting bullied. It didn’t go down too well with my audience. I don’t think they could digest me coming from Baaghi 2 to being beaten up by college students.” But doesn’t he beat them up at the end of SOTY 2? “I do, eventually, but it was like... After taking down an army, I’m taking down college kids.” Shroff’s journey into Bollywood is a serendipity afforded to many a star kid. He’d started getting offers ever since he was in school. “My father was at his [professional] peak when I was in the 4th standard. I used to get a lot of attention. The teachers would treat me differently. They’d use me as an example whenever the [other] kids were naughty or made noise. ‘Look at Tiger,’ they’d say, ‘He’s such a big star’s son but he’s so quiet, so simple.’ Then some bullies at the back would be thinking, meet me outside. I’d get thrashed.” Once he’d finished Grade 12, producer Sajid Nadiadwala spotted his photograph in a newspaper. 141
Struck by his “unconventional” looks, he offered to cast him in the movies. Shroff, who was then harbouring dreams of playing football professionally, told him he wasn’t interested. But soon he realised his dreams were unrealistic, given India’s football ranking and poor infrastructure. By the time Nadiadwala called again a few months later, he was ready to take the leap. Luckily for him, there was no audition. “Had there been one, I wouldn’t have got it anyway,” Shroff admits. “Sajid was instrumental in guiding me,” he recounts. “The route I should take, the heroes I should look up to, the films I should be doing. [He said] it’s important to work with the best makers, that I should work on my craft everyday. If yesterday’s Tiger was to challenge the Tiger of today, the latter should beat the former.” To achieve this, he put himself on a daily fourhour workout regime, switching between gymnastics, martial arts, weight training and dance routines, and backing it up with a punishing diet. Only on Sundays does he allow himself a break. As the paparazzi well know, he’s then most likely found wolfing down pancakes at Bastian, a popular eatery in his neighbourhood, with his rumoured girlfriend Disha Patani. He continues to be tight-lipped about that: “If there was a relationship, I would’ve acknowledged it.”
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n the early years of his career, the baggage of his father’s stardom weighed on him just as heavily as Jackie’s series of erratic financial decisions. In 2002, his mother’s directorial debut Boom was leaked on the internet before its theatrical release. The distributors pulled out, but Jackie stepped in and ensured its release. The film tanked. The family had to sell their four-bedroom Bandra apartment and move into a two-bedroom home in neighbouring Khar. Shroff was 11 at the time, old enough to understand what was going on. “I remember how our furniture and stuff was sold off, one by one. My mother’s artwork, lamps... Things I’d grown up seeing around us started disappearing. Then my bed went. I started to sleep on the floor. It was the worst feeling of my life. I wanted to work at that age but I knew I could do nothing to help.” The uncertainty of those years was a powerful motivator. When he joined the film industry, Shroff promised his mother that he’d buy their house back. By 2017, he had earned enough to keep his promise. His parents were touched by the gesture, but declined. Instead, they stayed put at their present residence, in a building that’s also home to Aamir Khan. The experience, Shroff says, shaped him. It’s one of the reasons he won’t experiment much. He’d rather do what he knows, and do it better than anyone else. 142
“ I LOVE BEING TYPECAST BECAUSE IT GIVES ME AN IDENTITY... THAT LABEL IS IMPORTANT IN SUCH A COMPETITIVE INDUSTRY” At a time when the Hindi film industry is experimenting with style, content and form, Shroff’s faith in the formula of yore is surprising. Every time one of his movies releases, his mother makes a surreptitious trip to the G7 cinema complex near Bandra’s railway station, known for being a barometer of success for “mass-y” entertainers. A few years ago, he decided to attend one such screening of Baaghi. The theatre, he recalls, was in rapture throughout the 15-minute fight sequence at the end. That was the moment Shroff knew he’d found his identity. Having delivered three `100 crore hits already, Shroff now wants to make his mark in the West. The showreel he’d sent over a couple of months ago received “quite a [lot of] positive feedback”. Perhaps he could be the next crossover star, like, say, Jackie Chan. Perhaps even the first brown Spider-Man. “I’d save them a lot of money on VFX,” he once said. “I already have a lot of his powers, without webs coming out of my hands.” “There’s a large part of the country that looks up to their hero. [For them], maar-dhaad is the loudest language. I want to continue to serve them.” The real-life Shroff might not look like large swathes of his audience, he might not talk like them or live like them, but they’ll cheer for him anyway. They’ll print his corny lines on the backs of their rickshaws, and imitate his dance routines in TikTok videos. For them, Tiger will continue to speak softly, call his interviewers “sir” even when they’re the same age and dish out homilies. He’ll marvel at how surreal his success feels and for that, he will be forever grateful.
JUMPER BY PAUL SMITH. JEANS BY FRAME. SNEAKERS BY ASICS HAIR: AMIT YADAV MAKE-UP: RAHUL KOTHAVALE ASSISTANT STYLISTS: SELMAN FAZIL, SHAEROY CHINOY PRODUCTION: MEGHA MEHTA 143
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WATCH Balancing Act The maxim “don’t fix what isn’t broken” isn’t something the watchmakers at Breguet are familiar with. As long as they’re chipping away, handcrafting and devising new ways to innovate, the future of high-end watchmaking looks bright
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Breguet kept himself busy. But he truly hit the big time with the tourbillon. A blown-up view of a rudimentary tourbillon makes it look like some sort of steampunk/outer space satellite. It’s a mechanism that’s baffled many with the way it functions. So, let’s get that one out of the way first. What does a tourbillon do? Gravity might be a friend to dentists, but to watchmakers it’s the devil’s handmaiden. It constantly interferes with the functioning of the escapement, weighing it down and having a gradual, tumultuous effect on accuracy. The tourbillon was, therefore, invented to counteract the effects of gravity, by taking all the mechanical elements affected by it – escapement, spring, balance wheel – and putting them in a small, mobile case that rotates on itself. This way,
WORDS: PARTH CHARAN
O
ver the years, Breguet has come to command absolute authority over the business of tourbillons. And rightfully so: Abraham-Louis Breguet, the brand’s founder and bona fide mechanical genius, created the nifty little complication and patented it back in 1801. This tiny, gravity-defying contraption actually took over a decade to be fully developed. This was a time when people hung their watches from their waistcoats in a near-constant vertical position. Breguet was practically the Steve Jobs of watchmaking, with many innovations under his belt during what would be the most productive period of his professional life (1775-1801). In this time, he created anti-shock devices, improved lever escapements and even created a small watch with an equation of time function. Bottom line:
(Clockwise from left) A Breguet tourbillon featured in a pocketwatch; The original 1801 patent awarded to Breguet; The Breguet Marine Chronograph in titanium; the Breguet Marine Alarme Musicale; Breguet Marine 5517 in rose gold; (Opposite) The Classique Tourbillon ExtraPlat Squelette 5395
no matter how the watch is positioned, the movement remains unaffected by gravity. A revolutionary piece of tech at the dawn of the 19th century, and a giant, unprecedented leap in mechanical accuracy.
to maritime culture in the form of a skeletonised rotor shaped like a ship’s wheel. It’s got plenty of silicon as well – which is always good news when dealing with high-end chronos.
The pièce de résistance It’s been 218 years since this incredible (not to mention expensive) complication was invented. And while watches have gone on to feature several tourbillons (four’s the record), Breguet still has monopoly over making the prettiest ones. Especially if the latest Classique Tourbillon Extra-Plat Squelette 5395 (yes, it’s a mouthful) is anything to go by. Ultra-thin, skeletonised movements are among the brand’s signature moves, and this one’s made of gold (rhodiumplated for the platinum version). It’s a thing of incredible beauty, with a hand-polished movement that’s been streamlined to shed 50 per cent of the material and create a stunning example of openwork brilliance. The movement itself builds on the Classique Tourbillon Extra-Plat Automatique, which was originally introduced in 2013, and featured an ultra-thin (3mm) tourbillon. Now, with half the material chamfered, polished and chiselled off, the bits of the dial that remain have been given the guilloche treatment, available in rose gold and white gold versions.
Marine 5517 As is the case with the rest of the collection, the Marine 5517 is at its sportiest when served up in a titanium case (although white and rose gold options look particularly good too) with a sunburst grey dial. In terms of function, the 5517 may be pretty standard, but it’s still a stunning testament to the fact that Breguet was the official watchmaker of the French Royal Navy.
The Marine collection The Classique Tourbillon may be its most exotic novelty for the year, but it’s far from the only star in its collection. Breguet has also updated its Marine collection to make it more contemporary. The references now come with a titanium case and bracelet (pictured on the far right), which have outward-facing links featuring a satin finish and are thoroughly polished on the inside. The Marine Chronograph has all the trademark features of a Breguet: guilloche dial, fluted bezel and a wave motif. While its white gold case may not suggest that this is a high-functioning, sporty chronograph, make no mistake, that’s what this ultimately is. It also happens to be more ornate than other chronos, with 346 individual parts and an homage
Marine Alarme Musicale 5547 Introduced last year, the Breguet Marine Alarme Musicale 5547 serves three main functions. Apart from having an alarm mechanism, it also gets a date display and a second time-zone function, which can be toggled using the second pusher placed at 4 o’clock – all of which is set in a rose gold, white gold or titanium case. The Marine Alarme Musicale 5547 is a fine travel companion, even if you aren’t necessarily travelling by sea. It’s interesting to note that for Breguet, these watches are an attempt to break out of its conservative design cocoon, even though by all other standards, it’s still quite old-school. And we’re perfectly okay with that.
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WORDS: PARTH CHARAN
Wafer-thin yet rock solid, the new Royal Oak Selfwinding Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin is classic Audemars Piguet
DISCOVER THE NEW MEANING OF LUXURIOUS LIVING An exclusive look inside India’s most beautiful homes, featuring renowned architects, celebrated interior decorators and discerning experts to help you create the perfect GQ home Now in the March, June, October & December issues
For more information, contact gqindiaadsales@condenast.in
WATCH
Photo Finish It’s a long walk across the derby tracks, made infinitely more so by having to duck out of all the expertly framed selfie shots of hordes of influencers traipsing across the grounds of the Château de Chantilly. If it’s a picturesque setting you want, you’ve hit the jackpot with the Prix de Diane Longines. Serving as the title sponsor of the storied horse race is one of the ways Longines continues its patronage of all things equestrian. Situated north of Paris, the château grounds serve as France’s foremost horse racing hub, surrounded by Renaissance-style architecture, fillies straight out of an oil painting and the most elegant hats in the land. The latter phenomenon didn’t only result from perfectly clear and sunny skies. The prestigious Mademoiselle Diane held by Longines Concours d’Elegance rewards the fanciest, most creative efforts in hat-wearing, with the winner being felicitated by the Longines brand ambassador – in this case, Australian actor Simon Baker. I meet Baker in a quiet hotel suite for an interview. He has an easy-going, unaffected vibe about him, much like other famous Australians. The Mentalist star is sporting the latest from Longines’ Record collection – something the brand has chosen to showcase at the event. “I like the proportions of it,” he says, also confirming that he’s not a guy who likes to accessorise much – an attribute that makes his wrist coveted real estate. “The proportion of the dial in relation to the bezel is a really nice aesthetic,” he adds. The Record Collection recently received COSC 150 —
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(Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres) certification, which is the highest badge of quality bestowed upon a Swiss watch by the governing body for accuracy in automatic Swiss watches. Having delivered several vintage era-inspired hits over the last few years, Longines shifted its focus to accuracy and precision with this series: available in four different sizes (26mm, 30mm, 38.5mm and 40mm), all featuring stainless steel cases with polished surfaces. Chantilly has hosted the French derby since 1836, but Longines’ association with high-stakes equestrian sport came about four decades later. “I believe it was in 1878 when Longines designed a watch with a jockey and a horse on the dial. So, they’ve been involved with horse racing since 1878. It’s a very closely tied relationship where they sponsor more than 400 equestrian events in a year,” Baker informs me, assuring me that the link with the sport isn’t as tenuous as it may seem to the uninitiated. Buoyed by Prosecco back outside, people proceed to place their wagers. The thrill at the prospect of winning is far greater than any amount placed at the betting counter. The commentator’s voice rises to a fevered pitch as he keenly verbalises the excitement of the race in rapid French – incomprehensible, but not ineffective. With the ground’s periphery now flooded with people in their Sunday best, it’s clear that the event isn’t just aimed at the well-heeled. Chantilly is all about vineyards, strawberry fields and gorgeous, galloping beasts. As far as high-profile weekend garden parties go, this one’s hard to top.
