Helsinki Design Week is in full swing and, as ever, the city is buzzing with creativity and community. This year, two highlights in particular are especially worth paying attention to: an open-air exhibition that celebrates the nation’s brief but brilliant summer, and a pop-up restaurant where Nordic craft meets seasonal cuisine.
‘10 Days of Summer’
The 10 Days of Summer exhibition at Helsinki Design Week is a playful nod to Finland’s fleeting but intense warm season. Running from 10 to 12 September on the leafy grounds of the city’s Kaisaniemi Botanic Garden, the group show highlights the ingenuity of a new wave of Finnish designers while testing their creations in the open air. The line-up spans both emerging names and more established figures, including Aino Michelsen, Samuli Helavuo, Studio Tolvanen and Antrei Hartikainen. Their contributions range from modular seating and tables to lamps, textiles and even a furniture-scale greenhouse.
On show is a grill by Salla Luhtasela of Studio Kaksikko that doubles as a sculptural centrepiece, while birdhouses and other pieces hint at a playful approach to garden life. Wood, glass, ceramics and metal are the materials of choice, all selected with durability in mind. “Outdoor furniture shouldn’t be trapped indoors on a podium,” says designer and organiser Ville Auvinen. “Here, people can test it in a real environment.” For visitors, the exhibition is more than just a chance to admire clever seating systems or finely crafted grills. It’s also an opportunity to acquaint themselves with Finland’s new flock of designers, who are emerging confidently from the long shadows of figures such as Alvar and Aino Aalto, Paavo Tynell and Eero Aarnio – proving that the nation’s design legacy is alive, evolving and rooted firmly in the present.
Visit ‘10 Days of Summer’ during Helsinki Design Week at Kaisaniemenranta 2.
Kuurna pop-up restaurant
Located in the heart of Helsinki, Suomital is a commercial building that dates to 1911. Over the coming days it’s playing a central role in the city’s design week as its main venue, with the fifth floor serving seasonal, Finnish dishes in a pop-up restaurant. Helmed by the team behind Kuurna, it’s a delicious exercise in drinking and dining. Design, of course, is served up too, with guests able to test out chairs, tables, cutlery and crockery by Finnish Design Shop and Danish manufacturer Hay.
“Both companies share a passion for spreading the message of Nordic design – and where better to do so than around a shared meal in beautiful architectural surroundings,” explains Noora Tirkkonen, managing director of Finnish Design Shop. “Hay’s playful style fits perfectly with the pop-up’s festive yet relaxed nature. We are also excited to provide some visual delight by setting the table with the new La Pittura collection by artist Emma Kohlmann.” Bookings are now open for lunch and dinner reservations until 13 September. For those who don’t find a seat, the bar area is available to walk-ins ready to toast to good design.
Book for dinner at the Kuurna pop-up restaurant here.
1.
Breakfast at restaurant le Square Trousseau
This classic restaurant at the corner of the square near Marché d’Aligre in the 12th arrondissement is run by a genial pair called Mickael and Laurence. Order a ficelle with salted butter and strawberry jam with your coffee.You’ll see the same people returning here every day, reading their newspapers and nattering with their neighbours.
2.
Swim at Piscine Pontoise
This elegant art deco swimming pool in the Quartier Latin always makes a splash. The team has retained the original two storeys of individual changing cabins overlooking the pool. These are accessible only with a key provided by an attendant; don’t expect swipe cards or digital passcodes.
3.
Stock up at the Rue du Nil
For your groceries, head to the four Terroirs d’Avenir shops on this 2nd arrondissement street, offering high-quality, mostly organic fare.
4.
Have something made to measure
Sharp tailoring is always a good idea if you want to fit in with Paris’s well-dressed denizens. High-end tailor Charvet in the Place Vendôme remains the essential choice for classic gents in search of made-to-measure shirts. Meanwhile, Husbands is the place to go for an impeccable suit.
5.
A glass of wine at Le Select
A favourite haunt of authors, poets and politicians, Le Select brasserie on Boulevard du Montparnasse is a Paris institution.
6.
Stay at Les Suites Cinabre
Above the Cinabre boutique at 14 Cité Bergère are two stylish apartments decked out by Necchi Architecture. At this new hospitality offering from Alexandre Chapellier, Cinabre’s founder, you’ll sleep soundly on a Hästens bed, savour Plaq chocolates and refresh yourself with Susanne Kaufmann products. You’ll also find a selection of vinyl records and even custom playlists.
7.
Find serenity at a historic chapel on the Rue du Bac
A popular pilgrimage site for those seeking solace, the Chapelle Notre- Dame de la Médaille Miraculeuse on the Rue du Bac is renowned for the apparitions of the Virgin Mary to Catherine Labouré in 1830. This beautiful church is also a perfect spot for anyone wanting to rest their feet after checking out Le Bon Marché’s fada exhibition nearby.
