Tuesday, 22 September 2026

Car & Tech The Eight Dream Machines to Know: The Best cars of 2026... so far!


From a three-row Audi flagship to a hand-built Pagani built to mark its founder’s 70th birthday, here are the automotive launches worth your COE this season.

Singapore’s car market runs on a peculiar arithmetic. A Certificate of Entitlement can cost more than the car you’re actually buying, which means every purchase is, by definition, a considered one. It also means that when a marque unveils something genuinely new, that release will demand closer attention.

This season has delivered an unusually rich crop of debutantes: flagship SUVs from Germany, a Bushido-inspired one-off from Italy via Japan, a divisive electric Ferrari that sold out despite (or perhaps because of) the internet’s disapproval, and a Pagani built to celebrate its founder’s 70th year on earth. Here, a guide to what has caught our attention.

Read the full feature here at GQ Singapore

By P. Ramakrishnan
7 September 2026

Monday, 21 September 2026

GQ Singapore: The Drinks That Are Defining 2026

So many reasons to celebrate – with these exceptional drops. 

 By P. Ramakrishnan 15 September 2026

Every August brings a fresh wave of “best of summer” press releases, most of which say the same thing in different fonts. But look past the marketing calendar and 2026 has quietly produced one of the more interesting runs of drinks news in years: a whisky maker willing to abandon her house style, a 208 year old Champagne maison finally admitting it had been hoarding a secret recipe, and a handful of grower Champagnes that Singapore’s more serious cellars have started rationing. Here is what belongs on your radar, and on your bar cart, before the year is out.

Read the full feature and list here at GQ Singapore

Saturday, 19 September 2026

A Mechanical Jewel: Blancpain Ladybird Tribute to Betty Fiechter

Seventy years after Betty Fiechter built the world’s smallest round movement, Blancpain has reworked her Ladybird idea into a spherical mechanical jewel called Blancpain Lady B.

There is a version of watchmaking history that gets told and retold: complications, chronometers, the men who ran the great houses. Betty Fiechter rarely features in it, despite having done more than most to keep one of them afloat. In 1932, Frédéric Émile Blancpain died suddenly, ending two centuries of family leadership at the Villeret manufacture. With no heir willing to take over, Fiechter and commercial director André Léal borrowed heavily to buy the company. Swiss law at the time would not let a firm trade under the Blancpain name without a family member at its head, so the business became Rayville, a phonetic anagram of Villeret. Léal died just before the Second World War, leaving Fiechter alone at the helm of more than 200 employees, at a time when Swiss women could not yet vote.

Read the full feature here at PrestigeOnline.

Friday, 11 September 2026

A Racing Frame, Reimagined on the Wrist

Richard Mille and Colnago unite Swiss horological precision with Italian cycling craftsmanship in a 50-piece tourbillon that turns the architecture of a racing bicycle into wearable engineering.

Richard Mille has long treated the watch case as an engineering problem rather than an ornament, and its latest collaboration with Colnago proves the point with characteristic flair. The RM 64-01 Tourbillon Colnago, limited to just 50 pieces, brings together Swiss watchmaking precision and the storied Italian cycling heritage of Colnago, the Cambiago based frame builder whose bicycles have carried champions across the world’s greatest races for decades.

Rather than a simple exercise in branding, the timepiece reinterprets the very geometry of a racing bicycle. The RM64-01 calibre, comprising 274 components, is built around three governing principles: lightness, transparency and volume. Its skeletonised architecture, rendered in microblasted grade 5 titanium, exposes the movement entirely, allowing the eye to trace lines that recall a tubular bicycle frame rather than a conventional dial. The fast-rotating barrel at one o’clock sits in deliberate symmetry with the variable-inertia tourbillon at seven, a configuration that echoes a bicycle’s drivetrain with unmistakable clarity.

Read the full feature here at PrestigeOnline.


Thursday, 10 September 2026

TBT: Throwback Thursday: Working with and at Lan Kwai Fong in Hong Kong

 

Over the past 20+ years, I've done so many random jobs, including this one for Lankwaifong.com

As expected, they were a fun team to work with.


Wednesday, 9 September 2026

Black, white and read all over.

Have had a few features in South China Morning Post recently. Where I started... all those years ago...

