Luxury: May 2023

Thailand’s Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort offers a novel, ethical way to engage with elephants, writes Selina Denman

I continue to hear them long after the setting sun has transformed their hulking forms into shadowy silhouettes. They let out gentle huffs as they move through the dark, branches crackling beneath their immense weight. It makes for a strangely soothing symphony.

The two Asian elephants are my only companions as I bed down in a jungle bubble at Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp and Resort in northern Thailand. On a raised wooden platform encircled by dense jungle, Anantara has set up four transparent, interconnected spherical structures, crafted from a high-tech polyester.

These air-conditioned forms contain two bedrooms, a living room, two bathrooms and all the amenities one would expect from a five-star hotel, including Wi-Fi, tea and coffee-making facilities, a mini bar and fluffy bathrobes. With the added bonus of elephant views at every turn.

The 30-square-metre wooden deck in front of the bubbles is home to seating areas, a dining table and even a plunge pool, offering a decidedly decadent way to immerse oneself in nature. And beyond, an expansive, open stretch of grassland where the elephants take their evening meal and then turn in for the night.

We had strolled down from the main hotel earlier in the evening – myself, my two new lumbering companions and their mahouts, or handlers. Our journey down the well-worn path is leisurely (it is difficult to hurry an elephant, it transpires), their dexterous trunks in constant search of lush treats in the surrounding vegetation.

Our destination emerges from the undergrowth – the transparent spheres incongruously futuristic-looking amid a backdrop of dense green. An enormous mound of grasses, roots and bamboo, laced with tasty sugar cane, sits in front of the bubbles and the elephants make an immediate beeline for their gourmet dinner.

I approach my meal with similar verve. As I take a seat at a table facing out on to this pachydermic tableau, a private butler appears to serve up a starter of betel leaf filled with fish, ginger, tamarind, peanuts and dried coconut, washed down with a drink of iced lychee and Thai tea. My main course consists of sea bass and a Parmesan risotto, while dessert includes a panna cotta, cheesecake, fresh strawberries and a selection of chocolates.

With one last reminder that I am not to cross the barrier at the end of the deck – late night unchaperoned encounters with three-tonne animals are seldom recommended – my butler leaves and I am on my own. The melodic calls of tropical birds and the buzz of cicadas close in around me. The stars are out in full force, unfettered by the scourge of light pollution. And my elephant companions munch on.

I wake the following day to the sound of trumpeting. In the misty morning light, from the comfort of my four-poster bed, I see “my” two elephants standing top-to-tail. The smaller of the duo is wearing a jaunty little hat, having deposited a chunk of greenery on its head at some point in the night. They are still and subdued, waiting for their mahouts to come and pick them up for their morning walk.

I had joined them on their daily jaunt the morning before, in the company of John Roberts, Anantara’s group director of sustainability and conservation, and director of elephants. Overlooking the spot where Thailand, Myanmar and Laos converge, Anantara’s Golden Triangle property sits on about 65 hectares of bamboo forest, rice paddies, countryside and indigenous gardens flanking the Mekong and Ruak rivers – making it the perfect spot for mistreated elephants to find sanctuary.

The property is home to an elephant camp, which was set up alongside the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation in 2003, to provide Thailand’s elephants with a place where they would not have to participate in unethical work, such as street begging in urban centres, the now-outlawed logging industry or intrusive tourism-related activities. At the last count in March 2019, there were 3,800 elephants in captivity in Thailand, 80 or 90 per cent of which were working in the tourism industry.

More than 20 of these have found refuge here, along with their entire mahout families. “We believe that in an ideal world, all elephants would be wild and there would be no need to discuss elephants’ work,” says the GTAEF mission. “Until we reach that point, the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation works with our partner hotels to give and promote ethical work for those elephants that are able, while providing a safe, healthy environment for those that are not.

“We perform rescues for elephants, mahouts and families; we co-operate with the government and other organisations in ‘bigger picture’ projects; and, at all times, we endeavour to ensure that net good is done and that our actions in helping one elephant do not adversely affect others.”

