Not surprising since it’s a Bugatti. Which then begs the question: how do they do it? Just exactly how does Bugatti continue to produce autos that are frankly sexy and forever in demand, 115 years after? According to Frank Heyl, director of design at Bugatti, the luxury auto brand’s success is largely due to a set of rules the design team follows during the conception process.

Now, it does not appear that this is cast in stone (each model would have its unique variation) but below are the questions the team tried to answer as they designed the $4million+ Tourbillon, and they offer a rare insight into how truly extraordinary this hypercar is.

Form follows performance

Per Heyl, the design of the Bugatti Tourbillon is not rooted in aesthetics but rather in what the vehicle should do, which is to be smooth enough to drive at high speeds but still retain that unique quality that makes it such a joy to behold and a dream to experience.

“Bugatti is the interplay between elegance and speed … So you could say that [the Tourbillon] is shaped by speed … and the understanding of [this went] into the base architecture of the car.”

Timelessness >>> Trends

If there is anything luxury businesses know very well, it is this: trends make a brand popular, but timeless designs and products keep it relevant long after the hype has disappeared.

In creating the overall design for the Tourbillon, but especially in crafting its interior, the design team at Bugatti were faced with two paths: integrate current trends in auto design like driverless technology, large screens that double as the vehicles’ control centre, and a digital everything interior. Or, go with a style that may not incorporate all the latest trends but would still be useful in years to come.

Bugatti chose the latter.

“Our number one topic that has a big influence on all our thinking is timelessness. We need to make [our autos] relevant because they are around for such a long time. What dates a car is the technology of the time it was created in. For a car to be timeless, one cannot run after current trends. We go after preciousness. As a brand, we are about luxury. What is luxury? It is preciousness, it is rarity. It doesn’t even have to be about anything material. We think a lot about who we make all these things for and how it will be used and cherished over the decades and possibly passed on from generation to generation. So essentially, the collectible value.”

Experience drives purchase. Make it count

Ever wondered why people spend a lot of money on certain luxury goods that seemingly make no sense?

Per Heyl, how a product or service makes you feel is directly proportional to how much you’re willing to spend on it. How good your overall experience using a product is will determine if you’re willing to part with a substantial amount of cash to relive that experience over and over again.

“The experience that we create – how you feel when you sit in the driver’s seat; the haptics, the feeling when you touch the aluminium switch gear, how weighted the buttons are; when you turn a knob how oily is it? When you knock on the crystal glass, is it cool touch? The smell of the leather, the vibration, the noise of the engine. The experience to drive a Bugatti, to own a Bugatti, to live with a Bugatti is incomparable … It is this emotional aspect of things that spans our thinking throughout the design process. Our job is to create something that somebody looks at, and their heart is telling their mind that it is worth it to spend a couple of millions on that.”

In the end, it is all about the basics

By sticking to the basics for its foundation, the Bugatti Tourbillon has managed to be anything but basic, showing that the best designs, be they complicated or simple, always start with the bare fundamentals.

“What we do in the design department is not styling. What I regard as design is that you go right into the basic underpinnings … of architecture and you plan every step in the exact right way to get the proportions right, to get the stylistic appearance of the car work together with its technical necessities and the aerodynamic functionalities.”

So, if you ever wonder why you cannot get your eyes off the Bugatti Tourbillon or any other Bugatti marque, just remember that this 5-step formula is the reason behind your very temporary paralysis and the DNA of every Bugatti, be it the Bolide, the Chiron and now, the Tourbillon

The post The Key Principles Behind the Bugatti Tourbillon’s Design, According to Its Director of Design first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post The Key Principles Behind the Bugatti Tourbillon’s Design, According to Its Director of Design appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

And while there are [understandably] questions about performance and remarks on how BMW can improve on future designs, the consensus is that the German auto brand has finally caught up with the rest of the luxury auto world in creating vehicles that look like true luxury pieces.

But maybe there is more to this concept auto than a desire to prove that the BMW brand is still luxury.

