Design & Craftsmanship
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DESIGN & CRAFTSMANSHIP LIFEISSUE 16 | DECEMBER 2019/JANUARY 2020 LEXUS.CO.ZA MOXY THE MASTER LF-30 TRENDS CHELSEA TAILOR ELECTRIFIED 2020 The refreshingly Grant van den Berg, the South CONCEPT The new year’s key fun hotel in the heart African craftsman making A glimpse into the new design directions of New York City Savile Row-quality attire bold future of Lexus – and the perfect gifts THEY SAY HYBRIDS HAVE TO BE PLUGGED IN NOT IN OUR WORLD Lexus Hybrids are self-charging. Every time you brake, the regenerative motor charges, storing electrical energy for high- powered take offs and low-speed driving. Lexus Hybrids conveniently charge without ever having to be plugged in. Lexus Hybrid Drive is an innovative system that adds to the overall performance and effi ciency of our cars. During initial take off from a stop, the high-output battery provides power to the electric drive. As speed increases, the potent petrol engine is engaged. And, when extra acceleration is desired, power output from both sources is optimised to deliver an even greater boost. The result is powerful acceleration without the jarring shift points experienced in a conventional vehicle. Thanks to extensive expertise in hybrid technology, Lexus offers an 8 year/195 000km warranty on all Hybrid Drive components (including the battery and inverter). lexus.co.za 26888 Lexus Hybrid Lexus Life 210x275mm Lightbulb.indd 1 2019/11/13 14:06 THEY SAY HYBRIDS FAVOUR FUNCTION OVER BEAUTY NOT IN OUR WORLD Lexus Hybrids are crafted with ultimate sophistication in mind. Lexus released the world’s fi rst self-charging luxury hybrid vehicle. Since our hybrid journey began, our purpose has been to create premium models that don’t compromise on style or comfort. Lexus Hybrid Drive is an innovative system that adds to the overall performance and effi ciency of our cars. During initial take off from a stop, the high-output battery provides power to the electric drive. As speed increases, the potent petrol engine is engaged. And, when extra acceleration is desired, power output from both sources is optimised to deliver an even greater boost. The result is powerful acceleration without the jarring shift points experienced in a conventional vehicle. Thanks to extensive expertise in hybrid technology, Lexus offers an 8 year/195 000km warranty on all Hybrid Drive components (including the battery and inverter). lexus.co.za 26888 Lexus Hybrid Lexus Life 210x275mm Forest.indd 1 2019/11/13 14:07 LEXUS LIFE CONTENTS THOUGHT LEADER 04 Respected newspaper editor and journalist Chris Whitfield on why credible sources of news are so vital DIRECTIONS 06 Latest news from the world of Lexus THE ART OF LIVING 10 Travel: The refreshingly fun Moxy Chelsea hotel in the heart of New York City 16 Fashion: Actor and activist Rosario Dawson and designer Abrima Erwiah’s empowering fashion brand 20 Food: Celebrity chef Pete Goffe-Wood’s new restaurant in the Winelands 22 Home tech: The latest technology for your smart home 26 The Master: Meet Frank Bespoke’s master tailor Grant van den Berg THE ART OF DRIVING 28 The Future Electrified: The Lexus LF-30 Electrified concept car CURATED 34 Design Trends 2020: Sustainable, innovative and bang on trend THE INNOVATOR 38 Scientist Didier Schmitt on whether the moon is a viable habitat for future generations Supplied IMAGE COVER TAG Heuer Boutiques: Sandton City and V&A Waterfront Also at selected fi ne jewellers nationwide For further information please call 011 669 0500. www.picotandmoss.co.za 04 Thought Leader WHICH NEWS DO YOU WANT FIRST…? Respected newspaper editor and journalist CHRIS WHITFIELD on why credible sources of news are so vital here’s a meme doing the rounds of a woman in tattered clothing crawling through a desert, T as one might when desperately searching for water. The speech bubble coming out of her mouth reads, “Reliable news source … any reliable news source.” Her plight will have resonance with many South Africans who watched as the country’s once-biggest newspaper group was reduced to a pale shadow of itself, and digital media took hold with its exhausting pursuit of “clicks” and “eyeballs”. The decline of the newspaper company has robbed the country of a reliable recorder of news, and the digital media business model generally places an emphasis on quantity at the cost of quality. So is our media landscape as parched as the one in which the unfortunate woman finds herself? Not quite. In spite of a general decline in standards, there are some real beacons. Perhaps the brightest is the battery of investigative journalists in organisations such as amaBhungane, Media24 and Daily Maverick, as well as at the Sunday Times. The Afrikaans newspapers do a good job of covering their communities, and Business Day is also a fine product, although a niche one. The aforementioned Daily Maverick