The Whiteley – a historic London building that has been utterly, but sympathetically, restored and revivified – is a colossal accomplishment.
The £1.5 billion project was such a vast undertaking that the team quarterbacking its development felt that there wasn’t a construction company in the UK (perhaps even in the world) that could have handled all elements of the £800 million brief. Knitting various contractors together, navigating the preservation of the listed facade and myriad other challenges was all part of the process. But all the digging, design and build is only a small part of the wider story.
As the Whiteley sits on the cusp of completion, visitors to the landmark on Queensway get a sense of how the area has already recaptured some of its former glory. With both the spiritual and monetary buy-in of local landowners, business and in-coming international brands, it’s poised to develop further still, and take on a life of its own. This development, as one of the judges of the Spear’s Awards noted, is ‘a once-in-a-lifetime achievement’.
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That’s why the developers that have co-ordinated the project scooped not just the Spear’s Award for Super-Prime Property Development of the Year, but also our Grand Prix – the biggest prize of the night. It’s also why they’re on the cover of this edition of the magazine, and profiled along with the other winners at our annual celebration of the leading lights from entrepreneurship, philanthropy and the private client sector.
[See also: François-Henry Bennahmias and the Honourable Merchants Group]
Elsewhere, we head to upstate New York in an attempt to understand what has helped to make a small town ‘the most expensive suburb in America’ two years in a row. Scarsdale, NY has attracted high-profile residents for many years but, curiously, its recent rise to prominence may be down to its ability to swerve some of the trends that have gripped so many other places in the US. And we meet the man who guided Swiss watchmaker Audemars Piguet through one of the most successful eras in its history. Former AP CEO François-Henry Bennahmias took some time out to recharge, but has re-emerged with a new venture for the coming era of luxury.
This issue includes a debut, in the form of Kate Spicer’s first contribution to this magazine. The longstanding Times contributor bravely took on the role of human guinea pig as she investigated the trend of blood cleaning – or apheresis, to be precise. The technology has been around for decades, but the process has gathered currency of late as billionaires and boldface names queue up to have their oil changed – or at least refreshed. But, Kate asks in her story, does it actually work? And do we really know whether it’s safe?
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In our free-flowing Arcadia section, Nick Foulkes pens a paean to his pal and fellow arbiter elegantiarum Wei Koh, who has toured the world in search of the planet’s finest independent watchmakers for a new documentary series, which is coming to a streaming platform near you; Mark Walton has a sneak peek at the first motorbike from Richard Mille, the product of a collaboration with British marque Brough Superior; Adam Hays-Nicholls heads to Raffles to learn from the modern-day equivalents of P.G. Wodehouse’s ‘gentleman’s gentleman’, Jeeves; and Cathy Hawker meets property and hospitality entrepreneur Daniel Shamoon in his newly adopted home of Antigua.
We also meet philanthropist Jessica de Rothschild, chat to Nadja Swarovski about her latest venture and discuss the meaning of the soul (and the pleasure of owning a Porsche) with the man some regard as Italy’s modern-day answer to Elvis Presley, Alessandro Ristori.
Our Briefing this time has two sections, Property and Reputation. In the former, we take a look at three global prime and super-prime hot-spots: Milan, Mayfair and Abu Dhabi. In the latter, John Arlidge examines a new wave of scrappy media startups that are scrutinising the maisons and mainstays of the luxury world like never before; Aisha Alli considers the intersection of legacy and reputation; and Oxford professor Pepper Culpepper unpacks the central thesis of his new book, Billionaire Backlash.
[See also: Mayfair ‘back to the top of the Monopoly board’ as £4 billion makeover gathers momentum]
As usual, the Good Life section runneth over with the very best of the best – from the long-awaited return of storied London restaurant Simpsons in the Strand, to a burgeoning trend in jewellery, an extraordinary limited edition timepiece, some American muscle and a place that has a claim to being the world’s finest ski resort.
I hope you enjoy the magazine.