Since 2017, Rolls Royce has offered the tail series as a highly-exclusive, coach-built model to its most select, loyal and discerning customers. These ultra-limited, custom-built models may have not been the source of the highest revenue for the brand year-on-year, but they have succeeded in placing the British brand as an undisputable producer of the most desirable-yet-uneasily-attainable luxury autos in the world.

Mercedes Benz has now caught on. In Monaco, this month, the German-born auto firm unveiled the first model in its newly launched exclusive Mythos series. The marque, the Concept Mercedes-AMG PureSpeed is an F1-inspired (which means, among other things,  no windshield) SL-based open-top, two-seater that the brand has said is a “strictly limited series of 250 units will only be available to the most dedicated Mercedes-Benz enthusiasts and collectors.”

And now, BMW appears to be trailing this same path with the unveiling of its Concept Skytop, a unique auto that is almost like nothing it has ever done. Although it does not seem like it is interested in creating a limited-edition series for the lucky few — in its official press release, the brand stated that “perhaps unique vehicles will not always have to remain unique – at Lake Como and the Concorso d’Eleganzaa Villa d’Este, automotive dreaming has always been allowed” — per Car and Driver, only 50, or possibly 100, of the Skytop would be produced as the vehicle is intended to be a ‘handbuilt collector’s item.’

To be fair, custom-built cars have always being a thing. However, creating special models geared towards a few is a trend that is beginning to catch on in the world of luxury autos. It just may have something to do with the increasing hyper-personalisation and hyper-exclusivity of luxury, which may be due, in part, to an increasing demand of luxury goods from a new generation of rich millennials and Gen Zs unwilling to maintain the tradition of scarcity, exclusivity and long waitlists and times that have characterised luxury from the beginning of time.

By restricting certain creations to only loyal clients and friends of the brand, luxury auto companies can safely maintain scarcity and exclusivity without irking new customers who do not want to be told that their interest in a product does not automatically translate to a free pass to everything and anything they desire from the brand. Becasue, whether we choose to admit it or not, the moment luxury goods become accessible to the general public, it may no longer be considered luxury.

The age of hyper-exclusivity has dawned, and luxury auto brands are showing us exactly what it looks like.

The post Luxury Auto Brands are Showing What Hyper-Exclusivity Looks Like first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post Luxury Auto Brands are Showing What Hyper-Exclusivity Looks Like appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

Both the Seamaster Diver and Speedmaster Chronoscope Paris 2024 special edition models share certain similar characteristics. For one, they all feature the colours of the 2024 Olympics which are black, gold and white. Also, the case back on all the models is closed and frosted to showcase the 2024 Paris logo and Olympic rings.

But that is about as similar as both the Seamaster and the Speedmaster will get.

The Seamaster Diver is a 42mm stainless steel affair that contrasts rather nicely with its Moonshine Gold bezel (Moonshine Gold being the proprietory yellow gold alloy of Omega that it says is more resistant to fading and lustre) and blends beautifully with its white ceramic dial that includes polished waves in positive relief and the official Paris 2024 Paris typography in black.

The Speedmaster Chronoscope on the other hand is offered in either Moonshine Gold or in classic stainless steel casebacks. The first, a full Moonshine Gold model affixed to an equally full gold bracelet, features a white opaline dial with black subdials and a contrasting black ceramic bezel. A second version comes affixed to black calfskin leather.

Also in this mini-collection is a stunning stainless steel variant that is very much like its gold cousin, the only difference being its stainless steel case back and bracelet. There is also a calfskin leather version that’s perforated with a white rubber insert.

Both the Seamaster Diver and Speedmaster Chronoscope Paris 2024 edition timepieces come in a rather beautiful white presentation box, complete with Paris 2024 detailing that matches the Omega Countdown Clock at Port de la Bourdonnais. Prices range from $9,800 to $51,400 for the Speedmaster Chronoscope, while the Seamaster Diver costs $8,900. All can be purchased at Omega’s Paris boutiques, so, if you would be at the Games, treating yourself to one is like getting a bonafide souvenir that would last you long after the Olympics has come to an end.

