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The art of a career pivot: Three fashion professionals who strategically reinvented themselves

Moving doesn’t always require a change of place. You might choose to stay close to home, reshaping your life through a decisive professional shift. When do you know that it’s time to take the leap? For some people, the answer lies in an idea that has been brewing in the back of their mind for years. For others, it emerges through a hobby that is finally ready to be taken more seriously or a curiosity that’s sparked after selling the business that defined their early career.

Monocle speaks to creative entrepreneurs across Europe’s fashion capitals about the art of the career pivot and the delicate interplay of strategy and intuition required to navigate a professional reinvention.

1.
From jeweller to shopkeeper
Lauren Rubinski
Founder, Rubirosa’s

Until 2025 the name Lauren Rubinski was synonymous with chunky chain necklaces and diamond signet rings, sold in prestigious shops from Bergdorf Goodman in New York to Ileana Makri in Athens and Muse in Tokyo. Paris-based designer Rubinski launched her eponymous fine-jewellery label more than a decade ago and built a reputation among discerning collectors. But there was always another dream in the background: owning a neighbourhood shirt shop.

When the right space became available last year on Rue de Grenelle – one of Saint-Germain’s most elegant shopping streets – she snapped it up on a whim. There was no solid plan or strategy in place, just a good idea and an appetite for work. “It might be a small shop but it’s still a big project because I’m by myself – no one is investing in the business,” says Rubinski. “But I never doubted myself or the product.”

Less than a year later, Rubirosa’s has become a place of pilgrimage for those in the know, from Paris locals to fellow creative directors, actors and design enthusiasts who have been visiting the shop from Tokyo, New York and beyond. It is now almost impossible to attend a fashion industry dinner in Paris, London or elsewhere without spotting at least one guest in a sharp button-up shirt in Rubirosa’s distinctive hues (sorbet pink and bold red are favourites), finished with contrast piping.

What makes the success even more striking is Rubinski’s decision to steer clear of e-commerce and online fanfare. In her quest to create a true neighbourhood shop, she has built the business via word of mouth: the only way to acquire one of the her shirts is to make the trip to Paris’s Left Bank.

By taking a chance beyond the world of fine jewellery, Rubinski has changed her professional identity. While she continues to design jewellery for her namesake label, she has embraced her new role as shopkeeper, spending most days serving customers at Rubirosa’s. It is a full-circle moment, she explains. “My father had two shops selling bespoke shirts during my childhood and my grandfather was a poplin manufacturer who ran a workshop in Montmartre – I was raised with shirts,” she says, wearing a crisp cotton number from her own range, paired with jeans, a cashmere jumper loosely tied around her shoulders and textured leather loafers – another signature product of Rubirosa’s.

The simplicity of the offer is central to its appeal. Essentials such as poplin-cotton shirts, cashmere jumpers and pyjama sets are neatly stacked in wooden cabinets, while loafers line the room. Both the shirt and loafer ranges are unisex and offered in a broad palette from soft neutrals to vibrant yellows and striped greens. “It’s like a sweet shop for adults,” says Rubinski, who worked with art director Louis Charles Aka to translate that feeling into the interiors.

Eschewing the familiar formula of white walls and bright lighting, Rubirosa’s is fitted with dark mahogany joinery and ruby-red carpets. “All the furniture was made by French artisans but we also added [contemporary] art and a blue room [at the back of the store],” says Rubinski.

On arrival, a staff member in a rollneck and apron offers a warm welcome – a small detail that sets the tone. “We really want to focus on the human experience,” adds Rubinski. “We’re relaxed and just want to start a dialogue with people and exchange [ideas]. We’d never push anybody to buy a shirt or a pair of loafers. It’s not just about numbers but about reputation.”

It marks a departure from Rubinski’s first business, which operates with a broad network of e-commerce partners alongside its own online store. “Everybody told me I was totally crazy to open a physical shop,” she says.

So why take the risk, especially when she already had a successful brand? “I trusted my taste and my vision – and, at the end of the day, shirt-making is part of my heritage. The manufacturer of Rubirosa’s shirts is one of the people who made my father’s.”

Today, Rubirosa’s offers a refreshing antidote to formulaic retail spaces and trend-led products. Rubinski’s main challenge now is keeping the shelves stocked. “We have managed to create that kind of old French shop that also feels a little bit modern,” she says, adding that her ambition is not to chase scale but to build a reputation as a neighbourhood destination that offers quality at sensible prices. “We welcome different personalities, different styles and different budgets. Ultimately, I’m the first customer. Every day when I come in, I’m so happy – I just love this shop.”

