Is it a cold? Could it be jet lag? Have I now joined the ranks of those who suffer from hay fever? Or could it be the morning after a rather extraordinary evening that saw the cosy lounge at our Zürich HQ transformed into a slightly Swissy take on a Ginza hostess bar? For a moment it looked like our Gin-züri evening (three years after edition one) wouldn’t happen as the flights (booked months ago via Abu Dhabi) wouldn’t be operating and our Japanese mama-san and her hosts (“genki boys” as she calls them) wouldn’t be putting in an appearance. Thankfully, Etihad has been rebuilding its schedule since the start of the conflict across the Gulf and on Thursday morning the group of five arrived bright and early, 23 hours after taking off from Narita. 

On Friday my colleague Yuko took full charge of the kimono dressing and hair for both the Tokyo group and some local Swiss-Japanese who wanted to be on hand to support. You wouldn’t think that it would be a line of business in a small European city such as Zürich but there seems to be enough of a market to support two women who keep busy doing hair, makeup and dressing for locals and visitors who need full kimono styling and support. If you’ve never witnessed the prep and overall execution, it’s a proper production that goes on for hours. By early evening colleagues Guy and Rochdi had overhauled our ground-floor space to host 40 readers and clients for an evening of singing, chatter, drinking and gentle hip moves.

People often ask what defines Monocle, what makes us different from our competitors and what allows us to stand out in a crowded market. I used to go to lengths talking about our approach to journalism, our belief in print, our global reach and tone of voice, but recently I’ve been refining my definition and explaining that a key part of our offer is bringing people together, sparking discussion and hopefully adding a jolt of fun and hearty laughter along the way. The journalism and global reach are a given but hosting people daily in our cafés or plotting a special night around the mic – introducing the crowd to a bit of Miki Matsubara or reminding a packed room why it’s good to master a few Take That classics – is increasingly the special sauce that sets us apart. And no surprise, we want to do more! 

You’ll see a bit more of this message hitting pages and screens more often as we roll out a new campaign pushing the power of being part of Monocle’s global clan (you can get a head start by becoming a paid-up subscriber). Why join an online discussion when you can convene at our summits, in our recently opened townhouse and around the sunny tables at our spaces in London, Paris and Zürich?

Sticking with the Japanese theme, our Hanami Market in Zürich is currently in full swing and we’ll be hosting others over the coming weekends. Then, in four weeks’ time, we’ll be touching down in Shanghai for The Entrepreneurs conference – while launching a café and shop to accompany our deployment. 

My colleagues are cooking up a whole summer season of gatherings big and small in the lead-up to The Monocle Quality of Life conference in September (host city to be announced soon). To be part of it all (along with getting our fine editions in print, digital or both) you need only part with an amount that is considerably less than the cost of an espresso a day in dollars, euros or Swiss francs. See you somewhere seaside or perhaps in Shanghai super soon.

Enjoying life in ‘The Faster Lane’? Click here to browse all of Tyler’s past columns.

Ezra Groskin builds bridges, in every sense of those words. A director at London and Aberdeenshire-based practice Moxon Architects, Groskin designs bridges that align with the company’s ambition to deliver landscape-led infrastructure that also celebrates craft. Moxon has an impressive portfolio with work including a foot-and-bike crossing made from timber in Baiersbronn, Germany, and the Small Dean Viaduct in the English county of Buckinghamshire that will, once completed, carry high-speed trains.

For Groskin, however, the best bridges don’t only allow the swift traversing of a ravine or highway. They also unite communities and encourage human interaction, placemaking and even loitering (in the nicest sense possible).

“At the Coal Drop Yards development [at King’s Cross in London], we designed two bridges,” he says. “The first one was just about getting people on foot and bicycle from point A to B, but a few years later the developer brought us back to do a second bridge, 100 metres down the canal. And this one was different. It was about creating [a place] where people would come and linger – a bridge where people would say ‘let’s go meet on the red bridge, then we’ll get dinner’. It’s a destination bridge,” he adds of the steel Espérance Bridge.

Groskin fell into the profession by accident. “I trained as an architect in the US and became obsessed with structures that express their function,” he says. “I didn’t even know that there was such a thing as a bridge architect until moving to London in 2008. I was interviewing at different practices and one of them had a bridge team – and I ended up learning the trade.”

Bridges are places to linger
What has kept Groskin building bridges is that it’s a trade in which engineering and design come together, allowing him to create physical connections that are attractive, expressive and enjoyable to use. Yet to deliver a truly great bridge, it’s important to explain to a client that they have the potential to provide more than a functional connection. “With a lot of bridges, you invite people to linger in the middle,” he says. “You make the bridge wider at its highest point so that you can have some seating there. That way you’re making a place where people can stop and rest, which also invites you to stay, look at the view and see what’s going on.”

Moxon’s designs are stripped back, lean and often free of visible supports. Groskin explains that there has been a general shift away from the elaborate bridges that made headlines at the turn of the century, sometimes for the wrong reasons (London’s Millennium Bridge is still called the “Wobbly Bridge” by some in reference to a problem at its unveiling – since fixed – where it would sway if too many people traversed it in unison). “There was a race to see who could make the slimmest bridge or the most ambitious bridge. You put all this effort into the engineering and ended up with complicated structures that were difficult to maintain. Clients realised that maybe it wasn’t worth it,” he says.