The post Omega is Counting Down to The Olympics with Some of The Most Exquisite Timepieces first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post Omega is Counting Down to The Olympics with Some of The Most Exquisite Timepieces appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

Ask Google, and you’ll quickly realise that everyone has an opinion on what makes a bag a true luxury item and a great investment piece. In the end, it appears that a mix of design, function, scarcity, marketing and who thinks the bag is good enough to carry not just once, but repeatedly is what makes luxury handbags good investment pieces. Hermès makes a lot of fantastic bags, but it is the Birkin and the Kelly that are well-known. Chanel has released viral handbags over the years, but it is the Classic Flap that continues to catch and hold the attention of true fashion lovers over several generations.

No new fashion brand seems to have quite the appeal heritage luxury maisons enjoy in the world of handbags. Of course, a case can be made for the newer brands that they have only arrived and would need years to build a following over generations of fashion enthusiasts. But, with the kind of success the Row’s Margaux has had, not even this argument can hold much weight.

The Margaux: A Brief History

It is impossible to speak of the Margaux without discussing its parent company, The Row. Established by sisters Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen (if you’re a 90’s kid, you’d know who they are) in 2006, the logo-less, ‘quiet luxury’ brand has risen over the years to become the go-to luxury brand for celebrities and high-profile individuals seeking high-end, quality fashion pieces that look ordinary yet are anything but.

When the Margaux tote was released in 2018, it carried the brand’s timeless, top-notch quality DNA. Chunky in size but extremely sleek in quality, it quickly and quietly rose through the ranks to become the ‘it’ bag of the very rich.

Deconstructing the Margaux

There isn’t much to break down when you consider how minimalist the design of the Margaux is. It is a leather or suede handbag that features a rounded silhouette with a top handle and comes in four different sizes that are big enough to contain all your essentials including your laptop.

That’s it, No extra accessories featuring rare stones and very precious metals.

And yet, the Margaux continues to sell out at retailers and has been pictured on the arm or in the hands of the who’s who in society. Per Lyst, it was the hottest bag of 2023 Q4, although you wouldn’t guess this going through the brand’s page on Instagram.

Is the Margaux the new Birkin?

No.

This has nothing to do with whether or not one is bigger than the other or one commands a higher price on the resale market than the other. It is just as hard to walk into a retail store and pick up a Birkin as it is as hard to quickly grab a Margaux in-store. And both continue to remain hot on the resale market.

In reality, the Margaux is the Margaux and the Birkin is the Birkin and both are beloved for different reasons. And while the former may surpass the latter in value and status in the future, it takes nothing away from what the Birkin is and stands for. Which, in the end, is exactly what makes the Row’s Margaux handbag so unique.

The post The Row’s Margaux Tote May Be Just as Beloved as The Birkin, But… first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post The Row’s Margaux Tote May Be Just as Beloved as The Birkin, But… appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

It is not altogether surprising that Frank Ghery has put his spin on a Louis Vuitton timepiece. The renowned architect has had a longstanding relationship with the lifestyle maison spanning decades. It started back in 2001 when the LVMH chairman, Bernard Arnault and Ghery met, and the former commissioned the architect to design the Foundation Louis Vuitton. Years later, and Ghery has since designed more than buildings for Louis Vuitton: an 11-piece handbag collection was unveiled last year, and now, the Tambour Moon Poinçon de Genève Sapphire.

The Louis Vuitton Tambour Moon Sapphire by Frank Ghery — which is the first ever LV timepiece to get the Poinçon de Genève stamp — is first of all a sapphire timepiece: more than 50% per cent of its parts are sapphire with the entire case and its components made from a single block of sapphire. The dial, its case and its crystal are the most impressive features of this piece aesthetically. Each dial is handmade from start to finish – because it is too thin to stay on a mount – in a process that took 250 hours to complete. It was finished with diamond powder and a diamond-tipped drill that imparts asymmetric patterns and swirls that can be seen at different lighting angles, all inspired by Gehry’s deconstructivist designs.