Her conviction and rapid success make a compelling case for pushing against industry trends and reinventing oneself – even for those already at the top of their game. “My parents told me that if it wasn’t going to be me, it would be someone else,” she says. “If I wanted that shop, I just had to make a run for it.”

2.
From streetwear to beauty
Davide De Giglio
Founder, D Capital and Eredi Zucca

Davide De Giglio looks slightly apprehensive. Sitting on a mustard-yellow sofa in a wood-panelled room in his central Milan headquarters, the fashion and beauty entrepreneur tells Monocle that he has only ever consented to a handful of interviews. But the man who helped catapult streetwear culture into the gated realm of high fashion – among the multiple pivots that he has made during his career – soon gets into his stride.

As jazz music floats across the room, what was meant to be a half-hour interview morphs into a 90-minute chat that touches on colourful characters and serendipitous moments. Monocle soon learns that the youthful-looking 50-year-old only stopped wearing boxer shorts by Manhattan-founded skate brand Supreme last year and that one of his defining moments was visiting the Ralph Lauren flagship on Madison Avenue as a nine-year-old. As for his successes? “I believe in destiny,” says De Giglio, dressed in a navy turtleneck and trousers. “When I meet someone, if they are good at what they do, I jump in.”

De Giglio has made a career out of jumping in at the right moment as an investor, mentor and strategist. He remains best known for New Guards Group, the holding company that he founded in 2015 that took stakes in a series of fashion start-ups such as Off-White, Palm Angels and Heron Preston. De Giglio advised on everything from pricing to distribution, helping lift these upstarts to the next level. “I always had partners,” he says. “There was always someone more important than me. And together we were something.” Off-White’s American founder, Virgil Abloh, who died in 2021, went on to become menswear artistic director at Louis Vuitton.

For every success, though, De Giglio has also shown a knack for moving on at the right time. When fellow partners Claudio Antonioli and Marcelo Burlon were ready for new pastures, the trio sold New Guards Group to the UK’s Farfetch in 2019 in a deal valued at $675m (€576m). De Giglio stayed on as group CEO for four years. He had what he calls “a five-year lock-up” that prevented him from doing anything else in fashion – but his non-compete didn’t include beauty.

So, just like that, De Giglio changed tack. In 2022, he founded D Capital, a new holding company with diverse interests that are still being defined and refined. One of its first ventures is a personal passion project: Eredi Zucca, a barbershop with old-world flair. It’s across the road from where we sit, on Via Bigli – De Giglio’s Milan fiefdom and the street where he also lives. When his plans to buy Milan’s oldest barber’s, Antica Barbieria Colla, fell through, De Giglio hired a historian and delved into the archives for inspiration. He discovered the Zucca family, who had owned a string of barbershops all over town in the 17th century, when the same multitasking gentlemen would cut your hair and pull your teeth.

De Giglio soon set about reviving the concept (minus the dentistry). The new space pays homage to the past through ornate, restored barbershop chairs imported from the US, as well as dark wood and intricate Murano glass. Regulars are given initialled cabinets near the entrance where they can leave their Eredi Zucca-branded shaving gear between visits. They can also peruse more than 40 house products, from beard shampoo to fragrances inspired by Milan.

Treatments are carried out in one of three private rooms. The idea is that, in today’s fast-paced world, visitors take their time rather than having a 15-minute lunch-break rush job. Back in his office, De Giglio confirms that Eredi Zucca is a concept that will travel. “We are going to expand globally,” he says. “It’s about having the barber store alongside the product.” He’s already looking into New York locations: Midtown and somewhere in lower Manhattan, such as Tribeca or Soho.

What’s striking about Eredi Zucca – which was developed with help from De Giglio’s friend Ramdane Touhami (the man behind the revival of Officine Universelle Buly 1803) – is its attention to detail. “I’m a maniac, in a good way,” De Giglio says. “I’m not obsessed with perfection but rather with the details.” He darts into a side room to retrieve a book about the power of details, Only the Paranoid Survive by former Intel CEO Andrew S Grove. He says that it changed his life – and insists on giving Monocle a copy.

Curious and with just the right dose of eccentricity, De Giglio has also invested in a series of other companies in his new life. He was, for example, an early backer in Hailey Bieber’s wildly successful cosmetics brand Rhode, which was sold to Elf Cosmetics in May 2025 in a deal valued at $1bn (€851m). He has also invested in Tuscan cosmetics and perfume powerhouse Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, as well as British make-up brand Isamaya Beauty.

