Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Mitchell Smith
NIC Local Welcomes New Franchise Owners: Liam Byrne and Mitchell Smith
Our top three franchisees have businesses ranging from £2.5m - £3.5m annual sales. Grow your own asset with the power of the NIC Local brand, systems and support, or explore buying an established business for sale. NIC Local franchisee journey is split into stages: 22% of franchisees trading for over 3 years have built businesses with sales over £1m per annum Stage 1: Prep and launch Starting any business means getting those first sales. With the NIC Local franchise, it’s quick – proven.
Profile: George Livissianis
Originally Featured in The Local Project Issue No. 17 Originally Featured in The Local Project Issue No. 17 Issue No. 17 Issue No. 17 features work from JDA Co, WOJR, Luigi Rosselli Architects and Atelier Alwill, Flack Studio, SJB, Marmol Radziner, Shaun Lockyer Architects, OWIU Design, Gezellig Interiors and Architecture Bureau, JAM Architects and more.
9 Emerging Australian Creatives Shaping Art and Culture Right Now
World-class productions, exciting emerging talent and a renewed focus on driving the local industry forward means there’s never been a better time to celebrate Australia’s flourishing arts and culture scene. Here are the names to know right now. Singer and songwriter As part of the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra’s upcoming 35th anniversary season, East Arnhem Land ocean and waterway custodian Rrawun Maymuru will perform Water, an original piece that he composed with musician Nick Wales.
Profile: Tamsin Johnson
Originally Featured in The Local Project Issue No. 16 Originally Featured in The Local Project Issue No. 16 Issue No. 16 Issue No. 16 features work from Measured Architecture, Madeleine Blanchfield Architects, Travis Walton, Fearon Hay, Patterson Associates, Mim Design, RTA Studio, CM Studio, Bunston and more. Whether she’s creating stunning homes or eye-catching retail spaces, interior designer Tamsin Johnson has an enviable style that defies categorisation.
Profile - Issue 15 Feature - The Local Project
Originally Featured in The Local Project Issue No. 15 Originally Featured in The Local Project Issue No. 15 Issue No. 15 Issue No. 15 features work from Smart Design Studio, Fearon Hay, Aires Mateus, MA+Co and Neometro, Faulkner Architects, MCK Architects, Richard Stampton Architects, Jolson, Archier, Neil Architecture and more. The Sydney-based designer is always pushing frontiers, whether it’s high in the sky with Qantas or down on earth in our most beloved eateries.
Hidden Garden House by Trias
Originally Featured in The Local Project Habitats: City, Coast and Forest Originally Featured in The Local Project Habitats: City, Coast and Forest Habitats: City, Coast and Forest Embark on a journey through the heartlands of design with Habitats: City, Coast and Forest. This trio of hardcover books features 600+ pages of extraordinary homes from across Australia, New Zealand, North America and Canada.
Rosso Verde by Carter Williamson
Words by Mitchell Oakley Smith Originally Featured in The Local Project Issue No. 10 Originally Featured in The Local Project Issue No. 10 Issue No. 10 Issue No. 10 features work from Durbach Block Jaggers, B.E Architecture, CHROFI, Shaun Lockyer Architects, Crosson Architects, Studio Prineas, Anthony Gill Architects and more. Space is always at a premium in Sydney’s densely populated Inner West.
On The Dial | Chimpo | Astrophonica
• 12" Black Vinyl in 3mm spine sleeve designed by UTILE. UK & EU customers please note VAT will be added at the checkout Includes digital pre-order of On The Dial. You get 1 track now (streaming via the free Bandcamp app and also available as a high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more), plus the complete album the moment it’s released. shipping out on or around You own this • Pre-order of On The Dial.
Fendi Icons, its core collection, is reimagined for today's style
The Baguette bag, from the Fendi Icons range. Though the very premise of fashion is reliant on transience – pieces that are “in” for a time are soon usurped by something new, relegating entire swags of garments to cringey photographs (or, if they’re lucky, to an archive, where they might resurface in years or decades to come in a stroke of retro vintage).
This is what the Singapore of tomorrow will look like
After a year in which the world ground to a literal halt and our plans, dreams and ideas for the future were put on ice, it can be hard to imagine what our lives might look like down the track, so far-ranging are the ripple effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. And certainly, the lives impacted and lives lost to the virus cannot be quantified, such is the personal toll.
