The word “nagomi” sounds mysterious and promising: is it the name of a Central African desert? Are the Nagomi an indigenous Amazonian tribe? Or is it the name of a newly opened celebrity restaurant in Kensington? None of these things are nagomi – or maybe somehow they are, as the three melodious syllables represent the Japanese art of achieving harmony and balance in life by incorporating opposites and conflict…

Between 16 and 19 September, visitors interested in perfume and fragrance connoisseurs were able to experience the ESTORAS brand for the first time this year at the Pitti Fragranze in Florence. At the renowned perfume fair with more than 1,250 participating companies from over 50 countries, ANTAL, the brand’s first fragrance, was perceived as an extraordinary novelty and a special niche fragrance…

Sigmund Freud saw dreams as puzzling enactments of our subconscious that allow our repressed wishes, anxieties and passions to be brought to life. He also recognised in them all the characteristics of fully fledged psychosis, including mania and hallucinations. Nevertheless, he was convinced that dreams have meaning and considered them to be the “royal road to the unconscious” …

Although we live in a materialistic world, “things” have a surprisingly bad reputation: they are seen as dead and soulless, and inferior to the organic world of plants, animals and humans in every respect. Anyone devoting themselves too enthusiastically to “things” is quickly suspected of being superficial. You might find that somewhat hypocritical considering we all invest a lot of energy in the quest for beautiful and valuable things, and in order to buy them we have to earn that thing called money…

Taking inspiration from this quote by Hermann Hesse, I want to see every single moment as a new beginning, as the start of a new story with a happy ending. But in tough times – like during a pandemic – I admit that it’s not always easy to maintain this state of constant joyful anticipation …

The enormous art installations alone are worth a visit: Comme des Garçons designer Rei Kawakubo had the original concept of “beautiful chaos” in mind when she opened her first Dover Street Market store in London, and it is now expressed alongside sculptures, photographs and other works of contemporary art at the only Japanese outlet of the legendary high fashion department store …