WORDS: PARTH CHARAN
The Prix de Diane Longines combines the best of sport, high fashion and horology
ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST
` 200 JULY-AUGUST 2019 THE MOST BEAUTIFUL HOMES IN THE WORLD
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BAWA
E R E H W (right now) Congratulations: You’ve survived the first half of the year, and deserve a break. GQ rounds up the coolest places to visit – and what to do while you’re there
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IMAGE: ALAMY (BAZARUTO ARCHIPELAGO), GETTY IMAGES (SURFERS), BOB POOLE (ELEPHANT)
(Clockwise from left) An aerial view of the Bazaruto archipelago; Surfers in Nampula; The new Meliá Maputo Sky; Elephant-watching at the Gorongosa National Park; Fresh lobsters at the Meliá Maputo Sky
MOZAMBIQUE
AFRICA
LOUCHE AND LUXE: TWO WORDS THAT SUM UP A TRIP TO THE ISLANDS OFF MOZAMBIQUE’S COAST – ALL THANKS TO AN UNLIKELY COMBINATION OF HISTORY AND NEW HOTELS Mozambique was once sub-Saharan Africa’s answer to Havana: a hedonistic hideout with nightlife, naughtiness and no limits. The fun was centred around the islands fringing its coast, especially the southernmost Bazaruto archipelago – home to the Santa Carolina hotel, a mid-century modern masterpiece with its own landing strip and whose cocktail hour famously inspired Bob Dylan to pick out a few notes on the hotel’s piano, a love song to the place itself. Today, after two decades of civil conflict ending in the 1990s, the Santa Carolina survives, just; it bakes in the sun, an elegant ruin. But new high-end hotels are finally channelling its legacy, luring visitors with a similar, if less naughty, appeal: privacy in paradise, with pristine, palm-fringed beaches rolling out to the bluest Indian Ocean. The first, andBeyond Benguerra Island, debuted three years ago next to the Santa Carolina; the luxury safari company just overhauled a sister site in the northern Quirimbas cluster, on Vamizi Island, and will be adding a lodge to its 20 private villa-style rooms this year. Back down in Bazaruto, Mozambique has signed a co-management agreement with African Parks to oversee long-term ocean conservation of this coastal jewel, and VistaJet entrepreneur Nina Flohr is breaking ground on an ambitious hotel, joining existing luxury properties Anantara and Azura. Until that’s completed, you can crash affordably at her new Kisawa Residence and pitch in at the marine conservation centre. Conservation is shaping the story off the beach too. An investment from American philanthropist Greg Carr has resurrected wildlife numbers in oncedepleted Gorongosa National Park, where waterfalls and marshlands are luring a particularly impressive crop of colourful birds. No wonder that next summer, The Royal Portfolio will debut its first tented safari camp outside of South Africa here. After a few days’ lounging on the coast or animal trekking, tack on a weekend in Mozambican capital Maputo, renowned for its nightlife and Portuguese-flavoured seafood, and where the first new hotel in several years just opened, the Meliá Maputo Sky, on the water downtown. It’s a breezy 15-minute stroll to the Karen-Blixen-in-Mykonos bar Dhow Café nearby: Start here at sunset and plan to stay out until dawn. —MARK ELLWOOD
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HOW TO EAT AND DRINK YOUR WAY THROUGH AMERICA’S NORTH-EAST (the craft beer game is strong here)
(Clockwise from top left) Tandem Bakery; Freshly caught lobsters being sorted out on a fishing boat; Kayakers paddling by the Kancamagus Pass on the Swift river
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If you thought New England was all Ivy League elites and clam chowder in the fall, you’re right. But there’s more. The region is also home to award-winning hotels, fantastic food and drink (Portland, Maine, was Bon Appetit’s Restaurant City of 2018) and beautiful drives, making it perfect for a fiveday road trip. Kick things off in Portland (fly in via Boston), with pit stops at Tandem Bakery, the recently opened Flood’s, Eventide Oyster Co and Cong Tu Bot (for the fiery pho). Spend two days here, then head up Highway 1 over the course of a lazy afternoon. Tuck in to the state’s famous lobster rolls en route, at Mcloons Lobster Shack or Woodmans, but keep going until you hit the Camden Harbour Inn. The Relais & Chateaux boutique inn will be your base for the next two days, as you explore ’gram-worthy villages and lighthouses along the shoreline, and catch the sunset view at Bar Harbor. Next, venture an hour inland to The Lost Kitchen in Freedom, run by Beard Awardnominated Erin French, who champions foraged and local produce. The only way to get a reservation here is by mailing in a postcard beforehand. Get a head start for a seat in 2020 by hand-delivering yours. Then, drive west, for four hours, until you’re in Vermont: home of good cheese, Bernie Sanders – and craft beer, the reason you’re here. The quirky state’s got 56 breweries (and counting), many of them hidden away along rural roads. Set yourself up in an Airbnb in Burlington or the smaller Stowe, then get down to some serious drinking. Four Quarters Brewing offers an experimental Mango Lassi Shakedown that’ll remind you of home, while The Alchemist’s cultish Heady Topper is a winner. If hops aren’t your thing, Krista Scruggs does some can’t-miss naturally aspirated wines, available at CO Cellars. You can’t leave New England without enjoying its wild, natural beauty: drive through New Hampshire’s Kancamagus Pass in the White Mountains on your way back East. Take it slow through the winding, elevated highway, and stop often – these are dramatic views you’re not likely to see elsewhere. —VRITTI RASHI GOEL
IMAGE: GETTY IMAGES (LOBSTERS, KAYAKERS, STEPWELL, HAMPI LANDSCAPE)
(From top) The family pool at Evolve Back Kamalapura Palace; The majestic ruins of Hampi; An intricately carved local stepwell
HAMPI
INDIA
LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED There are compelling reasons to visit Hampi in 2019: It was second on the New York Times’ list of “52 Places To Go” this year; it’s a bona fide UNESCO World Heritage site; and it’s more accessible than ever before, with a new airport at Hubli (serviced by Indigo, AirAsia India and SpiceJet), from where you can drive down to the excellent Evolve Back Kamalapura Palace or the The Ultimate Travelling Camp’s new Kishkinda Camp. Check in to one of the palatial suites at the former, built in the architectural style of the fabled Vijayanagara empire, which reached its apogee in the 16th century. There’s an infinity pool, a family pool, a surreal sea of gravity-defying boulders to meditate upon – and some of the most incredible architecture in the world. The boutique property will organise trips with expert guides to the iconic Virupaksha Temple complex, where you can cycle around the magnificent ruins, or the famous Vitthalapura complex. Time travel with the Raya trail to what life was like for the maharajas of the region. Back at Kamalapura, sample the local fare at Tuluva, then book yourself a relaxing Ayurvedic massage at Vaidyashalam. Finish in time for the evening palace ritual, where the resident flautist plays a mellifluous evening raga to celebrate dusk. But this sort of attention to detail is only to be expected. After all, the hotel’s inspiration comes from a people who carved intricate chariots out of granite, and for whom even elephant stables were a thing of delicate beauty. —SHIKHA SETHI
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IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK (JAPAN FLAG), GETTY IMAGES (SHIBUYA DISTRICT, FEMALE GOTH, TSUNOSHIMA BRIDGE). PHOTO: KENNETH LAM (TOKYO STREERT CORNER)
(Clockwise from left) Tokyo’s Shibuya district; Some of the best street style can be found in Tokyo; Tsunoshima Bridge; A goth in the hip Harajuku hood
TOKYO
JAPAN
THE INSIDE TRACK ON THE WORLD’S LARGEST METROPOLIS – AND BEYOND With the approaching 2020 Olympics, Japan’s eased up on its visa policy for tourists, making it the perfect time to take a couple of empty suitcases and head to the neon capital of the world. And Tokyo’s shaping up to be more touristfriendly than ever, with multilingual signboards, a Michelin restaurant guide and public spaces that are more accessible to the differently abled. Head to the pedestrian-friendly Shibuya district, where a plethora of cutting-edge streetwear brands such as BAPE, NOAH and GIP have meticulously curated spaces to relieve you of excess forex. End the day in the sundowner district of Ginza, where a fresh crop of whisky bars such as the famous Apollo Bar or Rocky Fish await you. If it’s a rural idyll you crave, Japan has a few spots that excel in dispensing omotenashi – the country’s trademark brand of anticipatory hospitality. Take a Shinkansen (created as part of the infrastructure overhaul for the 1964 Olympics) to Kyoto, and visit the enchanting Nanzen-ji Buddhist temple and the Ryoan-Ji rock garden. From there, drive down to the country’s eastern coastline, where the famous Otani Sanso heritage retreat puts you through a sort of Japanese baptism, as you take a thrilling bite of freshly sliced (and occasionally lethal) puffer fish and sip finely-aged Hibiki. Make sure you catch a glimpse of the Tsunoshima Bridge before you make your way back inland, for a rare view of the Pacific Ocean on both sides. Your bucket list just got shorter. If you have more time to spare, Japan has also finished building a new airport terminal at the Miyakojima city in Okinawa, making the island more accessible than ever. —PARTH CHARAN 157
SOUTH GOA
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THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT (sort of) Bucolic, lazy, minus the jostling crowds out for a “good time”: If this is the Goa you want, turn right when you exit Dabolim airport and head south. You’ll find beach after beach – Colva, Varca, Cola, Patnem, Palolem, Agonda – with the whitest sand and bluest water this side of Havelock Island. Shack up at the LaLiT Golf and Spa Resort in Canacona: Spread over 86 acres, it takes in golfing greens, a kilometre-long beach, a sunken bar in a pool and the finest dining in this part of Goa. It’s also got a variety of things to do, like trekking, evening cruises, beach volleyball and an extravagant bar menu at Corta’s (in which poets like Lord Byron make the case for a gin-vermouth).
It will be tempting to stay put, but get out you must: for a taste of lovingly preserved Portuguese heritage in architecture and a five-course meal (prawn rissois, fish fofos, bebinca) at the Palácio do Deão (a 213-year-old mansion) in Quepem village. For a breathtaking view of the Arabian Sea from the crumbling Cabo de Rama Fort. For seabathing with herds of buffaloes in sleepy Agonda. For some properly European hospitality, killer lamb shanks and bragging rights at Ourem 88, a Goan villa-turned-restaurant at the south end of Palolem beach, where British couple Brett and Jody run the bar and kitchen out of their living room. To stumble upon a secret turtle-nesting beach in Galgibaga, where a cluster of casuarina trees separate the sea from what little human habitation exists here, in the form of eco-lodges and sleepy shacks. One of these, Surya Beach Café, boasts a recommendation from HH Gordon Ramsay – specifically for its oyster crab mussels. As you feast on fresh catch, with the sound of sea breeze rustling through the little forest, you might finally understand what they really mean by susegad. Pro tip: If you would like to straddle both North and South Goa, check in to the brand new Postcard Hotel in Cuelim, with heritage villas built for intimate experiences, along with a 350-year-old chapel. You’ll be closer to the vibrance of Vagator and Candolim, and the chances of sampling those cool Eight Finger Eddie brews from GBC, as well as finding a bottle of Hapusa gin to take home, will be higher. —NIDHI GUPTA Palolem beach; (Inset) The LaLiT Golf and Spa Resort boasts some of the finest dining in South Goa
MUMBAI
INDIA
HOW TO SPEND IT IN INDIA’S FINANCIAL CAPITAL
One of two heritge tram lines in Istanbul, the Taksim-Tünel runs on the European side of the city
ISTANBUL
TURKEY
IMAGE: MEGHA MEHTA (TRAM), GETTY IMAGES (PALOLEM BEACH)
AN ANTHONY BOURDAIN-APPROVED FOOD TRAIL A good part of Istanbul’s last decade may have been marked by economic problems, terrorist attacks and civilian protests. But what’s ten years in the long saga of a city whose rise and fall has shaped the history of the world itself? At all times, Europe’s new party capital, a seven-hour direct flight from Mumbai on Turkish Airlines, remains rich in everyday life as well as history and cuisine. The elaborate Turkish breakfast doesn’t just rival its Indian counterpart, it’s also surprisingly familiar to our palate, with honey, cheese, homemade white butter, jams, olives, egg served in a hot plate and baguette-style bread to scoop it all up. Walk into the Bourdain-recommended Rumeli Kale Cafe Ve Restaurant in Rumeli Hisari that also offers stunning views of the Bosporus, or local favourite Cesme Bazlama Kahvalti, an Aegean-inspired and far hipper spot in Sisli. Continue in Bourdain’s footsteps, and you’ll find yourself in Fatih’s Sur Ocakbaşi, where literally every meat dish on the menu comes recommended. Go for the kebabs or the lamb cooked in a pit, and wash it down with ayraan, or Turkish buttermilk; few things come this close to perfection. The Patron Saint of Travel Writers greets you once more from the neon-lit walls of Dürümzade, home to some of the best wraps in Istanbul. Walk in, order any meat wrap and have it under his watchful eye. Dürümzade is open till 3am, which isn’t a coincidence because it’s located near Istiklal Caddesi, the city’s high-spirited party avenue.
