Trading places

Natalie Theodosi,Claudia Jacobs and Fiona Wilson reporting on Retail: Despite the convenience of online shopping, a new generation of designers, buyers and entrepreneurs are reaffirming the irreplaceable charms of in-person retail. Here are five new outlets that we admire.

Magazine 0 min read

‘The Netherlands is in the EU. So there's a lot of EU migration, there's labour migration in general. And at the same time, we're suffering a gigantic housing crisis in a very small country, partly because they haven't built enough.’

– Senay Boztas, an English journalist based in Amsterdam

Monocle Radio
The Globalist 60 min listen

The Monocle Minute

Persuasive manoeuvres

When Monocle’s first Soft Power Survey was published in 2010, international relations were enjoying a relatively benign period. As a result, nations’ softer virtues – things such as diplomacy, culture and trade – weren’t as shrouded by the fog of war and rancour as they are today. The world in 2023 is a different place. At times, it can seem that soft power is failing or that the spirit of openness and co-operation that underpins it is under existential threat. Times such as these require a doubling-down on those principles by their advocates.

Featured podcasts and chapters

Retail forays with MyTheresa, Mud Australia and DJ Sofia Kourtesis

This month we want to aid and inspire your festive retail forays, whether that’s through the fine porcelains of Sydney-based brand Mud Australia or a new album by Peruvian artist, Sofia Kourtesis. We also check in with online-retail giant MyTheresa to find out what makes customers tick at this time of year and delve into the history of the most festive evergreen: mistletoe.

Konfekt Korner 34 53 min listen

Unfeigned and Kind Regards

Rafa Gomez founded menswear brand Unfeigned as a result of his futile pursuit to find a quality, basic T-shirt. Now it’s a thriving business and very much a family affair. Rafa and his sister, Unfeigned’s art director, Maria, join the show to chat about the start of the label and how the family makes working together work. Plus: insights from Shope Delano and Natalia Barros Vives of London-based womenswear label Kind Regards.

The Entrepreneurs 625 30 min listen

Sandra Newman

Joining Georgina Godwin in today’s episode is American author Sandra Newman, whose sixth novel, ‘Julia’, offers a bold feminist reinterpretation of George Orwell’s ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’. The book expands upon the protagonist Winston Smith’s narrative to unveil and explore the experiences of women in Oceania. Born in Boston, Newman has lived in many countries, including Germany, Russia, Malaysia and England, and her professions have ranged from academia to professional gambling. She speaks about her experiences prior to her debut novel, which was published in 2002 to critical acclaim, and how it changed the trajectory of her life.

Meet the Writers 418 29 min listen

Food Neighbourhoods #359: Shoreditch, London

Join Theo Clench, executive chef of the Michelin-starred Cycene, as he takes us on a tour of his favourite spots in the east London neighbourhood of Shoreditch.

The Menu 7 min listen

On air now

Konfekt Korner

There is something about the first long, dark nights of winter that make us crave things that sparkle. It’s perhaps for that reason that we’ve gravitated towards the theme of adornment in this episode. We discuss the history of jewellery with two peerless experts, head to the Dance Reflections festival by Parisian house Van Cleef & Arpels and visit a show exploring the pioneering colour of the Victorian era. Plus: we hear from a historian using objects to retell history through a female gaze and muse on the enduring allure of tweed.

Up next: The Monocle Daily

Latest Podcasts

Small Cities Index

We discuss the Small Cities Index from Monocle’s latest edition of ‘The Forecast’ and explore two different examples of adaptive reuse – one from Hamilton, Ontario, and another from London, UK.

The Urbanist 30 min listen

Henry Kissinger’s legacy and the BBC makes cuts to Newsnight

How will history remember the late former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger? Carole Walker and Ivor Gaber discuss his achievements, mistakes and lasting influence on global politics. Plus: Can Liz Truss drum up support for Ukraine in Washington and is the BBC right to make cuts to its investigative programme, Newsnight?

The Monocle Daily 40 min listen

A celebration of the French charts

Fernando Augusto Pacheco honours the enduring appeal of France, which has topped the Soft Power Survey in the latest issue of Monocle, with a celebration of the country’s music charts.