So how has he backed so many winning horses? “Luck is part of it. But once you’ve done it three, four or five times, [you realise that] it’s more like a gift,” he says. “And you learn. I can tell when people have something in their eyes, when they talk a certain way.” From somebody else’s lips, those words might sound arrogant. With him, they just sound honest. He clearly saw something in Virgil Abloh, whom he met in Milan as this “shiny guy [who] was always saying the right thing”. It wasn’t long before they were having coffee in New York and deciding to work together.

Today, De Giglio’s eyes are on Umit Benan, a Milan-based Turkish designer known for his impeccable tailoring and branding. De Giglio hopes to turn him into a global star, marking D Capital’s first foray into fashion – and a new personal challenge to build a quieter, more artisanal brand, leaving behind streetwear. He met Benan during the New Guards era but didn’t think that he was “ready”. Clearly, his opinion has changed; he took a majority stake in Benan’s brand in May 2024.

De Giglio whisks Monocle down a corridor in his HQ – past a wall display of Nike X Off-White trainers designed by Abloh – that directly connects to Benan’s airy showroom. Across the road – but still in the orbit of Via Bigli – Benan has opened his first shop, with De Giglio’s help. The two are planning to open another in Los Angeles this year, followed by a third in Paris. “Trust me, it’s really important for me to have fun,” adds De Giglio. You get the sense that he’s not done yet.
eredizucca.com

3.
From fashion buyer to perfumier
Yasmin Sewell
Founder, Vyrao

In fashion circles, Australian-born Yasmin Sewell has long been known for her impeccable taste and instinct for what’s new, whether that be an up-and-coming designer, the colour of the season or the trend that no one else saw coming. This sixth sense helped her build an impressive CV that features companies such as British e-commerce giant Farfetch and institutions Browns and Liberty.

Away from the shop floor, however, Sewell was always nurturing other interests. From an early age, she explored the world of energetic healing and, in 2021, she launched Vyrao, a fragrance brand built around scents designed to shift mood and energy. Five years on, three investment rounds later and with 10 fragrances to her name, Sewell welcomes Monocle into her London office to talk about turning a personal vision into a thriving business.

Tell us about your earlier career and how you decided to shift from fashion to beauty.
After my time at Browns, I worked as a consultant for 10 years. Even while I was the chief creative director of Liberty, I was doing other projects. I then took two big jobs, first at Style.com and then Farfetch. Neither were quite what I wanted to do. That encouraged me to really think about creating something that was truly mine.

At the same time, I was renovating my house and I think that process helped take me into a new chapter. The house is where the brand was born; the green colour of the walls became the colour of the brand. I was initially thinking about more typical wellness products, such as ingestibles, but I quickly arrived at scent because it’s one of the fastest ways to shift your energy and mood. Plus, it wasn’t totally new to me; I had already launched Frederic Malle at Liberty and Escentric Molecules at Browns. I didn’t know how the hell to do it but I knew that once I had the vision for it, I could find the right people, the right resources and the right support.

Did you have any sense of hesitation?
I’ve never felt that I’m over fashion. I’m still inspired by runway shows and still love going into retail stores, but I didn’t feel any loss when I left. I think that’s because there was such a clear intention of what I wanted to do.

I loved being in fashion all those years. But I was always aware that I’d move into the wellness industry at some point. I just didn’t necessarily consider the beauty industry. I’ve spent my life training in holistic practices and the intention was to move into the things I cared about and [offer] my take on wellbeing.

Why was it so important to you to take on this type of training outside of your main job?
I trained in reiki, integrative quantum medicine – which is the combination of energetic healing and quantum physics – and ayurveda. I used them to become successful in fashion. When you have to look at the future, you have to tune into your intuition. I used it in everything I did.

How did you start setting up Vyrao?
I found somebody who had made fragrances and could help me in terms of production and logistics. I also brought in [creative director and the founder of More or Less magazine] Jaime Perlman to work on the branding. We were both new to this and I think that it’s great to do things fresh because you have no preconceived ideas.

You launched in 2021, in the midst of the pandemic. Did that require further pivoting?
I began conceptualising the brand in 2019 and planned to launch in 2020 but, because of the pandemic, my investors pulled out and the launch was more humble. I brought in friends who believed in me and put my life savings on the line to scrape it all together.

Since then, I have gone on to raise money three times. Early on, there were a lot of investors who thought I was woo but I wouldn’t want to work with them anyway. If they don’t understand the core of the business it can be damaging in the long term. The partners we brought in are behind the wider purpose of the brand.