At Anantara, this means elephants exist in their natural environment, receiving daily exercise and a balanced diet. Guests can watch, walk with and, now, courtesy of the jungle bubbles, “sleep” with elephants – in a way that is utterly captivating but minimally intrusive.

The trend: exaggerated hips

Richard Quinn

Oversized hips are everywhere this season and at Richard Quinn, come with a vampy edge, courtesy of a veil, huge corsage and jet beading.

Balmain

Balmain creates volume around the hips with its trademark sculptural forms, which are mixed with printed T-shirts for a streetwear feel.

Loewe

The Spanish house echoes the strict corsetry of a bygone era, with strapless dresses that come with rigid tops and skirts held out with framing.

Louis Vuitton

As ever, LV puts its own twist on the trend, with soft padding moulded around the body. Blown-up shapes create emphasis at the hips and shoulders.

Maximilian Busser, founder of the independent niche watchmaking brand MB&F, talks to Selina Denman about his innovative creations, unexpected success and what comes next

“I was getting ready for Armageddon. Game over.”

On March 17, 2020, Maximilian Busser, founder of niche watchmaking brand MB&F, sent his team home. Covid-19 had struck and all of the brand’s retailers had shut shop.

After spending 15 years building his company, scouring the world for clients who might share his love for unusual, highly complex (and eye-wateringly expensive) horological creations, he thought it was all over. “It felt like the end of the world. We were thinking: ‘Who is going to buy a watch ever again?’”

But then something strange started happening. In April and May 2020, even though the brand’s retailers were still closed, sales were as good as ever. In June, the brand had one of the best months in its history. And that success has continued on an upward trajectory ever since.

Busser is still grappling with the hows and whys of this unexpected development. He suspects it is because many big watchmaking brands stopped communicating with their clients during the early stages of the pandemic, while MB&F, and other like-minded independent brands, “started having incredible conversations with people online, via Instagram live and Zoom and so on”.

At the same time, the secondary market for MB&F’s pieces started growing. From 2013 to 2020, the brand had capped the number of pieces it produced to 278 per year. The complexity of the creations, which are all hand finished, and the dwindling number of artisans who are able to create them, meant they could never be produced in large volumes anyway. But their limited numbers drove demand on the secondary market and, for the first time, there was a waiting list for Busser’s unusual concepts.

The MB&F offering is split into two main collections: the more outlandish Horological Machines, kinetic sculptures that are highly technical, but also three-dimensional, defined by unexpected shapes and seemingly incongruous proportions; and the more nostalgic Legacy Machines, which actually look like watches, rather than futuristic accessories for the arm, and are Busser’s “tribute to the great creators of 200 years ago”. A Dh500,000 price tag for an MB&F piece is not unusual.

We meet in Dubai Mall, within the endlessly intriguing environs of the Mad Gallery. Founded by Busser in 2011 and now present in Geneva, Tapei and Dubai, the galleries feature MB&F’s own timepieces, alongside a carefully curated collection of weird and wonderful kinetic and mechanical items by creators from around the world. They are the ultimate symbol of Busser’s collaborative approach.

He shows me an MN9 SV Sapphire Vision, the last in the world. Like a miniature underwater vessel transported back from the future, it features a curved and bubbled outer hull of sapphire crystal and precious metal, and is worth Dh1.7 million.

“You do not expect people lining up to try to buy this.” His voice dips slightly, the emotion audible if you listen closely enough. “That is a mechanical sculpture. That is exactly what I set about creating 18 years ago.”

The half-Swiss, half-Indian resident of Dubai was brought up through the ranks of Jaeger-LeCoultre, where he was part of the senior management team for seven years during the 1990s, and became the managing director of Harry Winston Rare Timepieces in 1998 at the age of 31.

But, 18 years ago, he decided he’d had enough. He wanted to create things that were new, innovative and pushed the boundaries of horology – rather than just corporate-endorsed designs that were only produced because they were guaranteed to sell. So he set up MB&F (the F, incidentally, stands for friends – like-minded creative geniuses who are committed to challenging industry norms).