Archived here at SCMP. com

Tuesday, 8 September 2026

Body of Work: Model and Artist Afa Lee “Afa Annfa” on Her Art, Solitude and Yayoi Kusama





Gorgeous Afa Laa, artist based in Hong Kong. 

Have featured her a few times in print and online. Profile of her published in Prestige 40 under 40 here and her interview here




 

Monday, 7 September 2026

Tommy Hilfiger hits India

GQ India


Believe it or faint, Tommy Hilfiger has a deep connection to India. In fact, his first collection in 1985 was created with the financial backing of Indian-American entrepreneur Mohan Murjani. Today, the brand is hugely popular in India, operating over 100 standalone stores and hundreds of shop-in-shops across major cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Kolkata. It is positioned as an aspirational, premium lifestyle label catering to urban youth and professionals.

Born on March 24, 1951, designer Tommy Hilfiger is 75 years old. He began his career in fashion in 1969 by opening a local boutique called People’s Place, meaning he has been in business for over 55 years. The brand itself launched in 1985 and quickly became a multi-billion-dollar empire.

Hilfiger redefined pop culture in the 1990s by embracing street culture and hip-hop. He famously dressed hip-hop icons like Grand Puba, Snoop Dogg, Aaliyah, and Tupac, oversized silhouettes featuring his bold red, white, and blue flag logo into the ultimate status symbol. Across Asia, his "classic American cool" preppy aesthetic established a massive footprint, blending Western luxury with accessible sportswear.

The brand was prominently featured in late 1990s and early 2000s Bollywood cinema as directors adopted global streetwear to define "cool" youth culture. There are too many Indian celebrities and Bollywood stars (esp among the young) who embraced the signature colours of Hilfiger. Of the many, three films stand out that prominently featured the brand; 

  • Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998): Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol wore bright Tommy Hilfiger hoodies and tees to portray trendy college students.

  • Dil Chahta Hai (2001): Aamir Khan and Saif Ali Khan sported Tommy Hilfiger polo shirts to reflect urban, modern Indian youth fashion.

  • Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001): Hrithik Roshan frequently wore the brand's athleisure to showcase his character's high-end, Westernized style.


Note, all A-listers, and none who were sponsored to wear the logo emblazed wardrobe! 

While others embrace minimalism and muted shades and quiet luxury, the brand's zestful, preppy, vividly colourful aesthetic fit into Bollywood like a hand in velvet glove. 

The brand needs to embrace Bollywood as hard as Bollywood's hugged Hilfiger! 

In Full Bloom: Asian Jewellery designers: 7 incredible Asian Artisans to follow


Feature from the archive; jewellery designer in full bloom, my interview with designer Diana Zhang for Prestige magazine. She showcased a museum piece  in Hong Kong - a travelling exhibit featuring this incredible brooch for collectors of high art and high jewellery. 

Designer Diana Zhang, joins my gilded roster of jewellery designers from Asia who are making a mark on the international stage. I dare not list any in order of preference or artistic merit - they're all fab. Some perhaps more fabulous than others!  ;0)

In alphabetical order, jewellery designers from Asia who do the most incredible artisanship; 


Sunday, 6 September 2026

Expedition Whisky: A 33-Year-old Macallan

 

New independent bottler, Expedition Whisky, has launched its inaugural expression, a 33-year-old Macallan, marking the beginning of its journey and an invitation to discover spirits and single malts from across Scotland and beyond. The release marks the first chapter for co-founder Dave Dooley, whose story spans continents and cultures. From childhood memories in Nigeria, where a bottle of whisky marked family gatherings, to establishing Expedition Whisky alongside his father—Dave’s path to whisky is rooted in exploration. For more information, visit expeditionwhisky.com. 

Saturday, 5 September 2026

Pitch Perfect: Priyanka Chopra

 


It was an ordinary editorial meeting at Prestige magazine’s desk when the PR email landed. A pitch for a cover story: Priyanka Chopra, the Bollywood star, freshly announced as the face of Guess’s Holiday 2013 campaign. Photographed by none other than Bryan Adams - you remember, the Canadian singer who sang mushy songs in the 90s, a soundtrack of several rom coms. A new side hustle in photography?! Ok then...  

Chopra, the first Indian, first South Asian, Guess Girl. The discussion that followed was long and, in hindsight, revealing. I put my two cents in. Indian actresses, much like many Chinese stars before them, had tried to break into Hollywood. Very few had ever reached anything close to Julia Roberts territory. 

