When one thinks of luxury tea in Singapore, the name ‘TWG Tea’ immediately comes to mind. This homegrown teahouse chain has grown to be well-loved by many around the country as well as the region thanks to its wide range of flavours and beautiful packaging. Fronting this week’s newsletter is none other than the President and CEO of V3 Gourmet, Taha Bouqdib. The global luxury gourmet lifestyle group is home to a wide range of brands, including TWG Tea and Bacha Coffee. The self-confessed tea enthusiast tells us how he developed the idea to revolutionise the tea industry, leading him to launch over 70 boutiques in 18 countries.

Another leader who caught our attention this week is the Singaporean CEO of TikTok, Chew Shou Zi. Now a familiar face all over the world, the head of the popular social media app recently spoke at the Ted2023 conference. We highlight some insights from his Ted2023 talk so don’t miss out on that.

Here are some other headlines in this week’s newsletter:

• Inside Bulgari Hotel Tokyo, home to one of the biggest suites in the Japanese city
• 10 designer home brands going the eco-conscious route
• How Bulgari’s Serpenti has evolved over 75 years
• Eco activists and sisters Ann and Billie Dumaliang on dealing with setbacks and armed resistance

Cheers,
Andrea Saadan
Digital Editor

A little more than a month after his US congressional hearing, TikTok’s CEO, Chew Shou Zi, has returned to the spotlight. Making his first public appearance since the widely publicised hearing, the head of the popular social media app spoke at the Ted2023 conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, on April 20.

Led by the curator of Ted Talks, Chris Anderson, the one-on-one discussion saw Chew shedding light on the trend-setting app and how it has affected its consumers.

Read story here.

For the sophisticated traveller, the words “Bulgari Hotel” typically conjure images of glamour marked by Italian marble walls, black granite floors and high ceilings. Bulgari Hotel Tokyo, which opened in April 2023, honours that lavish vision—with a Japanese twist.

The hotel is the latest addition to the Bulgari Hotels & Resorts Collection, through which Bulgari has left its Italian imprint across destinations like Bali, Dubai, Beijing and Paris. In each city, the luxury brand selects the setting of its property with a jeweller’s precision, and so the first Bulgari Hotel in Japan impresses with its address alone: it crowns Tokyo Midtown Yaesu, a shiny new skyscraper that towers over the Yaesu district in Chuo City.

Read about the latest luxury hotel here.

IAs the effects of the climate crisis become more visible, it is no secret that consumers have become warier about reducing their environmental impact. According to a survey conducted last year by Accenture and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) that aimed to uncover consumer and business insights regarding sustainability in Singapore and it was revealed that “sustainability is a key concern, with four out of five consumers (80%) saying they care about the environment.” 

The latest collections from home brands today elicit a commitment to protecting Mother Earth and feature timeless naturally-made designs that are long-lasting and sustainable. For instance, brands like Gervasoni and Cosentino are changing the face of innovative design with products made of new natural derivative materials. There are also the likes of Kvadrat and Vitra that turn trash into treasure with upcycling efforts in their latest slew of novel furniture collectibles.

Read story here.

Mention Bulgari and its Serpenti icon inevitably comes to mind. The serpent is firmly woven in with the brand’s history and has become synonymous with the Roman jeweller today, 75 years since it was first introduced on a jewellery watch designed to be wrapped around the wrist.

At that time in 1948, the image of the Serpenti was rather stylised; its linked body was crafted using the revolutionary Tubogas technique of metalworking, which gave the bracelet flexibility and suppleness by wrapping strips of gold around a coiled spring without soldering. It was not only an indication of Bulgari’s innovative spirit, but also foreshadowed the transformative, future‑oriented nature of the Serpenti that was to come. 

Learn more about Bulgari’s Serpenti here.

A popular weekend destination outside of Metro Manila, Masungi Georeserve is a conservation area located in the province of Rizal in the Philippines. It is here amid the verdure that Gen.T honourees Ann and Billie Dumaliang are pursuing their calling in environmental protection and activism.

Despite its idyllic setting, Masungi Georeserve has been at the heart of several problematic situations. In 2022, more than 30 armed men were seen encamped within the vicinity of the protected site. Reports had surfaced of rangers being threatened or harassed. More recently, the biodiverse sanctuary was being considered as a future site of the Bureau of Corrections’ new national headquarters.

Read story here.