You’ve had a lot of success with this year’s launches, Ludeaux and Ludatrix, which promise to evoke flirtation and passion respectively. Why do you think that these scents were such a hit?
We probably had our best launch to date. In the past, we’ve launched fragrances for grounding, happiness and mindfulness – and, of course, people want to feel mindful and happy and grounded, but when you say sex, people just say yes. It was my intention not to shy away from the subject, to launch a series of campaigns and just have fun.

What does it take to create a bestselling fragrance?
It’s so creative. I could do it for the rest of my life. I start with the feeling that I want to channel and, from there, it starts to come together as a scent. We look at ingredients – some are backed by neuroscience, while others go back thousands of years and are linked to [ancient] rituals. Once I’m starting to finalise the formulation, we connect the scent to a colour and create the bottle. We then start to think about what the messaging is. It’s a good two-year journey.

What’s your advice to anyone who is looking to make a similar career shift?
Take a moment. If you’re too caught up in your life, you’re also caught up in the fear. When I took time off, I renovated my house, planted my garden and reflected on everything in my life. That’s when the idea for Vyrao came to me. Those times when you might feel a bit lost and you take a break can lead to incredible things.
vyrao.com

The five fashion collaborations and retail launches to know now

A new year calls for a style refresh. Whether you’re looking to upgrade your collection of cotton T-shirts, visit a shop with a selection that will inspire you or buy in to a collaboration worthy of the hype, here we round up the brands that are opening must-visit new outposts, as well as those launching innovative products that you should add to your wardrobe. Take your pick from high-performance cycling gear for your commute, top-quality jumpers made in Canada to keep you warm through winter or Japan’s most sought-after kimonos, reworked to suit modern-day dress codes.

1.
Y & Sons
Japan

Japanese kimono specialist Y & Sons has opened its third Japanese outpost in Omotesando, following those in Kanda and Kyoto. “As Japan’s centre of fashion, Omotesando was chosen to express the kimono as a fashion piece,” says Gen Hiramatsu, who has been involved with the brand since its launch in 2015 and now oversees Kimono Arch/Y & Sons in Paris.

The shop is filled with ready-to-wear pieces and collaborations with the likes of Graphpaper and Norwegian Rain. There are also original fabrics from across Japan – the starting point for the label’s signature made-to-order kimono service. The line-up is composed, with a mix-and-match approach to styling in mind. “We believe that almost any item can be paired with traditional Japanese clothing,” says Hiramatsu. His top tip? Pair your kimono with a band-collar shirt and Middle English leather shoes by Aurora Shoe Co.
yandsons.com

2.
Maap
Australia

Melbourne-based cycling brand Maap is hitting the road and heading northeast to expand its presence in Australia with its largest retail outpost to date, the Maap Lab in inner-city Sydney suburb Darlinghurst. The shop’s sleek interiors are designed by Melbourne firm Clare Cousins Architects and feature swaths of stainless steel and terracotta that are offset by counters rendered in a vibrant blue reminiscent of the shade favoured by French artist Yves Klein.

Beyond providing a one-stop-shop for cycling apparel – including bibs, vests and helmets – Maap’s ambition is to provide a space for Sydney’s cyclists to drop in for a coffee and attend events organised by the brand, including weekly group rides. This latest addition to Sydney’s thriving shopping scene is an exemplar of the way in which the Antipodean city is leading the way when it comes to retail. Stylish in its execution and unique in its proposition, the Maap Lab goes well beyond selling wares to propose a communal space for like-minded individuals to enjoy.
maap.cc

3.
JW Anderson
UK

In 2025, Irish-born designer Jonathan Anderson took over as the creative director at Dior, overseeing the label’s men’s, women’s and haute-couture lines. Simultaneously, he reimagined his own brand, JW Anderson, with a slimmed-down logo, a refreshed website and a new concept prioritising craft objects, artisan collaborations and fashion that can no longer be tied to a specific season or show. “It’s about things that I would like to have around me – and everything has a story,” says Anderson, whose latest collections remix signature fashion items (chunky loafers, workwear trousers and double-breasted coats) with ceramics, fountain pens and made-to-order wooden chairs.

The brand’s new boutique in London’s Belgravia captures its renewed philosophy. The shop was designed by architects Sanchez Benton to highlight all things handmade, with wooden floors, velvet panels and warm colour palettes of greens and yellows. Here, you can shop the brand’s popular Loafer bags, alongside rare re-editions of Charles Rennie Mackintosh stools; and bronze Peach paperweights created with friend and film director Luca Guadagnino. Anderson’s aim? To help preserve traditional craft skills and encourage customers to think more like collectors than mere shoppers.
jwanderson.com

4.
Beams X New Balance
Japan & USA

US sports manufacturer New Balance, which turns 120 this year, has deep roots in Japan. The label appeared in the Japanese market in the mid-1980s, scoring a hit with the 1300 trainer, which is still a staple in many Tokyo smart-casual wardrobes. The love affair has continued since in many collaborations with Japanese labels.

