TRENDS
These hyper-designed, limited-edition watches may cheer you up during these dark times
The watch industry has begun launching new timepieces or pushing the ones they had launched earlier this year.
BUSINESS
Interview: We are in for a rough ride for 12 months and maybe even longer, says Marriott's India chief Neeraj Govil
The Senior Vice President, South Asia of Marriott International Inc says that the way people will travel, stay and expect hotels to function will change forever.
TRENDS
Facing existential threat: COVID-19 lockdown takes heavy toll on bars, microbreweries
Bereft of approvals to home-delivery cocktails-on-the-go and facing the difficulties of socially distancing within crowded spaces, bars are facing an existential threat. Industry bodies and alcoholic beverage companies have come to the rescue of a segment that may take at least two years to revive.
TRENDS
Sustainable luxury brand Chamar Studio redefines the word that is often seen as a slur
Sudheer Rajbhar set up the studio as a means to confront both caste biases and offer artisans an equal universe. He recently used the Ketto platform to raise funds for his COVID-hit artisans in Dharavi and plans to set up collaborative retail stores.
TRENDS
Online auction of antique jewels the new playground for super-rich Indians amid lockdown
The gems and jewellery segment in India may be facing losses of Rs 75,000 crore, but affluent Indians have found a new obsession: online jewellery auction of rare and collectable pieces with pedigree and provenance.
BUSINESS
Exclusive l Riyaaz Amlani, AD Singh, Zorawar Kalra and other big-name restaurateurs on the challenges of reopening
From cash-flow problems to changing dining-out paradigms, manpower struggles and technology innovations, Gauri Devidayal, Riyaaz Amlani, AD Singh, Zorawar Kalra and Rachel Goenka define the pull and pushes of opening up in an after-COVID world.
FEATURES
The Indian connection behind the world’s most expensive gins
The quintessential British spirit, infused with a fascinating range of botanicals and spices, has a deep India connection. So does the handcrafted Monkey47 gin, one of the most expensive in the world, whose origin story mentions a British Royal Airforce Officer born in Madras.
TRENDS
Virtual selling, hooking up to digital marketplaces and hyperlocal deliveries – how the luxury industry is tackling COVID crisis
As discretionary spending takes a hit, the struggle is real for India’s luxury businesses. The emergence of new verticals, digital marketplaces, virtual shows, WhatsApp selling, and even travelling to your buyer’s home are the solutions being explored.
TRENDS
Top luxury brands, designers and artisans turn face mask into a fashion statement
If we have to live with a face mask in the foreseeable future, let it be a designer one. Luxury brands to corporate fashion, artisanal communities to even turban designers are redefining the face mask into a fashion accessory, albeit one that follows all the norms of WHO safety protocols.
TRENDS
Riding COVID-19 storm: Restaurants rewrite home delivery rules with special menus, DIY kits
Restaurants are unlikely to bounce back from the financial red zone to green anytime soon. So, India’s best restaurateurs and chefs are imaginatively rewriting the home delivery business to create formats that will last beyond the lockdown and bring them some much-needed revenues.
BUSINESS
Exclusive interview: Pascal O. Ravessoud of FHH on sharp plunge in Swiss watch exports and the tough road ahead
Ravessoud is a man on a mission with a task to ensure that the digital initiative reaches out to consumers with stories and content that inspire them to keep investing in watches while helping brands introduce new collections.
FEATURES
Quarantine cocktails: Forage in your pantry to spice up a ‘sustainable’ drink
Sustainable or resourceful bartending is a huge trend worldwide. Mixologists and bartenders offer us a lowdown on the spices and the herbs, the fruits and the veggies that can go into our next home-made cocktail.
TRENDS
Coronavirus warriors: Meet these sustainability experts who hew out viable COVID-19 isolation facilities
An innovative team led by Dr Anunaya Chaubey and Dr Miniya Chatterji of Anant National University creates temporary hospitals and isolation facilities in less than 5 days within vacant properties. The first one will welcome people flying back from the Gulf to Kerala this weekend.
TRENDS
Coronavirus effect: Food aggregators push ‘contactless dining’, restaurateurs call it a wasted effort
Is it possible to create a warm, intimate and hospitable dining experience by removing all touchpoints between the server, the chefs and the guests? How would social distancing work in smaller restaurants? The restaurant industry looks for answers and finds none.
INDIA
Coronavirus lockdown | India’s 7-million strong artisans’ community faces supply disruptions, cancelled orders & financial hardships
Technology, creation of tech-savvy crafts clusters and finding new markets tops the agenda of the home-grown luxury industry dependent on artisans and weavers, who have been left on the edge due to reverse migration, disrupted supply chains and meagre financial resources.
TRENDS
India under quarantine wakes up to the beauty of baking sourdough bread
A casual search for #sourdough hashtag on Instagram throws up 3.5 million posts on this ancient bread, many of them from India, as the country discovers the magic of baking it with generous help from online workshops.
BUSINESS
Coronavirus impact: Ever thought you would be able to buy a Patek Philippe watch costing millions online?
Struggling to keep the luxury experience and sales alive, brands engage consumers with online sales of fine watches, wines and lush hotel beds, elaborate adventure videos, the fine dine experience, and art studio experimentations.
TRENDS
Coronavirus lockdown: How the internet has come to the rescue of party animals
Whisky -tasting sessions and wine tutorials have moved online and Houseparty is among the top 8 downloaded apps in India in the last one month, as people log in to host virtual parties with friends and family in ‘private rooms’.
BUSINESS
Niche, indie, high-end: How businesses like Tahiliani Homes will define luxury realty of the future
The company, which moved into the luxury vacation rental business a couple of months ago, will now focus on long-term rentals, as the hospitality segment remains paralysed by the coronavirus outbreak.
BUSINESS
Chef Floyd Cardoz, who died of COVID-19 in New Jersey, redefined regional Indian cuisine for the modern world
His three-Michelin-starred restaurant, Tabla, introduced New Yorkers to his innovative cooking style that meshed Indian ingredients and cooking styles with modern techniques and presentation.