For movement, Louis Vuitton chose the LFTMM05.01 the delicate, open-work mechanical movement that gives the timepiece 80 hours of power at 21,600 vph. The entire timepiece is attached to white leather straps with a rose gold folding buckle that matches the movement’s base plate.

Limited to just 5 pieces, the Louis Vuitton Tambour Moon Poinçon de Genève Sapphire by Frank Ghery will set you back a whopping 935,000 USD. But, if you’re a lover of fine art, then it is a small price to pay for a truly remarkable, dual-function piece.

The post Frank Ghery’s Take on the Louis Vuitton Tambour is More Art Than Horology first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post Frank Ghery’s Take on the Louis Vuitton Tambour is More Art Than Horology appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The Arcadia is undoubtedly a beautiful car, both inside and out. And although there is no mention of the powertrain of this exquisite beauty, we can only guess that it is in line with other models in the Droptail series: a 6.75-litre twin-turbo V-12. Which in itself is just as impressive as all the other details that the British auto brand chose to share.

But it makes you wonder why. Why would the brand ignore seemingly important details to focus on the number of hours it took to make the most distinguishable feature of the car, the woodwork, which runs from the rear deck all the way to the fascia?

Sales really is a numbers game

In the world of luxury, what a product can do, and how well it performs is just as important as the hours of labour that went into its production.

Or at least that is what mentioning the number of hours, minutes or seconds that went into a product/feature appears to be about. By highlighting the fact that it took over 4 years from the date of request to the day of commission, and that, more than one of these 4+ years was spent on just selecting and fitting the wood into the car, with an additional 1,000 hours spent testing how the specially-lacquered wood held up to different extreme weather conditions, Rolls Royce wants future clients to know that the Arcadia is not just another luxury vehicle, and at the Maison,  perfection is not an illusion.

It is the same strategy other luxury brands use. For example, simply stating that a Birkin is made from the finest Togo leather is not as powerful as saying that it took x number of hours to select the right leather and work it to fit a standard Birkin.

The value of luxury goods depends strongly on the process used to bring it to life

One of the reasons why mined diamonds are more expensive than lab-grown diamonds is the number of hours it takes to produce a single diamond in both processes. A single lab-grown diamond can take anywhere from 6 to 10 weeks, while one mined diamond can take a whooping 6 months to process from the day it was extracted from the earth.

The thousands of hours it took to make the Arcadia a reality is why coach-built vehicles cost as much as they do. The media has speculated that the Arcadia Droptail costs at least $30 million and when you consider that building just one part took a little over a year, it makes sense.

It isn’t only the woodwork production time in the Arcadia Droptail that gets an honourable mention

Remember La Rose Noire and the Amethyst, the two bespoke Droptails that well, dropped last year? Recall that both of them had detachable timepieces: an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Split-Seconds Chronograph for La Rose Noire and a one-of-one Les Cabinotiers Armillary Tourbillon for the Amethyst.

Well, this time around, per the client’s request definitely, Rolls Royce manufactured its own dashboard clock and made sure to mention it as well. Here’s how the British auto brand says it: it “is the most complex Rolls-Royce clock face ever created: the assembly alone was a five-month process, which was preceded by more than two years of development.”

So yes, it took 8,000+ hours to choose, design and protect the wood on the Rolls Royce Arcadia Droptail, as well as thousands of hours to develop and assemble the dashboard clock. Not to mention, the entire project lasted for over 4 years. And there is only one reason why we know all this: in the world of luxury, the devil is in the details.

The post The Woodwork on the Newly-Commissioned Rolls Royce Arcadia Took 8000 Hours. Why? first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post The Woodwork on the Newly-Commissioned Rolls Royce Arcadia Took 8000 Hours. Why? appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

“We created a platform last year called NBA Meets Culture,” Gbemisola Abudu, NBA Africa VP and Country Head, NBA Nigeria, explains of the initiative. “The five pillars of the platform are arts, fashion, film, music and tech. Tech has become a fifth part of our culture because it enables all the other pillars. It just so happened that arts was the element we started out with last year, choosing to celebrate basketball through the lens of Nigeria’s rich heritage and arts culture first.”