The Global Countdown 9 min listen

Retail forays with MyTheresa, Mud Australia and DJ Sofia Kourtesis

This month we want to aid and inspire your festive retail forays, whether that’s through the fine porcelains of Sydney-based brand Mud Australia or a new album by Peruvian artist, Sofia Kourtesis. We also check in with online-retail giant MyTheresa to find out what makes customers tick at this time of year and delve into the history of the most festive evergreen: mistletoe.

Konfekt Korner 53 min listen

Latest Films

Konfekt preview: Issue 13

It’s frosty outside – allow Konfekt’s winter issue to invite you in. Embrace the festive season’s sparkle with our first-ever jewellery special and let us recommend gifts and decorations – be it Lithuanian straw stars, French wreaths or Swiss treats. Whether downhill or cross-country, we’ll lead you on and off the pistes at snowy Alpine resorts and head up the Himalayas on a Nepalese reportage. From Finnish woollen coats to an Iranian hatter’s surreal creations, our fashion picks will get you ready for a whole season of brisk walks, cosying up and sleek hosting. Grab your copy today.

NaN min video

Monocle preview: The Forecast 2024

Get ahead of the game with The Forecast, Monocle’s annual magazine looking forward to the year to come. The fifth Small Cities Index charts the urban jewels that are shining brightly away from familiar haunts, while we also find out how the wind is back in the sails of the shipping industry, why South Korea’s beauty successes are more than skin deep and what the Swiss Army’s new branding looks like. Shift up a gear for 2024. Order your copy today.

1 min video

Helsinki market-hall revival

To celebrate our inaugural Retail Awards, we head to a newly renovated food hall in Helsinki. From cheese and smoked fish to fresh pastries and locally grown vegetables, the Hakaniemi Market Hall is the perfect place to stock up on supplies – and to linger in cosy restaurants. Join us as we tour its splendid aisles.

5 min video

Basket-weaving with Annemarie O'Sullivan

Basket-weaving is almost like a dance for Annemarie O’Sullivan, who bends willow to her will in her workshop near Lewes in southeast England. Monocle Films captured an afternoon in the studio with O’Sullivan, hearing about her sensory connection to the materials that she employs. Read more about this story in the latest issue of Konfekt, purchase your copy today.

3 min video

Latest issue

Issue 169 ∙ December 2023/January 2024

Monocle’s bumper December/January double issue surveys the world’s most influential nations, from the European country with visa-free travel to 190 states to the Asian outpost with a crooning president. Elsewhere, we reveal the history of French animated storytelling with a comic of our own and plot a course for a fruitful festive shopping spree in a city near you.

Previous issues

The Forecast

Monocle's handbook for the year to come - and why there's lots to look forward to. + Our annual guide to the world's best small cities - for business, nature and being happy.

The Entrepreneurs 7

Monocle meets the bright sparks, clever companies and business-minded folks making a mark in the UAE. Our first ever Entrepreneurs nation special eyes up the key opportunities.

Featured products

New

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Trading places

Democracy in a war zone

Persuasive manoeuvres

Konfekt - Issue 13

Korea x Monocle

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Featured podcasts and chapters

Retail forays with MyTheresa, Mud Australia and DJ Sofia Kourtesis

Unfeigned and Kind Regards

Sandra Newman

Food Neighbourhoods #359: Shoreditch, London

On air now

Konfekt Korner

Latest Podcasts

Small Cities Index

Henry Kissinger’s legacy and the BBC makes cuts to Newsnight

A celebration of the French charts

Retail forays with MyTheresa, Mud Australia and DJ Sofia Kourtesis

Latest Films

Konfekt preview: Issue 13

Monocle preview: The Forecast 2024

Helsinki market-hall revival

Basket-weaving with Annemarie O'Sullivan

Latest issue

Issue 169 ∙ December 2023/January 2024

Previous issues

The Forecast

The Entrepreneurs 7

Free to read in this issue

Trading places

The great beyond

Cold comfort

Featured products

Howlin’ Wind-it-up gloves

Rier Fleece overshirt

Pas Normal Studios Off-race shell jacket

Monocle The Monocle Book of Japan

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New Arrivals

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