Meandering crossings are the way to go
There’s another trend that Groskin points to: meandering bridges designed to slowly get you to where you need to be. In part, this trend is born from the need to create new urban routes for cyclists and keeping them moving at a leisurely pace especially when sharing a crossing with pedestrians. Indeed, Moxon has become something of an ambassador for such structures. “These bridges zigzag across an obstacle and there’s another functional element: they can get you up a hill without actually going straight up it,” says Groskin. “As you zigzag, you also get to see the structure of the bridge around the corner and see what’s holding you up.”

Building bridges is also about, well, building bridges. It’s when speaking about his work’s potential to unite people that you see why Groskin has stuck to the trade. “We recently finished a project north of Worcester, [England]. It’s an area where there are students on one side as well as a lot of older retired people, and the bridge connects a park to a new community. The next nearest bridge is 10 miles (16km) upstream. I don’t think that we anticipated the impact the bridge would have on these communities. You have people who have lived on opposite sides of the river for years and were never able to visit their friends [as easily as] they can now,” says Groskin. “It’s a small thing but it is influencing the daily lives of people, expanding their network, changing their habits.”

Here are 10 of Groskin’s favourite bridges, from New York and Cornwall to Switzerland and Vermont.

1.
The covered bridges of Vermont
Designed by: Various
Location: Vermont, US
The Gold Brook Covered Bridge – otherwise known as Emily’s Bridge – is a favourite. I grew up swimming under it most summer afternoons, long before I discovered or appreciated bridge design. So many of the lessons that I’m learning today about materials, craft and culture are embedded in these bridges and vernacular structures.

2.
Brooklyn Bridge
Designed by: John A Roebling, Washington Roebling and Emily Warren Roebling
Location: New York, USA
A classic for good reason. I spent two years commuting over this bridge along the elevated walk-and-cycle way. It’s a landmark where function trumps aesthetics – a critical connector within the city. It taught me how to use a bridge as a resident and visitor. Crossing this bridge was a chance for me to transition from home to work and back. 

3.
The High Line
Designed by: James Corner Field Operations, Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Piet Oudolf
Location: New York, USA
I’ve watched this New York project evolve over 20 years. It changed the way that we think about reuse and regeneration. While it’s now a park that winds its way along Manhattan’s West Side, it was originally an elevated rail link, transporting freight in and out of the city’s meatpacking district. As a continuous bridge with repetitive spans (a viaduct), it was an ideal opportunity for repurposing because it is wide and sturdy. The vision and commitment that made this project happen are commendable, as is the design, detailing and landscaping.  

4.
Sackler Crossing at Kew Gardens
Designed by: John Pawson and Buro Happold
Location: London, UK
This west London bridge is proof that a modest structure can be a delight to use when materials and details are well considered. It’s a simple array of stone planks with shaped bronze parapet posts sweeping along an S-shaped curve. The supporting structure is almost invisible as it hovers just above the water. It’s understated engineering and well-crafted architecture at its best, sitting perfectly in the garden setting.   

5.
Tintagel Castle Footbridge 
Designed by: Ney & Partners 
Location: Cornwall, UK
A stunning bridge in a stunning landscape. The form is daring, and the site is exposed and dramatic; crossing this bridge requires courage. The deck is made of slates on edge – a nod to its context and history that reads as a work of art. 

6.
Somers Town Bridge and Espérance Bridge
Designed by: Moxon Architects and Arup
Location: London, UK 
It was Somers Town Bridge (connecting Kings Cross to Camden) that drew me to Moxon Architects, where I’m now a director. A few years later, Espérance Bridge, which is just around the corner, proved that two bridges, linked in location and spirit, could take on very different forms. Both structures are contemporary responses to their Victorian industrial setting. The first is an ultra-efficient connector, its form optimised to span the canal. Its downstream cousin is an eyecatcher – an expressive, sculptural truss that invites users to cross and linger over the water and the adjacent canal-side urban theatre. 

7.
Léopold-Sédar-Senghor Footbridge
Designed by: Marc Mimram Architecture Ingénierie 
Location: Paris, France 
An ambitious urban bridge in a rich setting that connects different levels with ease. By linking both sides of the river at the bank and on the street, it caters to a range of desired lines of movement simultaneously. The articulated arch structure is both modern and in keeping with Paris’s collection of romantic heritage bridges.

8.
Lake Champlain Bridge
Designed by: Ted Zoli of HNTB
Location: New York to Vermont, US 
Innovating for all the right reasons in a very familiar landscape, this critical bridge is a replacement crossing that was built rapidly in a challenging environment. The approach spans that rise from the water were used to lift the entire arched span into place without conventional cranes. The form speaks to this process: functional, elegant and well composed.  

9.
Salginatobel Bridge
Designed by: Robert Maillart
Location: Schiers, Switzerland
A structure for the ultimate bridge-lover. Long before computer-aided engineering and design, this bridge pushed the limits of form and construction. It’s a clear expression of force, transferring bridge loads to the steep valley sides far below. It was built to connect a tiny community to the wider district, demonstrating the role that design can, and should, play in infrastructure.   