8.
Book a cinq à sept at the Hôtel Paradiso
Reserve a cosy suite at his hotel- cum-cinema a stone’s throw from the Place de la Nation, where you” “can watch films that are currently being screened in theatres, rather than just the usual Netflix fare. This Parisian original offers an excellent way to unwind if the weather doesn’t hold. Even the room directory is written as a screenplay.”
9.
Fill your tote at Miyam
This shop on the Rue Beaubourg revolutionises the supermarket with short supply chains and plentiful veggie options, and by limiting waste.
10.
Find lost treasure at the Marché Puce de Vanves
Every weekend some 400 vendors flog their wares at the Vanves flea market near Parc Montsouris on avenues Marc Sangnier and Georges Lafenestre. Unlike at the Saint-Ouen market, the stalls here are outdoors. This authentic market attracts those with an eye for vintage furniture, coins, porcelain, silverware and jewellery.
11.
Head to the Musée Bourdelle
After a two-year renovation, the Musée Bourdelle reopened in 2023. In addition to Antoine Bourdelle’s monumental sculptures such as “Hercules the Archer” and “The Dying Centaur”, you can now see studios filled with tools, unfinished works and his personal effects. End your visit at Le Rhodia café, designed by Studio Freudenthal.
Read next: Monocle’s complete City Guide to Paris
Illustrations: Mathieu De Muizon
Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has been synonymous with luxury and exceptional hospitality for more than six decades. What began in 1963 with the opening of its flagship hotel in Hong Kong has grown into a portfolio that now spans 44 hotels, 12 residences, and 26 exclusive homes across 27 countries and territories.
The group has built a reputation for elegance, service and innovation, all while remaining proud of its Asian heritage. Today, as Mandarin Oriental writes its next chapter, the hotel group is led by CEO Laurent Kleitman, who has spent 30 years in senior leadership roles with corporations such as Unilever and LVMH.
Most recently, Kleitman served as president and CEO of Parfums Christian Dior, where he guided the brand’s transformation and global expansion across fragrance, beauty and wellness. Monocle’s Simon Bouvier sat down with Laurent in our Paris studio to discuss where the luxury hospitality industry stands today, Mandarin Oriental’s recent purchase of the Hôtel Lutetia in the French capital, and the group’s starring role in the third season of The White Lotus.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Listen to the full conversation on ‘The Entrepreneurs’ from Monocle Radio.
Mandarin Oriental recently purchased Hôtel Lutetia in Paris. Where is the hotel positioned in the luxury hospitality landscape, and how does its heritage fit into the group’s business strategy?
Lutetia is not just a hotel; it’s a part of history. We love this because it means that there are many stories to tell, and that people visit not just for a good stay but to be part of that history.
Lutetia – named after the Roman settlement that would eventually become Paris – and its 115-year history is, in fact, relatively short for hospitality. It was started by the Boucicaut family, who also founded Le Bon Marché. They built a hotel in front of the department store to host not only clients but also suppliers coming from neighbouring provinces. From its inception, Lutetia was founded on the idea of creating an experience – something that the hospitality and luxury industries still focus on today.
We are also opening our second hotel in Dubai in just a few weeks, and it is housed in one of the city’s most sustainable high-rise towers. Seeing that we also operate in older properties around the world, such as the Ritz in Madrid, Lutetia in Paris and the Oriental in Bangkok, it’s exciting to continue innovating with new builds. Having these properties in our portfolio is stimulating not only for our team but also for our clients.
With Mandarin Oriental being featured in The White Lotus, how do you see pop-culture partnerships and media visibility influencing the way luxury hotels attract new audiences and maintain cultural relevance?
It’s an interesting and complex topic. We were thrilled to be featured in the third season of The White Lotus – it is an entertaining programme with great storytelling. While large luxury brands play a role in pop culture, the Mandarin Oriental is by no means a mass brand.
We interact with popular culture in various ways, such as displaying art in our properties or through collaborations with artists – sometimes even designing projects with them. In Rivera Maya, Mexico, for instance, we are developing a project with Mexican sculptor Bosco Sodi to integrate art in a meaningful way across the property. This also reflects a broader trend: people travel to connect with culture and community.
We also create our own content. Our original film, Inside the Dream, showcases the behind-the-scenes of Mandarin Oriental across three destinations, and more projects will follow in the coming months. Future series will highlight our facilities, their history and how they blend with the community and environment. This approach delivers the essence of the location, which is ultimately why people travel.
You’ve spoken about moving wellness beyond spas and into holistic experiences, including cuisine, sleep rituals and design. Where do you see the biggest growth opportunities in this trend for luxury hospitality?
There is a lot of crossover between luxury goods and hospitality but I believe delivering experiences rather than physical products is where the industry is heading. After a certain point, buying another handbag or cosmetic item becomes less exciting – but people will always invest in experiences: taking time off, reconnecting with family, exploring destinations and enjoying culinary experiences. Guests spend anywhere from a single meal to several weeks with us, and we are entrusted with their most precious time. This creates countless touchpoints that demand exceptional attention.