The erudite thespian Shabana Azmi hadn’t. Even the staggeringly beautiful Aishwarya Rai - Miss World, no less - hadn’t quite cracked that particular code. So why would a dusky-skinned, husky-voiced, multi-syllabic name like Priyanka Chopra make any real ripples?

The room largely agreed. The campaign looked glamorous, of course. Shot in a Mediterranean-style villa in Pasadena around August/September 2013, the black-and-white images carried that classic Guess sensuality. She looked like a young Sophia Loren a friend said - high praise indeed. The ads would land in the December issues of Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, Marie Claire and the rest. Still, we wondered whether it would be more than a fleeting fashion moment.

Every succeeding year since 2013, Ms Chopra, now Mrs Chopra-Jonas, has systematically proved us wrong. 

There were the inevitable missteps: a few large-scale, heavily hyped films that underwhelmed (Baywatch among them). Yet she kept showing up - in primetime American television, in The Matrix sequels, on the major talk-show circuit. Where some of her contemporaries appeared slightly guarded or formal, Chopra was consistently elegant, spoke exceedingly well and was genuinely amusing. She possessed that elusive star je ne sais quoi: personable, charming, and completely at ease in rooms that had rarely made space for women who looked or sounded like her.

Looking back, the Guess campaign was never just a fashion job. It was an early, confident declaration that she intended to operate on a global stage - and that she would do so on her own terms. 

We dismissed the pitch back then. She made sure we never forgot it.

BTW, I spent the day with Priyanka Chopra in 2009 for Post magazine feature when she was a newcomer. 

Brief Encounter: Reclaiming Strength: How Avey Cortes Rebuilt His Life and Launched a Fitness Movement in Hong Kong

Avey Cortes has built his life and career around movement that feels good. Born and raised here, he returned for good around 2010 after studying and working abroad. Before wellness he worked in TV promos, marketing and hospitality events - long days, late nights, then the gym at 5am on little sleep.

His serious fitness path began after a Bali wellness retreat he reviewed for a local media outlet. “It showed me fitness wasn’t about being picked or proving anything; it was about balance, rest, connection, actually looking after myself,” he says. As a child he loved to move but was bullied and left off teams, so he leaned into running and later the gym on his own terms. The retreat changed everything. By 2015 he left corporate life for good.

He became one of the original FAMILY FORM trainers, spent five years as a lululemon ambassador and led classes across Australia, Indonesia, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Guatemala and the Philippines. Everything he learned now shapes and sculpt, the studio he founded.

What works best for him is consistency, variety and enjoyment. “The moment training feels like punishment, you quit - so I’ve always chased the version that feels good.” He favours sculpt: low-impact, mat-based work with hand and ankle weights that builds strength without wrecking the body. Hot sculpt classes in infrared heat force presence. He plans weeks that include intensity, recovery and breathwork, and values community energy.

Overtraining while exhausted and chasing looks only brought burnout and injuries. “Recovery isn’t the reward for training, it’s part of it.” Nutrition stays flexible: roughly 80 per cent whole foods, 20 per cent real life, no tracking or guilt.

His advice is simple: “Put the fun and the connection back in movement… Find something you actually enjoy, start exactly where you are, and let consistency do the work instead of intensity.” His ethos; move, sweat, discover.
In 2026, all seem to be digitally linked and yet remain disconnected. A space where everyone belongs - this is why and sculpt exists:

"For more information, visit AND SCULPT in residency at Upper House — www.andsculpt.com"

Words: P.Ramakrishnan
Images: Ivan Lui


Avey Cortes 的人生與事業,皆圍繞著「讓人感覺良好」的運動而建立。他在香港土生土長,在外國求學和工作後,於 2010 年左右決定回流定居。在投身身心健康(wellness)領域前,他曾從事電視宣傳、市場推廣及酒店活動籌辦等工作——那些日子總是早出晚歸,即使睡眠不足,清晨五點依然堅持前往健身房。