10.
Pùnt da Suransuns
Designed by: Conzett Bronzini Partner AG
Location: Viamala, Switzerland
One of several inspiring bridges in this gorge by Jürg Conzett. Perfect concept, detail and execution. Difficult access inspired solutions that appear simple and impossibly refined. I was fortunate to visit last summer with a group of pontists led by Jürg himself. I will certainly return to see the rest of the series.

To hear more from Ezra Groskin and about the art of bridge building, listen to this week’s episode of ‘The Urbanist’.

Filmmaker Raoul Peck, also Haiti’s former culture minister, returns this weekend with his latest documentary: Orwell: 2+2=5. A decade in the making, the film centres on George Orwell’s final years, when the British writer was racing to finish 1984. 

Orwell’s words – brought to life by Damian Lewis – offer audiences a fresh take on how relevant and prophetic his work remains. As in the director’s previous, Bafta-winning documentary I Am Not Your Negro, Peck uses modern-day material and news footage to highlight how Orwell’s anxieties over coercion and manipulation have never been more pertinent. Assessing the rise of authoritarianism across the globe, attention is turned to the US and the patterns and connections between president Donald Trump’s public pronouncements and the dystopia of 1984. 

Peck’s film is both a critique and call to action; a reminder that resistance rests not with elites but with an engaged and organised public. Here, Peck discusses his research process, how his time in office as Haiti’s minister for culture and communication shaped the film and the relationship between art and democracy. 

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. Listen to the full discussion on Monocle Radio. 

Why is George Orwell the right lens for you to tell this story?
Orwell delivered us the toolbox to understand what’s going on in the world. He was warning us of things that he went through himself; he experienced the degradation that we are witnessing with his own body. He was able to describe to us how any authoritarian regime or power can gain control of us. It was true in the 1940s. It was true in the 1950s. It’s true today.

How did you get into the essence of Orwell as a man?
Through his work. To understand a writer’s motivation, you need to go back to see where he lived and what he did. That’s exactly what I did. Orwell didn’t hide what he had to do as an imperial policeman or during his time in the Spanish Civil War. He put his life at risk and went to fight for justice and a new type of democracy. He was a [democratic] socialist but he was never a dogmatic socialist. It was always about being able to criticise your own party, your own position or whatever you felt was not right.

How were you able to bring your own personal experiences into the film – your time as culture minister in Haiti, for instance? 
I was privileged enough to go into politics for two years; I was requested not just to be a critic but to be an actor in a very tough situation in my own country. It was all about asking: how do you really restore democracy? How do you make sure that the previous authoritarian regime doesn’t come back? I had no problem leaving cinema behind because I came to it to be active, to change whatever I felt was not right in our world.

You portray the news media as having a very powerful effect in supporting authoritarian structures. Do you believe that film has the power to change that?
Film is an incredible platform to access people and confront them with things that they don’t confront on a daily basis. The press has been totally degraded. Newspapers, magazines, radio and television have been bought by billionaires and that has an impact. 

A theme throughout is that if there is hope for the future, it lies with the morality of the masses – do you share this view? 
Change will not happen within the party. I see with my own participation in fights – whether in Haiti, Congo, France or Germany – it’s always the civil society that at one point decides to say ‘Stop!’ We lived through it in Minneapolis recently. It was the population who decided that it was going too far. The whole history of humankind has been a history of fighting against a system that is not responding to the will of its citizens – and that’s what democracy is as well. That’s the best tool we’ve found to fight back.

‘Orwell: 2+2=5’ is in cinemas now. Hear the conversation with Raoul Peck on Monocle Radio here.

Since the first issue of Monocle we’ve been arguing that nations need to hold on to their manufacturing skills. We’ve promoted the value of craft and preached that learning a trade is as valuable as studying for an academic degree. As we edge ever closer to our 20th anniversary, these ideas seem more pertinent than ever.

In that very first outing of Monocle, the March issue of 2007, our Americas bureau chief Ann Marie Gardner headed to the town of Berlin, Wisconsin, to visit shoemaker Russell Moccasin, a company that was thriving while other footwear producers across the US shuttered because of outsourcing to China. Russell Moccasin, which had become a hit in Japan, also remained strong by embracing its niche and not competing on price.

If you want to know how the company is faring, visit its website. The first thing that flashes up is a warning that, due to the high demand, it has paused orders on its Premier Build boots. For more than 125 years this company has stayed relevant by sticking to its guns, as it says on its site, “from our small town of Berlin, Wisconsin, we serve new generations of Russell customers, each lacing up to make their own mark.” How do we bottle more of this spirit? Because we are going to need it.

In recent weeks I’ve had conversations with friends and contacts in which they have aired their growing frustrations with the deadening impact of AI on their work. It’s not that their companies are about to let them go, it’s just that everything they do has become that little bit duller. One friend tells me that they are leaving their banking job to enrol in a gardening course. An amazing woman in property informs me that she’s taking time out to study fine art. Another in finance that she must prove to her managers that she is using AI tools every day or face being reprimanded. She too says that all she wants to do is use her hands – baking, gardening, basket-making, she’s game for it all.

Let’s be clear: AI is here to stay. It will change our lives in many instances – say, medical research – for the better. But unchecked, its adoption never questioned, it threatens to dull our days and dim our minds. At Monocle, as at most publications, we have strict rules about how AI can be used. If someone is using AI when developing code for the website, please be my guest, but it must never be used to write or polish our journalism. I am sure that there will be some tests ahead as we defend this position.