Twenty calibres and a series of award-winning designs later, with a further ten calibres in the pipeline, Busser is clearly stunned by the brand’s success. “Pre-2020, the person who bought MB&F was an insane lover of what we do. They knew that if they tried to sell it, they would lose money. So it was pure love.

“But when secondary market prices came close to original prices, all of a sudden, we found five to ten times more people turning up at our door saying: ‘I’ve always loved what you do, but I wasn’t ready to lose money. But now, clearly, I can buy one of your pieces, and after one or two years, sell it and maybe lose five to ten per cent, and that’s acceptable.’

“As a creator, I no longer have nightmares about who the hell is going to buy my products, which is really nice. But it brings many other challenges. Suddenly, we have to start deciding who is ‘worthy’ of having our pieces, which is horrible. I never signed up for that – I’m just grateful for anybody who wants to buy one of my pieces,” he says.

Production has been upped to 345 pieces a year, but demand still far outstrips supply. Recent launches include a new version of the Legacy Machine Perpetual, which was first launched in 2015, and since been reworked in red gold, platinum, white gold, titanium, yellow gold and palladium. New to the roster is a version in steel and salmon, a first for MB&F.

The award-winning LM Perpetual is a collaboration between MB&F and independent Irish watchmaker Stephen McDonnell, which resulted in a reinvention of one of the most traditional of horological complications – the perpetual calendar. An open dial reveals the full complication and suspended balance, while subdials appear to float above the movement with no visible attachments.

Increasingly, Busser’s thoughts are turning to the actual matter of legacy, which is new for him. “I want to make sure this company survives me, which was never a thought in my mind. I think in the last four or five years, especially with the scare we had with Covid … you start thinking that you don’t want all of this to go to waste.”

From the catwalks of Paris to the jewellery creations of home-grown Bahraini brands, pearls are proving that they are never really out of fashion. By Francesca Fearon

Olivier Rousteing opted for an intimate presentation of his couture-like autumn/winter 2023 ready-to-wear collection in Paris, in which he paid homage to the forgotten riches of Balmain.

As the house’s current creative director, he paid tribute to Pierre Balmain’s 1945 New French Style collection, particularly the Jolie Madame silhouette, with its strict tailoring, cinched waists and strong shoulders. Monsieur Balmain was a master of pattern and embellishment, each season reprising polka dots and pearls. Especially pearls, as Rousteing mentioned in his show notes: “It’s clear to see that we’ve pushed the limits of one of his favourite luxury details – perfectly embroidered pearl ornaments.”

Black tailoring patterned with polka-dot-like pearls, pearl cage corsets and dresses, and giant pearl earrings highlighted Pierre Balmain’s lasting love for this luminous creamy coloured adornment. Rousteing’s collection highlighted not just Balmain’s, but our collective passion for this most feminine and flattering jewel.

On the catwalks for both summer and autumn, pearls made their presence known. At Givenchy, a gown and top dripped with pearls, and (as always) they swung from every neck at Chanel. Andrew Gn presented the most opulent pearl chandelier earrings and, at Simone Rocha, pearl sailor collars were tied around the neck, while extra-long pearl earrings were trimmed with silk ribbons. The current summer collections, similarly, proclaim a love of pearls, whether at Chanel, Junya Watanabe, Erdem or Rocha, where baroque styles are especially popular.

Pearls were once seen as formal and feminine, but innovation and experimentation by a new wave of designers has ensured our appetite for them is scaling new heights – in jewellery collections, as well as on the catwalk. As Lebanese jeweller Gaelle Khouri explains: “Pearls often communicate a romantic and feminine feel. I like to set them in a bold or playful design that also creates a sense of fearlessness.”

Khouri sets baroque and Tahitian pearls in asymmetric earrings of blackened silver, or within a two-finger ring with an 18k gold branch-like structure, because she is drawn to their “organic, amorphous, dreamlike forms”.

Equally inspired is Dutch sculptor-jeweller Bibi Van der Velden, who sets baroque and keshi pearls, punctured with little diamond studs, into sculpted gold rings and necklaces in her new Wave collection. Each piece is unique, driven by the individual shape of the pearl. The finished look is very organic and, in terms of design, reconnects the pearl with the marine environment in which it grew.