It is almost symbolic that the evening event celebrating the 2023 instalment of the NBA Meets Art initiative took place in the Tiffany Amber Gardens. This lifestyle hub, housing the flagship store of one of Nigeria’s premier luxury fashion brands from the tail-end of the 20^th century, is a testament to how following a dream, no matter how crazy it may seem, can have unexpectedly wonderful and positive consequences.

This is not the NBA Nigeria’s theme this year in its collaboration with artist, Dennis Osadebe; however, it is the overarching message in its commitment to supporting the culture of the communities it exists in and extending its influence beyond the courts.

“First, people don’t realise that when you think about sports and arts, those are two languages that the youths resonate with. They’re the language of the youths. Arts is a way in which the youths express themselves, and, there is that natural synergy between arts and sports, it’s always been that way historically,” explains Ms. Abudu.

“Then, on top of that, one thing has become quite exciting in Nigeria. Through the invention of Art X and Art Week, art has been democratised. It has taken it away from the elite to the average Nigerian. That is why it was very important for us to do an installation there because we wanted to speak to the youth in a language that resonated with them. So, if you look at the installation that we created with Dennis where we talked about team building, working together, and building communities together, this is part of our messaging for the youth. So when you say why arts, that’s why arts. If you really peel back the layers, you can see where the natural fit comes in between sports and arts and specifically, basketball and arts.”

Dennis Osadebe concurs wholeheartedly.

“I would say that arts is in the fabric of everything … I got into basketball from playing video games. So from NBA2k to NBA streets, NBA figurines, NBA toys like a toy of Kobe Bryant, a toy of Iverson – that was my entry into the sports. And I would say, that’s arts. That is expression. That is almost giving the user the tool to express themselves. And you know, I found that very important in this collaboration because art also is very representative of culture, and a big part of culture is visual art.”

Based on the theme ‘Passing/Building/Victory’, the installation features five masked figures — Osadebe’s signature style — all holding a ball.

“This collaboration speaks to passing, it speaks to teamwork. And that is the ethos behind basketball – teamwork. You can’t win by yourself and I wanted to draw that into the work. That is why in the installation there are five different sculptures. So those five sculptures represent a basketball team about to make a point. And they’re arranged like that because that is an offensive position in order for you to attack and make a point. And the reason why it’s rotating and they’re spinning around is because they’re looking for who to pass the ball to.”

How did this collaboration come to be? For Dennis, it all started when “Gbemisola reached out to me saying look Dennis, this is our objective with NBA Nigeria and we would love to work with you on this next version of NBA Meets Art. And once that conversation started, I was excited because what is very important to me is to elaborate on being an artist and showing that there is not just one way to be an artist. You can be an artist that also celebrates community in a sexy way. So we started the conversation and what stood out to me is that basketball is a sport of 5 people that play as a team. So I said I wanted to build on that idea of teamwork because teamwork is important to sports and it is important to the community. As a community we can’t be great by ourselves; we can’t even go through the day by ourselves. We need people in every part of it. So it was just organic once we started the conversation to build on the collaboration.”

For Gbemisola, it was a bit more complex than that.

“When this conversation started about creating an installation at Art X, it really was about what type of artist’s body of work and signature speaks to who we are as a brand, and, who has a natural affinity for the brand. And I am not saying … a natural affinity for the NBA or for basketball is a requirement for us to work with an artist. But for the thought process for the first work we do, we wanted an artist that had a natural affinity for the game, understood the game, and understood the ethos of the NBA.”

“A name that was consistent in all the conversations I had, whether it was from research I did (I’m a lover of arts as well, so I’m familiar with several of the artists in the space), having conversations with Art X, having conversations with different patrons of art; a name that kept coming up consistently was Dennis Osadebe.”

