Rarity makes for exclusivity. Matsusaka beef is revered as being among the top three brands of wagyu - the stringent conditions under which the cattle are raised result in a high fat-to-meat ratio and sublime melt-in-the-mouth feel. Earlier this year, artisanal meat supplier Ito Ushi made headlines for being the first company approved by the Matsusaka Beef Council - yes, it's that hallowed to distribute it in Singapore and Hong Kong (in fact, besides the US, it's not exported out of Japan). Even more impressive is that the ranch where Ito gets its wagyu from limits its slaughter to 200 cows a year and practices regenerative farming - manure from its virgin heifers is used to fertilise its rice fields that provide the cattle feed. Says Laila: This is the best quality of beef you can find. The meat industry is notorious for its environmental impact, so eat less and eat better. Serpenti Viper pink gold necklace with pave diamonds, Bvlgari. Wool jacket, Givenchy.
With the mounting pressures of climate change, dependency on imports and a perennial space crunch, Singapore faces some serious issues regarding food security. To deal with this, producing locally - and finding alternative ways to do so are crucial, says Laila. For example, the nutrient-rich, umami-packed sea grapes (aka green caviar) on this page were sustainably grown on St John's Island using plant stem cell cultivation by the biotechnology company Stemcell United. Meanwhile, the luscious papaya on the page opposite is literally the fruit of A Little Wild's labour. This rewilding project aims to transform a 138-acre former palm oil plantation in Johor Bahru just 50km away from Woodlands into an educational agroforest for both sides of the border. An investment for the future - let's toast to that.
This story is from the May 2022 edition of Female Singapore.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the May 2022 edition of Female Singapore.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Don't Stop Believing
All eyes have been on the man behind the most anticipated debut in fashion this season, but Sabato De Sarno-Gucci's new creative director isn't letting the spotlight get to him. Keng Yang Shuen expounds on why he is the antithesis of this era's celebrity designer - and exactly the kind of figure the industry needs in these times.
IT'S BEEN A LONG BELIEVING
THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT TAYLOR SWIFT IS ONE OF THE TOP CELEBRITIES IF NOT THE TOP CELEBRITY ― OF HER GENERATION. SHE WAS TIME'S 2023 PERSON OF THE YEAR AND HER ONGOING THE ERAS TOUR HAS BECOME THE HIGHEST-GROSSING OF ALL TIME. HER TRAJECTORY AND DISCOGRAPHY ARE THE SUBJECTS OF A COURSE AT HARVARD AND IN A WORLD FIRST NEWSPAPERS HAVE TURNED HER INTO A BEAT WITH DEDICATED REPORTERS. THERE'S ALSO LITTLE DOUBT THAT MUCH OF THIS HAS TO DO WITH HER FANS. AS HER CONCERT ROLLS INTO TOWN THIS MONTH, FOUR CREATIVE SWIFTIES TELL US HOW THE AMERICAN IDOL HAS INSPIRED THEM, AND SHAPED THEIR STYLE AND CRAFT.
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
AMONG THE FIVE LAUREATES OF THE 2023 ROLEX AWARDS FOR ENTERPRISE IS INDONESIAN ENTREPRENEUR DENICA RIADINI-FLESCH, WHOSE SOCIAL ENTERPRISE SUKKHACITTA EMPOWERS LOCAL RURAL CRAFTSWOMEN WHILE BRINGING BALANCE BACK TO THE LOCAL FOREST ECOSYSTEM. HERE’S MORE ON THIS NEW STAR ON THE ROLEX LAUREATES NETWORK AND WHAT LIES AHEAD FOR HER.
THE CRAFT
IN ALL HER YEARS AS THE CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF DIOR, MARIA GRAZIA CHIURI HAS USED HER INFLUENCE AND DESIGNS TO ADVOCATE FOR THE SUPPORT AND REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN.
