Giant is the world’s largest bicycle firm. And while China claims an ever-greater share of the mass market, Giant continues pushing prices for specialist models ever higher. What’s more, its president plans to turn Taiwan…
From a highly supportive French underwear brand to a horn-rimmed eyewear specialist and a village-based UK company with global connections, we take in three fledgling fashion businesses ready to take flight.
From the merchants of the Middle Ages to today’s leading fashion brands and specialist shops, Italians have long excelled in the
art of retail. We share some of our favourites.
This month’s Inventory is a treat for the senses – from tactile notebooks and fragrant soap harking back to times past to sculpted oak hangers and model replicas of a brutalist London.
A Japanese book distributor is espousing an unusual business model that sells not just books, but the bookshop experience itself, to bibliophiles and casual shoppers alike.
Starting a new business is about ideas, inspiration and location. We visit a Lisbon neighbourhood pushing small enterprise, the corner of Istanbul that’s ripe for retail, a Mexican tech hub, craft specialists and a clutch…
Whether you want to wiggle through traffic or pedal off-piste and tackle rough terrain, your bicycle choice is of the utmost importance. From Italian-inspired city cycles to light-activity models, the two-wheelers of these…
The past year has made us reconsider the meaning of home and how much we value connection and community. We recommend reverting back to a housing model devised
by Jews at the turn of the 20th century.
In this CGI era when craft means corralling pixels, we take a trip to a traditional animation studio in Tokyo to marvel at mastering the miniature. Among the models and drying paint we find that old-fashioned artworking is…
From silent movies to streaming, the history of Studio Babelsberg is the history of film itself. Its art department’s scenery, sets and replica models have appeared on screens for more than a century. As directors worldwide…
Japanese car company Subaru has always attracted a less conformist driver. Its crossover 434 Forester epitomises the brand’s quirky but unflashy design and solid reliability. Although recent Subaru models are looking a…
The Monocle Retail Survey is back. For this year’s selection, we’ve scoured the globe for the best new shops, the smartest developers and the most-anticipated additions to the retail landscape. From a department store in…
Like beauty, value is in the eye of the beholder (or often the highest bidder). So what is it that makes one item worthless and another priceless? How can the story behind an object – be it an imperfection, a previous owner…
Some of Japan’s best assets are its architects and designers, and their know-how is ripe for exporting. A new exhibition in Tokyo showcases the best ideas for the house of the future.
Once the recipient of foreign financial handouts, the Republic of Korea has transformed itself into a manufacturing powerhouse and an aid donor. As the G20 summit opens in Seoul, Monocle asks whether it is giving enough and…