“As we grow the footprint of the brand in Nigeria, there is a level of intentionality on how we showcase Nigeria to the world, how we showcase our excellence and the amazing things happening in our creative industry. So, when you look at all those different layers and you have all these criteria that we sort of spelt out, one person that checked a lot of those boxes was Dennis. And that’s why we decided to go with him for our first collaboration with an artist. And expressing to him what we were interested in creating, and him being able to come back and say, based on what you’ve said, based on my work, here’s what I would present. And the theme of ‘Passing/Building/Victory’ came together.”

Judging by the response NBA Nigeria has received from this first installation, Ms Abudu is more than confident that the initiative is not only here to stay, but would also unlock incredible and unimaginable opportunities for the Nigerian art community and just about everyone who is affiliated with the NBA here in the country.

“So this is the first time we have collaborated with an artist in Africa for our NBA Meets Art initiative; we’ve never done this before. And what we’ve seen so far … is an insane level of interest from galleries around the world. Everybody has been like this is amazing work. I’ve received calls from galleries from all around the world who’ve said, ‘Can you bring this work there?’ There is a hunger for it, seeing the reaction even at the fair, all the pictures of kids painting on it and really just having a great time, seeing a bunch of kids saying they want to take the figurines home with them. And a lot of people saying they want a piece of this at their home, can they buy the figurines? It just really drives home the point that wow, this really was successful, people love it, people care about it.”

As for what is next for Nigerian art and the larger community within the NBA, Gbemisola is very optimistic. “We’re going to find very interesting ways to implement programs and initiatives to deepen our involvement with the arts community in Nigeria in a sustainable manner. There are plans to figure out what that would look like after the success of this installation with Dennis.”

The post NBA Meets Art at Art X 2023 to Influence Beyond the Court first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post NBA Meets Art at Art X 2023 to Influence Beyond the Court appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The Swatch x Blancpain Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms collection

Like the Swatch x Omega ‘Moonswatch’, elements from the original Fifty Fathoms – the ‘first true diver’s watch’ – were incorporated into this Swatch collaboration. You’d be forgiven if you thought that any of the Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms timepieces are the original Fifty Fathoms from afar.

Perhaps its most distinguishing feature is its colours. Arctic Ocean is a gradient beige-coloured dial with red and beige straps, while Antarctic Ocean has different shades of grey. The Indian Ocean, with its green and orange colourway, is every inch as colourful as the orange-and-black Pacific Ocean. Atlantic Ocean, on the other hand, comes in multi-cool blue shades that, like the Pacific and Indian models, feature a date indicator between 4 and 5 o’clock.

Other standout characteristics include nudibranchs unique to each ocean illustrated on the back case of the timepieces and of course, ‘Blancpain x Swatch’ clearly written on the dial just below 12 o’clock.

Swatch and the making of a new kind of timepiece collector

Every collection starts with a reason unique to the collector, but as they grow, all collections, whether they be art or timepieces, begin to have certain common underlying factors: the pieces they contain are timeless; they have and tell a story; they evoke emotion, and, are almost always made of/from quality materials.

It is these qualities that make Rolexes, Omegas, Patek Philippes, Audemars Piguets and Cartiers highly collectible pieces. However, any model from such brands is almost always out of the reach of average individuals because of their high price points.

Swatch has never aimed to compete on this level, not because it cannot make high-priced, complicated pieces, but because the very ethos of its existence is rooted in mass-produced pieces available to just about everyone. But, as this article points out, the Swiss king of quartz has still always somehow managed to make collectible pieces for a different kind of collector that has not always been highly regarded in the world of haute horology.

That is changing. The playful brand that is as Swiss as they come is redefining who a ‘serious timepiece collector’ is with its recent collaborations, first with Omega and now with Blancpain. It is undeniable the kind of disruption it has introduced into the world of horology in the last year. Who would have thought a plastic, quartz watch could ever be elevated to the ranks of mechanical, complicated timepieces? Perhaps there were believers, but it took Swatch to make it a reality.