Pearls are one of the most sustainable gems, because of the environment in which they are found, although climate change and warming seas might put pressure on this precious resource in the future.

Melanie Georgacopoulos has an avant-garde attitude to pearls, for both her eponymous brand and her M/G collection for Japanese pearl and diamond specialist Tasaki. She famously caused a stir among purists when she unveiled her first sliced pearl collection for Tasaki a few years ago, a hugely popular range.

Meanwhile, her latest Baroque Drops designs feature large South Sea freshwater pearls pierced with gold studs. She admits she would rather have used baroque specimens, because “they have a bit more personality than round pearls”.

Today, many of the pearls featured in fine jewellery are cultured specimens from Japan, Tahiti and the South Seas. However, historically, the best source of the finest natural saltwater pearls was Bahrain.

In 1912, Jacques Cartier, one of the three brothers who turned Cartier into a global brand, travelled to Bahrain to buy pearls from local traders, including Mattar, which had been founded in the 1850s. The family business is still trading today, with the sixth generation of the family, which opened Mattar Jewelers in 2004, crafting collectible designs.

In the early 20th century, natural pearls were a magnet for the world’s wealthiest women, and their price soared with the opening of South African diamond mines – because, by comparison, pearls were considered a far greater rarity. As Francesca Cartier Brickell explained in her book, The Cartiers, it wasn’t unusual for her grandfather, Jacques, to wait at least a decade to assemble a necklace of pearls that matched in size, colour and shape.

Today, Bahrain still supplies the finest pearls for high jewellery collections in Paris, London and New York. Jewellery by David Morris features some of these valuable natural pearls, which, as Jacques Cartier discovered, can take years to match.

In New York, Tiffany & Co has launched a reinterpretation of its famous Bird on a Rock brooch, designed in 1965 by Jean Schlumberger but, this time, the little gold-crested cockatoo is not perched on an enormous gemstone, but has laid an oversized pearl egg. The Bird on a Pearl suite is a capsule collection that draws on rare specimens from Qatari businessman Hussein Al Fardan’s unrivalled private collection of natural Gulf pearls.

The masterpiece of the collection is a three-strand necklace of graduated natural saltwater light cream pearls of more than 371 carats, while baroque, button and near-round pearls bring new life to the famous little bird, on brooches, a pendant and earrings.

Prized for their beauty and rarity for centuries, the Pinctada Radiata pearl oyster is found throughout the Arabian Gulf. However, the finest come from the waters around Bahrain. This is due to the influence of underground freshwater springs that permeate the oyster beds. “No other natural pearls possess quite the same luminous lustre,” says Virginie Dreyer, a French jewellery designer living in Bahrain.

The founder of TinyOm, her designs are handcrafted in the workshops of Al Zain jewellery house, which was founded in the 1930s. “I use light cream baroque – these have an irregular, non-spherical shape and a wonderful brilliance,” she says. She points out that not having a perfect spherical shape makes the pearls slightly more affordable, but they share the beauty and purity of other natural Bahraini pearls.

“When I visualised my first pearls collection a few years back, I used natural Bahraini pearls and, since then, I have never tried anything else. They are too pure and beautiful,” Dreyer says, explaining how she sources these natural pearls from local certified divers and dealers.

“I love the irregular shaped pearls because they have this organic feeling; you look at them and you know they come from a living organism,” she adds.

Bahrain is on a mission to revitalise its pearl sector, which almost vanished with the arrival of cultured pearls from Japan. Today, the Bahrain Institute for Pearls and Gemstones (Danat) – a gemological laboratory that specialises in the testing and study of natural pearls – certifies more than two million pearls annually, the majority of which are from Bahrain’s shores. Danat is currently finalising a marketing strategy to strengthen Bahrain’s status as a global centre for natural pearls.

The aim is to not only find a market with luxury brands overseas, but, says Noora Jamsheer, Danat’s chief executive, to cater to “a growing interest from Bahraini brands that are manufacturing pearl jewellery for international mainstream brands and retail houses”.