One of the greatest advantages of being in an immigrants’ city is the food. Get started at the always buzzy Kamala Mills in Lower Parel, where you can choose from the old guard (such as the award-winning The Bombay Canteen) or the newest kids on the block, fluorescent-lit YOUnion and Chef Kim Boo’s Dirty Buns, part of the city’s growing comfort food trend. For something more grown up, head next door to the all-new Rahul Akerkar fine-dine Qualia at the Lodha World Towers. A 30-minute drive south will take you to the hip ’hood of Kala Ghoda. Here, you’ll also find American-style Italian eatery Americano, where signature dishes include the spicy “corn ribs”, an improbably delicious gluten-free truffle and cauliflower risotto and an airy tiramisu. It’s only open for dinner, so book in advance. If you arrive early, pop into Method, a new arts space with an edgy lineup of younger artists and exhibitions. Clear out any one of your days – preferably a Sunday – for the incredible buffet spread at Seven Kitchens at the St Regis. Food blogger and YouTube sensation Mikey Chen did, and he was blown away. The 18,000sqft dining room offers multiple live kitchens, a wide range of Indian and international cuisines (try the dim sum bar), the freshest seafood and a dizzying dessert counter as soon as you walk in. Four hours here pretty much sums up what Maximum City is all about. —ABHISHEK MANDE BHOT The refreshing Alibugger cocktail at Americano, Mumbai
—ABHISHEK MANDE BHOT
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(Clockwise from left) The imposing Zeitz MOCAA; A bathroom with a view at The Silo Hotel; Experimental fare at FYN; Cape Point; Grab a coffee at Espresso Lab at The Old Biscuit Mill
CAPE TOWN
SOUTH AFRICA IMAGE: HUFTON+CROW (MOCAA), THE ROYAL PORTFOLIO (THE SILO HOTEL)
ADVENTURES IN THE MOTHER CITY No photo you take will do South Africa’s staggering beauty justice, and that’s OK. Skip Joburg, and book an Emirates flight straight to Cape Town. There are fabulous hotels to choose from, but we suggest The Silo Hotel, on the famed Victoria & Albert Waterfront, and right above the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, which houses the continent’s largest collection of contemporary African art. The Waterfront is also home to some of the city’s buzziest restaurants, including Willoughby & Co, Belthazar Restaurant & Wine Bar and Den Anker. For something more experimental, the South Africa-meets-Japan FYN is hard to beat. Spend a few hours at The Old Biscuit Mill, a 19th-century factory that’s been converted into a
vibrant hub of art, design, boutiques and antique stores. Eat your way through its food market, where you’ll find freshly shucked oysters, organic vegetarian fare along with local dishes such as bobotie and South Africa’s version of the samosa. Also on the premises is The Test Kitchen, the hottest table in town: It’s only open for dinner, so reserve in advance – ideally around the time you book your flight. If you’re invited to a local’s home for a traditional braai (barbecue meat) dinner, say yes. Nature lovers, you’ll want to book private tours – they’re the easiest way to cover long distances and get around outside the city safely. Start your day at Table Mountain, where your GoPro will come in handy. Then, follow the serpentine coastal road to Chapman’s Peak, one of the great marine drives in the world. End up at the penguin colony on Boulder’s Beach, before grabbing a fresh seafood lunch at Black Marlin (if you’re lucky, you’ll spot some whales too). Replenished, take the funicular (or trek) up to Cape Point for stunning views of cliffs and the blue Atlantic sea, then drive to the Cape of Good Hope to soak in a Technicolor sunset. South Africa is, of course, also one of the world’s best producers of vino, and winelands such as Franschhoek (hit up Eikehof, Boschendal and Chamonix in that order) and Stellenbosch (try Remhoogte and Middelvlei) are an hour’s drive away. Alcohol is relatively inexpensive, and many of the best wines are produced for local consumption, so stock up on what you liked from your tastings, and skip Duty Free on your way home, just this once. —JEENA J BILLIMORIA
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UK IS THE NEW 9W After good ol’ Jet Airways crash-landed, uncertainty shrouded the Indian aviation market. Low-cost carriers were quick to cash in on the suddenly open take-off and landing slots, but one airline decided to take the turbulence head on. With little competition from Air India, and backed by Singapore Airlines, Vistara has emerged as the only credible full-service airline in India. It’s currently got 37 aircraft in its fleet, with more to join by the end of next year, and will eventually operate 100 planes, including spacious Dreamliners. These will be deployed to fly non-stop to Europe and Australia starting in 2020.
Until then, Vistara has recently started flying to Dubai from Mumbai and to Bangkok from Delhi, with both cities also connected to Singapore. It is also the lone Indian airline to offer Premium Economy, which only adds thrust to its ambitious plans. —MIHIR SHAH
DELHI
INDIA
POWERING UP IN THE CAPITAL
Chill out at Cirrus 9 at The Oberoi New Delhi; (Inset) The Mr Panky cocktail
Chaotic Chandni Chowk associations aside, Delhi is a great low-key getaway as the weather starts to gets cooler. Check in to a suite at the regal Oberoi New Delhi, fresh from its reboot last year and an oasis of peace and calm. Then, head straight to a meal of juicy Sikandari Raan at Omya, or tuck in to hot dim sum at Baoshuan. Squeeze in a swim at the indoor (or outdoor) pool, then end your day at rooftop bar Cirrus 9, with its sweeping views of the Delhi Golf Course as well as Humayun’s Tomb. The extensive bar menu offers artisanal, Asian-inspired and tequila-based cocktails, including an unusual margarita with a mix of taco spice, pineapple and coriander salt. Start the next morning with a big breakfast, then head to BoulderBox in Vasant Kunj for a rock-climbing session to
burn off those calories. Replenish with a smoothie bowl at Nuts & Bowls in GK2. If you’re determined to indulge yourself, dig in to the decadent French toast at Quick Brown Fox in Dhan Mill Compound instead, then head to The Chanakya. Most luxury brands land in Delhi first, so this is where you’ll get your Ted Baker and Ralph Lauren fix. If you’re a cigar aficionado, hit up Kastros House Of Cigars at Santushti for a humidor or a case of cigars for your collection. Dinner-and-drinks options include Plum By Bent Chair (order the wild mushroom bao) or Dandy By Fio (we’re fans of the gin-based Hey Juniper cocktail). Consider a day out in the ’Gram too, where you can tuck into spicy Kanyakumari crab claws or rich Haleem butter toast at Comorin. Dinner should be at Cilantro at The Trident, Gurugram: The thin-crust chorizo and goat cheese pizza here is the perfect comfort meal to end your trip with. —SAUMYAA VOHRA
THE MILE-HIGH CLUB
THE NEWEST INTERNATIONAL ROUTES OUT OF INDIA HKG (Hong Kong) SpiceJet
BKK (Bangkok) SpiceJet
BOM (Mumbai) DAR (Dar-es-Salaam) Air Tanzania
AMS (Amsterdam) KLM, starting October 28, 2019
MLE (Male) BKK (Bangkok) HKG (Hong Kong) KUL (Kuala Lumpur) KTM (Kathmandu) Indigo, starting this year
NRT (Tokyo Narita) JAL Japan Airlines, starting Summer 2020
To NRT (Tokyo Narita) ANA (All Nippon Airlines), starting this year
MAA (Chennai)
BLR (Bengaluru)
DHARAMSHALA
INDIA
CLOUDY, WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS
IMAGE: ABHINAV CHANDEL (ILLITERATI CAFE), SHUTTERSTOCK (ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES, NOK SCOOT, JAPAN AIRLINES, KLM, ANA)
DEL (Delhi)
You can now fly to Dharamshala directly from Delhi – and, as of April this year, Jaipur. Stay at the Hyatt Regency Dharamshala, which launches next month, located above McLeodganj and with views of the majestic snow-capped Dhauladhar range. Unwind with a yoga class or a couple’s massage at the Shanti Spa, and end your first day with a wholesome, delicious farm-totable meal made with organic Himalayan produce. Make sure to sign up for a day trip to Andretta: a small village about 50km away and the site of India’s oldest pottery studio, where you can try your hand at
To DMK (Bangkok Don Mueng) Nok Scoot, starting this year
ADD (Addis Ababa) Ethiopian Airlines, starting October 27, 2019
CCU (Kolkata)
To HAN (Hanoi) Indigo, starting October 3, 2019
the wheel, with pointers from the experts. Pop by the ethereal Dharamshala cricket stadium en route, where part of the Kapil Dev biopic ’83 has been shot. Back in Mcleodganj, spend a day discovering the city’s homegrown cafés like Woeser Bakery, Illiterati Café or Shiva’s Café. Homemade pizza at Jimmy’s Bakery & Café with cinnamon rolls from Lhamo’s Croissant should be on your list too. Since the region is home to the best of Tibetan food and culture, make some time for the imposing red-andgold Gyuto Monastery, and shapta and tingmo (sliced chilli lamb with Tibetan bread) from Tibet Kitchen. If you’re hungry for some adventure, go paragliding in Bir Billing. The three-day Kareri Lake Trek will guarantee you end your holiday on a high. —SAUMYAA VOHRA
Jamming at the Illiterati Café, McLeodganj
000 163
DRIVE
Lamborghini Huracán Evo ENGINE 5.2-LITRE, NAT-ASP V10
TORQUE 600NM PRICE `3.73 CRORE (EX-SHOWROOM, INDIA)
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WORDS: PARTH CHARAN
POWER 631BHP
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he T ? ing you v i g or hool f t e ye e to sc c r e e fi is her b r rca án Evo e p a su Hurac n ca hini w o H borg Lam
upercar evolution is a tricky business to take on in this age. Back in the day, a dash of extra power, a racy decal and a measurable leap in linear speed were enough to catapult an existing model into the hallowing pastures of next-gen land. But as technology has evolved, so have the metrics by which one can assess the breadth of changes in a performance car. So, tinkering with a thoroughbred is a tight-rope act best left to the pros. Make it too lairy and you risk alienating the relatively inexperienced, too predictable and you rob it of that all-too-essential supercar edge it needs to possess. Prior to the Audi takeover in 1998, things were fairly straightforward for Lamborghini. Its cars were peerlessly beautiful and unforgiving – any injudicious input and it’d bite the driver’s head off. This went a long way in sustaining the brand’s mystique. But it’s 2019, our wristwatches can double up as ECG machines, and Lambo, for its part, has kept up with the times. Now, it’s got a racing division and is equipped with all the bells and whistles that are par for the course for such a storied brand. The Huracán Evo replaces the existing Huracán model, making the latter look positively humdrum through a magical concoction of electronic upgrades, chassis optimisation and aerodynamic efficiency. To be specific, the car is now seven times more aerodynamic than the outgoing model, according to the brand. In many respects, it’s a marginally heavier version of the Performante – thus far considered the greatest SEPTEMBER 2019
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DRIVE
(From left) A sharper nose, a swankier cockpit and louder exhaust pipes all add up to a more accessible Evo
driving version of the Huracán. And while the Evo doesn’t generate quite as much downforce, there are enough alterations to the overall design, including the underbody, to make this far more planted than the car it replaces. Not that the original was prone to lift-off. In fact, the Huracán is generally considered to be the tamest Lamborghini, this side of the Urus. The Evo manages to be a lot more than that. It picks up where the Performante left off, using the same 5.2-litre, naturally aspirated V10 engine with 631bhp of peak power and 600Nm of torque. So, we’re off to an excellent start. Lamborghini claims that the car can hit 100kph from a standstill in 2.9 seconds. And since the only way to test what those numbers add up to in the real world is through a quick succession of hot laps on a racetrack, that’s exactly where Lamborghini has brought us. The MMRT circuit in Chennai is a tight and technical ribbon of tarmac, putting to test the braking and cornering prowess of a race car before it gains outright speed. Which is just as well, because even though that screaming V10 has always been the star attraction of the baby Lambo, in this instance, it’s outshone by the reworked chassis. Owing to greater usage of aluminium, the chassis is much lighter, which, combined with aerodynamic enhancements, makes the Evo exceptionally agile. However, it’s the Evo’s new brain that makes it so approachable. The Lamborghini Dinamica Veicolo Integrata (LDVI) essentially monitors longitudinal and vertical load in real time, along with measuring pitch and yaw at a constant, mind-boggling pace to somehow predict the driver’s next move. This doesn’t disengage the driver from the experience, but instead readies the car for the innumerable possibilities that lie ahead. It also allows the car to read the manner in which you drive, priming itself accordingly. At the rate the Evo performs its calculations, it’s bound to stay ahead of you. The ignition roar in the pit lane is sort of a greatesthits mashup of primal battle cries, invoking all manner of emotions and a sufficient amount of ambition; I’d really like to wake up to this sound everyday. I reckon 166 —
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that’s the intended effect because Lamborghini has ensured this thing can sing, thanks to a new lightweight titanium exhaust system. It has even managed to go far beyond the call of duty to contemporise the cockpit with an 8.4-inch touchscreen unit that responds to gesture control. Not the Italian kind of hand gestures, mind you, but the sort to lower the volume. Bizarre, considering the correct volume should be mute, because all you need to hear is pulsating and simmering behind your ears. The Pirelli P Zeros bite hard into the tarmac, as I switch from Strada to Sport mode at the beginning of my maiden lap. For all intents and purposes, it allows you to initiate drift, thanks to the Evo’s rear-wheel drive steering system. It immediately falls back in line, continuing its linear assault as the exhaust cracks and pops its way past 6,000rpm, going all the way to 8,000rpm where the Evo and I now lie in the throes of kinetic nirvana. The Corsa mode is all business, designed to give you the fastest lap time. Period. Past a couple of chicanes, with the throttle mashed into the footwell, the Evo twitches and slides but stays resolutely on course. Take it around a bend, the tyres screech, but there are clearly very few missteps when it comes to this car: It takes pretty much everything in its stride, meeting the modern supercar engineering benchmark of deluding you into thinking you’re a driving god. Despite seeming to be forged from hellfire, the Evo strikes an incredible balance between thrilling and comforting. After a series of hot laps, I had a sweaty brow, but not once did I subscribe to the (accurate) belief that 631bhp was more than a handful without electronic aids. I just wanted to do enough rounds of the circuit till the rubber on the tyres had practically evaporated. In the end, that’s all you need from a supercar.