Wellbeing is now a key trend. Guests want more than a massage; they want holistic care. Over the years, we’ve developed techniques around relaxation, energy management and sleep. In fact, in the 1990s we launched the first hotel spa in Bangkok, pioneering the idea of wellness in hospitality in the region.
Today, wellbeing extends beyond the spa. We focus on every element of the guest experience: nutrition, room amenities and bedtime rituals. We curate beverages, music, room setup and overall environment to support restoration. This approach is just one example of how we innovate across our portfolio, and it reflects the growth potential for luxury hospitality as experiences define the future of the industry.
How much does today’s uncertain geopolitical context, such as fluctuating tariffs, weigh on your business decisions, and how do you balance short-term challenges with long-term planning?
Humans have always had the desire to travel, to discover, to engage and to relate. I believe that travelling is the most important activity, and that our appetite for discovering the world and the people in it will not fade anytime soon.
We haven’t seen a negative shift in the way our clients are travelling this year compared to last year. To the contrary, we are seeing growth. With many new destinations still needing to be discovered, I’m optimistic about the evolution of the hospitality industry and the future of Mandarin Oriental. There is a lot of work to do but I’m certain that we’ll double the size of the company in the next 10 years – and we’ll be here for the decades to come.
Listen to the full conversation with Kleitman on The Entrepreneurs below, on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
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Supaluck Umpujh is chairwoman of The Mall Group, a company she joined in 1982. Under her supervision, the Thai retail operator founded by her father, Supachai Umpujh, has opened world-leading shopping malls such as Emporium, the country’s first world-class luxury-retail complex. She is now chairwoman of The Mall Group, The Emporium Group and Siam Paragon Retail Co Ltd and continues to believe that great experiences, place-making and thinking outside the box are key to running a successful business.
Here, she shares insights from her four decades working in retail, the lessons that stuck with her and why she almost gave up her chance to join the top table of Thai business to become a pharmacist.
Today you run a successful business, though that success was never guaranteed. Tell us about how you started.
I studied pharmacy and thought that I wanted to become a doctor. I had no idea about retail. One day my father asked me to go into business with him. I said, “Are you nuts?” I came from a science background and didn’t want to open a mall. I was a very shy woman back then, the new kid on the block. Now I want to inspire people to believe in themselves and show others that they can achieve their goals, even if they seem impossible.
What did your father teach you after bringing you into the business?
I learned many things from him. Number one, dream big and never give up. Number two, be a leader and not a follower. Number three, some people see opportunities where others see mountains. Four? It’s better to give than to take. Five – this one is essential. If you’re smart and a hard worker, you’ll find money easily but if you lose your reputation, there is no amount of money that can buy it back. This is perhaps the most important thing that my father taught me – and I make sure to remind myself of it on a daily basis.
Can you share a problem that you encountered on your road to success?
I was 23 when I opened my first mall. Now I’m 69 and have a lot more experience. I knew nothing then and – sorry – neither did my father. As such, the escalator was built incorrectly, the parking didn’t feel right and there was no good merchandise. I cried all day and all night after we opened. I had to apologise to the tenants for losing their money. I asked them to give me one more chance.
Did they? How did you react to the initial disappointment?
Yes, they did. The next time when I tried to open a shopping mall, I said to myself, “I just want to create a place that makes people happy.” I had to think outside the box. With few parks or shaded areas in Bangkok, people just wanted to go somewhere air-conditioned. I looked around for inspiration but other malls felt like lifeless boxes. So I decided to build the first retail-and-entertainment complex in Thailand: I fitted it out with an ice-skating rink, a cinema and a waterpark. I did everything that I was told would be impossible. I then opened two more complexes, both of which were very popular. By that time, I had established myself as a successful businesswoman. Fortune magazine even called me the “Iron Butterfly”. But I wanted more; I wanted to get involved with luxury retail. I was jealous of Hong Kong and Singapore.
Fast-forward to today. You must have achieved what you set out to do. What advice do you have for others?
Don’t just think about the numbers; think about what you can do. The money will come later. I talk about my passion and that’s why people believe in me. I also think that every problem, from the 1997 Asian financial crisis to the coronavirus pandemic, presents an opportunity. No matter how big the storm, there’s always a rainbow at the end.
As told to Tyler Brûlé
Read next: Natira Boonsri, Central Group’s CEO, on the Thai retail giant’s future
Fashion is often seen as the preserve of the young. But in arguably the most fashionable city of them all, Milan, ladies of a certain vintage are proving that dressing well is less about standing out, or having the latest ‘in’ logo emblazoned on a T-shirt, and more about cultivating a personal style that relies on sumptuous fabrics, elegance learned through experience and just the right amount of embellishment to turn the daily consumption of espressos and proseccos into a living lesson in how to present oneself. These ‘sciure’ have even become a modern style phenomenon. So who are they? We hit Via Montenapoleone to find out.
