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Ahead of this year’s gathering a reflection on the most unexpected vehicle to arrive at Burning Man Alexandra Cheney 13 July 2023 Whether chosen or given, everyone gets a Playa name. It’s one of the many rites of passage created over the last 36 years of Burning Man. Bequeathed by a long-time burner who doubled as a consigliere, mine preceded my arrival: the Writer.

Made-to-measure car making arrives in Manhattan Michael Frank 7 July 2023 Aston Martin is an entirely revived ultra-luxury carmaker. That sentence may have sounded like spin had it been written in the days under Ford ownership in the 1990s and early 2000s—or under any of the other managers and investment groups not truly devoted to the storied carmaker long associated with racing, as well as the James Bond film franchise.

Already funded on Kickstarter, this new power source is born from the passion of two lovers of outdoor life Paolo Ferrarini 6 July 2023 Living life on the road (or at sea) is a choice embraced by many people worldwide. Although such a lifestyle provides freedom and the opportunity for adventure, it can require problem solving—including, for instance, how to maintain a power supply.

From iconic vehicle design to a reinvented customer experience Michael Frank 5 July 2023 Rivian’s senior director of facilities design, Denise Cherry, has a lot of experience digesting the ethos of a company and turning it into the face the world will see. Prior to working at Rivian she cofounded a Bay Area firm called Assembly Design Studio, where she helped create multiple venues for Uber, including in California and Amsterdam.

When people hear the name Manolo Blahnik, they often think of the iconic high heels immortalized by Carrie Bradshaw on Sex and the City (and, of course, And Just Like That). However, there’s far more to the brand’s global reputation and continuously pioneering collections.

London-based brand Vollebak conceives of future-forward clothing—like a graphene-based jacket, an invisibility cloak and shirts that can endure for 100 years—and now, they’ve designed an island. The ever-innovating brand teamed up with the prolific Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) to design the plans for Vollebak Island, a roughly 11-acre compound off the coast of Nova Scotia that will be completely run by clean energy.

Behind more than 400 inventions over the last four years, serial creator Matty Benedetto—the founder of Unnecessary Inventions—is as prolific as he is entertaining and inspiring. A self-described “evil genius,” Benedetto works from a studio in Burlington, Vermont, solving problems, assembling unexpected creations and sharing content to millions of loyal fans on Instagram and TikTok.

Italian photojournalist Letizia Battaglia, who passed away in 2022, is an integral, international figure in photography and beyond. Through her work as a photographer and activist for 50 years, Battaglia documented the lives of everyday people and illustrious personalities, through life and death; she ferociously chronicled Italy and, in particular, Sicily, her region of origin.

For the majority of their history Volvo has primarily been known for two things: safety and simple design. Luxury was also part of the conversation, but a quiet and approachable kind of luxury. Volvos were sensible cars for sensible people, and even a great deal of success in European touring car racing thanks to performance tuner Polestar (before it was spun off as an EV brand) couldn’t change that perception.

During a recent tour of Germany that took us through Hamburg and Berlin, we found ourselves heading south into Bavaria for a stay at Roomers Munich, Autograph Collection. Centrally located (though not in the Old Town), the 281-room boutique property pairs sleek, ultra-modern design with nuanced hospitality.