is a good place to go for insights or opinions – and while tabloids are an overlooked part of the media landscape, some do an excellent job of giving a voice to communities that otherwise would not have one (in between exposés on tokoloshes and racist sharks). CHRIS WHITFIELD is the former editor But the yawning chasm in South Africa is the one that was once filled by the Independent Newspapers group: “papers of of the Cape Times, Cape Argus and record” that routinely provide information about your country, Weekend Argus. He and fellow veteran province and neighbourhood, and thus equip you to make journalist Alide Dasnois recently published decisions about your life. These products normally make a vital the book Paper Tiger, about events at contribution to democracy, keeping you informed in a balanced Independent Newspapers in recent years. way about developments in the local council and what your MP is up to, and keeping an eye on food prices and the like. The decline of print media – in addition to greedy and short- sighted management – has largely seen this type of journalism disappear. (There are still some exceptions in the “knock and drop” local media, where journalists concentrate on their towns and suburbs.) The old-fashioned curating and weighting of news – which newspapers once did so effectively – has mostly vanished from the media landscape. So where might a reader go to address this THESE PRODUCTS shortcoming? Sadly, there is no simple answer to that question. NORMALLY MAKE And so readers in search of real, relevant news might have to A VITAL spend some time scouring the better online outlets every day … which suggests that there is a gap in the market, if anybody CONTRIBUTION is listening. TO DEMOCRACY IMAGE Veldtman Brenda 06 Directions OPEN-AIR LUXURY The stunning LEXUS LC 500 CONVERTIBLE made its global debut at the 2019 Los Angeles Auto Show 07 he convertible version of the Lexus LC 500 flagship coupé T made its global debut at the recent Los Angeles Auto Show, joining the coupé as an aspirational halo model in the Lexus line-up. STYLING With the exterior styling based on the LC coupé, the LC 500 Convertible retains excellent aerodynamic performance and optimal weight distribution. The soft-top roof provides a unique silhouette, and the line of the rear trunk lid has been lifted and widened to create a dynamic side view that emphasises the car’s low-and-wide stance. DRIVING DYNAMICS A fresh design approach sees the LC 500 Convertible’s chassis achieve a rigidity level that equates to the coupé’s driving signature, while simultaneously offering both beautiful styling and sufficient luggage space. POWER The naturally aspirated 5.0-litre V8, mated to the DirectShift-10 automatic transmission, gives the LC 500 Convertible linear yet invigorating acceleration. The power output is also tuned to the driving conditions, with smooth progression during normal commuting and responsive acceleration at the limit when the driver desires. HUMAN-CENTRED LUXURY In order to create a space that allows open- air driving without hindering conversation in the car, a transparent polycarbonate wind deflector suppresses wind flow inside the car. Sound management is a key part of Lexus’s DNA, and Active Noise Control, combined with sound insulation and absorption techniques, also suppresses unwanted noises and unpleasant sound frequencies. The Lexus Climate Concierge is used to automatically control the air conditioning, the seat heaters, the neck heaters and the steering-wheel heater, all while considering whether the top is up or down. This makes the convertible version of the LC 500’s cabin comfortable for its passengers regardless of outside temperatures. The new LC 500 Convertible is scheduled to go on sale in 2020, but the launch and introduction to the South African market is yet to be confirmed. 08 Directions DRESSED THE BEST Lexus was a proud partner of the recent GQ BEST DRESSED MEN OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2019 he 14th annual GQ Best Dressed Men the link between people’s love for fashion and their love of the Year Awards – the most stylish for cars, design and craftsmanship. T event on South Africa’s social calendar The emotional designs and high-performance models – took place recently at the Mall of launched by Lexus in the past few years have prefaced Africa in Johannesburg. This year, GQ a new chapter for the brand and, true to that tagline, the once again played host to some of South Africa’s most event delivers a strong, unified message and signals the influential and stylish people, and unveiled the Top 10 brand’s progressive shift in a lifestyle direction. Best Dressed Men of 2019, who were selected by a panel “The two key words are experience – which relates to of judges consisting of GQ’s editorial team, past winners the design and engineering ingenuity of Lexus vehicles as well as local influencers.