Swaddled in furs and cashmere in the winter, linen dresses and silk jackets in the summer, and gold jewellery with permed coiffes all year, the figure of the sciura looms large in the Milanese psyche. In kid-leather gloves, this high priestess of taste can be found sipping a cappuccino at Cova in the morning and an aperitivo at the Salumaio di Montenapoleone or Sant Ambroeus in the afternoon, alternating effortlessly between espresso and prosecco throughout the day. She has a box at La Scala and shops exclusively at independent boutiques, be it for Bottega Veneta leather goods at Antonia or pasta at Rossi & Grassi. She’s elderly, wealthy and rarely spotted beyond the confines of the upmarket neighbourhood of Brera (unless it’s the weekend, when she’s at her second or third home in Brescia). She’s a natural project manager, fluttering around her palazzo, organising elegant dinner parties and bossing around her housekeeper, butler and cook. She is a uniquely Milanese phenomenon, though it is unclear whether she belongs to the city or if the city belongs to her.
She also, for better or for worse, no longer really exists – at least in such a codified form. This is partly because the type of wealth associated with a sciura‘s rarified lifestyle belongs to a bygone era in European countries, even in aristocratic Milan. Today the Villa Necchi Campiglio is no longer a family home but open to the public as a relic of its time. Despite this, the legacy of Milan’s status as a city of nobility lives on through its distinguished residents and, in particular, its leading ladies. The term itself, sciura (plural sciure), is part of the local dialect and derives from “sciur“, the Lombard word for “mister” or “sire”. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it implies its fair share of negative connotations – a self-entitled, snobbish attitude and an unashamedly elitist view of society – but calling someone a sciura today is more of a hyperlocal joke than an insult. In recent years, the figure of the sciura has even become a social media phenomenon and a kitschy marketing tool for Italian brands such as La Double J and The Attico, or the popular Milanese restaurant Sant Ambroeus. Ironically, this type of publicity is one that a true sciura would shy away from, classifying the limelight as horrifically gauche.
Regardless of the state of the veritable sciura today, it is undeniable that women in Milan above a certain age are particularly stylish, more so than in other Italian or other European cities. As the residents of a fashion and design capital, home to Prada, Armani, Marni and Salone del Mobile, the Milanese embrace the notion of la bella figura to an extreme, taking immeasurable pride in putting their best foot forward and wearing their dignity on their sleeves (even when riding the tram or grocery shopping). “For some, it’s not just fashion, it’s a way of life,” says Giuliana d’Angeli, a Brera native. “It’s our culture and someone who is not from Milan can only attempt to replicate it.”
It’s 09.30 on the Via Montenapoleone and Monocle is seeking sciure. We’ve come to Cova, a glitzy café that verges on the gimmicky; in any other city, it would be the preserve of tourists. But this is Italy and the gilded institution is actually frequented by well-heeled Milanese drinking cappuccini served by waiters in tuxedos. Regulars file in, designer bags and sunglasses in hand. They loudly greet each other between even louder phone calls.
As we approach our first candidates for sciure, it transpires that it is a term that many women recoil from. That’s partly because it implies age but also a standardised look and a lack of sartorial originality. “I’m 73 and trying to dress for my age,” says d’Angeli. “But I could never be a sciura because they follow a fashion rulebook whereas I rely on my own instinct. I don’t feel old enough to be considered a sciura. I’ve lived in Milan for 40 years, and the city has disciplined me. I shower then moisturise and put lipstick on every day.” After further terminological discussion, other women will admit that it can be taken as a compliment (depending on tone and context) and it implies that you are exquisite, refined; you have a Milanese attitude and you, my dear, are looking particularly stylish today.
We continue to comb the streets of Brera and find more manicured women in cream dresses, high heels and floral blazers. Some of them nonchalantly carry bouquets of flowers, the day’s copy of La Repubblica or, in one case, a chihuahua named Amalia. Often, a well-heeled husband in Gucci loafers and with a silk pocket square waits patiently in tow as we initiate a discussion with their wives. A rigmarole almost inevitably ensues, wherein suspicion and reluctance to draw attention to oneself is eventually replaced – after considerable flattery by Monocle’s Venetian photographer Andrea Pugiotto – by five minutes of expert posing in front of the lens.
“The only style icon I follow is myself,” says Bianca Fersini Mastelloni, chairman and CEO of communications agency Polytems. “And maybe Audrey Hepburn,” she adds, in her beige Valentino dress and gold doorknocker earrings. Being in the presence of these women is a lesson in perennial chicness and letting personal taste speak louder than any logo.