Danat has recently teamed up with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on a three-year project to establish a way to uniquely identify and ensure the traceability of natural pearls, at a time when regulators are placing increasing pressure on the fashion and luxury industries to reveal supply chains and social impact.

Such certification of sources (including blockchain) already exists in the diamond and ruby gemstone market, she points out. “The aim is to enhance Danat’s ability to differentiate between natural, cultured and the in-between pearls, which are pearls that naturally formed in an oyster, however the environment in which the oyster is growing is not natural and is manipulated by mankind,” she explains.

“The collaboration is important to preserve and build consumer confidence in the jewellery world,” she says. And, with it, to secure the future of Bahrain’s pearling heritage, at a time when appreciation for these natural wonders is on the rise.

A space oddity

Otherworldly silhouettes create a bold new language for fashion’s shifting landscape

Fashion director: Sarah Maisey
Photographer: Lesha Lich at MMG
Hair and make-up: Karolina Kurowicka at MMG
Model: Juliana at MMG

“Let’s just call it Rod,” I sigh, as the ground thunders around me. “Rod Stewart.”

Behind me, two Sumba horses and a large brown stallion are fighting – rearing up, stamping, biting and kicking each other. My companions and I are inside an enclosure with them, but we’re paying them little attention – we’re too busy trying to decide on a moniker for a length of bamboo suspended between stacked car tyres.

From where we stand, we can see glimpses of golden sand sliding beneath topaz seas, and surfers riding waves foaming with white manes. Elsewhere within Nihi – one of the world’s most luxurious resorts, on the remote Indonesian island of Sumba – guests are enjoying open-air clifftop massages, wraps and body scrubs. They’re in their private plunge pools or sampling the produce of the on-site artisanal chocolate factory. They’re snorkelling and sunbathing.

In contrast, we’re at the resort’s stables, in the shade of a covered, round horse pen, and we’ve spent the past 10 minutes constructing an ersatz corridor across the enclosure, made from swimming pool noodles, bald tyres and a few lengths of bamboo. Now Professor Andreas Liefooghe has tasked us with creating and naming an obstacle to place in the path we’ve created. Debate has been heated.

While the rest of the task was completed quickly, with relatively little conflict, many members of my psychotherapy group are passionate about the stick’s baptism. Some want it to be called Obstacle, others Hurdle or Roadblock, but – with the literal and metaphorical qualities of each title under intense scrutiny – unanimity eludes us. One member of our group has already walked away. Similarly, the stallion is now also being released from the enclosure for safety reasons.

As the remaining seven members of our group become more irritable, so too do the two piebald horses, a fact that has not gone unnoticed by Liefooghe and his therapist colleague, Raul Aparici. As experts in equine-assisted psychotherapy and coaching, Liefooghe and Aparici say the horses are mirroring the tension within our group. I’m doing my best to dissipate it.

“It’s a stick, so we should name it Rod,” I wearily quip again, as I instinctively place myself between my new companions and the cantankerous horses. Some chuckle in agreement while others roll their eyes at my failure to take our task seriously. “Because we’re very much making a rod for our own backs.”

After five days of group therapy sessions in paradise, both with and without horses, Liefooghe would point out that I have a habit of deflecting with humour; of using a joke as an escape hatch when trapped in a box packed-to-bursting with emotions. We all have different mechanisms for coping with trauma.

Some members of my equine therapy group are eager to learn how horses can help us handle loss, addiction, grief and guilt. Others think horse therapy is a load of hippy nonsense, but they are, nevertheless, overcome with curiosity. Some have imbued the horses with mystical abilities – animals gifted with a spiritual understanding of the human condition. A couple of us believe they cannot be saved by means of head, heart, hand nor hoof.

But none of that matters for equine therapy to achieve its goals, because Liefooghe sees horses simply as the tools of his trade. Horses and humans have a shared history dating back about 6,000 years, and Liefooghe uses them in psychotherapy for the same reasons we always have – to get us places faster.