Another editor, holding the same line, tells me about some of her writers who are suddenly filing impeccably polished copy. So why doesn’t she just run it? “As soon as you read it you know that something is off – it’s plastic,” she says. It’s writing with botox and fillers – wrinkle-free and not real. 

And here’s the other thing that AI’s march seems to be counterintuitively encouraging us to value: the joy of the imperfect. When everything becomes uniform, the subtle variations that come from somebody using scissors to cut leather, to bake individual batches of biscuits or even make a magazine, are surely more important than ever.

This is not the call of a Luddite or about being rinky-dink. Far from it. Just open our latest issue and you’ll see the watchmakers who make Switzerland tick and brands such as Chanel and Hermès that have created powerful businesses from believing in craft, in the human eye. But today, just as when we first reported on Russell Moccasin, we need to go against the grain, make things, use our hands and say no to the flattening of skills and experience. 

To read more columns by Andrew Tuck, click here.

Further reading:

– AI hasn’t created a new problem for publishing – it has simply clarified an old one

– As AI continues to serve up slop, legacy media is back on the menu

April’s new releases include the triumphant return of a Swedish pop star, a televisual exploration of the legacy of Japan’s most notorious fortune-teller and a retrospective exhibition on one of the art world’s great provocateurs. 

Books

‘Permanence’
Sophie Mackintosh 
Francis and Clara are having an affair when, one day, they wake up in a city that neither recognises. Slowly, they realise that the strange place is inhabited with other adulterous couples finally able to be together – or so it seems. Sophie Mackintosh’s enchanting book is an uncanny yet oddly familiar story of longing and loyalty.
‘Permanence’ is published on 2 April

‘Transcription’
Ben Lerner
Lerner’s slim new novel explores memory and its pitfalls. As the narrator attempts to record the final interview of an ageing friend, he questions our reliance on devices. When every interaction can be mediated via phones, what happens when they fail us?
‘Transcription’ is published on 7 April

‘The Wonderful World That Almost Was: A Life of Peter Hujar and Paul Thek’
Andrew Durbin
Peter Hujar and Paul Thek were very different artists and people. Yet their lives crisscrossed – as lovers, friends and, at times, rivals. This dual biography explores their entanglements and enduring impact on the art world in a colourful portrait of an era when everything seemed possible.
‘The Wonderful World That Almost Was’ is published on 23 April

Music

‘Free Spirits’
Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso
The Grammy-winning Argentinian duo is one of Latin America’s most exciting acts. “Hasta Jesús Tuvo Un Mal Día”, this album’s lead single in collaboration with Sting, is one of the highlights on a set comprising everything from rock to techno.
‘Free Spirits’ is released on 19 March

Listen to an interview about the album with Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso on Monocle Radio. 

‘Sexistential’
Robyn
Robyn describes her follow-up to 2018’s Honey as “tantric”, alluding to the way that it ties together her approach to music, relationships, sex and life. From the retro sound of “Blow My Mind” and the industrial beats of “Really Real” to the hilarious title track, this is Robyn at her best. 
‘Sexistential’ is released on 27 March

‘Distracted’
Thundercat
US singer and musician Thundercat’s first album in six years is a funky, breezy delight. Highlights include the yacht-rock vibes of “No More Lies” and “She Knows Too Much”, which features the late Mac Miller. Despite its many guests, Distracted feels cohesive, thanks in part to producer Greg Kurstin, who is best known for his work with Kendrick Lamar.‘Distracted’ is released on 3 April

TV

‘The Testaments’
Disney+ 
Has Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) changed for good? A primary antagonist in Margaret Atwood’s dystopian 1985 novel The Handmaid’s Tale, which was adapted for television over six seasons, Lydia ended the series questioning her role in the brutal subjugation of fertile women. The Testaments, based on Atwood’s 2019 follow-up, finds Lydia in charge of a preparatory school for future wives, including one played by One Battle After Another’s Chase Infiniti.
‘The Testaments’ is released on 8 April

‘Beef’
Netflix 
The first season of Lee Sung Jin’s explosive, Emmy Award-winning series took inspiration from the creator’s own flirtation with road rage. In season two, a ferocious couple’s argument leads to an exploration of intergenerational attitudes to love, refracted through Gen Z-ers Ashley (Cailee Spaeny) and Austin (Charles Melton) and millennials Joshua (Oscar Isaac) and Lindsay (Carey Mulligan).
The second season of ‘Beef’ is released on 16 April 

‘Straight to Hell’
Netflix
Neither “you’ll die” or “you’ll go to hell” are lines you want to hear if you’re asking about your future. But Kazuko Hosoki, Japan’s most notorious fortune-teller, was never one to play by the rules. Directors Tomoyuki Takimoto and Norichika Ôba tackle the controversy that has clouded her legacy, revealing Hosoki’s compelling rise from postwar poverty to nationwide fascination.
‘Straight to Hell’ is released on 27 April

Film

‘The Drama’
Kristoffer Borgli
The Drama is generating buzz – and with good reason. It stars Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, under Kristoffer Borgli’s offbeat direction, which is a gift to anyone who enjoys clever, subversive cinema. Little has been revealed about the film other than the two leads are engaged – and one of them is hiding a terrible secret. But if the finished product matches the hype, The Drama could be one of this year’s most intriguing anti-romances.
‘The Drama’ is released on 3 April