Despite the fashion world’s obsession with youth and a fast-paced calendar of never-ending novelty, these women’s assurance in their own style and taste is one that younger generations should aspire to as an antidote to passing trends. If there is one thing that these women can uniformly agree on, it is the state of fashion today and how younger Italians dress too casually. “It’s changed for the worse!” “Everyone looks the same!” “Don’t get me started on ripped jeans!” (Nothing sends a shudder through these women like the thought of ripped jeans.) The truisms and advice given to us throughout the day range from paying attention to colour-coordinated details to the importance of wearing tights and jackets in formal settings, including restaurants. Ultimately, these women admit to mourning a loss of formality, where no rules also means no liberty. “What can I say?” one woman asks me with a sense of fatality. “You either have style or you don’t.”
Marva Griffin
Venezuelan-born Marva Griffin has called Milan home since the 1970s. In 1998, she founded Salone Satellite, a part of Milan Design Week that showcases emerging designers from around the world. When Monocle catches up with Griffin over a glass of wine in her Brera apartment, she can’t help but despair at fashion today. “Did you know that people pay to have rips in their jeans?” she says.
Nina Yashar
Nina Yashar is the founder of Nilufar, an influential gallery that has been bringing contemporary and historic design to Milan since 1979. When we meet her at Nilufar Depot, Yashar wears green Ferragamo shoes, a blue Prada shawl and one of her trademark headpieces.
Rossana Orlandi
Rossana Orlandi left her job in fashion for the world of design in 2002. Monocle meets her at her gallery in the Magenta neighbourhood, where she greets us in a vintage Chanel coat and shoes from Milanese boutique Wait and See. “I keep everything – I have owned the same dresses since forever,” she says. “I follow my mood and feelings when I get dressed.”
This summer in Italy, a fierce debate over the country’s beaches made big waves. Though the spiagge is public by law, stretches from Amalfi to Liguria are now dominated by private concessions. These operators charge hefty fees for colourful umbrellas, cushioned sunbeds and private entry. Soaring prices for access to shade, showers and sustenance sparked national debate as Italians questioned whether their right to the sea was being priced out of reach.
While the private beach-club model exists all over Europe, nowhere has it proliferated to such an extent as in Italy. In the municipality of Gatteo, on the country’s Adriatic coast, some expanses of sand are almost entirely privatised and packed full of small family-run businesses. Concessions pay low fees to the state (averaging a total of about €100m annually) despite occupying prime public land. While there are laws that are meant to guarantee everyone a sunny spot to spread out a towel, the reality is rather different, with punters being charged simply for accessing the beach or having to fight for a tiny strip of free sand.
Though Italians are used to factoring the cost of beach beds into their annual trip, this summer saw costs rise even further, with the country’s media announcing a “crisis of the middle class”. As holidaymakers increasingly chose to forsake the beach due to spiralling fees, people – and EU lawmakers – have begun to wake up to the management monopolies and the lack of free beaches in Italy.
Earlier this summer, there was an outcry in Sicily after the Italo Belga company installed turnstiles at the entrance to a large beach club at Palermo’s Mondello beach. Many felt that the added fencing restricted access to what the law guarantees as a free shoreline. The turnstiles were eventually removed after several politicians got involved.
In 2006, when the EU passed the Bolkestein directive, aiming to make the market fairer, more transparent and open to transnational competition, Italy was dragged along kicking and screaming. And while the nation agreed to end automatic renewals of beach concessions following a 2016 European Court of Justice ruling, governments have delayed its implementation on successive occasions.
Still, the current far-right prime minister Giorgia Meloni has evidently agreed to put 28,000 concessions for beach bars up for a bidding process by June 2027 (barring another last-minute decision to delay, which could lead to potential fines from Brussels).
Beyond a fairer system of beach management, some also want to see an equal split between free and paid-for beaches. This is also demanded by the president of Italy’s Mare Libero (“Free Sea”) organisation, Roberto Biagini. The lawyer and former city councillor speaks to Monocle from Rimini.
Why is the lack of free beaches particularly bad in Italy?
Because in Italy there isn’t a serious political class. Left, right, centre, the Five Star [populists] and technical governments have all been under the thumb of the beach establishment lobby.
Is there a beach concession mafia?
I didn’t want to say it but you did, so I’ll add to it. There’s a mafia-like system of electoral exchange between politicians and the beach businesses. Just think – we have had and currently have owners of beach concessions sitting in parliament.
Is that not a conflict of interest?
It’s a serious conflict of interest. We have mayors and city councillors who own bathing establishments, as well as regional presidents with family ties to these businesses. How can these individuals – and their legislation – go against their own investments?
The state isn’t making a lot of money from beach concessions either, is it?
When you divert a public asset from collective use, you take [virtually] nothing because there’s a [low] fixed price per square metre for public property. Do you know how much a beach bar in Italy pays in concession fees? Many are paying the minimum amount of €3,225 per year. But when it comes to selling a beach business, which includes the use of the concession, the seller might ask for €1m to €1.5m – even if they’re only paying just over €3,000 for the concession. You can see how the political will is missing.
