The Monocle Minute

The works are hung, the patter polished and the tents sure look good in the autumn sun: it’s Frieze week in London. The art fair that brought daring and dynamism to a set-in-its-ways season has become a tradition in itself, to which galleries, collectors and curators flock and around which auction houses have refreshed their calendars and client lists. Yesterday’s VIP opening day for Frieze London (contemporary art) and Frieze Masters (everything that came before) was a success helped by strong work and a weak pound. But day one isn’t the buy-all-and-end-all: Frieze week is so full that collectors and casual visitors can spread the love around town until Sunday. We recommend finding time for the Sunday art fair at Marylebone’s Ambika P3 space and 1:54, the contemporary African art fair at Somerset House. Leave your shopping list at home for the Hayward Gallery’s jaw-dropping The Infinite Mix show at 180 The Strand on the way. Plus, tune into Monocle 24, broadcasting live from Frieze from 18.00 UK time.

With the spring/summer 2017 season at an end it’s fair to say that it’s been a big month for the fashion world. Unlike in New York, London and Milan, where the focus has been on mixed-gender shows and see-now-buy-now collections, creative-director debuts made the headlines at Paris Fashion Week. Aside from inspiring shows including Jacquemus, Stella McCartney and Chanel, all eyes were on Anthony Vaccarello’s first show for Saint Laurent (which saw him bring back the historic YSL logo), Bouchra Jarrar’s lacy line for Lanvin and Maria Grazia Chiuri’s fencing-inspired and proudly feminist Dior collection. Notably, Chiuri and Jarrar joined the likes of Céline’s Phoebe Philo and Hermès’ Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski as the rare few women at the helm of international fashion houses they did not found. The dearth of female directors heading womenswear labels has long been an industry bone of contention – but now, it seems, change is in the air.

New York arguably leads the pack when it comes to pioneering co-working spaces for a generation of entrepreneurs with fluid notions of office space and hours. But the recently unfurled New Lab, housed inside a vast former shipping warehouse at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, is taking it to a new level. Although you can’t walk in off the street and demand a desk, it nevertheless plays on the idea of bringing together different companies and individuals under one roof with a shared interest in technology and manufacturing. New Lab features companies covering everything from artificial intelligence to robotics and represents the continued regeneration of the Brooklyn site. Another big name set to move into the Navy Yard is Brooklyn Brewery – priced out of Williamsburg – which will be unveiling an office, brewery and rooftop beer garden rolled into one by 2018.

Japan’s two motorcycle behemoths, Yamaha and Honda, are laying old feuds aside to partner up in the production of 50cc scooters. This singular move has come amid a shrinking Japanese market and a growing need to cut costs on domestic vehicles. The plan is to transfer Yamaha’s production of 50cc scooters, which are designed for the Japanese market, from Taiwan to Honda’s Kumamoto Factory; that way Yamaha can cut costs and Honda gets a welcome boost to its Kyushu facility in Japan’s Kumamoto Prefecture. The nation’s big manufacturers used to do all their own hugely expensive R&D but technology partnerships are becoming increasingly common these days, as companies have begun sharing their best technology and know-how to create market-beating products. The Honda-Yamaha battle, also referred to as the H-Y War, isn’t over just yet though: with significant demand for products that both manufacturers produce in Southeast Asia and Africa, the rivalry in other motorcycle classes, as well as drones, boats and even snowmobiles, looks set to be as fierce as ever.

Former journalist Amanda Thomson moved to Paris to study the wine industry. Raised as a vegetarian and on a no-sugar diet, she now makes no-sugar sparkling wines and champagnes under her brand Thomson & Scott. She explains how she did it.

Monocle Films visited the Sami parliament building in Finland, which is a proud symbol of how far the indigenous people of Europe’s north have come during the past century. We learn how it has gone from being a culture struggling for survival to a thriving community.