The Monocle Minute

If you’re not careful, the entire world can seem to shrink to the size of a backlit phone screen. It’s on these tiny pucks of plastic that election results, bloody coups and military skirmishes find themselves scrunched unceremoniously beside party invitations, birthday reminders and a self-replenishing stack of emails. We all need to get out more.

That enthusiasm for getting out into the world informs Monocle’s dedicated travel magazine The Escapist, which is on newsstands now. Inside, our intrepid journalists and photographers bring back tales from every corner of the world, from the picturesque, ocean-carved estuaries of Galicia to the entirely inappropriately named Misery Beach in Western Australia’s beguiling Great Southern region.

We also have our eye out for opportunities with dispatches from key hoteliers and hospitality CEOs at the ILTM trade show in Cannes, big interviews with brand leaders, ministers and the people shaping the world of travel. Our Asia editor, James Chambers, touts Thailand’s next moves in the tourism trade, while we also find fresh reasons to make tracks along the Albanian Riviera; a lesser-known, more mountainous side of Greece; and probably the Med’s best beach club. Plus, plenty of recommendations, new openings, top tables and hotels to book.

So ask yourself this: what will you remember of 2025? The time spent staring at your laptop staying informed or in the glow of a phone but on top of your workload? I think not. Maybe now is the moment to make some plans and size up the horizon. And what better to have tucked under your arm than a copy of The Escapist? It’s a big world out there – go and see it.

Josh Fehnert is Monocle’s editor. ‘The Escapist’ is out now on all good newsstands.

Greece will officially join the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member tomorrow, alongside Denmark, Panama, Pakistan and Somalia. This milestone follows a year-long diplomatic campaign led by foreign-affairs minister George Gerapetritis to elevate Athens’s global profile. In a February 2024 speech to the Security Council, Gerapetritis highlighted the efforts that Greece had been making towards improving stewardship of the seas and offsetting the effects of climate change.

The country then hosted the ninth “Our Ocean Conference” in Athens in April, a precursor to the 2025 UN Oceans Conference in June. The nation has significantly raised its defence profile throughout the year by spearheading operations against Houthi rebels in the Red Sea, while Gerapetritis’s diplomatic efforts have helped to thaw relations with neighbouring Turkey. With more geopolitical volatility expected in 2025, having a seat at the global-security table might prove invaluable for Greece over the coming year.

You would be forgiven for assuming that 2024 was a rough year for the sportswear industry. News headlines repeatedly turned to the consumer downgrading in China, while Nike reported its worst revenue drop since the coronavirus pandemic. Despite this, the sector is thriving – but not exactly where you might expect. “There’s a tendency to project Nike’s performance as a proxy for the sector,” says Erwan Rambourg, global head of consumer and retail research at HSBC.

The past year has been relatively healthy in terms of course-correcting inventory levels and promotional spending. While Nike and Adidas navigated slow recoveries, upstarts such as On, Hoka and Vuori flourished. Meanwhile, innovative collaborations, including Salomon’s tie-ups with Comme des Garçons and New Balance’s partnerships with Aimé Leon Dore (see above), helped niche brands gain traction. “The big trees in the forest have lost foliage, so the sun is finally reaching the ground and green shoots are popping up,” says sporting-goods expert Matt Powell. “It’s great for the industry. The more competition we have, the better it’s going to make everybody.”

Looking for sporting inspiration to align with your new-year goals? Read our full report on the emerging players of the sportswear industry in‘The Forecast’, which is out now.

Japan’s bartenders are known for their uncompromising approach to the craft. From the classic bars of Sapporo to Ginza’s top establishments, no cocktail or highball would be complete without immaculate ice. “The cocktail shake has a certain meaning, not unlike the tea ceremony,” says Kazuhiko Kuramoto, the fifth-generation president of Kuramoto Ice.

His Kanazawa-based company started out in 1923 by selling blocks of ice for everyday use. After more than nine decades, the company expanded into the field of junpyo (pure ice) by taking advantage of the area’s naturally soft water. Slowly frozen over more than 48 hours, the process includes stirring to remove air bubbles, dust and impurities. The clean, highly transparent ice is shaped into spheres, cubes and sticks, as well as the signature kachiwari cracked ice.

Kuramoto Ice supplies nearly 700 establishments in greater Kanazawa and earns 30 per cent of its revenue from international orders. “Customers spend an average of ¥10,000 (€60) a month, which equates to about 50kg of ice,” says Kuramoto. “In some cases, it can be 15 times that amount.” For Kuramoto, it’s not just ice but a craft honed to crystalline perfection.

For more on Kuramoto Ice and Japan’s cocktail culture, pick up a copy of Monocle’s seasonal newspaper‘Alpino’, which is out now.

Zanele Kumalo, who started her career as a magazine editor, is now one of South Africa’s savviest tastemakers and entrepreneurs. After shifting her focus away from the media industry, she launched a content studio and joined Kalashnikovv Gallery in Johannesburg as associate director. And she has now added a new role to her CV: curator for the newly launched Design Week South Africa, which ran in Cape Town and Johannesburg in October. Here, she shares some tips for how creatives can get ahead in the country’s design scene.

What advice would you give someone seeking a break in the design scene?
Start with commitment and dedication to your skill and story. To “put yourself in the room”, make sure that your product or service is the best quality. This will spur word of mouth. Make it easy to be discovered. Spend time immersing yourself in the industry: go to expos, talks and workshops, check out showrooms, ask questions and read publications that are connected to different industries. Understand how you can connect with diverse brands. The more people get to know you, the more they’ll give you opportunities or offer you information that will help you to understand the market.

How important is branding?
If you don’t get it right at the start, it can be very detrimental. It’s not just about aesthetics; it’s about who you are and what you represent. It’s your first opportunity to impress people and you can always make tweaks down the line.

How will Design Week South Africa affect the local scene?
What’s interesting about it is that, while other expos usually ask those who want to exhibit to pay for a booth, there’s no barrier to entry here. People can also enjoy design in a way that feels more accessible. Instead of taking place in a single space, it’s spread across cities, so it presents a different kind of opportunity for the ordinary person on the street – you might walk into a restaurant and find a pop-up or panel discussion going on. The event is also a chance to amplify designers, give them a greater platform to share their brand internationally and create more sales.

For our full interview with Zanele Kumalo, pick up a copy of‘Monocle: The Entrepreneurs’, which is out now.

New ideas, bright predictions and the trends that will shape the year to come: Monocle’s The Forecast will help you get in the groove as we move into 2025. With in-depth reporting about luxury fashion’s new star apprentices, the places where the film industry is flourishing and which cities entrepreneurs are flocking to, you’ll be full of inspiration for the months ahead. Plus: what the future holds for the world’s greenest petrostate and why you should use more Post-its.