It is interesting to see what the future of watch collecting would look like. When the Moonswatch was released back in 2022, it caused such long queues that some stores had to beef up their security just to maintain their sanity. People paid thousands of dollars in the early days just to get their hands on one. It is not certain that the Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms collection would cause quite the same frenzy, seeing as Swatch may have learned lessons and resolved the issues that caused the Moonswatch to become unavailable as soon as it hit the stores. (Although Daily Mail and Bloomberg are already reporting long queues that have lasted for hours in Sydney and Tokyo respectively.)

However, one thing looks certain: future ‘serious’ timepiece collectors might no longer be classified as those with an impressive stash of manual watches. Pieces like the Moonswatch and the Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms collection would definitely be considered collectable, although the fact that they are mass-produced may mean that they may never command the same prices or prestige as their manual counterparts.

The post Swatch is Building a New Kind of Timepiece Collector first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post Swatch is Building a New Kind of Timepiece Collector appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

For frequent first class passengers, choosing to fly commercial does not mean sacrificing all the luxe comforts they are accustomed to, and airlines do not hold back in providing all the premium benefits that keep them coming back. But sometimes, premium can be quirky, and some airlines have proven that even this is not a challenge with their unusual first class souvenirs which they sometimes extend to their business class cabins.

KLM’s Delft Blue House

No story of unusual first class souvenirs would be complete without the mention of KLM’s gin-filled ceramic delft blue houses, a truly collectible item that manages to give physical and psychological benefits all at once.

Since 1952, KLM Dutch Airlines has remained consistent in giving out these miniature gin-filled houses to passengers in its premium cabins. Although the houses have retained their blue-and-white signature colourway as well as the Delftware pottery style associated with the eponymous Dutch city since the mid-17th century, production times and the manner of obtaining them have evolved.

“Production was random until 1994,” explains a KLM representative. “[Back then] a number of houses were produced one after another, then none for several years. An extra 15 houses were produced in 1994 in honour of KLM’s 75th anniversary. This brought the number to exactly 75 and the number of houses in the series has kept pace with KLM’s age ever since.”

Today, there are a total of 103 houses, which are now released on October 7 each year to mark the airline’s birthday. Each house has a unique story: for example, house 103 is a miniature of the Ecury House in Oranjestad, Aruba, the family home of the Ecury family that contributed significantly to the development of aviation in Aruba.

How do modern-day collectors grow their stash? In a nod to the times, passengers in the airline’s business cabin visit the dedicated Delft Blue Houses app once the flight attendants come out with the ceramic souvenirs on trays. There, they will cross-reference the numbers on the back of the houses on display to ensure that they’re only adding a fresh model to their collection.

It is not certain who has the most houses in their collection, but, per KLM, houses No 76, 48, and the earliest houses 1-10 are some of the most sought-after pieces among collectors.

Lufthansa’s Rubber Ducks

Lufthansa may not have the storied history of KLM’s Delft houses, but its rubber ducks are certainly more unusual than gin-filled ceramic replicas of historic homes.

According to the word flying around, it all started around 2004 when the airline opened its first class terminal in Frankfurt. One of the perks was the shower suites, and in the one with a bathtub, someone had thought it wise to place a rubber deck there. But then it was taken, and the airline replaced it. And then it got taken again and was replaced again, until the airline realised that passengers really love their rubber ducks, and so they turned it into a souvenir first class passengers could take home with them from the lounge.

So far, Lufthansa has decked its first class terminal with different types of ducks. There have been Christmas ducks, Oktoberfest ducks, FIFA World Cup ducks and even coronavirus ducks!

If you would love to start your own Lufthansa duck collection, the process is rather simple. Just visit the airline’s first class lounges in Munich or Frankfurt, and request your own squishy gift from the assistants. They would be more than happy to grant your request.

Emirates’ collectable toys and bags for young flyers

Emirates’ offering isn’t so quirky, but their latest first class souvenirs are not so common, and so they deserve a spot on this list.