‘Father Mother Sister Brother’
Jim Jarmusch
Venice-winner Father Mother Sister Brother unfolds as a triptych of interconnected stories from indie film-making darling Jim Jarmusch. It concerns a family (Cate Blanchett, Adam Driver and Tom Waits, among them) navigating ties across different cities. Each chapter explores a different dynamic, with Jarmusch’s signature blend of humour and tenderness.‘Father Mother Sister Brother’ is released on 10 April

‘The Blue Trail’
Gabriel Mascaro
The Blue Trail follows an older woman who embarks on a journey through Brazil after being displaced by a cruel state policy that eliminates the elderly. With Denise Weinberg at its heart, it is a gentle but resonant sci-fi road film, grounded in the magic of human observation. Writer-director Gabriel Mascaro balances social themes with warmth, resulting in a movie that is both intimate and political.
‘The Blue Trail’ is released on 17 April

Layer with intention in quality essentials
There’s finally a reason to put down your parka and park your down jacket. The new season calls for layering, something Swedish brand A Day’s March has a knack for. The latest collection features smart overshirts, suede jackets, relaxed cotton shirting and seersucker weaves with mother-of-pearl buttons.

Founded in 2014 by Marcus Gårdö, Pelle Lundquist and Stefan Pagréus, the brand makes about 70 per cent of its clothes in Portugal using local fabrics and materials sourced from small, family-owned textile factories.
adaysmarch.com

Take a giant leap in the Nike x Jacquemus Moon Shoe
Nike’s running shoes have evolved substantially since 1972, when the brand debuted the waffle-soled Moon Shoe. Now the Moon Shoe has been redesigned as part of Nike’s ongoing collaboration with Paris-based designer Simon Porte Jacquemus.

Complete with a ruched, elasticated heel, the footwear is ideal for city strolls and as a travelling partner – happy to be thrown in a tote bag or suitcase.
nike.com; jacquemus.com

Sample these simple staples 
Portuguese retailer Isto focuses on everyday attire done well. Working with a network of select trusted factories, Isto focuses on perennial wardrobe staples rather than seasonal collections, and puts transparency at the core of its operation. 

Stocking everything from casual blazers and chinos to a wide range of T-shirts made from locally sourced organic, natural and recycled materials, the brand has become a pioneer in sustainable shopping in Portugal. “The colours, the heat, the southern soul – we try to keep these consistent in everything we do,” says co-founder Pedro Palha.
isto.pt

Kangaroo-leather boots that are bound to please
The story goes that in 1932, a 24-year-old Australian, Reginald Murray “RM” Williams, learned the craft of leather-working from a stockman named “Dollar Mick” Smith. Soon after, Williams established a business selling handmade saddlery and accessories to Australian cattle stations. But it was Williams’s stockman riding boots that became his namesake brand’s star product.

To properly dip your toe in the antipodean bootmaker’s world, opt for the kangaroo-leather collection. While the material’s use is waning abroad, ethically sourced kangaroo leather is becoming a badge of honour for luxury Australian brands looking to reassert their homegrown credentials. Where other boot brands have moved all production from the country, RM Williams owner Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest is ensuring that made-in-Australia wares are a priority.
rmwilliams.com 

A daily companion from Montblanc
A fine, khaki grain leather companion for day-to-day excursions with external pockets to keep essentials within reach. Its two top handles and detachable straps can transform the bag from briefcase to backpack to suit your needs. 
montblanc.com

Kicks for casual hikes and city strides 
Swiss running brand On’s latest design is built for a gentler pace but hardened for tougher terrain, steeper inclines and unpredictable weather. These Cloud 6 Geo Waterproof trainers are ideal for rainy Shibuya crossings or cross-country walks – featuring a mudguard made with ballistic nylon, cushioned soles and superior traction. Whether you’re pounding cobbles in Zürich or veering off piste, these will help you stay on track. 
on.com

Collaboration sunnies that are easy on the eye
Of all the recent eyewear collaborations being released in the lead up to the northern hemisphere’s sunnier seasons, could this be the slickest? A meeting of minds between Paris, Tokyo and Hong Kong, the A Society x Maison Kitsuné range of sunglasses comes in three models: Hikari, Camille and Ming.

Every piece is manufactured in Japan and the selection is bound to please. Whether it’s Hikari’s classically refined metal frame, Camille’s sharp acetate silhouette or Ming’s softly contoured shape, there’s a frame for every face. Each pair is housed in a sleeved box individually marked with a “chop” stamp – China’s symbolic seal.
maisonkitsune.com

Need more retail therapy?

• The 12 independent fashion brands to covet during Art Basel Hong Kong

• Light and shade: Sharp menswear styles to carry you into spring

• Monocle’s fashion 25: The best labels and in-store experiences across the globe this spring

In the crowded theatre of Middle Eastern diplomacy, unlikely stages often prove the most effective. Right now that stage might be Islamabad. Over the past two weeks, Pakistan has been quietly positioning itself as a potential mediator between the US and Iran. A high-level US delegation’s visit to the Pakistani capital, which included talks with army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, signals that Washington is, at the very least, exploring an off-ramp from a conflict that risks spiralling beyond its current contours.