他的深度健身之路,源於一次為本地媒體採訪的峇里身心健康靜修營。「那次體驗讓我明白,健身不是為了被挑選,亦非要向誰證明什麼;它的核心在於平衡、休息、連結,以及真正善待自己。」他分享道。小時候的他熱愛運動,卻曾遭遇霸凌,甚至被排擠在球隊之外,因此他轉向跑步,隨後開始按自己的節奏自主健身。而峇里之行改變了一切,到了 2015 年,他正式告別職場大企業的生活。

他成為 FAMILY FORM 的創始教練之一,並擔任了五年 lululemon 品牌大使,教學足跡遍及澳洲、印尼、南韓、新加坡、泰國、危地馬拉及菲律賓。過往累積的一切經驗,如今都注入了他一手創立的健身工作室 and sculpt。

對他而言,最有效的方法莫過於持之以恆、多樣化以及享受過程。「當訓練變得像懲罰時,你就會放棄——所以我一直追求能讓自己感覺良好的運動方式。」他偏愛雕塑(sculpt)訓練:一種低衝擊、基於瑜伽墊進行的運動,搭配手腕及腳踝負重,能在不損害身體的前提下建立力量。紅外線高溫雕塑課堂更能讓人專注於當下。他會在每週計劃中平衡高強度訓練、修復及呼吸練習,並非常看重社群帶來的能量。

在疲憊不堪時過度訓練,或是盲目追求外在身材,只會帶來倦怠與傷患。「修復並不是訓練後的獎勵,而是訓練不可或缺的一部分。」在飲食方面,他保持靈活彈性:大約八成選擇原型食物,兩成回歸現實生活,不記錄卡路里,亦無需有罪惡感。

他的建議相當直接:「把樂趣與連結重新帶回運動中…… 找尋你真正喜愛的事物,從此時此刻的狀態開始,讓持之以恆發揮作用,而非一味追求高強度。」他的理念是:動起來、流汗、去探索。 來到 2026 年,科技讓萬物在數位網絡中緊密相連,人與人之間卻依然疏離。一個讓每個人都能找到歸屬感的空間——這正是 and sculpt 存在的理由:

「欲了解更多資訊,請造訪位於奕居(The Upper House)驻场的 AND SCULPT — www.andsculpt.com

撰文:P.Ramakrishnan

攝影:Ivan Lui

Friday, 4 September 2026

Remembering Rishi Kapoor : Birth Anniversary of an underrated and brilliant actor

Born on Sep 4, 1952, remembering the legend Rishi Kapoor today.

Famous from birth, the son of Indian icon Raj Kapoor was a fine actor - on occasion, even a great one. 

Was a thrill to interview him for the paper - you can see the entire feature at South China Morning Post here.

Shout out to Vincent who came in quickly to shoot this legend of Indian cinema. 



 

Interview with CEO of Martel


 A fun chat with Martel CEO on top of the Ritz... 



Thursday, 3 September 2026

Menswear shoot with James Wong: TBT to 2021




 

Outtakes from a shoot with actor/model/personal trainer in Hong Kong, James Wong. Shot by French photographer Sami Alliott.

Wednesday, 2 September 2026

With Coco and Nigel Luk Regional Managing Director, Cartier North Asia


 


One of my favourite interviews during my tenure at Robb Report Hong Kong (which has closed shop due to... too many reasons to list), was with Nigel Luk, the Regional Managing Director, Cartier North Asia. The on-camera chat was informative, to-the-point, and filled with anecdotes that made for good YouTube chat. The off-the-record conversation, when we were shooting B-roll, un-mic'd, was hugely entertaining. My team and I were having a stressful time at work, one of many bad weeks at publishing, and while bemoaning the existential crisis of media, Nigel not only lent us a sympathetic ear, added to the conversation with the spiciest and saltiest of recalls from his rich professional chapters... none of which can be repeated! 

I really hope to have a sit-down chat with him AFTER he leaves office, an uncensored look at Luk. 

Till then... 

Tuesday, 1 September 2026

Talk is Cheap: But I'm not... Well...








Was guest speaker at a talk earlier this year. 

Theme: Experiential Luxury. 

The new experiential luxury; emotion over transaction, through the lens of design, elevated surroundings, curated ambiance and sensory experiences. Luxury here is about feeling, memory and meaning. 

Unpacking what truly attracts, what creates desire with depth and how craft, technology and story telling shape experiences that resonate without chasing trends. 

Event hosted by Marc-David and Marie Helene Prevot.