Connect with:

Standard Blog Whole Post

Sportswear firm Reebok has announced a collaboration with Savile Row tailors Huntsman that brings together the worlds of sport, fitness, fashion and innovation. The two iconic brands are working together on a one-of-a-kind project, Reebok x Huntsman, to create a prototype suit using Reebok’s exclusive new Flexweave material, a versatile new textile that can be produced using an unlimited array of fabrics.

The Huntsman prototype suit will extenuate the versatile potential of Reebok Flexweave, testing the material’s innovative figure-8 weave structure that can interlock different individual fibres. Led by Huntsman Head Cutter and Creative Director Campbell Carey, Huntsman will take the first generation of Flexweave material designed for footwear and curate the textile into a premium suit.

“This is a unique, creative and exciting proposition from Reebok. After closely examining Flexweave, we were both surprised and inspired by the challenge of using this non-traditional material to create a bespoke garment. The perfect suit is a fusion between fit, comfort and style – working with Flexweave to hit each of these essentials is an experiment we’ll relish,” said Campbell.

Huntsman will create the suit to the measurements of American football star and Reebok Running ambassador, Brandin Cooks. Cooks has worked closely with Reebok on the development of upcoming Flexweave footwear offerings and will now take centre stage in, testing the new textile’s potential in a creative and unexpected way. “Whether I’m walking into the stadium or relaxing on my off days, I love the confidence that good style brings.  Reebok Flexweave provides a performance fit and look unlike any other so I’m excited to see how the material translates into a custom suit. There are endless opportunities for what we can do with it,” said Brandin.

Reebok x Huntsman will conclude next  February with Huntsman delivering the suit to Cooks following months of experimentation and testing in its Saville Row workshop. For now, Huntsman has released some prospective sketches on the style and cut of the prototype garment.

“Flexweave is one of the most advanced steps in footwear upper construction. We are committed to bringing innovative technology to the running category to re-assert ourselves as a leader. We are thrilled to be partnering with Huntsman and push the limits of fit and function to develop a men’s suit using this innovative weave. Our goal is this level of tailoring in all our footwear,” said James Woolard, Brand Director, Reebok Running.

Flexweave is the latest innovation from the Reebok Innovation Collective, dedicated to creating new technologies, ideas, techniques and prototypes. For more information on the Reebok Innovation Collective please visit http://www.reebok.co.uk/en-GB/innovation_collective/

Huntsman & Sons

Sportswear firm Reebok has announced a collaboration

Hotel Madero, Buenos Aires

Live, love and enjoy Buenos Aires with style. Located in the exclusive neighbourhood of Puerto Madero, Hotel Madero invites you to experience a new concept at the hotel industry. With art and design everywhere, the hotel has 197 spacious rooms with private balcony, a restaurant with an acclaimed and creative menu, the White Bar with a spectacular terrace and selected drinks. On the top floor is the Madero Spa with the most beautiful views of the city and river.

http://www.hotelmadero.com/

Beau-Rivage, Geneva

Elegant and authentic, Beau-Rivage is an exceptional house, with its incredible view on the iconic Jet d’Eau, the lake, the Mont-Blanc, the snowy summits and the city. Through its history, contribute to extend the list of extraordinary personalities who have stayed at Beau-Rivage. With its humanity and attention to detail, together we will make your stay unique.

http://www.beau-rivage.ch/en/

 

Hotel Madero, Buenos Aires Live, love and enjoy

Daniel Evans travels to Scotland to discover the story behind Loch Lomond Distillery’s oldest and, at £12,000 a bottle, most expensive single malt whisky

As a year, 1967 has quite a lot to shout about. It saw the release of Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, probably the most famous Beatles album, Sir Francis Chichester arrived in Plymouth after completing his single-handed voyage around the world and both Paul Gascoigne and Pamela Anderson were born.

It was also the year when something rather special was put in motion at the Loch Lomond Distillery just outside Glasgow. No doubt it was just an ordinary November day – the crucial date is November 19 – when someone filled a barrel with whisky. To be honest, as far as the whisky is concerned, nothing much has happened in the intervening years – other than, in 1998, the contents were transferred from an American oak hogshead barrel to  European oak hogshead one – as it matured to become what Michael Henry, the company’s master blender, describes today as “magnificent”. And it should be as buying a bottle will set you back £12,000.

The sense of anticipation in the air at the company’s headquarters is palpable as they prepare for the main event – the unveiling of the Loch Lomond 50 Year Old. CEO Colin Matthews explains: “For 50 years the Loch Lomond Distillery has been one of Scotland’s best kept secrets. With the launch of the 50 Year Old single malt, we are putting Loch Lomond firmly on the Scotch whisky map and we are proud to become one of a very select few distilleries in the world which have released a 50 year old whisky.”

