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Better together

Amid rising global tensions, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is – quietly –becoming more influential than ever before.
Clock and dagger

As the war in Ukraine rumbles on, Vladimir Putin, a former KGB officer, is relying on Russia’s spy network to prevent his downfall.
Building connections

Cautious investors, climate change and the shifting nature of work are challenging the property industry but at trade fair Mipim on the Côte d’Azur, the mood is – mostly – optimistic.
Growing strong

Mexico City stayed open for business during the pandemic, pulling in a global line-up of entrepreneurs. And many have stayed on, joining the ranks of a homegrown team of aspiring business talents.
Indie labels

Radical graphic solutions, stripped-back designs and humour are helping wine brands to win shelf space in a competitive market.
Sound and vision

David Walsh is the maverick founder and funder of Tasmania’s Museum of Old and New Art. Now he’s out to break down the distance between music and art – and have fun doing it.
Fine print

An esteemed weekly newspaper in France is staking its future on pluralism and literary ambition.
Keeping it real

The Dutch are reality TV pioneers but as times evolve, shows are voted off. Can these new formats be the catalyst for a renaissance?
Choice cuts

Our inventory of cultural unmissables includes a tense paella western, an original Ukrainian crime drama and a collection of top-grade South African sonics.
Design Awards: Part 1

For the third annual Monocle Design Awards, we’ve scoured the globe for the best in architecture, furniture, graphic design and more, to celebrate projects improving our lives – while looking good.
Design Awards: Part 2

From a lush desert park and a kitchen showroom to a film camera and a Swiss army knife, our 50 design-world classics for 2023.
Wear it’s at

The Danish capital has become a fashion and retail powerhouse. We visit new menswear shop Goods, then meet the talent driving a wave of creativity and edgy style.
Greek revival

Fashion brands are focusing on authenticity and sustainability, and the drive to promote traditional manufacturing and shorten supply chains is reinvigorating makers. In the first of a new series, we find the firms defining a city’s fashion culture. First stop: Athens.
Bigger picture

The Jun Group is behind some of Japan’s most inspiring labels. We meet the president of the company selling more than just clothes.
Hello Sunshine

As the skies brighten, now is the time to stock up on sunglasses, seasonal collaborations and the shoes to be seen in this summer. Plus: the bag to put them all in.
In focus

From piquant pops of colour to playful bandanas and just-so shoes, we select the final touches that will elevate outfits beyond the ordinary

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Lines of Best Fit / Global

Design Awards: Part 1

For the third annual Monocle Design Awards, we’ve scoured the globe for the best in architecture, furniture, graphic design and more, to celebrate projects improving our lives – while looking good.

Edited by: Nic Monisse

Photography: Benjamin Swanson

1.

tidiest two-wheeler

Kalk & by Cake

Sweden

“I was a motorcycle hater,” says Stefan Ytterborn. That is, before the Swedish entrepreneur tried a few electric ones and got so hooked that he decided to design his own. Cake’s first model, Kalk, put competitors to shame with a design weighing 40 per cent less than the average motorbike. In 2021 Cake started shipping out Kalk &, an upgrade engineered for both commutes and off-road escapades. “During the week you ride the bike from home to work, and during the weekend you bring it out to the countryside,”…

Issue 163 cover

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The Entrepreneurs