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A R I A N N A H U F F I N G T O N + D I I P A K H O S L A+ M A N I S H M E H R O T R A
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WORDS: PARTH CHARAN
The gladiatorial world of MotoGP is proof that the best bit of racing happens on two wheels
T
he grid at Sachsenring circuit in East Germany is crawling with photographers, motor sport journalists and fans – all thronging their favourite MotoGP riders minutes before the formation lap leading up to the season’s ninth race. Sitting in pole position atop his Repsol Honda GP bike is Marc Márquez. Unperturbed by the chaos around him, the 26-year-old five-time MotoGP World Champion cuts a contemplative figure – almost meditative – with a calm, distant look on his face, psyching himself up for another circuit he’s yet to lose a race at. MotoGP is unlike any other spectator sport. Every second is crammed with action and unpredictability. A second qualifies as a lifetime, a fraction of it serving as the quantum unit of time in which champions are made or unmade. Márquez is the youngest GP rider to have so many championships to his name, but he isn’t the most accomplished. That distinction lies with seven-time World Champion Valentino Rossi – the reigning circuit demigod who, despite having turned 40, gives riders half his age quite the chase. Most of the crowd on the grandstands collectively form a fluorescent tapestry, holding up banners and caps with Rossi’s GP number (46) emblazoned onto them, marking their undying allegiance to a man who’s enthralled them for nearly two decades. Rossi’s contribution to making the sport mainstream has been considerable. So wide is his appeal that it’s not uncommon to find teens in urban Indian towns hot-rodding their scooters, festooning them with “Vale46” decals. It’s a wonder India isn’t marked on the MotoGP calendar, given that it’s considered “bike country”. At least, that’s how Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna Sports, chooses to put it, when discussing the prospect of bringing the sport here. Dorna essentially owns the commercial rights to MotoGP, and has played a pivotal role in keeping the competition on an even keel over the years. This has kept the participation costs relatively low, allowing non-factory teams the chance to go up against the ones who have the technological and financial heft to tip the odds in their favour. “We were in India after the first Formula One race. We’d started discussions,” says Ezpeleta who, at 73, still possesses the enthusiasm and energy of a teenager and remains actively involved behind the scenes at every race. “But we faced an issue with customs and the cost of bringing in the bikes.” Not too long ago, Dorna came to an agreement with manufacturers that all teams
would use the same ECU for their motorcycles, manufactured by Magneti Marelli. Naturally, the top-level manufacturers initially protested, their supremacy threatened by a technological equaliser. But the move was among the many that have kept the series from being a onebike show. “For Moto3, we’ve had one different winner per race this year,” Manel Arroyo, MD of Dorna, tells me, about the junior-level championship using single-cylinder 250cc bikes that takes place on the same race weekend as MotoGP, alongside Moto2. Márquez and Rossi, along with every other GP rider, have cut their teeth in both. Márquez isn’t called “Sachsenking” for nothing. The man leads the race from start to finish, building a gap of over a second between him and Suzuki factory racing team rider Álex Rins, until the latter crashes out, relinquishing his position to Yamaha rider Maverick Viñales. Viñales and Rins have recently risen from their ranks in Moto2, where stellar performances earned them highly coveted contracts with their respective factory teams (ie, teams owned directly by manufacturers). The main race proceeds in a symphonic manner – a 30-lap synchronised dance with G-forces that sees Márquez breeze past the chequered flag, winning for the tenth consecutive year, while Viñales and Honda satellite team rider Cal Crutchlow make up the rest of the podium. Entering the pit lane, the GP bikes sound like Apache helicopters with a loud, bass-heavy roar that would likely set off every car alarm within a square mile out in the real world. The underwhelming soundtrack that ails the current crop of cars at Formula One clearly isn’t an issue here. MotoGP has yet to incorporate any radical emissions-friendly tech, sticking to the 1,000cc engines without any plans to introduce regulatory changes concerning engine sizes. What it has added instead is MotoE in the form of a support race, where motorcycles sharing the same powertrain compete in an eight-lap race across select venues on the racing calendar. Both in terms of competition and unpredictability, MotoGP appears to be heading the right way. With the return of Suzuki as a factory team in 2015 and with Triumph debuting as the engine provider for Moto2 this year, more motorcycling brands are finding it feasible to enter the sport, and have a shot at the title. For its part, Dorna is also scouting for talent in the South Asian market, with Indonesia and Thailand now fixtures on the race calendar, and an Asia Talent Cup in place – to hunt down future champions for a series currently dominated by Spaniards and Italians. The future looks promising.
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PHOTOGRAPHED BY PRASAD NAIK
AUGUST 2019 ` 150
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S H A H I D
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INDIA
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PHOTOGRAPHED BY TEJAL PATNI
HRITHIK
OPENS UP
Inside How an upstart NYC skate brand changed fashion forever WRITTEN BY NOAH JOHNSON PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOSEPHINE SCHIELE
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Aidan Mackey in the Supreme x Bruce Lee collaboration shirt from the Fall-Winter 2013 collection; (Opposite) Supreme/Vanson leather Bones jacket, Fall-Winter 2017
From a block away, you could smell the Nag Champa in the air, like a sandalwood smoke signal. As you get closer you can hear the music echoing through the canyon of Manhattan, then see the crowd outside the building, sometimes 40 or 50 deep, spilling off the sidewalk onto Lafayette Street. The locus of it all was ostensibly a store – but back then, when it first opened, in 1994, retail concerns seemed incidental to the real purpose of Supreme, which sprung to life as a frenetic meetup spot for the growing downtown New York skate community. In those days Lafayette Street wasn’t the
PHOTO: CHRIS SHONTING
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commercial thoroughfare it is now, so kids from the boroughs and from New Jersey, Long Island and upstate could gather without having to worry about being hassled by the cops or encroaching on the upscale businesses that now dot the neighbourhood. At that time, there were no metal barricades or security guards, though the notorious lines of customers that would eventually necessitate such things would start soon enough. Out of sight, in an office or a back room, the man who conjured it all into being, Supreme’s founder, James Jebbia, could be found working the phones, haranguing his suppliers, coaxing another drop of tees, hoodies and caps. He was on a mission to fill his perpetually empty shelves, impervious to the notion that something grand was taking shape. One of those who flocked to the store was the filmmaker Harmony Korine, who had moved into his first apartment, just a couple of blocks away, a few months before Supreme opened. “I never really even thought of it, in the very beginning, as a business,” Korine tells me. “It was more of a hangout spot. You know, a place for that specific crew.” Supreme’s start coincided with the making of Korine’s first film, Kids, directed by Larry Clark, which famously depicted that same crew’s style and antics downtown. “It was raw,” he says of the energy that the store tapped into. “It was a specific attitude, and probably the DNA is [still] there now, but it really was a pure New York City kind of street skating.” The appeal of Supreme was instant. Jen Brill, who today is a prominent New York creative director with close ties to the brand, was an Upper East Side high school student in 1994 when she first started venturing to Lafayette, just to see who was working at the new skate shop. “It was the cutest boys with the best styles and the shittiest attitudes,” she says. “There was crazy energy around the store. It didn’t feel like a shop. Because they definitely didn’t want to sell you anything. Maybe they didn’t even want you in the store.” Brill wasn’t the only one struck by what was happening downtown. Skating had for years enjoyed a gritty reputation in New York, but suddenly the cultural fringes were crashing into the mainstream. Kids was released in 1995, but so was Clueless, starring Alicia Silverstone, which depicted a fundamentally different but equally stylised kind of skate crew. That same year ESPN held the first X-Games, a mass-market spectacle that put skateboarding in the undignified company of other “extreme sports”, like street luge and sky surfing. Twenty-five years later, as fads (like televised street luge) have fallen by the wayside, Supreme remains a skate brand – a purveyor of all the hard and soft goods one needs for the sport. But it is something much more than that, too. Since its beginning, in 1994, Supreme has slowly worked its way to the very centre of culture and fashion. Or more accurately, culture and fashion have reconfigured themselves around Supreme. The brand’s clothing and accessories sell out instantly, and it has become a fashion world collaborator of the highest calibre with projects now under way with 174
designers high (Comme des Garçons, Undercover) and low (Hanes, Champion). Though the particulars of the privately held company’s business are undisclosed, a $500 million investment in 2017 from the multinational private equity firm the Carlyle Group, for a 50 per cent stake, put Supreme’s valuation at $1 billion. But you wouldn’t necessarily know it by walking into a Supreme store today, where the music is still loud and the Nag Champa is still thick in the air. (In addition to the New York locations, there are now outposts in Los Angeles, Paris and London, as well as six in Japan.) And you might not fully appreciate Supreme’s profound sway simply by reading fashion magazines or style blogs, which rarely, if ever, feature Supreme ads or interviews with its founder. You certainly wouldn’t learn of the brand’s influence by shopping in malls and department stores – Supreme doesn’t have any wholesale accounts, so you won’t find its merchandise in those places. Loud as the clothing can be – red fur coats, leopard-print pants, “FUCK”-emblazoned denim – the brand is nearly silent, letting the clothes and the people who wear them do the talking. Jebbia, who, as ever, guides virtually every aspect of the company that he founded, declined to be interviewed in person for this story but agreed, instead, to respond to my written questions via an in-house interlocutor – and provided perhaps the deepest and most insightful articulation of his vision and design philosophy that he’s yet offered on record. Jebbia’s life and business remain, for the most part, a mystery to those who aren’t part of his inner circle. What’s clear is that he operates on his own terms and refuses to make concessions based on what anyone else wants or does. “The reason that we do things the way we do is because we respect the customer,” he says. For Jebbia, this is not a mere marketing platitude but rather a kind of guiding, almost sacred, principle. From the beginning, he studied what was happening in the streets, relying on what he observed, not on himself or another designer, to chart the brand’s creative path. “The influence was the people who were around the shop – the skaters,” Jebbia says. “They would wear cool shit; they wouldn’t wear skate clothes. It would be Polo, it would be a Gucci belt, it would be Champion. We made what we really liked. And it kind of was a gradual thing. From a few tees, a few sweats, a pair of cargo pants, a backpack. But the influence was definitely the young skaters in New York. Also travelling to Japan and seeing their great style. Travelling to London. It was a combination of that. I never really looked at it as, ‘This is what a skate brand must make.’” Supreme is famous for its box logo – a red rectangle with white text, inspired by the artist Barbara Kruger’s text and photo-collage work – which appears every season on T-shirts, hoodies and caps. But for years, Supreme has also been making oxford shirts, chinos, selvedge denim, M-65 jackets, pocket tees and other pieces that speak to a different kind of downtown population: artists, architects, graphic
designers – anyone who might otherwise be shopping at A.P.C. or Agnès B for quiet, casual clothes that fit well and last a long time. There have been far fewer blog posts dedicated to Supreme’s flannel shirts and cashmere sweaters, but all of these sensible pieces are just as fundamental to the brand as the box logo itself. “I’ve always looked at it as, why shouldn’t we make good stuff?” Jebbia says about exceeding the expectations of a skate brand. Supreme stores are notoriously impeccable – the T-shirts, folded with razor-sharp edges, neatly stacked; the clothes spaced just so on the racks. Jebbia’s retail mastery comes in part from his experience working at Parachute in the 1980s. The now-defunct brand of futuristic fashion – worn by notable style beacons of the era such as Madonna, Michael Jackson, David Bowie and Rip, the abhorrent drug dealer from Bret Easton Ellis’ novel Less Than Zero – once had outposts in Chicago, Los Angeles, Toronto and Bal Harbour, Florida. The shop was on Wooster Street, across from the original Comme des Garçons boutique, which had opened in 1983, the year Jebbia arrived in the States from Sussex, England, when he was 19. Six years later, in 1989, Jebbia opened the foundational streetwear boutique Union on Spring Street, which led him to a meeting with Shawn Stüssy. Before long, Jebbia was starting the first Stüssy store in New York, also on Wooster Street. Union and Stüssy, along with Triple 5 Soul and XLarge, made up a new kind of retail scene in SoHo, one based around a subculture, not designers. There was just one piece missing: a skate shop.“I was not thinking about it at the time,” Jebbia says. “But it was just an instinct that something was needed.”