Production director John Peterson is in no doubt. “The distinctive nature of the Loch Lomond 50 Year Old is testament to the innovative distillation techniques,” he says. “Our straight neck pot stills were unique in 1966 when they were first installed, and they are still unique to this day, providing us with greater control over the quality and flavour profile of the spirit.”

Master blender Michael Henry, pictured above, adds: “The expectations are high when you are working with a whisky as special and scarce as this and it came with great responsibility, but selecting and perfecting this single malt was a true honour.  Our stills are synonymous with the fruity notes they give to the whisky. The Loch Lomond 50 Year Old has been granted the time to truly concentrate that character, resulting in a rich, tropical fruit flavour.”

Each hand-blown crystal decanter encasing the Loch Lomond 50 Year Old is presented in a bespoke chest – The Tempest Chest – created by husband and wife team of Callum Robinson and Marisa Giannasi at Method Studio in Scotland.  “There are few distilleries named after a body of water as opposed to a place, and we drew great inspiration from Scotland’s most romantic, dramatic and historic loch,” explains Callum. “The Loch Lomond 50 Year Old is borne out of a truly mystical place of wood, fire, water and metal and our aim was to harness this energetic, elemental group of ingredients to create something unique, and worthy of its heritage. Each chest is designed to capture, in a three dimensional object, the mood and movement of moonlight dancing on tempestuous water. This is mirrored in the language of the hand-blown decanter and its beautifully faceted hand-cut base, perfectly binding the two together. It was a privilege to create a vessel to house something so precious.”

The Loch Lomond 50 Year Old limited edition of 60 bottles will be available to buy in the UK from December. Each bottle will cost £12,000 and can be ordered by contacting fifty@lochlomondgroup.com

Daniel Evans travels to Scotland to discover

 

Imperial Heritage Caviar

Copyright: Bart D’hooge and Nullam Microwaveum

A touch of passion and tradition

Enjoy one of the most praised sturgeon caviars and treat yourself and friends to this unique caviar experience. The Caviar House “Imperial Heritage“, founded and owned by the Colman family Mr Koenraad Peter Colman, his wife Mrs Kristel Berghmans and their daughter Miss Elisabeth Colman, guarantee you the finest selection of the most praised sturgeon species: caviars offering a luxuriously refined flavour, respecting nature’s balance. This house stands for tradition and origin, holding on to the classic environment for the sturgeon and the old-school way of preparing and selecting the world’s best caviars.

OUR PRINCIPLES:

Pure source water and a base of rock, pebbles and sand in open nature are the only and essential environment for our sturgeons. PURE ORIGINAL TASTE.

Our Great Caviar Masters from Russia and Iran are treating and salting our caviar according to the old traditional recipes (Malossol).

The supervision and final selection of these fine caviars is guaranteed by the Colman family. From father to daughter, all inspired by one Passion: “the finest Caviar of the World”.

The caviars from our house carry a very important label of recognition: the “Friend of the Sea” label, exclusively donated to sustainable and nature friendly products.

www.imperialheritage.com 

UK sales manager: Berenice Scheepers. +44 (0)745 086 2077; berenice.scheepers@imperialheritage.com

Head Office: Ringlaan 34, 2400 Mol, Belgium; +32 (0)496 501 502; sales@imperialheritage.com

  Imperial Heritage Caviar [caption id="attachment_4145" align="alignnone" width="300"] Copyright:

By Adam Jacot de Boinod

“The hills are as alive” as ever. The residual summer snow on the crest of the mountains made it easy for me to envisage the winter season. To guarantee a White Christmas, though, snow has to be manufactured at times to satisfy the skiers. After a vigorous day out, be it hiking or skiing, there’s no better sensation than indulging in the luxury of a Swiss chalet. Yes there are fondues and jacuzzis but it was the exceptional service that made me feel truly spoilt and utterly pampered.

I was to stay at Chalet Les Anges, courtesy of Sylvia Delvaille Jones of Villas and Apartments Abroad (www.vaanyc.com). Both a traditional chalet and a highly luxuriant one. Built in 2009, it’s a very classy residence on three floors with nine bedrooms. It’s open plan and spacious with a grand piano in the corner and it has an indoor-outdoor feel. I pulled back the curtains to see the Matterhorn towering over the town and, below in the valley, all the clustered charm of the Alpine chalets.