Its latest partner is fashion and lifestyle behemoth Beams, which in turn has its own ties to US culture – its original Tokyo shop was called American Life Shop Beams and styled like a UCLA dorm room. The two companies have teamed up for a special Made in USA apparel collection. Focusing on two classic models – the 990 and 1300 – this collection is inspired by the original blues and greys of those heritage trainers to create a line-up of sweatshirts, zip-up hoodies, T-shirts and joggers made with heavyweight cotton fabrics.

The sweatshirts come in a garment-washed French terry and all silhouettes have been given a Beams tweak with looser fits than New Balance’s regular sports line. We have our eye on the colour-block hoodies, modelled by owner and president Yo Shitara (pictured above) in the collection’s campaign.
beams.co.jp

5.
House of Blanks
Canada

The casual-wear market might seem extremely saturated but try to find a well-priced, high-quality T-shirt on the high street and you will find yourself lost among a sea of polyester fabrics and unflattering fits. This is where Canada’s House of Blanks, founded by father-and-son duo Amit and Nat Thakkar, comes in. The company, which describes itself as a “factory brand” offers breathable, slub-cotton jersey T-shirts, crewneck fleece jumpers and tracksuit bottoms.

Everything is made in Canada at the Roopa Knitting Mills, launched by Amit over 30 years ago to specialise in knitting, dyeing and sewing cotton fabrics. Being vertically integrated allows the Thakkars to offer competitive prices and raise the bar on what a healthy supply chain looks like. For logo-free, well-made basics, House of Blanks is your new go-to.
houseofblanks.com

Icebug, the cleverly studded shoe brand keeping Swedes on the go

Every winter, more than 30,000 people in Sweden have accidents caused by slipping on ice, costing millions in lost work hours and hospital care. The fear of falling also means that many Swedes – particularly the elderly – stay indoors when the streets turn icy. That’s the problem entrepreneurs and co-CEOs David Ekelund and Tom Nilsson are looking to fix. Their solution? Steel-studded soles on shoes sold under the brand name Icebug.

“We wanted to make a shoe that keeps feet warm and dry – and keeps people on their feet,” says Ekelund. He and Nilsson are discussing the evolution of their company (which is part-owned by Taiwanese shoemaker Vanbestco) at Icebug’s HQ in Jonsered, just outside Gothenburg. The duo explain how they complement each other: Ekelund is full of ideas, while Nilsson has a knack for seeing which ones are worth running with.

They brought the first Icebug studded running shoe to market in 2001 and then developed the design into an increasingly versatile range of footwear across three distinct categories: the “Bugrip” studded sole for icy surfaces, the year-round RB9X rubber sole for wet conditions and the premium-grip Nordic Traction, the company’s fastest-growing style, based on the same technology that’s used in winter tyres.

Ekelund began the company with his mother, who was then working for a Taiwanese shoe firm in Europe. A journalism graduate and newspaper reporter, he wasn’t planning on joining the footwear business full-time. “I was thinking that if we were smart about it, we could launch a company that would make us lots of money and allow me to retire to write books,” he says. “I said to my mum, instead of making money for other companies, why don’t we do it ourselves?”

But Ekelund’s get-rich-quick approach soon evolved and he began focusing on developing an advanced and long-lasting product. “Everybody around us was reducing prices and producing as cheaply as possible,” he says. “That’s when I realised that I needed to launch my own brand to be able to make something that I could be proud of.”

The idea of a sole with steel studs started as a joke before the team realised, “Wait a minute, what if we could actually do that?” The company trademarked the stud technology, developed with a Canadian triathlete, and tried getting Icebug into Swedish shoe shops. But no retailer wanted “the weird shoe”. In an unlikely turn of events, Japanese shoe giant Asics helped to turn Icebug from an obscure brand into a respected international business when it presented its own studded shoe at a trade show in Norway not long after Icebug’s launch. Despite market interest, Asics never manufactured that prototype and Icebug was ready to seize the momentum. “We would have had to pack up the business had it produced that style,” says Nilsson. “For us, that became the ticket.”

