The restoration of Notre Dame, Gucci’s collectable cocktail, Mini Cooper EV, Rado’s limited edition ceramic watch, rare rug weaved by a pastoral community, and perfume with the fragrance of ancient perfumery.
Notre Dame which was gutted in a fire in 2019. That same year, restoration work began using the $1 billion donated by people across the globe. Besides restoring the burnt parts of the façade and interiors, researchers and architects have been working on an electrifying sound system that enhance the experience of its soaring Gothic architecture and stained-glass windows.
In the newly restored cathedral, the acoustics are as much an experience as the Renaissance-style interiors. Notre Dame has been restored and restored throughout its 900-year history, each time changing in architectural, cultural and political significance. In its latest restoration, a sonic landscape is being brought to life. Next time you listen to a performance or a service in Notre Dame, what you hear won’t just be the voice, researchers will tell you. It will be the space. The height of the Gothic vaults will allow the polyphonic music to soar, with lower notes reverberating while higher notes disappear within the soaring height.
Gucci has monikered its new launch, a pre-made cocktail in collaboration with Giorgio Bargiani — the mixologist of London’s buzzing The Connaught Bar — as a collectable. Elisir d’Elicriso was originally unveiled at the opening of the bar in Florence, but can now be purchased across the globe. The curated cocktails are inspired by Gucci Garden’s floral collection and is an ode to the brand and Bargiani’s Tuscan heritage.
The cocktail has an herbal, rounded profile imparted by local botanicals, apothecary herbs of the Tuscan coast, Tanqueray No.10 gin, 1757 Vermouth di Torino extra dry, Podere Santa Bianca Liquore No.4, Muyu vetiver gris liqueur, white balsamic vinegar, Podere Santa Bianca Elicriso essential oil, and Guidalberto Tenuta San Guido (a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot), and is sold in elegant glass bottles. Bargiani recommends serving it in a cooled Martini glass or just chilled on the rocks. It can also be served as a Spritz-style cocktail adding bubbles for a sparkling cocktail or as a long drink by adding soda or tonic water.
In recent years, the watch brand has been experimenting with scratch-resistant ceramic for its luxury timepieces. It has now expanded the use of ceramic to its ever-popular dive watch, Captain Cook, with a Rado Captain Cook High Tech Ceramic Diver line, which till now was available in steel and brass iterations. The limited-edition Rado Captain Cook Skeleton watch features a matt finish monobloc case framed by a circular-brushed plasma high-tech ceramic bezel.
The titanium case back has an embedded sapphire crystal that allows a clear view of calibre R808 movement and core watch components from the front of the watch as well as the anchor-shaped rotor at the back. The screw-in crown sports the usual Rado anchor symbol. The dial itself is intentionally spartan, with hands treated with white Super-LumiNova® to enhance readability in low-light conditions.
Rado has produced 1,962 individually numbered Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Line Limited Edition watches. The watch can be bought on Tata Cliq in India.
The next generation of the iconic Mini Cooper is an EV. Built by BMW and China’s Great Wall Motors, the Mini EV, which will hit the market in the next three months, has a three-door model and is a convertible. It is 40mm longer than others in the segment, allowing for bigger and better battery life, sports classic Mini styling, and laidback minimalistic interiors.
In the Mini EV, the circular Speedo is available as a touchscreen. The Mini Cooper SI (or Mini Electric) showcases a streamlined, minimalist aesthetic characterized by fewer body lines and more rounded contours. The electric hatchback boasts a throwback design to the iconic 1960s Mini, with a prominent round headlight featuring a classic LED halo, a larger concealed grille with a clean octagonal surround, and a floating roof design with smoother and less cluttered bodywork.
Kharad art rugs, at one time, were a must-have in every Kutch, and Gujarat, home. Now, they are sold to the superrich or exported, as not many can afford this piece of art. Few in the pastoral community continue to weave camel and sheep hair wool into rugs with patterns taken from nature, their culture, folk tales and rituals.
Maldharis and Rabaris, foremost among the pastoral communities in Kutch, shear the hair of their herd. This is then given to hand spinners who specialize in making wool out of animal hair. The wool is used by the Kharad artisans to weave rugs.
Khamir, an organization which works among the artisans and pastoralists, has been creating market linkages and export opportunities for the artisans. It is also reviving the ecosystem which supports the weaving: They collect the camel hair and give it to hand spinners to make yarn. The hand-spun yarn is then made available to Kharad weavers.
Traditionally, Kharad weaves are black, brown, white or rich ochre but now artisans use vegetable dye to impart the finished products a more vibrant appeal. A Kharad dhurrie can cost about Rs 4,000 while a large rug can be as expensive as Rs 40,000-50,000.
Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh is an ancient town famous for its perfumeries and perfume factories since the 18th century. The fragrance factories here have been blending and making perfume bases and essential oils with the best of Indian ingredients such as rose, kewra, chameli, bela, marigold, jasmine, lavender, cardamom, cloves, saffron and juniper berry for luxury international soap and scent brands.
Sawai Fragrances, a perfumery from Kannauj, is the first to launch its commercial fragrance brand, EZE. Its range spans perfumes with jasmine, fruity notes with a touch of rosemary, one with woody notes, and others with peppery notes, or top notes of pineapple and black currant, or spicy elements. The pastel modern packaging is on-point for a younger, experimental generation that increasingly looks at luxury as means to preserve heritage and tell a story.