PHOTO : SUE KWON
t
he formula for success – for building a brand that lasts for 25 years – sounds simple enough: Create a high-quality product that will last a long time, sell it for an accessible price and make people desperately want to buy it. But executing such a plan is far trickier. And in figuring out how to thrive according to strict adherence to its own highly specific principles and logic, Supreme has, deliberately or not, rearranged the alignment of the entire fashion industry. “It’s a fashion leader,” says Alastair McKimm, a long-time fan who has styled for the brand and was recently appointed Editor-in-Chief of i-D magazine. “The reason that it’s so successful and the reason that it’s so influential is the fact that it’s been there, growing slowly, being very, very well managed from day one.” He says Supreme has led the charge in the new consumerism: “Small collections, making things very limited, making things very exciting when you actually get your hands on them.” Limiting quantities has become Supreme’s MO and one of its most important innovations. It’s part of why the brand has so many loyal fans – and why it has
Supreme on Lafayette Street, 1995; (Below) Original Supreme crew members Quim Cardona, Chappy, Keenan Milton, Gino Iannucci, Harold Hunter, Keith Hufnagel and Jon Buscemi in 1996
left so many hopeful shoppers frustrated and bitter. But the strategy evolved naturally out of the early days, when the shop was nearly empty. Short runs were produced out of necessity because Jebbia lacked the resources to keep a steady assortment of goods in stock. “We’d make some tees, some sweats; if they don’t sell, we’re going to be stuck with them,” he says. The solution was to produce less. And if something sold well, instead of manufacturing more of that thing, he’d often make something different. “It wasn’t a shop full of basics, where you could get the same product month after month. What we were doing had to have some excitement to it.” Naturally, gauging what might be successful was harder to do in an age before things like Instagram. Jebbia never knew what was going to move. Of course, just about everything did: “We’d actually have some seasons where we were sold out of the summer product at the end of March. We’d have nothing to sell in April, May, June, July. People would come in and be like, ‘This shop is shit. Why are people talking about this?’ And what are we gonna say? ‘If you’d have come in two weeks ago, it looked really good’?” Jebbia’s solution to his inventory problem was a simple, but radical, one: He found a way to replenish 175
Sean Pablo Murphy in mohair cardigan, Fall-Winter 2013
Blondey McCoy in “Hate” sweater, Fall-Winter 2013
Sean Pablo Murphy in leopard faux-fur coat, Spring-Summer 2016
Playboy football top, Fall-Winter 2014 Jason Dill in shadow plaid zip shirt, Fall-Winter 2015
Tyshawn Jones in leather Yankees varsity jacket, Spring-Summer 2015
IMAGE: COURTESY OF SUPREME, CHRIS SHONTING, WILLIAM STROBECK, ARI MAROOPOULOS
Sage Elsesser in orange Loro Piana wool trench coat, Fall-Winter 2018
Sage Elsesser in Champion sweatsuit, Fall-Winter 2013 Will Jones in Schott leather trench, Fall-Winter 2019 Lucien Clarke in Schott shearling jacket, Fall-Winter 2013
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Supreme/Comme des Garรงons SHIRT Schott painted Perfecto leather jacket, Fall-Winter 2018
Patchwork mohair cardigan, Spring-Summer 2019
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Supreme/Comme des Garรงons SHIRT plaid trouser, Fall-Winter 2015
Le Bain hooded sweatshirt, Spring-Summer 2014
his supply weekly. While many shoppers now hold out until end-of-season sales to buy, Supreme has created a considerable sense of urgency that has made every Thursday – “drop day” in the parlance of Supreme fans – a major event. And indeed, the concept has lately proliferated. Thanks to Supreme, the “drop” has become a fashion buzzword – much like what happened with the terms “streetwear” and “collaboration”. Celine’s creative director, Hedi Slimane, made news recently by reportedly planning a major business overhaul to create a “fluid delivery cycle”. Meaning: There will be drops. Balenciaga, Burberry, Moncler and others have been using the model in hopes of adding some heat to their collaborations and limited runs. Gucci’s buzzy drops come frequently and sell fast, including Supreme-esque capsule collections made in collaboration with the New York Yankees and the Spanish artist Coco Capitán. This tactic is seen as a way for big legacy brands to connect with younger shoppers. It’s also a work-around for competing in a retail system upended by Supreme.
STYLIST: CLAIRE TEDALDI
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s the brand grew and began to expand – it opened its first outpost in Japan in 1996 – Jebbia started thinking beyond hoodies, tees and caps. But that doesn’t mean he stopped thinking about hoodies, tees and caps. Craig Atkinson, the CEO of CYC Designs, which owns the brands Wings & Horns and Reigning Champ, began working with Supreme around this time. Jebbia had come across some sweatshirts that the company was making and was impressed. Before long, CYC was producing almost all of the sweats Supreme was sending to market. Atkinson was struck by Jebbia’s personal obsession with the sweatshirts. “He was maniacally passionate in terms of the quality, whether it’s the colour, or the fit, or the materials that we would develop for them,” Atkinson says. He recalls interactions sometimes getting heated. Long arguments over the particular merits of a shade of navy weren’t uncommon. “James just had a very high expectation,” Atkinson says. “And I’d say he has a very high taste level as well.” Brands like A Bathing Ape and Neighborhood – Jebbia’s new neighbours in Harajuku – had already established large fan bases. He was drawing inspiration. But Japanese brands and their customers were not the only things Jebbia had his eye on in the late 1990s and early 2000s. “We weren’t blind to Helmut Lang. We weren’t blind to FUBU, either,” Jebbia says. “There was an awareness of a lot of what was going on out there, being in New York. But there wasn’t as many big fashion brands then. There just wasn’t. But I’ve got to say: Helmut Lang at that time was really important, personally.” Atkinson recalls that Helmut Lang was the singular brand Jebbia referenced during their time working
together. “He only used to wear Helmut Lang T-shirts,” he says. “He was very particular about how the collars fit him. He used that as a benchmark.” Jebbia says that his standards for quality were based on what was already being made. “With a lot of the skate brands at the time, the quality wasn’t good, the fabrics were kind of crappy,” Jebbia says. “So we had to make our product as good as the brands that kids in New York were wearing: Polo, Nautica, Carhartt, Levi’s.” By avoiding wholesale he could keep prices down. “Our thing,” Jebbia says, “was to try and make things as good as the best brands out there – but not the fashion brands – and have that quality that people are going to wear these items for a long, long time.” As the ambitions grew, the operation became more sophisticated. Luke Meier, who’d been put in charge of design in 2002, supervised a growing staff that had expanded capabilities. Meier recalls that the immediacy with which his designs hit the store were huge boons for Supreme. “When you think about a tailor shop or somewhere where they’re really making a product, you can sell it, like, a block away,” he says. “You feel very closely connected to who’s buying it, who’s wearing it, why it’s cool. It’s not like you’re in some studio across the world.” Meier moved on from his full-time position at Supreme in 2009 and later launched the label OAMC. In 2017, he and his wife, Lucie Meier, were named cocreative directors of Jil Sander. “Surprisingly,” he says of leaping from Supreme to a high-fashion luxury brand, “it’s not so different.” Angelo Baque, who founded the brand Awake NY, started at Supreme in 2006, back when, he says, the company was still a “mom-and-pop” operation. In the years that followed, the brand expanded rapidly, introducing new pieces like, say, the aforementioned oxford shirts and cardigans. “Twelve years later, everyone is making those,” he says, “but for Supreme to make a cardigan in 2007, that was fucking revolutionary for the brand.” For much of that period of expansion, Brendon Babenzien was in charge of design at Supreme (he has since launched his own brand, Noah). “It was really fun,” Babenzien says, “being able to indulge both the youthful side – the side that I grew up with – but also address some of the needs of our audience who had been with the brand from the beginning.” In other words, making sweaters that were as sought-after as Supreme’s tees. “I had high hopes to have Supreme be able to simultaneously make really progressive things and truly classic things,” he says. “I think we accomplished that.” Pulling off that kind of expansion, Jebbia says, required paying careful attention to Supreme’s customers. “We try and evolve,” he says. “Twenty years ago, if we’d have put a fur coat out at the shop, the skaters would have stormed out. Our windows would have been smashed. Young people are a lot more openminded today. We’re trying to make things for today’s youth. We’re not stuck in a box.” 179
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Velour tracksuit, Fall-Winter 2017
ne undeniable result of all this growth is that in the past few years, Supreme has become massively popular. There’s a very good chance that if you are not a Supreme obsessive, you have a young cousin or niece or nephew who is. There were also those who were there from the beginning, like Leonard McGurr, the artist better known as Futura, who has a pair of camo cargo pants that he bought at Supreme on Lafayette in 1995 and still wears today. Guys who never felt ripped off buying a $42 camp cap or a $110 oxford shirt, so they kept going back. One of those guys is Andrew Rieth, now a 44-year-old geophysicist and father of five who lives near Houston and encountered Supreme back in 2001 while flipping through a skate mag. He noticed a skater wearing a Supreme hat, took interest in the brand and called the shop. They politely told Rieth that they don’t do phone orders, so he went where many people who were after Supreme in those days went: eBay. “This was before the modern-day Supreme hype,” he says. Still, caps that retailed for $28 were selling for $75. Later that year, on a trip to New York, he visited the store for the first time. “I was completely blown away when I walked in the door,” he says. “I was expecting a standard skate shop with standard skate brands. Instead, they had a full line of their own clothing – super-thick hoodies, made-in-USA selvedge jeans, nylon M-65s with zip-in pile linings that looked like something you would dream of finding in a surplus store. Everything had this really raw, authentic feel to it. At the same time, the thought of spending $150 on jeans or a hoodie, or $300 for a jacket, was completely foreign to me.” Rieth walked out with just a tiger-stripe camo hat, but in the years that followed, before Supreme debuted
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its web shop, Rieth’s collection grew. “Getting ahold of Supreme was kind of a mission.” He’d make occasional trips to New York, find pieces on eBay and trade with friends he met through online forums. He was always impressed by the quality and design of the pieces. “The thing about Supreme, even now, is that they have always had this cool mix of military, sportswear, workwear and vintage that you can kind of pick and choose from in a way that’s tailored to your own taste. Over the years Supreme’s collections have grown larger and generally louder, but I can still find things that are still low-key, tasteful, unique and well-made.” Since 2013, Supreme has released complete collections twice per year: Fall-Winter and SpringSummer. These collections include everything from suits and overcoats to basketball jerseys, leather jackets and silk shirts, as well as the famous collection of random functional accessories and sports gear (this past SpringSummer a Pearl drum kit, a Super Soaker water gun and Band-Aid bandages all brandished the Supreme logo). New collections are debuted in their entirety in advance, then divided into the weekly drops that occur every Thursday over the course of a few months. Unless there are leaks (and frequently there are), you don’t know what’s going to drop in any given week. For Supreme fans, a specific thrill is derived from this system. The hottest items are decided long before they may be released. To some – to many – these pieces become essential to that season’s fits. If there’s a shirt in the collection that you must own, for instance, you have to check for it every Thursday until it arrives – it could be several weeks into the season – then hope you can be fast enough to buy it before it sells out. And sell out they often do. Any Supreme regular knows that pain. But it only adds to the thrill. “Everybody feels like they’re part of this underground society, you know?” says McKimm. There is a palpable awareness that you aren’t the only one on the hunt. Many Supreme pieces are designed based on reference – tweaked versions of existing pieces from the past. The truly obsessed make a hobby of digging deep into vintage archives to discover the originals, whether it’s an obscure album cover that Supreme flipped into a logo, or a hard-to-find vintage military parka. But often the references aren’t so hard to spot, especially for those familiar with skate and hip-hop style of the 1990s. “I feel that was a golden era for clothes, for music, for art, for a lot of things,” Jebbia says. The notion of celebrating individual style isn’t specific to 1994, and it isn’t specific to 2019. It’s fundamental to the very act of coming of age. Which is why the youth have returned to Supreme, again and again, for three generations now. “As fashion editors and fashion directors, stylists, whatever, you’re always just looking at what’s happening with the new generation,” McKimm says, “and Supreme is just always right there with them.” Since Babenzien’s departure in 2015, Supreme has not named another designer or revealed any information about the structure of its creative team. Jebbia did appear, however, in 2018 at the Council of Fashion
Noah founder Brendon Babenzien put it plainly: “I think Supreme created the world that the entire [fashion] industry lives in today” Designers of America Awards ceremony to accept the menswear prize. “A lot of traditionalists felt like it was an unusual brand to be competing in a menswear category,” says CFDA president Steven Kolb. “I feel it was an authentic and honourable nomination, and win. And certainly spoke a lot about our industry and the direction of fashion. And also for creativity.” Jebbia accepted the award in a grey suit, white shirt, no tie. In his succinct speech, he said: “I’ve never considered Supreme to be a fashion company, or myself a designer, but I appreciate the recognition for what we do.” Fashion company or not, the moment placed Jebbia in a room with Ralph Lauren and Raf Simons and forced him to reckon with the question. I asked Babenzien for his perspective on Supreme’s relationship to fashion, and he put it plainly: “I think Supreme created the world that the entire industry lives in today.”