DREAM GIRL
IN RECENT YEARS, THE CELEBRITIES WHO’VE DOMINATED MUCH OF WESTERN POP CULTURE SEEM TO FALL INTO THREE MAIN CATEGORIES: THE OTT, THE SCANDAL-PLAGUED AND THE UNTOUCHABLE GODDESS TYPES HAIL QUEEN BEY). THE FAST-RISING GEN Z JAZZ-POP CHANTEUSE LAUFEY PRONOUNCED LAY-VAY”) 1S A NEW AND DIFFERENT KIND OF STAR ALTOGETHER: ONE WHO UNABASHEDLY WEARS HER HEART ON HER SLEEVE, ESPOUSES WHOLESOME VALUES AND READS BOOKS WITH HER FANS. KENG YANG SHUEN DELVES INTO HER SPECIAL KIND OF MAGIC.
Mind Your Own Business
Yang Shuen Meets The Founders Of Art Again, An Online Platform That Puts Not Only A Chic, Consumer-to-consumer Spin On The Secondary Art Market, But Also Power Back Into The Hands Of Art Collectors.
NEW WORLD PLAZA
ITS SHUTTERS COME DOWN FOR GOOD ON JAN 27, BUT PEACE CENTRE HAS LIVED OUT SOME OF ITS BEST DAYS IN THE PAST FEW MONTHS AS A HAVEN FOR INDEPENDENT CREATIVES AND EVERYDAY ART-GOERS, THANKS TO THE UNCONVENTIONAL COMMUNITY PROJECT KNOWN AS PLAYPAN. IMRAN JALAL MEETS SOME OF THE FOLKS WHO HAVE FOUND A HOME, HOPE AND INSPIRATION IN A DOOMED MALL.
A CLASS OF THEIR OWN
IT SURE SEEMS LIKE AN EMPOWERING TIME TO BE STUDYING THE ARTS. THIS AUGUST, THE FIRST GOVERNMENT-BACKED PRIVATE ARTS UNIVERSITY HERE, THE UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS SINGAPORE, WILL WELCOME ITS INAUGURAL COHORT. ACCORDING TO THE STRAITS TIMES IN A SEPTEMBER 2023 REPORT, OUR COUNTRY WILL CONTINUE TO INVEST IN ARTS EDUCATION, WHILE THE NATIONAL ARTS COUNCIL’S LATEST POPULATION SURVEY ON THE ARTS SHOWED CONSISTENT GROWTH IN INTEREST IN THE SECTOR AND AT LEAST TWO-THIRDS OF SINGAPOREANS RECOGNISING THE BENEFITS OF ARTS AND CULTURE ON THE COMMUNITY. ULTIMATELY THOUGH, PURSUING THE ARTS AS AN ACADEMIC DISCIPLINE REMAINS NICHE THE MINISTRY OF CULTURE, COMMUNITY AND YOUTH’S SINGAPORE CULTURAL STATISTICS STUDY IN 2022 SHOWED YEAR-ON-YEAR DIPS IN FULL-TIME ENROLMENT IN TERTIARY ARTS COURSES BETWEEN 2016 AND 2021). HERE, SEVEN YOUTHS SHARE THEIR INTENTIONS, ASPIRATIONS AND LESSONS LEARNT IN HAVING EMBARKED ON THIS PATH LESS CHOSEN.
OPEN HOUSE
FOR THOSE WHO HAVE FELT LIKE THEY LACK THE SPACE AND FREEDOM TO BRING TO LIFE THEIR CREATIVE AMBITIONS, THERE NOW COULD BE A PLACE FOR YOU: LOCATED IN SCENIC JAPAN, RUN BY A SINGAPOREAN COUPLE WHO HAVE ARTISTIC SKILLS YOU COULD TAP, AND THAT COMES AT NO COST AND WITH NO EXPECTATIONS. KENG YANG SHUEN FINDS OUT MORE FROM THE FOLKS BEHIND THIS UTOPIA.
BTS REMIX
FOR ITS LATEST ENTRY AT DESIGN MIAMI, THE HOUSE OF FENDI TEAMS UP WITH A WITTY DESIGN STUDIO OFTEN DESCRIBED AS \"ANTI-FASHION\" TO REVEAL A DIFFERENT SIDE TO IT AND LUXURY ALTOGETHER. NOELLE LOH REPORTS.
