EDITOR’S LETTER
“So fun, right?”
Ethan Koh pauses after regaling our writer Annabel and me with vivid, rapid-fire recent-history updates and a flick-through of images on his ipad. We’ve found out about two cool-girl heiresses (model material, really) he’d recruited for a series of glossy Ethan K campaign shots, as well as his aristocratic London clique that palled around for a freestyle country-manor photo series while toting his luxe leather bags with proper British nonchalance.
We’ve learned how his newest collection, to be launched in May, came about. These Mystical Landscapes pieces are laid out in front of us, and we’re free to pick pieces up to play with – no gloved-hands-only preciousness, please.
We’ve been bombarded with a rundown of department stores his luxury bags retail at, as well as recent collaborations most designers would kill to have a shot at. Hearing about his packed schedule these two weeks in Singapore and his plans for the coming months leaves us – or me, at least – almost breathless: a second collaboration with the Ritz Paris, plans to hit LA, and another blitz at Asian expansion.
“Isn’t that amazing?” and “It’s so exciting!” punctuate his stories. He’s gushing with pure excitement as he shares what are undeniably success stories, and while his pride at his achievements past and ahead is palpable, it’s his pure, childlike wonderment that makes none of this come across as boastful. He’s having so much fun, I wonder: Is this work? I honestly feel buzzed by osmosis.
Large luxury houses vaunt their creativity, craftsmanship, quality, heritage and exclusivity. These codes are put forward not just in goods or services, but also in other forms, including exhibitions, collaborations, pop-ups, fi lms ( no, don’t call them ad campaigns) and books. The marketing messages, however, can meld into a sea of varnished commercialism and time-worn messages stamped with the “luxury” boilerplate. Even designers themselves can come across as rehearsed when giving interviews.
How refreshing it is to connect with a creative force – whether in person or emotionally/intellectually, through, say, watching a documentary such as Dries or Chef ’s Table. To breathe their air would be to breathe passion. And that is what underscores true savoir faire – it isn’t just the know-how of crafting a luxury product or an experience, but the art of manifesting a values-based vision. And those values can – after the quality, creativity, craftsmanship etc boxes are checked – include Fun, with a capital F.
With that, I leave you with the words of the young man on our cover: “There’s a difference between a career and a calling. But in my world, it’s probably both.” Enjoy this issue!