Design
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Sure footed
Bontoni shoes takes things slowly, producing just eight pairs a day. Their dedication is helping Montegranaro, Italy’s shoe town, take changes to the global footwear market in its stride.
Pitti boys
Florence’s Pitti Uomo fair is where big deals are made and wearable clothes are previewed. This year, the event saw new interest from eastern Europe and, for the first time, showcased womenswear.
Smooth landing
After 15 years, Heathrow's Terminal 5 is ready. In Singapore, the new T3 at Changi has also opened. Monocle travels to London and Singapore to bench test both of the new airport terminals.
Expo 11: Olympic gold rush
As the world focuses on Beijing for the Olympics, a massive building boom transforms the city. Monocle visits the Olympic Park to see if it’s nation-branding folly or the start of the Chinese century.
Dead simple
Tokyo-based design guru Kenya Hara advises companies, including Muji, on their aesthetic direction. He also runs his own design institute and collaborates with designers. Here, he describes his last meal.
Inventory no. 11
Coloured pencils and shochu from Japan, perfume by La Labo, Labour and Wait's enamelware and a Norwegian post box.
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.
Albam Clothing
Albam, a British fashion start-up, is keeping costs down without turning to factories in China for help. Founded by entrepreneurial fashion outsiders James Shaw and Alastair Rae, the duo's first shop is a breezy,…
Fashion
It has been 60 years since British underwear and T-shirt label Sunspel introduced its two-ply Egyptian cotton boxer shorts to the discerning English gentleman.
A place in the woods
Architect Jim Olson has stayed true to his principle that buildings should be a bridge between nature and people. His family lodge is a 50-year labour of love and a hymn to understated living.