Is everything set to change in 2027?
The extension of [existing] concessions [to 2027] has already been declared illegal by some regional courts, like with the other extensions that started back in 2009 under [former prime minister] Silvio Berlusconi, who pushed the date forward to 2012 and then 2018. Now it’s 2027 but it could continue ad infinitum. In theory, judges or the public administration should cancel these extensions. If Italy were a serious country, the port captaincy or the municipal police would go to the beach and explain: You can’t be here. A judge should seize the beach establishments because [technically] the concessions have expired.
Do people understand the problem?
That’s a great question, because it wasn’t something people felt much before. But now, when they’re asked to pay to enter a beach, or spend €20 to €40 to rent an umbrella for a day, they have started to question whether they can afford it. Many young people in Rimini ask me about a free beach, and I don’t know what to tell them. A free beach is like air – you only realise that it’s important when you start to lack it.
Is this a battle you can win, given that you’re going up against money, power and politics?
This is a battle we’ll win because Italians are starting to understand. We’ll win because we believe in protecting human rights. We owe it to our founding fathers, who died to give us freedom. Freedom also means being able to go for a swim without having to pay a pizzo [mafia-like illegitimate payment]. When such a system doesn’t exist in Greece, Spain, Portugal or Croatia, does it need to exist in Italy? Have we returned to fascist times? I can assure you that I’ll keep fighting.
Businesswoman and philanthropist Noni Purnomo is the president commissioner of Jakarta-based transportation firm Bluebird Group. The family business has survived plenty of bumps in the road since her grandmother started it in the 1970s. Since taking charge, Purnomo has spearheaded initiatives such as Make Jakarta’s Sky Blue, One Ride One Seed, Blue Bird Peduli and the introduction of e-taxis. She has also seen off a series of challenges including the coronavirus pandemic, the advent of ride-hailing and Jakarta’s infamous traffic.
Monocle caught up with Purnomo in Hong Kong to discuss opportunities in the logistics business, doing right by both staff and customers, and how to keep a sense of perspective. Bluebird has approximately 40,000 staff and more than 20,000 vehicles, from cars and trucks to buses and limousines.
Bluebird has 40,000 staff and more than 20,000 vehicles, from cars and trucks to buses and limousines. Tell us about the business.
My grandmother founded it in 1972. She was a law professor with no knowledge of business but needed to pay for her three children’s education. When my grandfather passed away, we were left with nothing. Starting with two cars, she grew the company around a philosophy of giving happiness to others, hence the [positive image of the] Bluebird. Her main purpose was not just to fulfil her own financial needs but to grow a company that would be able to give back to the country by providing safe and reliable transportation services. She also cared about elevating the people who were working with us and their families. That’s still the purpose of the company.
You did an IPO in 2014. What is the valuation of your company today?
It went down a lot since the IPO because we got hit twice: in 2016 by ride-hailing, then in 2020 by the pandemic. I haven’t looked at the numbers. I try not to.
What are the challenges of operating taxis in Jakarta? You’re trying to get cars around one of the world’s most traffic-clogged cities but you’re known for reliability and having nice, kind drivers. How do you do it?
Praying. That’s the first thing. The biggest challenges for us – especially because we own and operate our own vehicles – are efficiency and productivity. So congestion is a major issue. We’re grateful for the latest technology that guides us through the traffic as efficiently as possible but it’s still a challenge. We’re trying to shift towards renewable energy; we hope that it will become cheaper. Gasoline takes up about 20 per cent of our revenue. We do our own maintenance and have depots so every night, every vehicle comes back to be cleaned and maintained. That’s about 3 per cent of our revenue. It’s a reason to look for different types of vehicles that need less maintenance, hence our electric taxis.
Having more sustainable vehicles is an important part of your plan. What are the main difficulties when it comes to shifting the fleet to electric vehicles?
When the former president announced the aspiration for Indonesia to become net zero by 2060, we took that opportunity to join in. In 2019 we launched our electric taxis but we still only have about 400 and there are a lot of challenges in implementing this change in Indonesia. It took us two years just to get the proper licences and to navigate the legislation and rules. But perhaps that’s the beauty of it: as long as there is chaos, there are also opportunities. If everything settled down, we would be flat. We always like to see opportunities in such challenges and Indonesia is still growing very rapidly.
Tell us a little about how you run your company. What are some of the hurdles that you have cleared?
I’m the third generation of my family in this business and you know what they say: the first generation founds the company, the second generation builds it and the third … Well, hopefully I have proven this wrong but the third tends to ruin the company. When I took over from my father, we were hit by ride-hailing, then we got clobbered by the pandemic. So how did I wake up every morning and still want to go to the office? I’m very privileged because I inherited a very strong company from my father, who had built it up with my grandmother. It had good values and we still focus on integrity every single day. We are the company that has returned the most lost belongings, not just in Indonesia but probably in the world too: we have returned about 70 per cent of items left in our taxis. A lot of our customers are tourists and have left the country so we can’t return everything.
