The Monocle Minute

If you have been by our cafés or attended a Monocle event lately, you might have picked up a copy of our new biannual review of what we have been up to and where we’re heading. While we would love for you to have the print version, we thought that it might be easier and speedier to get all of our latest news to you in our trusty newsletter format.

As you will see, it has been a busy six months and there’s much more to come in the second half of the year. If you have a project that you’d like to cook up on the partnership front, some real estate you would like to show our retail team (Geneva, Paris, Milan are all of interest) or simply a question that you’d like to ask us, drop a note to our client director, Brenda Tuohy, at bt@monocle.com.

We have you covered this summer with our handsome hardback, Spain: The Monocle Handbook (and there’s also our Portugal edition too), and the third in our successful Companion series, which features 50 ideas to improve the world (all delivered via sharp, clever and witty essays).

Later this week, we will also be launching the much-anticipated Swim & Sun: A Monocle Guide, which will take you to the best places for a dip around the world.

If you want to seek refuge from the white noise and waffle that passes for news elsewhere this summer, tune in to Monocle Radio. A leading global voice on the news, our station airs more than 30 premieres every week, covering current affairs, design, culture, urbanism and more. As well as a 2023 station rebrand and refresh of our sound, we have launched The Concierge, our first programme dedicated to travel, in partnership with Allianz Partners. So far, we have touched down in five continents, including a live special from Tokyo, and we have spoken to leading industry figures ranging from the world’s most decorated concierge to Finnair’s CEO. Listen out for reports from Canada, Croatia and Mongolia, which are all landing soon. Behind the mics, we are continuing to innovate and add fresh perspectives; this month, former CNN anchor Nina dos Santos joined our presenting roster.

We also like to stay in touch with readers on the move through our insightful daily newsletters. The Monocle Minute offers an indispensable weekday read on the stories that matter (and many you might have missed), while our Weekend Editions offer opinions as well as the best in fashion, hospitality and travel news. Make sure that you sign up – it’s free.

Monocle’s elegant sister title, Konfekt, has become an indispensable quarterly voice in the world of travel, style, design, entertaining and regimes. The issues are seasonal but the advice, tips and ethos are timeless. With a focus on unhurried reportage, Konfekt is filled with plenty of long, lingering suppers and brisk, reviving swims.

For our upcoming autumn edition, a regimes special, our writers and editors will take the plunge from Austria’s Lake Altaussee to Japan’s Awaji Island, for a rundown of the best spas and restorative hideaways. We’ll be in the Italian capital discussing craft and Roman style with Margherita Cardelli (founder of fashion brand Giuliva Heritage) and our team is en route to Warsaw and Paris to shoot some chic autumn looks that will capture the essence of the season. We’ll meet the peerless host Marie-Louise Scio (at the helm of the Pellicano Hotels group), hike in the wilds of the Georgian countryside and gather in the Kurhotel, Skodsborg, for a round table on health and happiness.

Monocle doesn’t just talk about great retail and hospitality; we have also invested in our own thriving cafés and shops. We have retail spaces in London, Zürich, Merano, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Toronto, and popular cafés in London and Zürich. Our largest and most ambitious space to date is now open airside at Hong Kong International Airport. These are places to pick up print, luggage, stationery or collaborations with brands that we admire. They are also embassies at which to meet our readers, share a coffee (or something stronger) and forge a community. This summer you will also spy our retail footprint within the legendary Marbella Club Hotel at El Patio (alongside Chanel and Louis Vuitton). We have plenty more planned for the rest of the year, including something with kerb appeal on the west coast of the US.

The senior editorial team behind Monocle helps the world’s best brands to come up with creative solutions to deliver partnerships and special projects from conception to execution.

Our work spans a multitude of formats – from magazine features, books and paperbacks to audio, film, live events and retail collaborations. Recent examples include a custom booklet for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, magazine and newsletter features for Finnish renewables refinery Neste, thought-leadership books for Pictet and Jet Aviation, a European event series for luxury vehicle brand Genesis and a Monocle travel handbook, edited exclusively for Lufthansa. Should you have a special project or partnership in mind, we would love to hear from you. Please contact Brenda Tuohy at bt@monocle.com.

We hope that you have enjoyed this journey through the Monocle world and wish you all a happy summer (or winter if you are in the southern hemisphere). And we hope that we get to see you at one of our shops, cafés or events very soon.