Eight years later, Icebug broke even and – aside from a pandemic-related dip – the company has been growing steadily ever since. Today it employs 50 people across Europe and North America, works with three factories in Vietnam and sells across most major markets. Last year was the company’s best so far, with sales exceeding €30m. At home in Sweden, Icebug boots have become so ubiquitous that, during winter, it’s common to see signs outside churches and libraries that read, “No Icebugs inside, please.” Thanks to the brand’s success, most footwear shops now also have dedicated studded-shoe sections, helping to prevent Swedes from falling on the ice.

But there’s an issue: there is less ice on the streets. In recent years, there has been talk of “un-winters” in Sweden, with the southern parts of the country no longer seeing reliable snowfall. Swedes wistfully speak of bygone “wolf winters”, when the cold grew so severe and the snow so deep that even wolves were forced out of the forests in search of food closer to human habitation.

Ekelund and Nilsson are responding to Sweden’s un-winters by expanding into snowy North American markets and by becoming increasingly involved in climate action to help “bring winters back”. Shoe production does little to mitigate climate change, yet the duo aims for Icebug to be a brand that pushes for positive change. For instance, the company has installed solar panels at its factories in Vietnam and rolled out a blueprint for other manufacturers to do the same. Icebug is also a member of the 1% for the Planet initiative, donating 1 per cent of its sales to non-profit environmental organisations. “We choose the planet over short-term financial gains and, in the end, that’s also good for our brand,” adds Ekelund.

Back in Jonsered, the Icebug team continues to hone its core product, making it ever sturdier and more adaptable. Like its fantastical namesake, the brand’s latest styles grip even the trickiest terrain. That, says Ekelund, is what the company is all about: making a difference by raising the quality of outdoor life for everyone, whatever the season.

Raising the bar in Bangkok: How Sitthan ‘Turk’ Sa-Nguankun reshaped the city’s drinks scene

When US comedy The Hangover Part II hit cinemas in 2011, the Bangkok-set debauchery played into the Thai capital’s reputation as a cheap destination to get drunk in. What Hollywood missed, though, were the subtle changes that were happening in neighbourhoods across the city.

About the same time, craft cocktail pioneer Sitthan “Turk” Sa-Nguankun opened a small bar in Thong Lo called Sugar Ray, You’ve Just Been Poisoned (a name that he had lifted from a friend’s skateboarding T-shirt). The 20-seat space quickly became a hit with Bangkok’s international crowd. “No one else was serving proper drinks at that time,” says Sa-Nguankun. “If you ordered a Manhattan, the bartender would ask you what that was.”

That’s no longer the case – thanks, in no small part, to Sa-Nguankun, whose group, Sugar Ray, is behind more than a dozen bars and clubs in Bangkok. Thaipioka on the first floor of the Salil Hotel appears on most lists of the city’s top watering holes, while jazz bar Alone Together is a Monocle must. “Every time I open a new bar, I try to create something different,” says Sa-Nguankun.

His lifelong penchant for bars was ignited when his family started taking him to the Mandarin Oriental, where they would have a drink at the beloved Bamboo Bar, Bangkok’s first jazz venue, which opened in 1953. After studying music in Bangkok and mixology in New York, Sa-Nguankun ran the bar at storied Bangkok nightclub Demo.

He quit after a few years to open his own place that served serious drinks and later opened a nightclub, Rim, a popular destination among the in-the-know party crowd. “I have friends who fly in from Seoul, Manila, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore just for the nightlife here,” he says.

Sa-Nguankun’s latest opening, his first rooftop bar, shows that he’s aiming higher than ever. The Norm is on the 42nd floor of Dusit Central Park in Silom, Bangkok’s business district. The new mixed-used complex includes the flagship Dusit Thani hotel, branded residences, a shopping centre and an office tower.

The rooftop bar offers views of the meandering Chao Phraya river, the Royal Bangkok Sports Club and the Skytrain gliding over traffic jams. A restaurant such as Zuma or Nobu would have been a fitting tenant here but Sa-Nguankun convinced the landlords to opt for a local.

When Monocle arrives to meet him, he is deep in conversation with his team of DJs, huddled in the Whispering Room – a speakeasy that serves Japanese whisky and plays vinyl jazz. On big nights, there will be three decks spinning at once: one in the main lounge, a second by the outdoor spritz bar and a third inside the intimate, 60-capacity club that will open later this year.

Everything from the music to the dress code and the reasonable prices has been designed to make The Norm feel inviting. “We are in a super-expensive building but I don’t want this to feel exclusive,” he says. This cosy feel is reflected in the wood-panelled interior design by Thai architecture studio Ekar.

