Business
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National expression
There are many ways for a nation to build international brand equity. From winning Olympic medals to becoming a travel hub, the options are plentiful but the results are not always guaranteed.
This is the way
Major airports like Schiphol and JFK have turned to Dutch designer Paul Mijksenaar for their signage systems. He tells Monocle about his crusade to take the art of wayfinding in a new direction.
Sock appeal
More people than ever are keeping their toes warm with Falke’s socks and tights. In a series on fashion workhorses, we look at the German-based hosier, which had an €186m turnover in 2006.
Cape crusader
Suddenly, everyone wants to be Cape Verde’s friend. From Nato to the US and China, all are drawn to the resource-poor islands for one reason: their powerful strategic location in the Atlantic.
El Centro
In the 1980s, the only deals done in Cartagena were for cocaine. Now drug barons are out and property kings are moving into one of Latin America’s most promising cities.
Canal plus
Thousands of Venezuelans have fled to Panama, which is attracting everyone from US retirees to multinationals and emerging as Latin America’s most vibrant and strategic centre.
Saint Charles
Natural cosmetics are popular in Austria, one of Europe’s top markets. A group of friends in Vienna with a passion for botany are championing local plants in their thriving collection of businesses.
Going for old
Though the Japanese love vintage, second-hand furniture auctions are new. Now, three entrepreneurs are bringing design classics to market in the country’s first modern and contemporary furniture auction.
Fashion
Monocle enjoys São Paulo fashion week Tomorrowland collaborates with Belgian designer Jean-Paul Knott, plus Prada platforms, Incotex trunks and Banana Republic comes to London.
Abel García López
In Paracho, Mexico’s guitar-making capital, some luthiers battle cheap imports. A few, like Abel García López, draw on generations of knowledge to produce concert-quality instruments for the world's top virtuosos.