Integrity remains very important, as well as our care for others. It’s one of the things that my grandmother always reminded me of when she was alive: the idea that we have to treat every person in the company as if they’re our own family. This helped us to get over certain challenges. For example, when ride-hailing arrived, it was the worst time for us. I remember in March 2016 there was a huge demonstration in Jakarta and everyone accused Bluebird of being behind the protest. It was devastating for us because, before then, Bluebird was associated with happiness. Suddenly people got angry with us on social media. Our drivers were giving their hearts and their time to serve the passengers but it was all doom and gloom.
As a leader, I needed to go to them and lift their energy levels back up. So we announced that the next day, we would offer free taxi rides for everyone for 24 hours [and pay our drivers]. Some people thought that it was just a PR gimmick but what we wanted was to lift the morale of our drivers as they were so down. The next morning, they came back to work heartened and that is the main reason that we survived at all.
Unlike in the gig economy, your pitch to employees is that working for you is a point of pride. What does it mean to wear the Bluebird uniform?
It’s made of batik, a traditional Indonesian fabric, because we’re 100 per cent Indonesian and it is given to our drivers when they become permanent. They have to be a temporary driver or trainee for about six months in order to become permanent. During this time they’re being trained but also monitored. The uniform is a symbol. You’re representing not just shareholders or the Bluebird family but also Indonesia itself.
Your grandmother inspired you to help women who want to get into business and you do a lot through scholarships for your drivers and their families. Tell us a little about being a female leader and what you’re trying to do for young women.
Most of the time I’m in a minority. Not just in the industry but in my family too: in my generation there are seven of us but just two are women. I’m not even the eldest. But we were all given equal opportunities and that comes with equal responsibilities. In 1998 we launched scholarships for the children of our drivers and during that time about 2 per cent of recipients were female. We give about 1,000 every year and today 52 per cent go to women. Hopefully, this means that our drivers and employees also understand the importance of equal opportunity. We also encourage our drivers’ wives and adult daughters to start businesses and give vocational training for this. All I ask of them is to give equal opportunity to both boys and girls and to ensure that girls can go to school too. That’s the programme’s purpose.
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Japan’s unusually narrow residential streets call for smaller-than-average vehicles – which is why pint-sized hatchbacks and boxy minivans are ubiquitous in the country. Now a tiny new motor that has yet to reach market is attracting an outsized amount of attention. Mibot, designed and built by KG Motors in Hiroshima, is an electric vehicle for one. It can travel for 100km on a single five-hour charge at speeds of up to 60km/h and comes in several colours (the cheery yellow is fetching but there’s also blue, white, ivory and grey). It can hold 45kg of luggage and be charged at home without special equipment. Where other solo vehicles prioritise compactness over comfort, Mibot has air conditioning, speakers and heated seats. And at little more than a metre wide, it navigates narrow streets with ease.
Kazunari Kusunoki, nicknamed Kussun, started as a mechanic and parts supplier. In 2018 he launched a Youtube channel, Kussun Garage; before long, 200,000 followers were tuning in to watch him take apart and customise electric vehicles and minicars. As his audience grew, requests for advice flooded in and, along with three others, Kusunoki started working on the idea of making a mini-EV from scratch. They formed KG Motors in 2022 with Kusunoki as its CEO and set about making the concept a reality.
The start-up quickly attracted investment. It raised ¥100m (€579,000) in its pre-seed round in March 2023 and a further ¥150m (€869,000) in the next round in October that year. The lead investor is Energy & Environment Investment; another is Keylex, a Hiroshima-based parts manufacturer. A supplier to Mazda, Keylex is a key partner in realising Mibot’s unified monocoque body. By the close of funding in February 2025, KG Motors had ¥1.39bn (€8m) to work with.
Kusunoki had been thinking about compact vehicles for years. “I grew up in the city of Kure in Hiroshima, where there are a lot of narrow streets,” he says. “I always wished that there were smaller options available.” Japanese government figures show that about 70 per cent of car owners drive alone during the week. How many people really need a family saloon or SUV for their daily errands? “With the shift towards electric vehicles, I wondered whether regular-sized EVs were really good for the environment and began to think about developing a more efficient model.” The result is Mibot (short for “Minimum Mobility Robot”), designed to provide just the right level of mobility for short-distance solo travel.
Kusunoki was also spurred by a change in the law in 2020 that allowed single-seat EVs on public roads. Mibot has a price tag of just ¥1.1m (€6,400) and the advantage of sitting in a category of light vehicles that requires fewer inspections and has lower taxes than conventional cars. “With low maintenance costs and excellent energy efficiency, it reduces the burden of ownership and environmental impact,” says Kusunoki. It can also receive the latest software updates wirelessly and the design – all done in-house – is a winner.
