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Icons and Influencers

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Icons and Influencers
Who's making headlines and creating trends? Meet the social media icons and influencers who shape the world as we know it.
Italian company Minotti has been in the furniture design business since 1948. Photo: Handout
Architecture and design

Q&A | Italian family-run furniture designer Minotti’s growth to a global brand

Third-generation steward Susanna Minotti discusses the company’s heritage, design philosophy and Hong Kong’s influence on its vision.

Robert Wun

Style according to … Hong Kong designer Robert Wun

Hollywood

Meet Taylen Biggs, the 12-year-old influencer who interviews celebrities

Health & Fitness

Bling meets gym: home fitness is becoming a fashion statement

Kim Kardashian has maxed out on state-of-the-art equipment, Khloé’s private gym resembles that of a luxury hotel, and Kourtney has her own Pilates studio.

The Pent Yacht gym is a seagoing example of how design and technology are reshaping fitness spaces. Photo: Handout
Celebrity style

Meet Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, who styled Zohran Mamdani’s wife Rama Duwaji

The former fashion editor called out Kanye West’s ‘White Lives Matter’ tees, and resigned from Vogue publisher Condé Nast after criticising Israel’s bombing of Gaza.

Wellness

At 82 and 70, married influencers show it’s never too late to go viral

Robert and May Leong have been posting online since 2022, with their quirky dance and comedy reels finding wide appeal.

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Fame and celebrity

Are stars like Charli XCX and Sabrina Carpenter making smoking cool again?

Smoking is all over pop star imagery and lyrics, but its revival as a glamorous accessory faces pushback from experts.

Sabrina Carpenter holds a Louis Vuitton cigar. Photo: @sabrinacarpenter/Instagram
Celebrity Families

Are the Kardashians losing their ‘klout’? Kim still has Skims in the game

While celebrity watchers suggest that the Kardashian brand needs fresh energy as younger stars emerge, the success of Skims may soften the blow.

Beauty

Hair gel is back – but this time it’s kinder and less crunchy

Inspired by gel OGs Madonna and Justin Timberlake, everyone from Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya to Bad Bunny is getting in on the act.

Fame and celebrity

Meet Jake Connelly, who plays Derek Turnbow in Stranger Things

The 13-year-old fan favourite, who was in commercials before his big break, had to keep his involvement in the series a secret for 18 months.

Jake Connelly plays foul-mouthed bully-turned-ally Derek Turnbow in Stranger Things’ final season. Photo: @jakeconnellyofficial/Instagram
TV shows and streaming video

Meet Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova – Ilya’s friend Svetlana in Heated Rivalry

A model and trained dancer, the native Russian speaker’s credits also include The Boys and Slip.

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Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova plays Svetlana Vetrova in the hit series Heated Rivalry. Photo: @kseniadaniela/Instagram
TV shows and streaming video

Meet Linnea Berthelsen, who plays Kali Prasad, aka Eight, on Stranger Things

Now in its fifth season, the Duffer Brothers’ blockbuster sci-fi Netflix original is coming to a close on the last day of 2025.

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Trending in China

China food delivery platform names Jay Chou as brand ambassador, backed by lookalikes

Group of imitators including a wedding singer and pancake vendor strike internet gold by donning delivery driver uniforms; get 140 million likes.

Jewellery

Nadine Ghosn on stacking luxury watches with her Crayola and Toothbrush jewellery

The designer likes to stack watches by maisons like Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet with her brand’s Crayola and Toothbrush jewellery.

Nadine Ghosn on her favourite watches, and how her popular and quirky designs, including her Toothbrush and Crayola jewellery, came to be. Photo: Jocelyn Tam
Fame and celebrity

Meet Stranger Things newcomer Nell Fisher, who plays Holly Wheeler

Nell Fisher, playing a pivotal role in season five, is only 14 years old – but she’s already acted alongside Elijah Wood.

Nell Fisher at the Stranger Things premiere in November. Photo: @nellfisher_/Instagram
TV shows and streaming video

Meet British actor Guy Burnet, who plays geologist Charlie Newsom in Landman

The Jonathan Bailey lookalike got his start in UK soap opera Hollyoaks, and also appeared in the Christopher Nolan blockbuster Oppenheimer.

Wellness

Why young people are turning to Gen Z and millennial Christian influencers

Christian influencers in the US are galvanising young people looking for meaning in a culture that lacks it, say those of faith.

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Fame and celebrity

Meet comedian Morgan Jay, who went viral for his auto-tuned musical acts

Jay grew up in a musical family and interned at The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, before going viral on TikTok for his hilarious crowd work.

American comedian Morgan Jay is taking his Goofy Guy Tour around the world. Photo: @morganjay/Instagram
Architecture and design

London-based designer Faye Toogood on her humanist, playful approach

Her multidisciplinary practice designed the commercially successful Roly Poly chair and Baker trousers, now seen as Toogood’s signatures.

Fame and celebrity

Inside Alo, the ‘secret gym’ favoured by Hollywood A-listers

Besides Hailey Bieber, the invitation-only facility counts Kendall and Kylie Jenner, Tate McRae and Glen Powell among its celebrity clients.

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Trending in China

Profile | China actress Mao Xiaotong abandoned by dad, rejects his post-fame cash demands

‘Cute and sweet’ exterior of 37-year-old actress hides an inner strength that saw her stand up to her ‘alcoholic’ father, philandering ex-boyfriend.

Chinese actress Mao Xiaotong, who known for her pure image, has endured severe hardships in her life, including being abandoned at birth by her father and discovering her boyfriend’s affair in 2017. Photo: SCMP composite/Weibo/QQ.com
Fame and celebrity

Meet Byredo founder Ben Gorham, who’s been hanging out with Kendall Jenner

Gorham’s a former basketball player who built the cult fragrance brand Byredo that branched out into make-up and jewellery – he’s also supposedly married.

Ben Gorham and Kendall Jenner have been seen in Paris and California together. Photos: @bengorham, @kendalljenner/Instagram
Fashion

Hanan Besovic on American Vogue and Duran Lantink’s Jean Paul Gaultier debut

Fashion influencer @ideservecouture doesn’t need your approval: ‘As long as I have Wi-fi, I can talk about fashion. I don’t need the degree’.

Fashion

4 fashion drops to shop this Christmas, from Ferragamo to Jacquemus

Actor Bill Nighy has partnered with knitwear house John Smedley, while Etnodim reinterprets the traditional Ukrainian vyshyvanka.

Food and Drinks

Old-fashioned cookbooks remain popular, including with many professional chefs

Social media may be awash with recipes, but book fans cite their appreciation for high-quality narratives and photography in a tangible form.

Although most people get their recipes online these days, many of us still appreciate a good recipe tome -- like this Le Creuset cookbook, published by Assouline. Photo: Handout
Fame and celebrity

Meet Laura Lynne Jackson, psychic medium to Hollywood celebrities

Meghan Markle and Dior creative director Jonathan Anderson are also reportedly fans of the divinatory arts.

Laura Lynne Jackson is Gwyneth Paltrow’s go-to medium. Photo: @lauralynnejackson/Instagram
Britain

Starmer pressured to intercept Andrew Tate in Dubai over UK rape charges

The self-described misogynist will appear at a Dubai boxing match this weekend, while facing civil action in the UK from four women alleging assault and rape.

Obituaries

In memoriam: 29 beloved celebrities we lost in 2025

We remember stars from the worlds of Hollywood, TV, music, fashion and more, from Jane Goodall to Giorgio Armani and Hulk Hogan.

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