For the best experience with monocle.com, please ensure that your browser has Javascript enabled.

Better together

Amid rising global tensions, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is – quietly –becoming more influential than ever before.
Clock and dagger

As the war in Ukraine rumbles on, Vladimir Putin, a former KGB officer, is relying on Russia’s spy network to prevent his downfall.
Building connections

Cautious investors, climate change and the shifting nature of work are challenging the property industry but at trade fair Mipim on the Côte d’Azur, the mood is – mostly – optimistic.
Growing strong

Mexico City stayed open for business during the pandemic, pulling in a global line-up of entrepreneurs. And many have stayed on, joining the ranks of a homegrown team of aspiring business talents.
Indie labels

Radical graphic solutions, stripped-back designs and humour are helping wine brands to win shelf space in a competitive market.
Sound and vision

David Walsh is the maverick founder and funder of Tasmania’s Museum of Old and New Art. Now he’s out to break down the distance between music and art – and have fun doing it.
Fine print

An esteemed weekly newspaper in France is staking its future on pluralism and literary ambition.
Keeping it real

The Dutch are reality TV pioneers but as times evolve, shows are voted off. Can these new formats be the catalyst for a renaissance?
Choice cuts

Our inventory of cultural unmissables includes a tense paella western, an original Ukrainian crime drama and a collection of top-grade South African sonics.
Design Awards: Part 1

For the third annual Monocle Design Awards, we’ve scoured the globe for the best in architecture, furniture, graphic design and more, to celebrate projects improving our lives – while looking good.
Design Awards: Part 2

From a lush desert park and a kitchen showroom to a film camera and a Swiss army knife, our 50 design-world classics for 2023.
Wear it’s at

The Danish capital has become a fashion and retail powerhouse. We visit new menswear shop Goods, then meet the talent driving a wave of creativity and edgy style.
Greek revival

Fashion brands are focusing on authenticity and sustainability, and the drive to promote traditional manufacturing and shorten supply chains is reinvigorating makers. In the first of a new series, we find the firms defining a city’s fashion culture. First stop: Athens.
Bigger picture

The Jun Group is behind some of Japan’s most inspiring labels. We meet the president of the company selling more than just clothes.
Hello Sunshine

As the skies brighten, now is the time to stock up on sunglasses, seasonal collaborations and the shoes to be seen in this summer. Plus: the bag to put them all in.
In focus

From piquant pops of colour to playful bandanas and just-so shoes, we select the final touches that will elevate outfits beyond the ordinary

Make my day: ‘Swim’ book / Puglia

Making a splash

Cold-water swimming might be all the rage but the pleasures of leaving behind the day’s worries and diving into warm water are hard to beat: muscles stretch, the mind clears and all is well. Swimming and life après-splash are the focus of monocle’s next book, Swim: A Monocle Guide to the World’s Greatest Pools, Beach Clubs and Secret Lakeside Outposts, which will be out this summer. For now, the deep-dive research is proving rather pleasant.

Photography: James Mollison

Editor’s letter

The Opener

Out of the blue

Graveyard shift

My cabinet: Parque Bondinho

Wiser council

Affairs

Defence

Business

Tried and trusted

Culture

Design

Better together

Clock and dagger

Building connections

Growing strong

Indie labels

Sound and vision

Fine print

Keeping it real

Choice cuts

Design Awards: Part 1

Design Awards: Part 2

Wear it’s at

Greek revival

Bigger picture

Hello Sunshine

In focus

Dutch master

Track changes

Track changes

Sleek peak

Staying power

Into the fold

Cabin crew

Great lengths

Making a splash

Back on track

Want more stories like these in your inbox?