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How luxury is made

How luxury is made
A look behind the scenes at the artisanal expertise that go into creating the world's renowned luxury goods
Vacheron Constantin’s The Grand Lady Kalla Ruby transforms from a necklace to a watch. Photo: Handout
Jewellery

4 jewellery drops to know about this Christmas, from Cartier to Giorgio Armani

Vacheron Constantin has a transformable necklace-watch, while Gohar World and Petrossian combine food and jewellery in their Caviar necklace.

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Style Edit: Audemars Piguet’s innovation at Dubai Watch Week

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Style Edit: Cindy Chao’s new art-like jewellery is inspired by nature

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Style Edit: Noble Panacea has landed in Hong Kong – meet CEO Céline Talabaza

The brand recently opened a flagship counter at Hong Kong’s Lane Crawford and launched the groundbreaking Absolute Peptide8 Night Serum.

Noble Panacea is making waves with its new Absolute Peptide8 Night Serum. Photo: Handout
Italy

Luxury brands face probe over alleged Chinese worker exploitation in Italy

The alleged sweatshop labour practices, spark a nationwide investigation into ‘Made in Italy’ ethics and supply chain transparency.

Jewellery

Dazzling jewellery for the festive season

Feast your eyes on sculptural gold, sparkling diamonds and light-catching coloured stones from houses like Chaumet and Cindy Chao.

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Style Edit

Style Edit: Omega’s Christmas drop spotlights Aqua Terra and Speedmaster

Omega unveils luxurious dials, innovative movements and celestial design cues on its must-see holiday pieces.

Omega offers an incredible line-up of festive gifting ideas. Photo: Handout
Van Cleef & Arpels

Van Cleef & Arpels CEO Catherine Rénier on craftsmanship and timelessness

As Van Cleef & Arpels adds new blooms to its collections, we speak to CEO Catherine Rénier on the brand’s success so far – and plans for the future.

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Style Edit: Tudor’s lasting legacy with the Black Bay and Pelagos models

The new Black Bay 58 and 68, Black Bay Chrono and Pelagos Ultra models show the brand’s enduring commitment to its revered technical diving and driving collections.

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Style Edit: Parmigiani Fleurier’s Tonda PF Stainless Steel and Rose Gold

The watchmaker’s beloved series has new bimetal models, one with a micro-rotor and a stone blue dial, and the other an automatic 36mm in deep ruby.

Parmigiani Fleurier’s Tonda PF Automatic 36mm Steel Rose Gold Deep Ruby. Photo: Handout
Jewellery

The rise of rough, uncut gemstones, feted for their raw beauty

De Beers’ Talisman collection and designers Massimo Izzo, Ruth Tomlinson and SunChin are all celebrating rough stones.

Uncut gems are having a moment as seen in these creations by Massimo Izzo. Photo: Handout
Style Edit

Style Edit: Hermès women’s ready-to-wear spring/summer 2026

Creative director Nadège Vanhée helms the Free Rein collection inspired by the brand’s horsey history and also by free-spirited modern equestriennes.

Food and Drinks

The dairy product that’s become an unlikely luxury item: super-premium butter

Whether it’s organic, grass-fed or made with an antique churn, once you acquire a taste for fancier, fattier butter, there’s no turning back.

Timepieces

Why watch fans are so drawn in by creative tourbillons

Designed as a precision tool, the complication has become an opportunity for watchmakers to express their artistry – and collectors have taken note.

Zenith is just one watchmaker to have brought the tourbillon complication out into the open in the modern era. Photo: Handout
Style Edit

Style Edit: Tiffany & Co.’s Victoria Reynolds on 2025’s Blue Book high jewellery

The maison’s chief gemologist on how Jean Schlumberger inspired chief artistic officer Nathalie Verdeille’s latest collection.

Tiffany & Co. chief artistic officer Nathalie Verdeille has reinterpreted Jean Schlumberger’s marine-inspired creations for the Blue Book 2025 Sea of Wonder collection. Photo: Handout
Style Edit

Style Edit: Prada’s Galleria in a cinematic campaign with Scarlett Johansson

The Prada Galleria – loved by style icons from Kate Middleton to Hailey Bieber – remains a cult classic, as its latest campaign shows.

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Style Edit: Louis Vuitton’s latest Le Damier fine jewellery collection

First introduced last year, the line takes the maison’s iconic checkerboard pattern and translates it into sculptural gold and diamonds.

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Style Edit: Brunello Cucinelli’s new BC Duo bag collection for fall/winter 2025

The brainchild of sisters Camilla and Carolina Cucinelli, the new bags showcase the label’s precise artisanal craftsmanship.

Brunello Cucinelli’s BC Duo bag is gorgeously geometric. Photo: Handout
Style Edit

Style Edit: Taylor Swift spotted wearing Cartier’s new Love Unlimited bracelet

Swift recently rocked a rare Cartier Santos Demoiselle watch – and now she’s shown love for the latest iteration in the long-running Love collection.

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Style Edit: Richard Mille’s latest iterations of the RM30-01

The brand’s material expertise is shown in the use of Thin Ply Technology to produce cases in Quartz TPT as well as ceramic with Carbon TPT.

Timepieces

How horology fan Wei Koh made the watchmaking show he’d been wanting to see

The Revolution magazine founder hosts the documentary series about the inspiring, often enigmatic characters behind independent watch brands.

Wei Koh, founder of Revolution magazine and host of the Man of the Hour documentary series, which follows the lives of independent watchmakers. Photo: Handout
Louis Vuitton

The leathers behind the world’s most iconic luxury brands

Houses including Hermès, Prada and Bottega Veneta have taken to producing their own unique leathers, each perfected to suit a particular bag.

Leather has been a key component in Hermès’ creations since the maison was founded in 1837. Photo: Handout
Fashion

Gem-studded bags from Gucci and more promise sparkling nights out

At the Paris Haute Couture Week shows, luxury maisons gilded the lily by adding beautiful stones to statement accessories, bringing back the minaudière.

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Style Edit: How Anteprima leaned into fashion’s fleeting nature for SS26

Japanese contemporary artist Takahiro Iwasaki’s meditations on impermanence spark a bold new collection from Anteprima shown at Milan Fashion Week.

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Style Edit: How Furla used a double-decker bus to convey a playful new message

The Iride Nail Bar at Milan Fashion Week was more than a pop-up on wheels – it launched an exciting range of bags while heralding a fresh approach.

Furla’s Iride collection is already drawing in a crowd. Photo: Handout
Icons and Influencers

Marisa Meltzer’s new book dissects the life of archetypal ‘It’ girl Jane Birkin

The woman whose practicality and style inspired the iconic Hermès bag was also a complicated character who struggled to be taken seriously.

Jane Birkin, subject of the new book It Girl, in Paris in 1985 clutching the original Birkin bag designed for her by Hermès; and the same bag in July this year, when it was auctioned off for US$10 million. Photos: AFP
Icons and Influencers

Q&A | 20 years on, jewellery mogul Valérie Messika reflects on her brand’s growth

She took the family company headed by her diamond dealer father and turned it into a maison selling fine and high jewellery pieces worldwide.

Paris Fashion Week

Louis Vuitton channels cosy comfort while Stella McCartney goes bold

Nicolas Ghesquière was inspired by stay-at-home style, while Stella McCartney had Helen Mirren read out the lyrics of a Beatles track co-written by her dad.

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