This is not diplomacy for diplomacy’s sake. Pakistan’s offer to host talks between Washington and Tehran – contingent on both sides agreeing – has already been publicly floated and amplified by US president Donald Trump. On Wednesday 25 March, Iran received a 15-point proposal from the US, delivered via Pakistan, outlining a potential path to a ceasefire. For some observers, Islamabad’s role might appear unexpected. But as Michael Kugelman, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, puts it, Pakistan holds a “rare status”, as one of the few countries maintaining a relationship with both Washington and Tehran. That, Kugelman argues, gives the country a degree of access that traditional mediators currently lack. 

Geography is the obvious starting point. Pakistan shares a long border with Iran and shares deep cultural and sectarian ties, including one of the world’s largest Shia populations. The US administration is also understood to have a degree of confidence in Islamabad’s leadership, particularly in Munir, whose deep understanding of the Islamic Republic has been publicly acknowledged. But proximity or understanding alone does not broker peace – trust does. Or, more precisely, the careful management of its absence: Pakistan is not an active participant in the conflict and does not host US military bases.

But even its advantages have limits. “While Pakistan can act as a conduit – passing messages and proposals between capitals – persuading Washington and Tehran to sit down face to face is a far more difficult task, given the depth of mistrust on both sides,” says Kugelman. Iran’s position, at this time, remains the most significant obstacle and is yet to signal a readiness for talks – and this is where Pakistan’s diplomatic balancing act becomes critical.

Pakistan, moreover, is not operating in a vacuum. Its mediation efforts are increasingly intersecting with the priorities of the Gulf states – Saudi Arabia in particular. This week’s call between Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in which Sharif briefed Riyadh on his country’s diplomatic efforts, underscores just how closely aligned Islamabad’s diplomatic outreach is with the kingdom’s strategic concerns. For Saudi Arabia and its neighbours, negotiation with Iran cannot be limited to nuclear issues alone. Ballistic missiles and drone capabilities are no longer peripheral irritants; they are central to the region’s security calculus.

The Gulf states have, over the past decade, moved from viewing Iran as a contained rival to an unpredictable threat. The ability of Tehran and its proxies to deploy missiles and drones across multiple theatres – from the Gulf to the Red Sea – has fundamentally altered the risk environment. For the region’s economies that are built on stability, trade and investor confidence, this is not an abstract concern but an immediate vulnerability. A settlement that fails to address Iran’s capacity to strike “whenever and wherever” would leave Gulf states exposed and undermine any détente.

Pakistan is therefore not merely attempting to convene a bilateral dialogue but a multi-layered negotiation that reflects the realities of today’s Middle East: one where Gulf capital, Iranian deterrence and US security guarantees are deeply intertwined. 

From Islamabad’s perspective, the calculus is pragmatic. As one senior Pakistani official put it, the country has been working “at all relevant levels” to mitigate not only the humanitarian toll on Iran but also the economic fallout for the Gulf and, crucially, the global economy. A prolonged conflict on its border is a risk that Pakistan can ill afford. The urgency is evident for the US as well. Though Trump publicly claims victory, the US’s escalating presence in the region means that Washington faces a familiar challenge: converting military leverage into a durable political outcome. Pakistan offers a potential exit route, allowing the US to pivot towards negotiation without appearing to retreat.

But one more variable continues to loom large: Israel, which might be the most unpredictable actor in this equation. Its willingness to act independently could disrupt any fragile diplomatic progress, and for Iran, this is a central concern further eroding already thin margins of trust. Pakistan, then, is not merely mediating between two adversaries but navigating a fragmented strategic landscape in which regional powers are increasingly assertive about their own red lines.

There are still reasons to remain cautiously optimistic. Pakistan’s neutrality and its geographic proximity give it advantages that many mediators lack. Its recent diplomatic activity suggests co-ordination and intent that go beyond opportunism. But mediation ultimately requires a convergence of political will – and that remains uncertain.

If talks do materialise in Islamabad, it would mark a significant diplomatic moment not just for Pakistan but for a region in urgent need of de-escalation. If they do not, Pakistan’s efforts will still have underscored a broader shift: that influence in Middle Eastern diplomacy is no longer confined to its immediate geography and increasingly shaped by those able to bridge it. The task appears daunting because it is – but if there’s one country that could play the part, it’s Pakistan. 

Further reading?
– Rising rhetoric and deepening Gulf tensions push the Middle East to the brink

– Who is Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s new supreme leader?

– The view from the Strait of Hormuz: Ground zero for Iran’s war on global commerce

If you’re in Hong Kong for the latest edition of its Art Basel, the city’s retail landscape is well worth factoring into your itinerary between programmes and openings. You can read Monocle’s Hong Kong City Guide here.

Beyond the usual luxury shopping, there is a network of independent labels operating at a smaller scale but prioritising experimentation and unorthodox designs. Together they offer a different perspective on the city’s fashion scene. Here are 12 to visit.

1.
Matt Hui
Less than a year since his debut, Matt Hui’s first collection has already attracted the attention of shoppers through textured knits, bold patterns and confident play with proportions. Designed with layering in mind, Hui’s pieces favour relaxed silhouettes. The blue pullover, featuring an oversized spread collar, stripe sleeves and check-patterned front, showcases the founder’s ability to craft designs that move easily between casual and more refined settings. 
For more from Hui, click here.