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owerful as Supreme has become as a trendsetter, the company is still fiercely committed to its own novel approach. Supreme didn’t launch a website until 2006. It was purposefully late to Instagram, too. Outside of Japanese fashion magazines and downtown NYC wheat-paste poster campaigns, Supreme’s only real marketing efforts are made in the skate world. Conveniently, marketing to skaters is likely the best way for Supreme to market to the fashion world. In other words, the fact that Supreme doesn’t pander to the fashion industry only makes its allure more powerful. In terms of marketing, Supreme does have one true superpower when it comes to reaching a wider audience – one thing that it consistently executes masterfully.
IMAGE: COURTESY OF SUPREME
Inside Supreme Brooklyn, opened in Williamsburg in October 2017
That is the “brand x brand” collaboration, now employed by everyone from Target and Vineyard Vines to Rick Owens and Birkenstock. Supreme did not invent the collaboration, but starting in 2002, with the first Nike x Supreme sneaker release, it proved that a big-brand partnership could be explosive in the best possible way. Since then, Supreme’s numerous collabs – most recently with Comme des Garçons, Louis Vuitton and Jean Paul Gaultier – have expanded the brand’s range and allowed it to dabble in a more elevated kind of fashion. There is no science to how and when these collaborations occur. “If we could have done a thing with Louis Vuitton 25 years ago, we would have,” Jebbia says. “Or Chanel. For us, whenever we do something, it’s something we feel like, for young people, this isn’t already a part of their world. Or it isn’t accessible to them. We could do something that opens people’s minds to something they hadn’t known or thought about before. Like when we worked with Lou Reed. That was just cool. What’s good is good. That’s really the criteria. And if it’s been done, we don’t do it. Simple as that.” These collaborations succeed in two ways: They fulfil Jebbia’s mission of giving kids a chance to get their hands on rare and expensive fashion for a cheaper price, and they let established fashion designers experience Supreme’s unique ability to sell clothes. “It’s flattering to see that the younger generations find my fashions relevant,” Gaultier tells me. “And inspiring that the collection sold out within minutes.” Then there is the sophisticated curation of art and culture that is integrated into the ethos of the brand, including marketing campaigns starring surprising, high-wattage celebs like Lady Gaga, Diddy and Kermit the Frog, and editions of skate decks featuring the works of A-list art stars like Jeff Koons, Marilyn Minter and Damien Hirst. These cultural collaborations were not the norm 20 years ago. Now, few fashion brands
Patchwork pants, Fall-Winter 2016
Obama shirt, Spring-Summer 2017
Cowboy denim work jacket, Spring-Summer 2017
Suit, Spring-Summer 2018
Tie-dye pullover, Spring-Summer 2013
release collections without both a celebrity-fronted campaign and an art-star collaboration. Supreme has been credited (or derided, depending on whom you ask) extensively for bringing streetwear to the forefront of fashion, for pioneering brand collaborations and for recruiting art superstars to put on a box logo T-shirt, but one simple thing is often overlooked: Those things only work if the clothes are good.
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upreme’s Lafayette store is currently closed for renovation. The downtown shop is temporarily located nearby, on the corner of Bowery and Spring Street. The crowds outside consist of noticeably different characters than they did 25 years ago. Those milling in the lines come from all over the world, and they queue up behind metal barricades, waiting for security guards to let them in, one by one. They don’t all skate, and some of them wait in line with their parents. Of course, for anything cool, there is peril in popularity. But Supreme has so far been insulated from the dangers of selling out. This is partly because of good timing. “In the early, mid-1990s there was always a sense of sellout culture,” Korine says. “Then all of a sudden it was obliterated. And then culture was up for grabs. It was like a bomb had dropped. There were no more rules. It was just about making things, and seeing things in a different way. And then that’s
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when it became the most free. Then you could do collaborations with White Castle.” Supreme has worked with everyone from outsider artist Daniel Johnston to Budweiser, and never has a collaboration hurt its credibility. No other brand has been able to be as cool and as popular at once. “The truth is, there will never be another Supreme,” says Baque. “That’s why everyone is so curious about it, and that’s why all the companies are trying to figure it out and they’re scrambling.” Jebbia, Baque says, “is like your Phil Jackson of streetwear. He knows how to put those teams together. At the end of the day, he has the vision, and it’s not about money and it’s not about talent and one person. It’s about having the right crew of people and finding that balance.” Still, McKimm wonders what the limits are. “I think now it’s almost at the point where it’s so big, what’s the future of that?” he asks. “Do you make it even more underground or exclusive, or do you let it grow and give people more access to it?” It’s the million – no, billion – dollar question, so I asked Jebbia. “We can just do what we’ve always done,” he says. “Which is try and be open, try and be very aware of what’s going on and try to make the best things possible for today’s generation while keeping it true to ourselves. I don’t have a crystal ball. But I think that we’d have to stay the course if we’re not as hot. We’d do exactly the same stuff. We’re in the business where that can happen – it is what it is. Many brands have been through that; some come out of it, some don’t. We’d remain who we are. We wouldn’t change.”
PHOTO: WILLIAM STROBECK (DENIM TRUCKER JACKET). HAIR: AJA ALLEN. GROOMING: KATIE PELLEGRINO. IMAGE: GETTY IMAGES (JAMES JEBBIA)
Faux-fur Repeater bomber, Spring-Summer 2018
(From Top) Supreme founder James Jebbia accepts the menswear prize at the 2018 CFDA Awards; Patches denim trucker jacket, Spring-Summer 2018; Sacred Hearts work pants, Fall-Winter 2017
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With a remarkable debut in Gurinder Chadha’s Springsteen tribute, Blinded By The Light, Viveik Kalra’s glory days have only just begun
PHOTOGRAPHED BY RHYS FRAMPTON WRIT TEN BY NIDHI GUPTA ST YLED BY RAVNEET CHANNA
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“Oh my god, I just passed another bus with my face on it!” Viveik Kalra exclaims. It’s days before the film Blinded By The Light releases in the UK, and in this final leg of promotions, the activity’s been dialled all the way up to 11. As the young actor is being driven around from photo shoot to press meeting to preview night, his face stares back at him from billboards and posters plastered all over the city. “It’s absolutely bonkers,” he giggles. For someone vaguely familiar with his work in the British drama Next Of Kin (led by Archie Panjabi), in which he gave a critically acclaimed performance as a young, glum-faced terrorist, it’s almost surprising to hear him be this thrilled about impending fame. But then, Blinded By The Light is no ordinary British film. The buzz around this musical tribute by Gurinder Chadha has been building ever since it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in February. It’s the sort of dream debut, with a global recall, that any actor would kill for. So when Kalra remarks at these posters and marvels at his fortune “to be standing next to Kalinda in the flesh” – referring to Panjabi’s career-defining, Emmy-winning role in The Good Wife – you know it’s the 21-year-old in him talking, not the man about to blow up into stardom. “But you see,” he’s saying now, sober again over this phone call between Mumbai and London one July morning, “that’s what is truly amazing about Bruce. He didn’t give the rights to his music to this seemingly massive film that’s all over the place now; he gave it to a small indie project set in 1980s Luton. And he did it for next to no money.” The Bruce in question, like the Waynes and Banners, is a superheroic presence in the American music landscape – and the spiritual core of Blinded By The Light. Like Bend It Like Beckham, Chadha’s last big film, this one visits a specific British-Asian 186 000 —
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experience. It’s based on journalist Sarfraz Manzoor’s memoir Greetings From Bury Park, a coming-of-age story about the influence of Springsteen’s music on his life. The film’s buoyed as much by The Boss’ heartfelt, honest rhymes and that throwback to the 1980s vibe, as by Kalra’s fresh-faced exuberance in his portrayal of lead protagonist Javed. “Javed’s this British-Pakistani 16-year-old kid growing up in Thatcher’s England, and life’s pretty bleak for him,” Kalra says, breaking down his character. “He’s really smart, but quiet. He wants to be cool, but finds it hard to be so.” When Javed, the classic wallflower/nerd type in high school, is introduced to cassette tapes of Springsteen’s music, he is mesmerised. And he finds the courage to transform himself: To wear denim on denim with bright red bandanas, and unabashedly quote Springsteen lyrics at every possible chance, but also deviate from the precharted career graph that is an essential part of South Asian upbringing, diaspora or not. “If you ever meet Sarfraz, he’s this 48-year-old Pakistani man with an afro. You wouldn’t imagine that he’s had this 30-year-long love affair with Bruce’s work,” Kalra says. “But that’s precisely it: Bruce gives you the courage to be different from who people think you are or should be.” Kalra, a second-gen British-Indian, certainly hadn’t heard Springsteen’s music growing up in “quiet and quaint” Windsor at the turn of the millennium – his poets of choice, instead, were of the Usher and Ja Rule variety. “You know, you’ve got to find your own connections, right? But Bruce is a phenomenal wordsmith, I realised, once I started listening to him. “Growing Up” basically summarises the film; but simply listening to even ten seconds of “Jackson Cage” or “Jungleland” or “Sundown” is enough to make you feel like he really gets you!”
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“EVERYONE WANTS TO SEE A REFLECTION OF THEMSELVES AND THEIR CULTURE ON SCREEN. AND RETROSPECTIVELY, ONE REALISES THAT ALL WE GOT WAS SOME MINORITY ACTORS STAMPED DOWN INTO TWO-DIMENSIONAL ROLES”
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Kalra never imagined he’d grow up to be an actor either, but he does remember having “Indian films as a prevalent part of my childhood. What I really ‘fangirled’ over were 1990s stars,” he laughs. “This is embarrassing, but once some friends and I ran into Kajol at the airport here, and I went up to her and asked her for a photo. When my friends wanted to know about her, I told them she was, like, the Jennifer Lawrence of her time.” “Fact is, everyone wants to see a reflection of themselves and their culture on screen,” he adds. “And retrospectively, one realises that all we got was some minority actors stamped down into two-dimensional roles.” Kalra considers himself very lucky in that regard: That he’s come into acting after “the first generation” (the Riz Ahmeds and Dev Patels) paved the way to “more nuanced roles” for non-white actors. In fact, he had to quit his training at the Royal Welsh Academy of Music and Drama because he just kept landing projects he couldn’t say no to. And, he notes, it isn’t just meatier roles for actors like him in big tentpole projects; it’s the projects themselves. “At Sundance this year, we got a standing ovation at the 1,300-seater Eccles Theatre, and that was amazing,” Kalra says. “But I thought the truly unique thing was that, for the first time, two women of Asian descent led the pack when it came to sales: Gurinder and Mindy Kaling [for Late Night, which Amazon Studios landed in a headline-making bidding war].” Kalra says he “can’t wait” to see Himesh Patel in Yesterday, and Mena Massoud in Aladdin: he hasn’t been able to catch both films yet because he’s been away shooting in Romania for an upcoming sci-fi thriller called Voyagers. Created by Neil Burger, the American director and producer behind Limitless and The Illusionist, Voyagers is being described as “Lord Of The Flies set in space”, and stars a diverse cast of characters, including Lily-Rose Depp and Tye Sheridan, led by Colin Farrell. “For Burger to write a film like this, and allow for such colourblind casting,” Kalra whistles. “It shows a real level of openness.” It also gives him and us a peek into the future: one where “there really doesn’t need to be a cap on the number of brown faces on screen.” FEBRUARY 2019
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Brian Donnelly aka KAWS
I’m slaloming a mess of titans. To be more precise, I’m standing inside the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit in the final moments before Alone Again, a new exhibition by the artist KAWS, opens for a crowd of VIPs. Every which way I turn, I find myself unwittingly confronted by a tweaked-out member of KAWS’ odd mob of massive carved wooden sculptures. The most common presence is the artist’s iconic character Companion. (Imagine a Mickey Mouse-adjacent creature with a skull-like face, cauliflower-esque fourchambered ears and KAWS’ signature “XX” eyes.) And yet, despite their alien nature, the sculptures each exude familiar emotions. Take Small Lie, for example: The eight-foot figure stands slump-shouldered, knees knocked, eyes glued to the ground. There’s incredible pathos. Or At This Time, wherein Companion stands almost nine feet tall, back arched with hands cupped over eyes, conveying a kind of muted shock and disbelief. Not far away is Final Days, in which Companion is on the move, stepping one foot in front of the other, arms outstretched, doing a low-key Frankenstein strut. Given the fact that all the pieces are taller than me, the overall effect of standing amid the bizarre cluster is that of being fully submerged within a twisted Venn diagram of awkward human feelings. Running along the back of the room is a 62-footlong, 12-foot-high site-specific wall painting that fills the cavernous space with brightly vibrating energy. It is adorned with a trio of 6-foot-high-by-10foot-long canvases. Each one is a teeming tangle of abstracted tentacle-like shapes over a background more reminiscent of the artist’s earlier cartoon-inspired geometric planes. The synergy of all three elements comes together to elicit a sensation of being both transported and slightly held against my will in a kind of psychedelic Land Of The Lost. “Clearly there are elements of colour field. There’s amazing line work. And, of course, abstraction,” says MOCAD Executive Director and Chief Curator Elysia Borowy-Reeder, walking alongside me. “These paintings are really monumental.” And this is a monumental show for MOCAD as well, at a moment when the appetite for KAWS worldwide is nothing short of rabid. To list just a few notable recent KAWS headlines: There was his 121-foot-long inflatable sculpture that floated in Victoria Harbour during Art Basel Hong Kong in March; a 33-foot-tall version of his 194
newest character, BFF, made out of pink flowers, as the centrepiece of Dior’s show at Paris Fashion Week; a line of clothing for Uniqlo that sparked Black Friday-style chaos and actual violence; and a record-setting $14.7 million auction of The KAWS Album – a 40-inch-by-40inch painting, and homage within an homage, that uses the artist’s “Kimpsons” motif to reimagine a Simpsons version of the Beatles’ Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover. Any of these might have been a crowning achievement to an artist’s career. For KAWS, it just amounts to what he did this past year. And yet, sitting with KAWS – aka Brian Donnelly – the next day in Detroit, I was hard-pressed to glean, based on his understated demeanour, the staggering amounts of high-profile work he is producing and the roster of side projects he is currently involved in. This commitment to spreading oneself around is a sea change in the contemporary art world. Projects of the sort KAWS takes on – a line of clothing, a product redesign – that were once considered taboo, or even career killers, for an artist on the hunt for a serious career, are now understood to be part of the contemporary artist’s purview. They are not just “acceptable” side hustles, but downright sexy additions to the portfolio. To someone like Borowy-Reeder, whose extensive and varied museum career, threading through Raleigh, Chicago, Milwaukee, Los Angeles and now Detroit, has afforded her the POV of a kind of enriched outsider, the prospects of what a KAWS brings to the landscape of contemporary art is a welcome sign of the changing times. “The palace gates might still be somewhat closed – and there’s a moat,” she says. “But I think it was Virgil Abloh who said, ‘How many collaborations is too many?’ He’s mixing street and ready-to-wear fashion and killing it. And I hope more people get inspired by that model or lens of freedom, working on the outside, pushing in. With people like KAWS and Abloh, things could get really exciting.” When KAWS was coming up in the late 1990s, he was met with resistance by galleries and managed to book scant few shows. Despite the demonstrated success of “street artist” forebears like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring, KAWS – who’d made a name for himself initially with graffiti-style tags and urban installations – struggled to get past labels like “too street” or “too illustrative” or “too commercial”. He was, for better or worse, relegated to success outside the gallery. But in the past decade, as the line between high and low in art has blended considerably and the sorts of side endeavours that KAWS has readily embraced since jump have become par for the course, KAWS’ approach to being a contemporary artist has dovetailed seamlessly with what the moment craves most. In Detroit, I ask KAWS if he approaches any of his paintings, installations or collaborations differently, if maybe there is an inherent hierarchy based upon scale or degree of cultural significance. “For me,” he says, looking at me like I’m speaking Sanskrit, “it’s all the same thing – there’s no difference between any of the projects I do.” And that right there is probably what has made him, gradually and then suddenly, one of the best-known artists of his generation.