A lifelong horseman, Liefooghe is a psychotherapist and a professor of psychology with more than two decades’ experience. In 2005, he founded Operation Centaur in the UK, bringing horses into unusual settings – from London’s Royal Parks to school playgrounds and prison yards – using equine-assisted therapy to help with corporate team building, anti-bullying interventions, addiction issues and the rehabilitation of criminal offenders.

“The connections that humans find with horses can become a catalyst for deeper self-knowledge,” he says. “Many people fail to engage with talking therapy. Some people won’t talk; some people can’t talk; some struggle to communicate their emotions.

“In contrast, the language of psychology is now bandied around so much that even schoolchildren are fluent in its terms, but they aren’t really connecting with the feelings behind those words.”

Liefooghe explains that introducing horses into therapy allows his clients to experience a non-threatening emotional connection without the need for language. By observing how we interact with the horses, he believes he can learn about us as people.

“As prey animals, horses rely on their instincts to stay safe. They make accurate decisions because their survival depends on reading predators correctly. Watching how horses respond to the signals we give them offers us a profound insight into our selves.”

It’s not important whether you believe horses can pick up on human emotions, as Liefooghe does, or if you think they can no more decipher human motivations than we can understand the working of their minds. The way in which we each engage with them – and inevitably anthropomorphise them – teaches our therapists about the ways we think and feel, much more quickly than by simply talking to us.

By launching Retreat & Conquer, Liefooghe is inviting the public to embark on both literal and psychological journeys of self-discovery with a range of equine-assisted therapy escapes to glamorous destinations around the globe.

From Sumba to Limpopo, Mustique to Abu Dhabi, each destination has a strong link to the genesis of the human-horse relationship. Sumba’s diminutive sandalwood ponies – named after the trees that once forested the island – are integral to the island’s identity. Introduced from Java in the 14th century, they’re raced each year during the island’s Pasola festival by spear-wielding riders in traditional garb – a spectacle often recreated for guests at Nihi.

The resort has its own herd of 22 horses, offering guests the chance to ride on the sand and in the surf, or simply to watch as they gallop down the beach when they’re released from Sandalwood Stables twice daily. That’s a therapeutic experience in itself.

While everyone is welcome at Nihi, not just anyone can book to go on a Retreat & Conquer break – there is an application process. When asked what kind of people respond best to this unique type of therapy, Liefooghe replies: “The people who are willing to put in the work. You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.”

Of course, once my group and I have built and named our obstacle, we’re tasked with trying to lead our horses – without the aid of reins, nor any tack – through the path and over the hurdle.

Seeking the path of least resistance, I’d suggested we keep our corridor wide and straight, and build an obstacle as low to the ground as possible. The trail our committee has made is narrow and winding, however, and the bamboo hurdle placed high on stacked tyres. Wrangling the horses proves difficult, but I set about the task without complaint.

One of the many things I’ve realised about myself over our five-day retreat is that, along with using humour to defuse explosive situations, coming from a background of childhood conflict has made me defensive. This week has taught me to pick my battles; that I don’t need to play the saviour, nor the jester, nor lead the charge.

We have, as predicted, built a rod for our own backs, but I gladly capitulate when someone suggests we name the bamboo after another pop star. Desperately seeking neutrality, they named it Madonna (a name with no divisive connotations, I’m sure), but I accepted it with equanimity.
I don’t have a horse in this race.

How Loro Piana is harnessing technology to promote transparency and traceability. By Sarah Maisey

To celebrate the opening of its new boutique in Palo Alto, California, Loro Piana unveiled a number of new initiatives aimed at bridging its distinct brand of discreet luxury with the metaverse. In addition to the sleek new space, perfectly restrained in pale oak and muted caramels, the company unveiled a limited-edition capsule collection, new blockchain technology and an NFT.

Since it was founded in Quarona, Italy in 1924, Loro Piana has dedicated itself to crafting understated clothing from some of the most extraordinary materials in the world. Cashmere, vicuna and merino wool are the bedrock of its creations, which cater to a discerning customer that demands exceptional quality, but low-key, classic styling.