2.
Meilan 
Michael Cheung, founder of Meilan, pays homage to his mother’s impeccable style with a collection that draws on East Asian craftsmanship. Beaded jadeite bracelets, gold pendants and lacquered rings make up a tightly edited collection that favours quality over excess, while pieces such as the printed pure-silk Crown of Thorns shirt show off material and workmanship.
meilanjewels.com

3.
Kinyan Lam 
Kinyan Lam’s eponymous label and his atelier, Genau Studio, focus on the preservation and reinterpretation of natural-dyeing techniques. Pigments are extracted from traditional Chinese medicinal herbs, such as chestnut husks, persimmon and sappanwood, lending depth to pleated trousers and relaxed button-down shirts. Now in his third year, Lam has already attracted recognition from LVMH for his approach to fabrication. Look out for his embroidered jackets, which are versatile all-season pieces.
Click here for more from Lam.

4.
Pabe Pabe
Accessories brand Pabe Pabe reworks everyday objects into playful details on its leather bags. The label’s designs demonstrate how hardware can double as fashion accessories, such as the aged-ox-leather Knob bag, which is secured with a door-knob clasp. The result is quirky but considered: satchels made to carry daily essentials while echoing the objects that inspired them.
pabepabeofficial.com

5.
Arto
Womenswear label Arto uses silhouette and colour to give knitwear a more expressive edge. Founded by Arto Wong, the designer shows a deep understanding of her materials, including how to color and shape yarn while keeping it comfortable against the skin. Pieces such as the Unlimited Energy Bubble dress in blue-and-green jacquard are offered alongside pleated skirts and textured cardigans.
artoofficial.com

6.
Pye
Pye has been perfecting the classic shirt since 1984. After being revitalised by Dee Poon, the label operates a vertically integrated seed-to-shirt process, from cotton cultivation to final construction. Expect styles for any occasion, made with the highest-quality twill, poplin and natural fibre blends, such as the Liu tailored shirt fashioned with a mandarin collar.
pyeshirts.com

7.
Rhyzem
Founded in 2023, Rhyzem favours relaxed tailoring over rigidity. Pieces are inspired by everything from murals and pottery to calligraphy, including the brand’s sloping, collarless jacket. Silk, organza and merino wool help to keep the construction light. The result is a softened silhouette that moves naturally with the body.
rhyzem.com

8.
A Society
Those in search of premium eyewear might consider A Society, a label producing contemporary alternatives to traditional specs. Founded in 2018 by Kenny Kwok, Victor Chu and Dee Lam, the brand draws inspiration from Asia’s underground cultural scene. The angular Kowloon frames in titanium fitted with blue-light-blocking lenses – made in collaboration with Universal Works – exemplify the label’s futuristic yet wearable approach.
asociety.com

9.
Ponderer
Launched in 2019, Ponderer is known for its unisex styles and experimental approach to textiles. Founders Alex Po and Derek Cheng apply smocking, digital printing and hand-dyeing techniques across fabrics ranging from silk organza to denim. The pieces are as tactile as they are visually distinctive, such as the Tide denim shirt with smocked detailing. References to Hong Kong’s streets – bamboo scaffolding, floor tiling and weathered posters – surface in workwear and urban-leaning designs.
ponder-er.com

10.
Yama Guest
Lifestyle brand Yama Guest takes its name from the Japanese word for mountain, yama, a reminder that we are only visitors in nature. The label approaches design through functionality, producing technical camping shirts, trench coats and lightweight outwear. The light-green breathable shirt with an adjustable zipper reflects the brand’s focus on utility for both city and nature.
Click here for more from Yama Guest.

11.
Still House
On Causeway Bay’s Pak Sha Road, Still House has upheld its locally made ethos since its opening in 2015. Designed by Miu Chan and Liz Yuen, collections are produced in a nearby factory in Tsuen Wan where classic shapes are revisited with small but considered tweaks. Shoppers come for elevated staples, including the collarless Tinker’s jacket, as well as sharply tailored trousers.
stillhouse-store.com

12.
Femance
Childhood friends Angel Tam and Celia Ng launched Femance in 2019, crafting sculptural handbags designed for Asian proportions. The structured calfskin Lympia shoulder bag in umber captures the brand’s mix of practicality and polish, perfect for the office or weekend outings.
femance-official.com

Greg Girard’s images have helped to define how the world sees Hong Kong and Tokyo. From the labyrinthine alleys of Kowloon Walled City to the electric sprawl of Shinjuku at night, the Canadian photographer has shaped the collective imagination of some of Asia’s most mythologised urban centres. He’ll tell you that he was simply in the right place at the right time – but a career like his is rarely accidental. 

Ahead of the 2026 edition of Art Basel Hong Kong, Monocle sat down with Girard at the opening of his latest exhibition, HKG-TYO 1974-2023, at WKM Gallery in Wong Chuk Hang. He discusses his special relationship with the two cities and how seeing the world as an outsider became his greatest gift.

Why did you choose to pair Hong Kong and Tokyo for this exhibition?
I have always wanted to. I spent the late 1970s in Tokyo, before Blade Runner looked at Asian cities as some kind of near-future dystopia. I moved to Hong Kong in 1982, during what people now look back on as a golden age. Both cities have been perceived as bigger than themselves, like myths. But this show looks at life in both places on a personal, ordinary street level. No bigger narrative is needed.