IMAGE: DUMMY CREDITS
KAWS creates original paints with Golden, unique to only his work, on display here at his studio in Brooklyn
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t wasn’t always this way. Back in 2003, when I first met KAWS – I was meant to write a catalogue essay for a gallery show in Los Angeles that never happened – he was a working artist, arguably successful by most metrics but somewhat derisively labelled a “street artist” while, ironically, finding his interest in doing street works on the wane. “The vibe in New York got weird post9/11,” he tells me now. “In 2002, you weren’t trying to break into bus shelters. Everybody was on edge and alert. ‘Who is this guy with a wrench taking apart this phone booth?’” Leaving behind street work was a significant departure. KAWS had elicited attention in the early
KAWS often leaves dots of colour in working designs so that he can move between dozens of works at once without losing his place – a sort of paint-by-numbers
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1990s throwing up traditional graffiti-style “KAWS” tags – a name that simply struck Donnelly as visually appealing; it has no hidden meaning – on billboards around Jersey City. “You’re totally thinking how to have a visual impact,” he says. “And making stuff that’s a quick read. You’re competing against thousands of kids, and you learn from people who have done it before you.” There were inherently elevated stakes developing one’s practice in the streets: You had to stand out against everything else in the cityscape. After barely graduating high school, Donnelly cobbled together a portfolio and eventually gained entrance to the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan and, upon graduation, secured entry-level work doing illustrations for an animation company. It was at this point, in response to the change in his everyday terrain, that Donnelly’s interests shifted. He had a new canvas, so to speak. “In Jersey City, there were billboards everywhere, so that’s what I painted on,” he says. “But once I got to the city, it became more about bus shelters and phone booths.” More specifically, it became about the artist’s “interruptions” – sly subversions of ads for hot brands like Calvin Klein or Guess, to which the artist festooned his Bendy character, a mischievous serpentine being he’d entwine around a Kate Moss or Christy Turlington. Because of their placement in downtown NYC and SoHo, the works were clocked by his growing number of fans – and were often stolen for resale. Eventually, KAWS began to sour on the operation: “When I first started doing the interruptions, they’d last like two months. At the time, I was working as an illustrator for Jumbo Pictures, and I’d mostly instal them along my trail to work. But it got to the point where the pieces would last for like a half day. I’d go back to document them, and there would just be a pile of glass on the ground where I’d just installed the piece. I was like, ‘What’s the point? They’re just ending up on eBay or whatever.’” The upside to the eBay heat was that the works travelled far and wide. Among the particularly fervent early admirers was an influential cadre of designers and tastemakers in Japan, including Nigo of A Bathing Ape, Hikaru Iwanaga of Bounty Hunter, Jun Takahashi of Undercover and Medicom’s Akashi “Ryu” Tatsuhiko. Donnelly, in turn, made frequent sojourns to their shores, where he developed an unlikely creative outlet. In collaboration with Bounty Hunter and Hectic, KAWS designed his first-edition “toy” in 1999. The first release, an eight-inch-tall version of the aforementioned Companion, which originally sold for $99, was followed by the release of the artist’s next character, Accomplice, a slightly out-of-shape-looking Pink Panther doppelgänger with a Companion skull head and a set of pert bunny ears. As the figures began reselling for thousands, their massive popularity began to lay the groundwork for the artist’s zealous fan base. Meanwhile, KAWS was making his earliest inroads into the gallery world. First, in 1999, with tastemaker extraordinaire Sarah Andelman at her seminal Paris boutique, Colette, and then at Parco Gallery in Tokyo. The 2001 Parco Gallery show featured two bodies of work. The first included black-and-white panels
derived by abstracting imagery sampled from Chum, another character. The second was a series of colourful “landscape paintings”, which looked like tripped-out Ellsworth Kellys made from vast swaths of electric colour and shards of Simpsons characters’ heads. At the time, KAWS’ decision to work in Japan was a pragmatic one, based on demand and the openness to his art there. But he recalls coming up against some wariness back home: “People were like, ‘Why are you doing all this stuff in Japan that nobody sees?’ I was going where the work and opportunity was. And when the energy started moving over that way [Asia], I was like ten years in already.” But the gallery success remained somewhat muted – there just wasn’t the same sort of interest and energy as KAWS found in his other pursuits. In 2006, KAWS’ established relationship with Medicom proved fortuitous once again when he partnered with the brand on his very own retail space in Tokyo, OriginalFake, which showcased his toys and OriginalFake streetwear. “Instead of playing the gallery game,” says Damon Way, who co-founded DC Shoes and approached KAWS about designing a sneaker at a time when artist-sneaker collabs were pretty much non-existent, “he had all these sorts of proxies of influencers of culture in Japan that gave him so much lift and allowed him to avoid it.” Having a brick-and-mortar operation gave KAWS his very own laboratory to beta-test ideas that struck his fancy. “I started OriginalFake because, in 2006, I decided not to care about galleries at all, not to give a shit, let the chips fall where they may,” he says, thinking back on his off-road adventure into the unconventional. “I was doing a completely commercial venture, a brand, a store. I designed everything, which was a lot of work, but when you work in all these different ways, you meet people, and that’s ultimately what creates other opportunities, and so, ironically, that’s when things started opening up.” Another early KAWS über-patron was Pharrell (Williams), who first clocked some paintings at Nigo’s place and began commissioning works, which ultimately led KAWS to his most significant gallery representation to date. To hear KAWS tell the story, it was a highly unexpected pivot. One day, out of the blue, he got a cold call from Pharrell, who reported that he was with his buddy, French art dealer Emmanuel Perrotin, who shows art-world heavy hitters Maurizio Cattelan and Takashi Murakami and mounted the first commercial show of Damien Hirst. “It was pretty awkward,” KAWS says, laughing as he recalls the moment. “Pharrell was like, ‘You gotta talk to my friend Emmanuel – he’s sitting right here beside me, surrounded by your paintings!’ And then he just sort of jammed the phone into Emmanuel’s hands.” The call paved the way for a lunch in Miami, organised by Sarah Andelman, who had showed the artist before anyone else and was also a friend of Perrotin’s. “I met Brian and I realised the force of the man,” remembers Paris-based Perrotin, who first showed KAWS at his (now defunct) Miami gallery in 2008 and currently maintains no fewer than seven galleries worldwide. “At the beginning of the career of an artist, you have to feel the potential. And I was
immediately very impressed by the vision Brian had to move the work to another level, which is one of the aspects that’s very difficult for an art dealer. You see what has been done in the past, but you always take the risk that the new series of work might disappoint you. And it was one of those nice moments where the artist showed a great evolution.” That first Perrotin show, Saturated, sold out before the opening. It consisted of significant-feeling panels packed with twisted-up and cropped SpongeBob-like visages, as well as other very pastoral-inspired canvases featuring KAWS’ “Kurfs” (as in Smurfs) characters. Evident in the show was a leap in scale, a growing confidence and complexity of composition, as well as the luxurious sense of colour referenced in the title. A cursory Google search of the show reveals the alwayspresent schism that surrounds KAWS – some hailing him as the heir apparent to the pop throne, others accusing him of any number of art crimes, including being a lazy appropriator, a glorified toymaker or a once-monumental graffiti artist who “fell off” the day he dipped his toe into the white cube. Both criticism and accolades aside, what was undeniable was that the guy with the second-lowest GPA in his high school, who’d been told by a college guidance counsellor not to bother even applying to schools, had been working non-stop and developed an arsenal of skills that, in turn, enabled him to answer in spades when the blue-chip galleries finally came calling.
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t would be nearly libellous to say that after that first Perrotin show in Miami in 2008, “things really took off for KAWS”. More like Donnelly was shot out of a cannon with bells on and one of those batting helmets with beer holsters and tubes running directly to the mouth. And though the complete list is much too long, let’s take a stroll through a few noteworthy highlights from the past decade: There was a sexy and slightly dangerous-looking woman’s chompertoothed shoe for Marc Jacobs; a pair of Dos Equis beer bottles reengineered with the artist’s signature “XX”; a reimagined MTV “Moonman” award; and lastly – and a personal fave – a 40-foot-tall floating Companion for the 2012 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, which soldiered through the entire event covering his eyes. Along the way, there were several more shows with Perrotin in various other locations; shows at Honor Fraser, in Los Angeles, which drew previously unseen blocks-long lines down La Cienega; and, more recently, a burgeoning alliance with New York-based gallerist Per Skarstedt, who made his mark trafficking in the most extreme altitudes of “blue chip”, including the likes of Picasso, de Kooning, Warhol, Martin Kippenberger, Christopher Wool and Richard Prince. Needless to say, KAWS has come a long way from his first billboard in New Jersey. And in recent years, he has gradually become associated with the handful of artists who initially made their names on forms not traditionally embraced by the high-art world – graffiti and street art – but then went on to become globally recognised. A lineage that includes Keith Haring, 197
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Banksy, Shepard Fairey and, now, KAWS. There is a unique expectation that attaches itself to all contemporary artists, but street artists in particular, whose work can convey the possibility of mass production. (Think of Haring’s ecstatic, celebratory characters or Fairey’s posters.) And so, having garnered worldwide acclaim, a vigorous demand soon follows. No sooner does an artist “hit” than he finds himself in the enviable yet very real predicament of trying to meet the crushing demand for new work that major success generates. Not only must the artist execute fresh and compelling work at a greatly quickened pace, but he must also continually serve highbrow, high-networth collectors the iconic offerings that launched him into the stratosphere to begin with. And if the artist can somehow manage to traverse that fire walk, he must then churn out work without ever giving off the perception of flooding the marketplace. Of his business and execution strategy, Donnelly says, “I feel like you have to be just as creative on that side as you do making the work. But it’s not an overnight thing.” Adds Fairey, who’s known KAWS since the 1990s and has firsthand experience as an artist with global reach: “People have this image of the artist working by candlelight when the inspiration hits. But in truth, there’s much more to it and it takes a long time to get it all working. There’s this very real kind of almost bluecollar aspect to it, which I’ve always embraced, [as has] Brian, who I know works incredibly hard.” “Step by step, you figure out how to get things made,” Donnelly says. “I’ve always been sort of a hustler and believe in getting it done any way you can.”
