Author Mitrajit Bhattacharya
How much the world has changed in the past 60 days! We haven’t travelled since March 2020 and will not travel in the foreseeable future. So, this column will not feature the anchor piece on travel. But about five brands and products that are so rooted to their core, they would emerge even stronger after the Covid19 crisis is over. And remember, products will make a stronger comeback than experiences in the near future. Let’s start finding these jewels across different verticals of luxury.
Sustainable, HappyEver After
A model showcases a Rajesh Pratap Singh creation. Photo: Atul Kasbekar for The Corner Room Project.
Sometime in the middle of last year, we met up with the hugely talented and affable fashion couturier Rajesh Pratap Singh. What stunned me most was his candid admission that there was no option but to possess less, possess perfect things and not be wasteful:
“We have to do something drastically if we don’t want to see our planet destroyed. We owe this to us, to our kids, to the future generation if we have to save our humanity. Are we looking at a doom in the economy or saving the human race? We have destroyed it; I am sure we are creative enough to fix it.”
With this philosophy, he is my man for the post-Covid world. And don’t forget, each of his timeless creations stands for simplicity and attention to detail, likely to last the better part of your lifetime. May his tribe of magicians with ageless fabrics and classic cuts grow.
Salt And Pepper, And Single
There is no clear favourite as far as single malts are concerned. Each bottle of these handcrafted whiskies is stylishly handsome and fabulously talented. There is always a story of legacy, craftsmanship and taste, a bit of scarcity and popular love that make a product iconic. My choice is a tough one, open to debate: the Lagavulin 16. This Islay malt is deep, dry and extraordinarily peaty. Probably the most pungent of all Islay malts, Lagavulin is not for the weak-hearted and always inspires fanatical devotion in its followers.
Whisky Advocate David Broom says, “Lagavulin is a classic example of how smoke isn’t a blunt instrument that covers everything in a fog, but an element that works with all the flavours produced in distillation and maturation. Lagavulin isn’t ‘smokey,’ its peat moves into a weird territory of Lapsang Souchong tea and pipe tobacco, fish boxes and kippers. It smells of laurel and light cereal, but is always sweet. The palate shows more creosote, with hints of kelp and a little touch of iodine. Complex.”
When In Doubt, Dial 911
There has been no car as iconically designed as the 911. Named after the design number, it started as 901 in 1963, with plans to replace the Porsche 356. But Peugeot claimed the rights to three-digit car names with zero in the middle.
So Porsche changed the name, and the 911 was born. And the designer was none other than Ferdinand ‘Butzi’ Porsche, grandson of Ferdinand Porsche, the famed designer of the Volkswagen Beetle.
The German performance carmaker has already introduced cosmetic updates for the 2021 model. The ever-evolving sports car now gets new colour options and retro leather looks, that reminds one of the original 911 Turbo. And the seven-speed manual version will be available with the Sport Chrono package with a digital tyre temperature indicator in the instrument cluster.
The device changes from blue to white when tyre temperature moves from cold to optimal. The new 2021 Porsche 911 will come with a new python green exterior colour option. Exciting times ahead, post lockdown!
Timeless Classics
What makes a Rolex tick? Well, you ask any amateur or watch aficionado his or her choice of most loved watch brand, the answer more often than not will be Rolex. Almost riding on a single product (the Oyster Perpetual) for the better part of the past century, the success of Rolex as the most reputed luxury brand still can’t be answered just by ticking the boxes. There is an X factor that the brand possesses beyond the impeccable craftsmanship and a core design that has remained almost unchanged since its inception almost 90 years ago. That unbeatable combination of product quality and core brand value will make Rolex even more sought, after the crisis is over.
Why do I say so? After every global catastrophe, including the last one witnessed during the sub-prime crisis and subsequent financial meltdown in 2008-09, there is a perceptible shift in consumer sentiment and behavior towards luxury. Clients prefer to gravitate towards brands they trust and are known for classical designs, heritage, craftsmanship, solid mechanisms and service reputation. These are not times consumers prefer buying bling or indulge in conspicuous purchases. There could be some exceptions like revenge shopping as witnessed during re-opening of the Guangzhou boutique of Hermes, but the trend towards classics is more or less quite apparent. Rolex Oyster Perpetual exhibits all these qualities in abundance. And is equally strong in offering for both men and women. Today’s choice, a ladies’ watch from 2019.
The Rolex Oyster Perpetual Day-Date 36 is a classic with a dash of green in a 18ct yellow gold dial, beautiful and eye-catching at the same time. Rolex casts the highest quality 18ct gold in its own exclusive foundry. They are made with only the purest metals and meticulously inspected in an in-house laboratory with state-of-the-art equipment, before the gold is formed and shaped with the same painstaking attention to quality. The new Day-Date 36 appears in a distinctive green dial, characterised by hour markers fashioned from 18ct gold to prevent tarnishing. The Day-Date 36 is equipped with a new-generation movement, calibre 3255, entirely developed and manufactured by Rolex. Demonstrating superior Rolex technology, with 14 patents, it offers fundamental gains in terms of precision, power reserve, resistance to shocks and magnetism, ease of use and reliability.
For Chef Cardoz
The Covid-19 scare will leave us one day, but not before it has taken its toll. We have already lost an icon, one of the greatest culinary experts of modern India: chef Floyd Cardoz. He left us fighting against the deadly virus in a hospital in New Jersey. However, his legacy continues to shine bright in two of the finest restaurants in Mumbai: The Bombay Canteen and O Pedro. He created them over the past few years along with his talented team at Hunger Inc.
The choice of The Bombay Canteen (TBC) in this hallowed list might surprise many, but I believe they are in for bigger success as it is built on the simple philosophy of recreating local dishes and re-interpreting age-old Indian traditions. One can never get enough of their well-made Kutchi Dabeli, Kathi Roll or a Bombay Sandwich.
Finally, it’s the time for taste to make a strong comeback over the mere molecular tricks the restaurant business was chasing a bit meaninglessly in happier times. The team at TBC have always worked together to put a smile on the face of every guest that walks through the doors of the restaurant. And when a fine dining restaurant can successfully move from their core competency of serving good food and great cocktails to serving happiness, it will always be a winner. And they have to win, for chef Cardoz.