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Fresh After Stepping Down from Microsoft, We Joined Bill Gates on a Charity Trip to Africa
People · Business

Fresh After Stepping Down from Microsoft, We Joined Bill Gates on a Charity Trip to Africa

Bill Gates is not wearing a seatbelt. I worry about his safety as we speed along the cleared roads of Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, flanked by military outriders, but his aides either don’t notice or know not to mention it, so I decide I shouldn’t wear one either. The goats have been…

28 Mar 2020 By Official Bespoke

A Favourite Among Germans but Little Known Outside Europe, Schloss Elmau is a Cultural Retreat that’s Perfect For a Reboot
Places · Germany

A Favourite Among Germans but Little Known Outside Europe, Schloss Elmau is a Cultural Retreat that’s Perfect For a Reboot

If ever there was a perfect hotel to visit in time for our Born Again issue then it is Schloss Elmau in the Bavarian Alps. [Oh, and speaking of timing, it’s nice to know Lady Luck is on our side, as our visit took place in early-February 2020, just a few weeks before the coronavirus [&h…

27 Mar 2020 By Official Bespoke

With a Trophy Acquisition, A Key New Factory and Soaring Profits, LVMH Had a Record Breaking 2019
People · Fashion

With a Trophy Acquisition, A Key New Factory and Soaring Profits, LVMH Had a Record Breaking 2019

2019 was a strong year for LVMH and its owner, Bernard Arnault. They acquired Tiffany & Co. for 16.2 billion USD, opened a third LV factory in the US (the world’s largest luxury market) and ended the year 82 billion USD up in terms of market value. You would therefore expect more of…

18 Mar 2020 By Official Bespoke

Escape From Quarantine With Oculus’ Newest VR Headset
Products · Essentials

Escape From Quarantine With Oculus’ Newest VR Headset

The 400 USD Quest is Oculus’ (aka Facebook’s) fourth consumer VR headset and it’s the one you’re going to want to own. It was released in May and like the slightly older Go unit, it’s a standalone design that doesn’t need to be connected to a phone or a PC. But where the Go is […]

18 Mar 2020 By Official Bespoke

Get Your Shopping Fix on Homegrown E-Tailer Maison Orient
People · Fashion

Get Your Shopping Fix on Homegrown E-Tailer Maison Orient

Launched just last September, Dubai-based Maison Orient is a newcomer to the e-commerce scene that’s creating a space exclusively for talent from this side of the world. “When I started discovering amazing talent from different countries, I realised how under-represented the…

18 Mar 2020 By Official Bespoke

A Canadian Company Called Taiga Has Just Launched the World’s First Electric PWC. Here’s Why We Love it
Products · Boats

A Canadian Company Called Taiga Has Just Launched the World’s First Electric PWC. Here’s Why We Love it

Just another personal watercraft (PWC)? Certainly not. Taiga’s Orca’s suspended “floating” seat design betrays how this one has no engine and instead relies on electric power for a quiet yet powerful ride.   Taiga’s Orca isn’t cheap – at 24,000 USD (for the carbon vesion) – b…

11 Mar 2020 By Official Bespoke

Breitling Has Grounded its Jet Team For Good and in its Place They’ve Launched the Aviation Pioneers Squad
Products · Watches

Breitling Has Grounded its Jet Team For Good and in its Place They’ve Launched the Aviation Pioneers Squad

For the better part of a century, Breitling has enjoyed a global reputation for its links to the world of aviation and of course its pilot’s watches. But though that relationship used to be manifested in the form of the Breitling Jet Team, new CEO Georges Kern has grounded the old squad…

6 Mar 2020 By Official Bespoke

Kenneth Ize, The Fashion Designer Loved By Naomi Campbell, Is Putting Africa On The Fashion Map
People · Design

Kenneth Ize, The Fashion Designer Loved By Naomi Campbell, Is Putting Africa On The Fashion Map

Kenneth Ize, remember the name. The Lagos-born and based designer was a finalist of the LVMH Prize for emerging talent, and he’s putting Africa on the fashion map. It’s the kind of exuberant  fabric you might see at a Nigerian wedding. Hand-woven by artisans using a techniqu…

6 Mar 2020 By Official Bespoke

The Talented Franco-Lebanese Architect Lina Ghotmeh Pulls the Safety Nets Back on Her First Design in Beirut
People · Design

The Talented Franco-Lebanese Architect Lina Ghotmeh Pulls the Safety Nets Back on Her First Design in Beirut

Architect Lina Ghotmeh digs into Lebanon’s heritage to create a contemporary landmark that’s as innovative as it is nostalgic. The urban landscape across from the Port of Beirut has undergone a small but significant change. At the edge of Saifi and just beyond Downtown Beirut’s eastern …

3 Mar 2020 By Official Bespoke

Breitling Launched A Limited Edition Eastern Arabic Numeral Watch
Products · Watches

Breitling Launched A Limited Edition Eastern Arabic Numeral Watch

Last September, Breitling announced it had become Etihad’s official timekeeper and to fête the partnership they launched the 5,000 USD Aviator 8 Day & Date 41, which was at the DWW. It runs on Breitling’s Caliber 45 (which is an automatic movement with more than 40 hours of power re…

3 Mar 2020 By Official Bespoke

We Take a Look Inside Nada Debs Beirut Home and Discuss Her New Ikea Collection
People · Design

We Take a Look Inside Nada Debs Beirut Home and Discuss Her New Ikea Collection

World renowned for her ability to merge Japanese austerity and Middle Eastern ornamentation, we couldn’t resist the chance to see inside Nada Debs’ Beirut home, as it revealed another chapter in the story of this designer with a vision. Nada Debs has an eye for colour. It’s evident from…

26 Feb 2020 By Official Bespoke

Meet Bernie Sanders’ Unlikely Palestinian-American Campaign Supporter
People · Insights

Meet Bernie Sanders’ Unlikely Palestinian-American Campaign Supporter

Linda Sarsour is a Palestinian-American who simultaneously criticises Israel while working on the campaign of a Democratic candidate who might well be the first Jewish US president. Few phrases in the world of politics are wheeled out more commonly than the cry of anti-Semitism. While m…

26 Feb 2020 By Official Bespoke