blue skies smiling at me

I DON’T KNOW about you, but April was a bit of a doozy. The mugginess and the interminable waiting for the end of the month when things would finally open up left us all with slight anxiety. So you can imagine my excitement for May, when restrictions are lifting, the flowers are blooming and the possibilities of good things seem inevitable. Our cover girl Yura (it’s her second time on our cover) thinks this too. Having just starred as Chae Yoojin on the Netflix hit series Forecasting Love and Weather, Yura has spent the pandemic creating art in hopes of better days ahead. In this issue, we also celebrate the riot of spring with our Couture report ( page 42) and our shoots with twin performers Sabrina and Gigi Cheung ( page 94) and Taiwanese YouTuber Liou Monn ( page 104) all herald the colours and hues that blossom during this season of rebirth. There are two occasions this month that are close to my heart – Mother’s Day and Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. For Mum, this year, we’ve devoted the fashion shoot to an idea of the modern Madonna ( page 24) and asked chefs how their mothers and grandmothers influenced them as chefs and the way they cook today ( page 126). In solidarity with all AAPI folk, we’ve put together a little compilation of Asians abroad and at home who are making their mark. One is Sarah Law, Hong Kong-bred and now the owner of a cult accessories brand Kara, whose designs have been seen in Blackpink Lisa’s new music video and the Sex and the City reboot. Kiminte Kimhēkim is a Korean designer who has secured himself a spot on the Paris runway and creates worlds through clothes that speak to who he is and where he comes from ( page 38). And in the culture well we talk to Larry Ossei-Mensah about Ghosts of Empires, the exhibition he curated exploring post-colonial nuances and overlaps, after reading Kwasi Kwarteng’s book Ghosts of Empire: Britain’s Legacies in the Modern World ( page 120). To round off the section, we spotlight Instagrammers today who are using their platforms to reinvent and reclaim the ways Asians are perceived – one post, story and reel at a time ( page 112). It’s such an exciting month. So dust off the nicest pieces in your wardrobe and bask in the rays of much brighter days ahead.