All of the indoor furniture, meanwhile, is by Fritz Hansen. A furniture collector, Sa-Nguankun describes his acquisition of a set of PK31 lounge chairs for The Norm as a dream come true. “A great bar is a place where people arrive in one mood and walk out feeling better,” he says. “We are not saving lives. Our job is to serve the soul.”
Dusit Central Park office, Rama IV Road, Si Lom, Bang Rak

Read next: The Monocle City Guide to Bangkok, featuring the very best hotels, restaurants and retail spots in the Thai capital

Middle Child, the Dubai restaurant that’s a world of its own

“I have always loved the idea of places where food, culture and community intersect,” says Dubai-based chef Lynn Hazim. She is telling Monocle about her first restaurant venture, Middle Child, in the city’s Alserkal Avenue compound. The convivial spot combines a warm dining space with a retail nook that offers a selection of hard-to-find pantry staples and hundreds of cookbooks.

“It’s the kind of place that I have always wished existed in Dubai,” says Hazim, who drew on her Lebanese roots and wide travels to shape Middle Child’s simple yet satisfying menu, which features labneh yuzu kosho dip and cured sea bass, alongside nostalgia-inducing desserts such as banoffee pie and cheesecake.

Hazim, herself a middle child, sees the space as a nod to her upbringing. “Middle children tend to build their own little worlds,” she says. For her, that instinct has translated into a love for hosting in a place where diners feel that they truly belong.
AlSerkal Avenue, WH 13A, Dubai

Introducing Auberge Port-Gitana, Lake Geneva’s newest bolthole

Auberge Port-Gitana in Geneva was originally constructed in 1875 as a steamboat pavilion for passengers embarking on cruises on Lac Léman. Though boarding is now mostly done from lakeside piers, the historic structure still stands. After several decades as a cultural venue, it recently reopened as an 18-bedroom bolthole, complete with a lakeside restaurant and terrace.

“We wanted to bring this legendary place back to life,” says Benjamin Luzuy, co-founder of Swiss hospitality group Gourmet Brothers, which renovated the property. The team ensured that every corner of the space respected its history, decking out the interiors with retro-modern decor that brings to mind the golden age of the Swiss Riviera. Think private balconies with striped awnings, powder-pink banquettes and marble tables. And the clear waters of Léman are just 20 metres away, with direct lake access.
portgitana.ch

At the Alpine hotel Le Sarto, the great outdoors are its best amenities

Founded by French brothers Thibaud Elzière and Robin Michel, Iconic House is a sharp collection of restored French villas and chalets. Its portfolio includes stays in Paris and lesser-known destinations such as Hossegor.

New to the family is Le Sarto, an Alpine chalet in Megève. Originally built in 1941 by art deco architect Henry Jacques Le Même, it has now been renovated by studio Claves. The seven-bedroom building is intended to feel like a home but with hotel frills: there’s an onsite chef, as well as a chalet manager who doubles as a concierge.

Steps from the slopes and within walking distance of Megève’s centre, it’s a well-positioned base for guests wanting to ski in winter, hike in the warmer months or try their hand at dog sledging and Alpine cheesemaking. Before arriving, they receive a beautiful guide highlighting the best places to eat, shop and explore in the town. With a gym, home cinema, outdoor and indoor pools, steam bath, sauna and Nordic bath, there’s plenty to keep guests engaged on the site too.
iconic.house

The Park Hyatt Tokyo is back – here’s what’s new after the 19-month renovation

There was an air of anticipation after Tokyo’s Park Hyatt hotel closed for a refresh in 2024. Now, after a 19-month hiatus, it’s finally back. When Monocle stops by ahead of the reopening, it quickly becomes clear that the goal was refinement, rather than radical change.

There are familiar faces among the long-standing staff awaiting visitors on the 41st floor, home to the reworked lounge and bar The Peak and Girandole, which is now in the hands of Frenchborn Monégasque chef Alain Ducasse.

The guest rooms have received a modern update in the form of custom furnishings and a more open layout. And while numbers have been reduced to 171 rooms, there are some new additions too.

The Park Suite category offers separate sleeping and living rooms, walk-in closets and sweeping views towards Meiji Shrine’s lush surrounds. They’re part of a new chapter for a landmark hotel that, despite the changing times, proves that the value of heritage never grows old.
hyatt.com

Read next: The Monocle City Guide to Tokyo, featuring the best hotels, restaurants and retail spots in the Japanese capital

How heritage Spanish wine region Priorat is breathing new life into old vines

In the 1970s a group of winemakers took an interest in a rugged, forgotten corner of Catalonia: the steeply terraced hills of Priorat. Once tended by Carthusian monks and long considered inhospitable, its slate soils, known as licorella, held the potential to produce powerful, earthy wines. Today, Priorat is one of just two Spanish wine regions with the coveted Denominación de Origen Calificada status, the country’s highest classification.