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ot long after the Alone Again opening in Detroit, I catch back up with KAWS at his studio in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighbourhood. As usual, Donnelly is dressed casually, in some version of chinos, a solid crewneck and his everpresent dark cap. Despite yet another round of auction results yielding a $5.9 million sale, as well as some threes and twos for good measure, his low-key demeanour is fully intact. Though obviously very aware of the current mania, KAWS keeps the auction record at bay as best he can. “It’s there,” Donnelly says. “It exists. But you look at so many artists over the years and you realise you can’t get super psyched when it’s high and you can’t get too down when it’s not. All you can do, really, is just keep trying to figure out how to make the things you want to make. ‘Successful’ is when the picture’s finished, not when you sell it at your gallery. Or if it trades hands. And anyways, a lot of the [paintings at auction] are, like, ten years old.” I suggest that maybe the fact that the works selling are kind of “old news” – to him, at least – might actually help to somewhat abstract the impact. “If it was something I had just made, that would probably put me more on edge,” he concedes. Another factor likely to be preventing KAWS from dwelling too much on auction results is the flood 198
of incoming requests and immediate commitments. By the time the clock strikes 12 on December 31, KAWS will have released his latest collaboration with Uniqlo, mounted two more museum shows – one at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne and another at the Qatar Museum in Doha – and announced a 2021 survey at the Brooklyn Museum, supercharged by the fact that it’s taking place on the artist’s adopted home turf. The first floor of KAWS’ studio is a somewhat narrow corridor of active working space lined with a new series of paintings. What strikes me right away about the studio – both now and when I first visited, back in 2003 – is the nearly pristine nature of the space. As opposed to most studios I visit, Studio KAWS could easily be converted into a private surgery facility if need be, every paint and brush in its proper place. Though they’re mostly in their beginning stages and don’t have much paint on them, the canvases are quite large and bear a definite resemblance – even in their embryonic outline/layout state – to the ones I saw in Detroit. Abstract shapes extracted from larger, predominantly figurative-seeming imagery, likely derived from the artist’s earlier more cartoon-inspired work, blend against other more amorphous-seeming shapes. The sense of continuity is already quite evident, though I’d be willing to wager that by the time these paintings are finished, the source imagery will feel much more deconstructed. It’s almost as though a bunch of figurative elements have been blown to smithereens, then used as formal, compositional building blocks. Upstairs in the studio we sit on a green couch, the very same couch that pops up often on his Instagram alongside famous guests. As we settle in, I press for a deeper look into the process, a glimpse behind the wizard’s curtain. He tells me that he works out most of his paintings on a computer, though he will still occasionally work bits out on paper, as with The KAWS Album, which exists entirely in paper form somewhere deep within the catacombs of his studios and storage spaces. He adds that he’ll still always “leave some room for spontaneity.” Which I take to mean not literally, as in leave open space and unconsidered areas on the canvas, but staying open to the idea that adjustments and additions might be needed. “Exactly,” Donnelly says. “I guess I mean ‘open’ for me, which isn’t exactly all that wild.” To further illustrate, Donnelly references the massive wall piece from Detroit, which, he says, felt “like it still needed something the first time it was executed.” So he went back to work on the computer and came up with what is now the top layer of the painting: an asymmetrical mesh-like black, which he felt resolved the piece. Armed with the artist’s words as present-tense wisdom and thinking back on the wall piece, I can see how, beyond the behemoth scope and visceral impact of that candy-coloured 62-foot-long, 12-foot-high wall, it is the black overlayer that acts to both contain the piece and add a sense of cohesion, while, at the same time, obscure areas, which add a certain sense of mystery. When I convey my impressions of the paintings to Fairey, he is quick to confirm and expound upon Donnelly’s growth and steady, nuanced evolution over the past few decades. “I mean, where Brian is right
IMAGE: AL AMY (K AWS SCULPTURE IN HONG KONG), SOTHEBY’S (THE K AWS ALBUM).
[Left] A 100-plus-foot-long inflatable KAWS sculpture in Hong Kong’ s Victoria Harbour in March; [Right] The KAWS Album broke a record this winter when it sold for $14.7 million
now,” Fairey says, “with the strength of his colour theory and the abstraction, and having a connection to a sort of trompe l’oeil where the three-dimensional space is being suggested but, at the same time, if you choose not to see it that way, you can also read it as a flat abstraction – it’s very sophisticated.” Working primarily in acrylic, which dries more quickly than oil, KAWS explains that after he decides on a colour for a section of a painting, he then lays down just a dot of paint in the area, literally creating a kind of coded guide on the canvas, which, in turn, enables him to put down or pick up other work without the danger of losing continuity. “I usually always have a bunch of things going on at once,” Donnelly says. “Some things kind of make their way to the foreground, while others might sort of taper off.” As for the sculptural side of his practice, the evolution is made much more evident by materials used – from vinyl to bronze, then wood – and scale, which started off in inches with the toys and has now shot past a hundred feet in height, with the inflatables that tend to dominate the Insta-universe whenever and wherever they next appear. When I’d initially reached out to Donnelly about writing this piece, I sent an email, not wanting to be too intrusive or presumptuous. But eventually, after not hearing back, I eschewed professional distance, sent a text and immediately got a response. When I mentioned this, Donnelly promptly fired back a screen grab of his 1,43,000-plus unread emails. Given the current frenzy over his work, one can only imagine the endless litany of requests, a few of which I guess out loud might be notably absurd, prompting Donnelly’s largest grin of the afternoon. “You’re talking about, like, 80 per cent of them. I mean, I try to always be very careful about the [commercial] associations I’d align with my characters, as if they were somebody in my family.” The sentiment prompts me to recall how, even at our 2003 meeting, at a very different juncture of his career, KAWS possessed the ability to turn down opportunities, which isn’t always easy to do early on: “Yeah, I’ve always been able to say no,” he says, nodding thoughtfully. “And for the most part, I have always been lucky to be in a
position to do so. You have to really think things through and understand the time and energy you’re going to end up devoting to a project.” Given as much, I ask which collaborations stand out as more organically aligned. “The Dos Equis job was kind of a no-brainer,” he says, lighting back up. “I mean, a beer brand called Two Xs?” The 2010 Dos Equis beer campaign involved not only two KAWSengineered bottles – green and amber – generously adorned with the artist’s XXs but, also, a massive, manystoried billboard in Mexico City. Conversely, a 2017 collaboration on a signature Air Jordan 4 yields some less blissful memories. “Those sneakerheads are insane,” he says. “You wouldn’t believe some of the emails I got from kids who didn’t get a pair. Absolutely vicious.” With our session in Williamsburg winding down, I decide to test the bounds of my host’s patience one last time, divulging that I’d received a Deep Throat-style tip that, back in his early animation/illustrator days, Donnelly sometimes layered “subversive imagery” into his backgrounds. I ask him to either deny or confirm, and if yes, then to please further illuminate what might possibly constitute “subversive imagery”. “I don’t know what you’re talking about…,” he says, suppressing a smile. “It’s been such a long time…” He leaves me with a faintly limned Cheshire grin as I step out onto the street. The exchange about his playful early tactics was a good reminder that KAWS took root in the real world, lawless and in technicolor, initially driven, like most artists who first cut their teeth on buildings, billboards and bridges, by a burning compulsion to declare one’s existence, even if it means risking jail time or, worse, actual death. A few days later, speaking with Fairey, I suggest that KAWS’ early days in the streets going big and competing against everything in the skyline must’ve prepared the artist well for his inevitable leap to the vast canvas of contemporary art. “Brian’s always looking for ways to create something that’s going to connect with people,” Fairey says. “He has a different system now, slightly more civilised. But that desire to be king of the concrete jungle is still in him.” 199
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LUXURY, FASHION, TRAVEL AND GROOMING IN STANDOUT STYLE
Business Basics
Don’t restrict power dressing for that important client meeting to just your outfit and footwear. Consider accessorising with a smart carry-on from Lapis Bard’s Belgravia range of business bags. Take your pick from the Ashton, Berkley and Tate business bags – crafted from the finest Italian leather, they flaunt minimalist designs, complete with modern details. Add to that capacious silk-lined monogrammed interiors to store your essentials, and you’re ready to impress.
Luxe addresses
Soaring skyscrapers, buzzing shopping malls, beautiful beaches – that’s what we love about the UAE. Make the most of your UAE experience with a stay at two remarkable Oberoi properties – The Oberoi, Dubai and The Oberoi Beach Resort, Al Zorah. Celebrate Dubai’s pulsating city life by booking a room at the former – with its plush suites, chic restaurants and unrivalled cityscape views, it is a lesson in luxury. If you’re a nature lover, the latter will delight with its envious location – 247 acres of protected forest and an array of activities.
For more information, visit oberoihotels.com/special-offers/luxury-retreat or call 1800112030
Crafted Perfection
Sophisticated in form and subtle in appeal, platinum’s charm lies in its versatility. So why should women have all the fun? Platinum Guild International, India launches Men of Platinum, an exciting new collection of platinum accessories that will fast become a wardrobe essential for the man of today. Inspired by the design trends of ‘dynamic links’ and ‘bold sculptural’, this range features everything from chains and bracelets to kadas and rings that flaunt sharp geometric patterns and futuristic designs.
`22,000 (Ashton Business Bag), `19,950 (Berkley Business Bag and Tate Business Bag). Available at all William Penn stores and on williampenn.net
`45,000 onwards. Available at all leading jewellery retail stores in India
Tailored Excellence A Class Apart
Rediscover the charm of understated elegance with the iconic La Grande Classique de Longines. Since its launch in 1992, this wristwatch, with its slim profile, has been a symbol of subtle sophistication and timeless luxury. Not to mention, it’s played a key role in cementing the reputation of the winged hourglass horologers. Here, a stainlesssteel bracelet holds a simple yet striking white mother of pearl dial that’s embellished with silvered polished hands and 12 shimmering diamond indexes as hour markers. Available at all leading retail outlets 204 —
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Sometimes, all it takes to elevate a look is a smart coat. And this uber-cool one from Paresh Lamba’s Homme collection promises to take your style game up quite a few notches. Inspired by the unending beauty of nature, this denim beauty features flawless appliqué work that takes the shape of delicate florals and beautiful birds. Team it up with a crisp white shirt and deep navy pants and make a bold statement, wherever you go. `29,995. Available at Paresh Lamba Signatures, No.14/ 1, MG Road, Shivaji Nagar, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560001
The Timeless Ticker
A Very Stylish Brief
Nowhere else in the world is fashion celebrated with as much flair and fancy as in New York. Drawing inspiration from the city’s vibrant fashion culture is Jockey’s latest New York City collection of underwear for men. Ensuring that you’re both fashionable and comfortable, inside and out, this range boasts boxer briefs and trunks in bold, contemporary prints and patterns. Inner confidence never looked – or felt – better.
A good wristwatch can transform any look. Take Snowflake, for example – the most iconic Grand Seiko Spring Drive watch ever to be made. Launched in 2010, the subtle dial, which is crafted in the in-house Shiojiri workshop, is its highlight, and gives the dial an illusion of a blanket of freshly fallen snow. Add to this the Spring Drive movement, which makes the blue steel seconds hand glide round the dial effortlessly, and you’ve got yourself a masterpiece.
`4,25,000. For more information, visit seiko.in/gs
`299 onwards. Available at Jockey exclusive stores and leading retail outlets, and on jockeyindia.com
No Ordinary Smartphone
The first-ever smartphone with the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 855 processor, the Redmi K20 Pro – The Alpha Flagship is built for power and performance. Available in two variants, 6GB + 128GB and 8GB + 256GB, it flaunts an Aura Prism design and three spectacular shades – choose from carbon black, flame red and glacier blue. Impressive features, too, abound. Think a 48MP + 13MP + 8MP AI triple camera setup accompanied by a 20MP pop-up selfie camera and a Horizon AMOLED FHD+ display. `27,999 onwards. Available at Mi Home and Mi offline stores and on mi.com and flipkart.com
Minimalist Appeal
Sleek, slim, simple – that’s what the Daniel Wellington’s tickers are known for. And their popular Classic Petite collection of watches, complete with those iconic mesh straps, previously available in 28mm and 32mm dial sizes, is now available in 36mm. Choose from straps in three exciting finishes – Classic Petite Melrose (rose gold), Classic Petite Sterling (silver) and Classic Petite Ashfield (matte black). Delicate, soft and lightweight, with a convenient adjustment mechanism, these straps will add charisma to any outfit. `11,999. Available at exclusive Daniel Wellington stores and on danielwellington.com/in/
A Wild Getaway
Nestled along the Velavadar National Park, The Blackbuck Lodge, with its 14 villas, is the perfect mix of modern amenities and flawless design. Think outdoor showers and decks with stunning views. While here, enjoy open-jeep safaris and watch out for black bucks, blue bulls and more. Or, book a Bush Dinner at the property, with barbecued snacks under starry skies. Doubles from `11,000 onwards for the Villa, `19,500 onwards for the Plunge Pool Cottage, `32,000 onwards for the Plunge Pool Villa. For more information, visit theblackbucklodge.net
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the last word
Updated
Museum Etiquette
WORDS: JIJI LEE. ILLUSTRATION: JEREMY NGUYEN
for 2019
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