Hiroshima was an obvious base for the project. “We chose this place because the founding members originally worked here, as well as for the presence of many automotive-related companies in the area,” says Kusunoki. “Also, Mibot is designed to address the pain point of limited transportation options in rural regions. It’s a product from a regional area that offers solutions to local challenges. By developing it primarily in Hiroshima, we also receive support and co-operation from the local government.”
Kusunoki’s ambition for Mibot goes beyond cars. He seeks nothing less than a revival of the dynamism of Japan’s postwar years. Mibot, he hopes, will recapture that sense of optimism and could even help to “make our society vibrant again”. The era of relentless growth might be over but demographic shifts and social change can still spur innovation.
KG Motors now employs about 60 specialists across design, autonomous driving, software development, business, marketing and more. Everyone who sees a Mibot wants one. And with 2,000 pre-orders on the books, the team is working hard to meet the deadline for the first deliveries in Japan in 2026.
The goal is to increase production capacity to up to 100,000 vehicles per year. Hiroshima will remain the base for body manufacturing and Mibot assembly, while Kusunoki hopes to eventually expand the line-up and enter international markets. The young CEO believes that Mibot has the X-factor that has held other small, low-cost solo vehicles back in the past. Most importantly, it puts the joy back into driving. “No matter how low the maintenance costs and environmental impact are,” he says, “it’s meaningless if it’s not fun to ride.”
mibot.kg-m.jp
The moving walkway has long been a fringe fascination in the world of mobility. Science-fiction writers from Isaac Asimov to Robert A Heinlein imagined future cities bristling with speedy pedestrian conveyors but the technology hasn’t quite lived up to its potential. Now a US start-up called Beltways hopes to change this. In early 2026 the firm will hold a public trial at Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) to deploy what it claims will be the world’s fastest moving walkway, capable of whisking standing users at a top speed of 16km/h. (Current travelators putter along at a maximum of 3km/h.)
“Transit is only useful if it’s faster than walking,” says John Yuksel, who co-founded Beltways with his brother, Matine, and envisions his “accelerator” walkways as a last-mile system pulsing through places such as New York’s Times Square. The siblings left jobs in Silicon Valley to start the company and are bringing to fruition an idea first envisioned by their father, Edip, when he was an engineering student at Turkey’s METU university. Edip drew up plans for a modular walkway system that could cut through traffic-choked Istanbul. Previous attempts at faster walkways – the trottoir roulant deployed by Paris’s metro agency more than 20 years ago or Thyssenkrupp’s Accel system, used in Toronto’s Pearson Airport – ultimately ran aground, largely due to mechanical and financial problems.
The first moving walkway was set up at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893, then a revised version by the same architect, Joseph Lyman Silsbee, featured at Paris’s Exposition Universelle in 1900. More than a century later, the “street of the future” might be about to arrive, and quicker, than you think.
Comment
Moving walkways can make urban spaces more walkable, efficient and sustainable. We’d be delighted to hop on.
Auve Tech: Autonomous last-mile shuttles
“These shuttles are essential for getting more people to use public transport,” says Silver Kalve, Auve Tech’s vice president of business development. The firm’s MiCa 2.0 shuttle – a fully electric, low-speed vehicle – eliminates the need for a driver. The cars use lidar (laser-based range detection) and camera fusion combined with AI to identify objects and predict where they will move next. The firm itself has plans to make moves globally, and the fleet is now operating on four continents and road legal in 15 countries. “Estonia has an innovation-driven mindset, along with a very strong digital society,” Kalve tells Monocle. “Autonomous vehicles were allowed on our roads as early as 2017.”
Bolt: Driverless taxis
Operating in 51 countries and with a €2bn annual revenue last year, ride-hailing company Bolt is planning to integrate autonomous vehicles into its platform by 2026. “We see long-term potential,” says Jevgeni Kabanov, Bolt’s president and head of their autonomous vehicle workstream. “[Though] still in their infancy, autonomous vehicles are going to transform how people live and move around cities.” Kabanov is convinced that Estonia’s digital-first attitude makes it a “natural hub for innovation.” But he is also mindful of how the shift to driverless cars might affect Bolt’s drivers. “They’re the backbone of our platform and power local economies.”
Elmo: For a car that’s roadworthy and remote-controlled
The firm behind the world’s first road-legal tele-driving technology, achieved a breakthrough in 2024 with its AI-powered SOS braking system. Remote-driven vehicles can now operate without a safety driver at higher speeds and no area restrictions. Launched in Estonia and Finland, Elmo’s technology is now operating on public roads in cities including Paris, Amsterdam and Los Angeles. A practical alternative to fully autonomous vehicles with lower hardware and deployment costs.
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