Such savoir faire may seem like an odd fit for Palo Alto, which, at first glance, is a small, sleepy town, seemingly trapped in the 1950s, with unexpectedly sketchy Wi-Fi. But behind this archaic facade, Palo Alto is home to the headquarters of Apple, Meta, Google, PayPal and Tesla, making it ground zero for all things futuristic.

For the opening of the new boutique, Loro Piana released a limited collection of 20 designs – 10 each for men and women. There were T-shirts, loose-fit trousers and double-faced coats, in subtle hues of buttermilk and crisp, pale blue, made from one of Loro Piana’s most precious materials, named the Gift of Kings.

With its rich, velvety texture, the material feels more akin to brushed silk than wool. It is, however, a type of merino. Its name stems from its history, when merino sheep were the sole property of 16th century Spanish monarchs and were closely guarded for their soft, light wool. The kings would gift a pair of breeding merinos to fellow sovereigns as a token of friendship, while any attempt to steal an animal was punishable by death.

By the late 1700s, Spain began relaxing its monopoly, and the sheep were transported to countries around the world, eventually leading to different variations, such as Gentile di Puglia from Italy and the Rambouillet from France. Arriving in New Zealand and Australia in the final years of the 18th century, the sheep have thrived in the cold and hilly terrains of the countries, and today, the finest merino wool comes from the antipodes.

With its long, soft fibres, merino wool is measured in microns. One micron is equivalent to one millionth of a metre, or 0.001mm. Wool more than 22.6 microns is considered strong and used for upholstery, as well as car and airline seats. Wool of 20.6 to 22.5 microns is classed as medium and used for light suiting and knitwear, while fine wool is 18.6 to 19.5 microns and soft enough to be worn next to the skin.

Superfine wool is 17.6 to 18.5 microns; ultrafine comes in at 16.1 to 17.5 microns. Gift of Kings measures only 12 microns. Human hair, in comparison, is between 60 and 70 microns.

This level of delicacy is not naturally occurring, but the result of three decades of selective breeding orchestrated by Loro Piana. As the fashion industry shifted towards mass appeal, Loro Piana instead doubled down on the needs of its select clientele, gambling that this niche audience would always appreciate the very finest products on the market.

Seeking out the most pioneering merino farmers across Australia and New Zealand, the brand identified 30 farms that shared its vision, and tasked them with creating the softest, lightest fleece imaginable. As the only company in the world with access to Gift of Kings, Loro Piana created the Record Bale scheme, to support these farmers. The company is committed to buying the thinnest bale each year, irrespective of price. To date, the record bale for Gift of Kings stands at only 10.3 microns.

To demonstrate how extraordinary this material is, Loro Piana decorated the new Palo Alto store with great clouds of carded fleece, as flighty as candy floss. Light enough to stir in the air disturbed by someone strolling by, the creamy fibres were too delicate to register on my hand when touched.

Human fingertips, it seems, are not sensitive enough to respond to Gift of Kings. Yet, the fibre is surprisingly resilient, and is warm in winter and cool in summer. With correct care, it will last for decades, and customers are already passing pieces down to the next generation.

As a vertically integrated company, Loro Piana has direct control over every aspect of its production, from the farms where the fleece is shorn, to the factory where fibres are woven into butter-soft cashmere blankets or vicuna wraps. Nothing is outsourced to third parties. This gives it a uniquely precise overview, down to what its Peruvian vicuna camelids are enjoying for lunch.

Now, the company is opening this business model up to public scrutiny, by recording every step on blockchain. With nothing to hide, but plenty to be proud of, it is throwing open the shutters on its production processes, in the name of transparency, traceability and sustainability.

To access this information, customers can simply scan the unique QR code on their Loro Piana product, to unlock every detail, down to the name of the farm where the animal from which the raw materials were sourced lives. Damien Bertrand, Loro Piana’s chief executive, says he even hopes to refine this information down to the name of the individual animal whose fleece was used in a garment “in the not too distant future”.