An hour from Tarragona, it has become a destination for visitors drawn by world-class wines, winding cycling routes and mountain scenery. “Priorat is now in a period of consolidation,” says Guillem Pastrana, whose parents, Carles Pastrana and Mariona Jarque, founded the Clos de l’Obac winery in 1987. “We need to take care of the people from all over the world who come to visit us.”

Hence the creation of the five-star Gran Hotel Mas d’en Bruno, a farmhouse amid Clos de l’Obac’s vineyards that was transformed by the Pastrana-Jarque family and Mallorca-based hotelier David Stein. “The enclave in which it is located is unique but it was also a big bet,” says its general manager, Jordi Compte, sitting on the terrace of Tarraco, one of the hotel’s two restaurants. “Catalonia has important inland regions, which help to make tourism less seasonal,” he says. “And wine plays an important role in this.”

Many of the hotel’s 24 suites have private terraces that open onto the vineyards. Barcelona-based Astet Studio was in charge of reviving the old masía and drawing on its heritage to design the rest of the resort. Inside, a blown-glass light display in the stairwell evokes a bundle of grapes and the theme continues in the spa (which offers wine therapy), located inside an olive-oil mill discovered during excavations.

From the boutique by the poolside terrace, a white spiral staircase leads to the cellar, which stocks a selection of the region’s wines and hosts tastings and masterclasses. With 116 wineries at its doorstep, Mas d’en Bruno is perfect for exploring Priorat’s robust, mineral reds.

The best place to start is the hotel’s restaurant, Vinum, in the hands of its chief sommelier, Madrid-born Susana Gámez Segovia. Its head chef, Josep Queralt, is from the area, and his cooking is best experienced as a tasting menu. “We have the responsibility to love this land,” says Queralt. “We want every diner to leave feeling imbued with the essence of Priorat, its produce and its customs.”
masdenbruno.com; obac.es

Leave the urban sprawl behind at Amaria, a boutique Algarve getaway

A stay at Amaria, a hotel three hours’ drive south of Lisbon, is soundtracked by crashing waves, with views that open onto a tapestry of pines and ancient olive trees. The untamed character of the Costa Vicentina Natural Park was what drew Nuno Oliveira, the founder of Amaria, to this place. “There’s a strong connection here to the sea and to the underlying wilderness,” he says.

Oliveira had been visiting this patch of the Algarve, between the villages of Odeceixe and Aljezur, since he was 18 years old. He initially came for fishing trips but it wasn’t until 2016 that he imagined putting down roots here.

With his mother, Maria – from whom the hotel takes its name, which also nods to the Portuguese verb amar (to love) – he bought two neighbouring plots in the natural park and made a secondary base for himself in one of the ruins that stood on the property. In 2021 he quit his engineering job in Lisbon in search of a slower pace of life and Amaria started to take shape.

The hotel’s design is faithful to the region’s whitewashed vernacular, though there are modern flourishes. Wide glass doors are positioned to catch the light at every turn. The interiors, meanwhile, are less decorated, more assembled: iron chairs found in an atelier in France, an antique cabinet passed down through generations and unique glassware sourced in Morocco.

While Oliveira had always been drawn to architecture, working on Amaria uncovered an affinity his for landscape design. Beyond the grounds, the vegetation grows denser. “We planted more than 1,500 trees, studying the native species with care for the regeneration of the soil,” he says.

His British wife, former stylist Phoebe Arnold, applied her skills to the project. A self-taught cook, she now oversees the unpretentious food served at the hotel. Breakfast is a spread of homemade granola, Portuguese cheeses and red berries from a neighbouring grower, while lunch and dinner, available on request, are shaped by her daily trips to the market in Aljezur, complemented by supplies from the hotel’s vegetable and herb garden and fruit groves. Nothing here resembles fine dining. Instead, Arnold moves through the open kitchen in the living room, serving guests as though hosting friends at home.

Beyond the hotel, it’s worth exploring Aljezur and Odeceixe, where traditional Portuguese spots serving fresh Atlantic seafood sit alongside contemporary cafés. Prefer to stay put? Try Amaria’s saltwater pool in the summer and cylindrical wood-fired sauna in the winter. Perched above the valley, the view from the latter opens onto the surf breaking below.
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