Unlike the other two airlines on this list, their collectible amenity kits are not for all passengers flying premium but are reserved for their young passengers only, up until the age of 12.

Made from sustainable materials, the kits are grouped into three: the first is for babies 0-2 years and is geared more towards the parents than the child. It includes a reusable changing mat, diaper cream and cleansing wipes, a keepsake wipe-clean bib, a soothing vibrating plush toy and collectable ‘blanket buddies’, where an Emirates character soft toy representing a pilot or cabin crew is offered alongside a soft blanket to ensure a sweet night’s sleep. All these are in a colourful bag with hand-drawn artwork representing “the people, places, and cultures that Emirates airline serves in its global route network of 140 destinations.”

The kit for kids aged 3-6 years is way different. They are given a multi-use belt bag, larger backpack, or generous duffle bag that contain an engaging ‘Fly with Me’ activity pack with its colouring pencils, kid-friendly world maps, puzzles, drawing tutorials, colouring pages, educational activities about Dubai and protecting the environment.

For children between the ages of 7 to 12, they would be walking off the flight with reusable belt bags, larger backpacks, or generous duffle bags – designed with subtle and cool graphics that appeal to their age group.

The next time you’re on any one of these flights, look out – you just might be walking off with a quirky, lifelong artefact that might become a family heirloom. And if you would not be flying with any one of these anytime soon? Ask the attendants at the first class lounge or those in-flight. Who knows? You just might be walking off the flight with your own unusual, collectible souvenir.

The post Here Are Some Unusual Souvenirs from Airlines’ First Class Cabins. Do You Own One? first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post Here Are Some Unusual Souvenirs from Airlines’ First Class Cabins. Do You Own One? appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

For now, it is just that – rumours, since neither house has confirmed its authenticity. While no one expects them to, it makes sense that both auction giants are desperate to get their hands on the collection. For starters, history has it that during her lifetime, Ms Landau was able to amass at least 1,500 works of art, of which she donated 367 to the Whitney Museum in 2010 where she had been a trustee for years. Therefore, there would be at least more than 500 pieces of artwork to auction, assuming her family does not wish to part with all of them at this time.

But even more important is the fact that the Emily Fisher Landau collection boasts of rare and highly sought-after works from some of the industry greats, including Andy Warhol (who did a silk screen portrait of her), Georgia O’Keeffe, Cy Twombly and Mark Rothko. Experts estimate the collection could sell for $375 million to $500 million, especially if it includes Picasso’s Femme à la Montre (Woman with a Watch), a painting nearly five feet tall from 1932, considered to be his breakout year.

And herein lies the crux of the matter.

Since 2020, art has enjoyed big sales and renewed interest. Of course, as with other discretionary goods, sales have cooled alongside global economies. Per Artnet, the big three auction houses – Sotheby’s, Christie’s, and Phillips – have seen a 51 per cent dip in total sales year-over-year. Not even Christie’s sale of the Gerald Fineberg collection in May could save it: the anticipated auction sold for a total of $153 million, not quite hitting its $163 million to $235 million estimate.

This is not the first time Christie’s and Sotheby’s would face off against each other — rivalry between both houses is as old as their histories. And while it appears that most of it is anchored in their desire to be the auction house that can provide collectors with what they want when they want it, this current rivalry seems to have its roots in the unimpressive performance of the art market, which is usually more fickle than others in the discretionary product niche.

While we await the winner in this round of competition, it is safe to ask: is buying art a good investment? As with art itself, this question is subjective, with no straightforward answers. However, one indisputable fact stands out from the unfolding drama: investing in art can be rewarding, but only if it is done right. And part of doing it right is understanding what makes a work of art valuable and collectable; buying original, rare pieces at the right time, and, letting go of them when the time is right.

The post The Christie’s vs Sotheby’s Race to the Emily Fisher Landau Collection: Should You invest in Art? first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post The Christie’s vs Sotheby’s Race to the Emily Fisher Landau Collection: Should You invest in Art? appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.