Often misunderstood, blockchain is a detailed record of information, albeit of a highly sophisticated nature. Divided and stored across the entire computer network rather than being held by any one entity, this vast distribution system creates a unique opportunity for iron clad fact checking, as it is impossible to alter, destroy, delete or hack into blockchain. Information can only be added, not removed.

It is this immutability that makes it ideally suited to Loro Piana's latest venture, allowing the house to showcase its exemplary approach at every stage of transforming wool into the finished garments it describes as “masterpieces”.

Loro Piana’s blockchain technology is powered by Aura Blockchain Consortium, founded in 2021 by five luxury groups – Mercedes Benz, Prada Group, LVMH, OTB Group and Cartier – to address issues around authenticity and transparency.

Daniela Ott, general secretary of Aura Blockchain, explains why blockchain and luxury are such perfect partners. “The idea of blockchain is to put the consumer at the centre and give them much more access to information. Loro Piana is the first to use a four contract certification and behind any garment, there are 20,000 lines of data stored in the blockchain.

“That data contains the whole story of each product – who made it, where the fibres are from, where the yarn has been spun and when it was transferred to each stage. All this information is now transparent and recorded in the blockchain forever. This is authenticity.

"To solidify to this immutable chain, Loro Piana will also add the customer to the blockchain, creating a unique ledger of ownership, which can be handed down through families, or used for verification when it comes to resale. Blockchain technology is young and very fast moving, but will soon be a vital component of maintaining trust between the consumer and high-end brands,” Ott says.

“Digital certificates and digital passports are going to be like a receipt, and in a couple of years, every consumer – particularly [of] luxury products – will ask for a digital certificate or a digital passport.”

Plugging into the metaverse, Loro Piana is also launching NFTs in the form of digital artworks linked to the Gift of Kings collection. British artist Charlotte Taylor was tasked with capturing “the poetic essence of Loro Piana, through the light and softness of the images”, Taylor says.

“For a brand like Loro Piana that is quite routed in tradition to go into the digital medium is something very exciting, especially with a young design studio like myself. For the NFT community, it is hugely inspiring to see someone young working with such a prominent brand, in such an innovative process.”

$129,000

... is the price of this golf-inspired Louis Vuitton trunk. Here’s what makes it special

Louis Vuitton has created trunks of all shapes, sizes and uses over the course of its 169-year history
– whether dedicated to Christmas decorations or Japanese tea ceremonies, built to serve as coffee tables or writing desks, or made to hold skateboards or precious books.

The French maison’s latest offering is targeted squarely at the golf aficionado. The Malle Golf is a playful reinterpretation of the trunk, standing 1.4 metres high and opening up to reveal a putting mat, drawers for towels and golfing attire, and dedicated compartments for balls and clubs.

The brand’s distinctive Monogram motif and gold hardware are defining features of the design. The patterning is seen across the exterior, and on the front of the perspex drawers.

To one side, there are 14 slots to hold golf clubs; on the other, a selection of drawers, including a dedicated section for 18 golf balls. The putting mat rolls out from the bottom and leads up to a built- in cup, which is also marked with an oversized Monogram flower and topped with a jaunty red flag featuring the LV logo.

Also available for uber fans are monogrammed towels, club head covers, branded golf balls and tees, although these must be purchased separately.

This is not the only sports-specific trunk currently being offered by the brand. It has also launched the Fifa World Cup Official Match Ball Collection Trunk, which comes with 14 official match balls, one from each of the world cups since 1970, as well as an exclusive natural cowhide leather football stamped with the letters L and V. Each ball is given its own dedicated shelf, while two drawers at the bottom of the trunk are the perfect storage spot for any other valuable football-related paraphernalia.

Also new to the line-up is the Baby Wardrobe,
part of Louis Vuitton’s first collection dedicated
to newborns. Modelled on the maison’s Wardrobe Trunk, which made its debut in 1875, this adorable new model is designed to be gifted at birth and then serve as a lifetime companion. It’s neutral-hued interiors feature eight drawers of different sizes, two mirrors and three miniature hangers – perfect for storing all the other goodies in the newborn collection, which include tiny leather shoes, onesies and a family of teddy bears.