LETTER FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

THEY SAY THAT THE BEST WAY TO PREDICT THE FUTURE IS

to invent it, but I think that a better way is to invest in it. Currently, with every shred of normalcy in free fall, it’s apparent that any action or decision we take ripples into the future. Smart decisions equal favourable outcomes; it is time to direct those ripples. To add resonance to this message of shared responsibility, Spice focusses its current issue on sustainability. In post-Covid parlance this translates to an idea of indulgence that is not annotated by guilty pleasures. No wonder then, Eleven Madison Park, one of the world’s best restaurants, in New York, is going vegan. Daniel Humm, its legendary chef and co-owner says that the restaurant will no longer serve meat or seafood since “the current food system is simply not sustainable in so many ways.” Interestingly, this age of “philanthropic luxury retail” has found many takers, especially among Gen Z who are indeed more conscious of the environmental and social impact of their purchase decisions and thus, more likely to patronise a brand that resonates with their own personal values. Naturally, premium brands are embracing this change by evolving new strategies to reposition themselves to build sustainable luxury into their narrative. To this end, the spirits industry has led the charge of the enlightened brigade. Beam Suntory, the world’s third largest producer of distilled beverages, has committed to investing more than US$1 billion to make a positive impact on the environment, consumers, and communities. Elsewhere, England’s Silent Pool Distillers have created the ‘world’s first’ spirit in a paperboard bottle to coincide with Earth Day (April 22). While The Glenlivet Capsule Collection campaign went viral by developing world-class cocktails wrapped in a thin protective coating made of edible and biodegradable seaweed. The key is to be authentic. It’s a practice that has been adopted by many Indian fashion designers. From conscious design to consuming mindfully to being craft-inclusive, Indian fashion has evolved its own narrative. Veteran fashion designer Ritu Kumar has recently forayed into plant-based fabric such as banana and soya saris, while Amit Aggarwal’s cutting edge styles use a by-product of industrial waste to create textiles. We are all aware of the scary statistic: fashion is the second most polluting industry in the world after oil, but can travel afford to shake off responsibility? While in 2019, one in 10 jobs was in travel, almost 5-8 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions also came from travel. Jeremy Jauncey, CEO of Beautiful Destinations and one of the world’s leading luxury instagrammers with more than a million followers, writes on how to make the right travel choices and curate the most amazing, sustainably-minded experiences. To make a difference we must also vote with our consumer choices. Luxury need not always be an over-elaborate tag line. Take the new BMW M340i xDrive, featured in this issue: it finds its spot between the modest 3 Series and the agile M3. It’s the fastest accelerating car to be made in an Indian factory. Locally sourced is sustainable too.