Somewhere from out of the kitchen comes the magic. First in printed form with typed out menus. Then in different table layouts. And, finally, with the food itself. Greg, the Michelin 3 Star trained chef, on the first night presented seared scallops with roasted butternut squash, pan-fried sea bass with fennel purée, quinoa, chargrilled asparagus and white wine cream sauce followed by rhubarb semifreddo with pistachio cream. Scrumptious.

For all you gourmets, read on for the next night I was to enjoy spring pea and truffle soup, homemade beetroot gravadlax with smoked salmon and chives crème fraiche, lightly poached fillet of cod with potato croquettes and butter cream sauce, followed by vanilla panna cotta with caramelised pineapple and then a strawberry cappuccino.

“Back at the ranch” and nearby is Chalet Grace. From outside it appears to be a traditional chalet but, from within, it has a personal stamp with homely artifacts from around the world and big windows looking out at the Matterhorn and a front garden with shrubs and wood chips. There’s also Chalet Maurice by Magali de Tscharner the same interior designer as Chalet Les Anges. It’s perfect for celebrities as it offers total discretion with its own funicular entrance and real proximity to the heliport. All very James Bond.

At Nendaz I stayed at the Chalet Etoile. It’s part of the Hideaways Club (www.thehideawaysclub.com), membership to which allows access to a portfolio of properties all over the world. It’s perfect for someone who doesn’t want to be restricted to one location or have the hassle of maintenance. As former tennis player Tim Henman says: “With the club I have a wide variety of beautiful properties in stunning locations that I can use all year round, plus the potential growth of my investment.”

For a true dining out treat I highly recommend the passionate creations of chef Loris Lathion and sommelier Romain Arnaud at Le Mont-Rouge (https://mont-rouge.ch/fr). They offered the delicious amuse bouche of buratta cheese and poached white peaches with fresh mint and olive oil. For my main course I had Irish bio salmon and Sérac rillettes and chilled gin-tomato soup. And I followed it with Mara des Bois strawberries, grappa scented sabayon and dark chocolate ice cream. Romain was characterful and knowledgeable and went out of his way to introduce me to his beautiful wines. I drank the rather modernist labels of Lisss and MT. For more honest fayre I recommend Restaurant Les Etagnes (www.lesetagnes.com/en).

My final resting spot was at Interlaken’s foremost hotel the Victoria Jungfrau Grand Hotel and Spa (www.victoria-jungfrau.ch/en) which has a wide range of international guests who keep coming back. It’s situated on Höheweg, the main street catering for tourists, and opposite the hotel there’s an open expanse used for parades and festivals and a landing spot for paragliders. I just missed the “Strong Man” contest but luckily managed to tune in to the renditions of the eight-foot long Alpenhorns blown by locals in traditional dress who released a long deep boom that connected the Alps in a sublime way for me with the stunning musicality of Beethoven, Mahler and Wagner. And all beneath the impressive snow-clad Jungfrau mountain itself.

And the hotel’s state-of-the-art Nescens Spa is the perfect way to finish a day up on the mountains. There’s a beautiful outdoor swimming pool and adjacent plunge pools. All my needs were met in comfort and luxury as I had almond and jojoba oil kneaded into me by my highly professional masseur.

For dining Quaranta Uno had an excellent and comprehensive Italian menu while La Terrasse has a confidently small menu and was truly one of the best dinners I have experienced. I was all set for complete elegant dining in this grand room decorated with a marble floor, palm trees and chandeliers. ‘Küchenchef’ Stefan Beer presented a summer shake salad and separately MSC Eden prawns, olives and sundried tomatoes. To follow was a delicious regional beef tenderloin to go with a lovely Neuchatel Vernissage Grillette Domaine de Cressier red wine. And then came “Victoria’s dark secret” of strawberries and chocolate and a selection of cheese from Jumi de Berne. I am going to name them because they were that good. The soft cheeses were the schlossberger alt, la bouse and abe rot with the harder ones being sommerhimu and bock block senior. The perfect dinner consisting of small servings of light food and yet all thoroughly thought through. Utter magic!

Adam Jacot de Boinod worked on the first series of the BBC panel game QI for Stephen Fry. He is a British author and has written three books about unusual words with Penguin Press

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW …

Classic Collection Holidays (0800 047 1064; https://www.classic-collection.co.uk ) offers three nights at Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa from £1049 per person. Prices based on two adults sharing a superior double room on a bed & breakfast basis and includes return flights from London Gatwick to Zurich and first class rail transfers.

Seven nights at Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa from £2416 per person. Prices based on two adults sharing a superior double room on a bed & breakfast basis and includes return flights from London Gatwick to Zurich and first class rail transfers

By Adam Jacot de Boinod “The hills are