Your work often challenges pre-existing narratives. Where does that perspective come from?
Being an outsider allowed me to break the patterns of given places and get into less glamorous ones. Kowloon Walled City, for example, felt like a myth to many local Hong Kongers. It was thought of for crime, gangs and chaos, and it had only been [photographed] in black and white, perpetuating this notion of danger, poverty and otherness. But not growing up surrounded by these preconceptions, I allowed myself to get lost in it and discover its life and colours. That motivated me to set the record straight [for the people who lived there] but also to not shy away from how completely insane it was.

More recently this mentality took me to Sakura [a common name for snack bars] that are found all over Japan. They’re not fashionable and they’re not even on Google Maps because they’re not interested in attracting new clientele. The project [Snack Sakura], now a published book, took me to places where there was no reason to go. I had to work my way in but maybe being a foreigner with a camera helped. That’s the gift of not belonging.

How have external pressures from magazines to social media shaped your work?
When I started [my career], magazines were one of the only accessible entry points for someone like me. But after 20 years of working for them, I hit a limit. I bought a different camera and told myself: when I’m using this, I’m only doing it for me. I do my best work when I do it for myself. Not getting attention turned out to be a really good thing for developing my craft. But it’s true that these days, that’s a luxury. With social media, everybody is a public personality – something that used to require skill.

More than ever, shooting for yourself rather than a platform is a very conscious choice, and one I welcome photographers to make more often. We all have a different way of understanding craft and our purpose. We all have something to bring, regardless of the platforms existing today.

For example there are pictures in this exhibition, such as ‘Cathay Pacific 747 with Lion Rock and Kowloon Walled City’, that didn’t make it into the magazines [when] I shot them in 1989. But here they are.

What keeps you grounded in your craft after all these years?
Photography is a way of not being overwhelmed. It’s a chance to get out of myself – to not be locked in my head. It’s my way of existing in the world. And it’s something that is completely open and endless. There’s nothing you can’t photograph. There’s no such thing as bad weather. There’s no such thing as something not being attractive enough. There’s no such thing as something not being worthy. It’s infinite.

1.
‘Threading Inwards’
CHAT, The Mills
Hong Kong was once home to a thriving rag trade and the Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile (CHAT) explores this history from a repurposed cotton mill in Tsuen Wan. In this flagship show, 14 artists and four curators from across Asia examine spirituality and the role that rugs, carpets and other textiles play in rituals and ceremonies. Don’t miss Marcos Kueh’s monumental new work, The Spirit of Labour: Zhinü, the latest in his ongoing textile series that draws on Industrial Revolution-era union banners.
‘Threading Inwards’ is on at CHAT until 28 June.

2.
‘Certainly’
Gold by Serakai Studio
The industrial-turned-artsy neighbourhood of Wong Chuk Hang has a new resident: a salon and exhibition space called Gold. Its inaugural show, Certainly, is inspired by artist-composer La Monte Young’s 1960 event score “Draw a straight line and follow it” and invites artists to meditate on the condition of uncertainty. For Serakai Studio co-founder and curatorial director Tobias Berger, the theme is particularly pertinent to those working in the contemporary art field. “You have to be flexible and you have to like uncertainty,” he says. Berger whisked our culture editor around Wong Chuk Hang for our newspaper, The Hong Kong Correspondent – see it here.
‘Certainly’ is on at Serakai Studio’s Gold until 3 May.

3.
‘Site-seeing’
Para Site
Alternative art institution Para Site has turned 30 and it’s marking the milestone with a year of exhibitions. Launching the line-up is Site-seeing – a showcase referencing a group show from 1996, giving artists from the region another opportunity to examine city life. Expect barbed-wire curtains, unmanned surveillance stations and lots of screens. Thai artist Nawin Nuthong’s digital triptych is a highlight.
‘Site-seeing’ is on at Para Site until 14 June.

4.
‘HKG-TYO 1974-2023’ 
WKM Gallery
Wong Chuk Hang’s WKM Gallery is on a mission to elevate photography in the Asian art scene and this solo exhibition by Canadian artist Greg Girard (read our interview with the photographer here) could be just the ticket. The show features shots of Tokyo and Hong Kong taken in the 1970s to the present day, contrasting with scenes from the cities’ various neighbourhoods. “We started talking about doing an exhibition around a year ago,” says WKM director William Kayne Mukai. “We wanted to create something special and unique, and through our conversations we realised that we both have strong links with Hong Kong and Tokyo.” 
‘HKG-TYO 1974-2023’ is on at WKM Gallery until 23 May. 

5.
‘Ted Gahl: Roam’ 
Villepin 
Villepin recently celebrated its five-year anniversary. During those years, the two-storey gallery on Hollywood Road has held ambitious and imaginative exhibitions for the likes of Zao Wou-Ki and Myonghi Kang. Gallerist and founder Arthur de Villepin has a personal connection with the work of Ted Gahl, having first started to collect the American painter’s abstract pieces in 2021. Now, Villepin has dedicated an entire exhibition to the artist’s work. Once you’ve revelled in the calming, colourful pieces, take a peek at the gallery’s newly renovated library. 
‘Ted Gahl: Roam’ is on at Villepin until 7 May.