Desmond Chiam shows off his superhuman side
The stereotype of strict parents warding off any creative inclinations of their children is fairly common in celebrity profiles of those of Asian heritage. For Desmond Chiam, the pressure to do well as a student growing up between Melbourne and Singapore was certainly ever-present, with after-school math tuition, Chinese language classes, violin lessons and 4am swim training.
Montblanc appoints Marco Tomasetta as its creative director
Montblanc, that storied German purveyor luxury writing instruments, watches and accessories, has made waves today with the announcement that it has appointed a creative director in the form of Marco Tomasetta. The Italian designer, who has held positions at Prada, Chloe and Louis Vuitton, was most recently the creative design director of men's and women's leather goods at Givenchy, the French house well known for its iconic and incredibly popular 'It' bags.
Artist Dawn Ng's sprawling installation, Perfect Stranger, is not to be missed
When Israeli psychologist—and then Singapore resident—Zehavit Efrati first encountered the artist Dawn Ng at a lecture she gave at the Singapore Art Museum six years ago, she was struck by Ng’s ability to “catch words” to describe her ideas, emotions and thoughts. And though they wouldn’t personally connect for another two years, in 2016, they haven’t stopped talking since.
Yayoi Kusama presents an exhibition of intriguing new artworks in Singapore
Yayoi Kusama, Clouds, 2019. Gillman Barracks-based gallery Ota Fina Arts has unveiled a keenly anticipated exhibition of new work by globally-acclaimed artist Yayoi Kusama. Significantly, this exhibition marks Kusama’s first solo presentation in Singapore since 2017, when the National Gallery mounted a large-scale retrospective, and additionally, is the first time that these particular works are shown within Southeast Asia.
Louis Vuitton marks the arrival of SS21 with a Singapore-centric photoshoot
The genesis of Louis Vuitton's SS21 menswear collection is in Asnières, the ancestral home of the French brand, and in a movie accompanying its initial preview, we saw movers packing shipping containers onto a barge, which journeyed down the River Seine and left Paris. On board was a crew of colourful, animated characters, called Zoom with Friends, a motley crew that Virgil Abloh intended as a celebration of multiculturalism, inclusivity and unity in a year challenged by such concepts.
Singapore Art Week 2021: your ultimate guide to this year’s event
Nicholas Ong, Rain on Wet Hands, 2020. Image courtesy of the artist and Yavuz Gallery. Singapore Art Week, the annual festival and arguably the pinnacle of Southeast Asia’s visual arts calendar, returns tomorrow, 22nd January, and more than ever, it will shine a light on the resilience and innovation of the region’s artists.
Introducing the Vogue Singapore x TaFF Innovation Prize
Between global initiatives, like the LVMH Prize or the historic International Woolmark Prize, or many of the smaller-scale programs, there seems no shortage of opportunities for support for emerging fashion designers.
Song for the Mute presents a lighter take on its signature style
Australia hasn’t traditionally proven fertile ground for its menswear designers. Its small customer market for innovative fashion, a lack of early-career support and geographic distance from major style capitals have meant that unlike, say, Shanghai or London, there are few success stories. One unique case, however, is Song for the Mute, which over the course of a decade has accrued both acclaim and a growing stockiest base, including Dover Street Market in Singapore.
Walking on water: the Prada and Adidas mash-up (the sequel)
After the Italian luxury house of Prada got its hands on adidas’s iconic Superstar sneaker last year, as part of what was described as an ongoing partnership between the two brands, anticipation has been brewing about what would come next. With the reveal of the A+P Luna Rossa 21, that wait is over, with the sportswear brand drawing on its innate expertise to craft a pair of shoes for the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli sailing team as they gear up to compete in the America’s Cup.
Meet Jeremy Hershan and his line of sustainable bags
Jeremy Hershan is musing on the meaning of the word timelessness. “It holds dual meaning for me,” he says, noting that, on the one hand, it refers to quality that stands the test of time, and on the other of a sense of eternal style. With the launch of his namesake line of tote bags, Hershan is aiming to honour both interpretations. “It’s about timeless goods that endure,” he continues.
Maison Margiela is presenting an exhibition, but this time, clothes aren't the focus
The new year brings with it news that Martin Margiela – the incomparable Belgian designer that defined fashion for some three decades – will be the subject of a new exhibition in Paris this year. Opening in April at the Fondation Lafayette Anticipations, the retrospective follows other recent (and highly praised and well-attended) exhibitions in the City of Lights, such as at the Palais Galliera back in 2018.
Aesop lights up the night with its new range of candles
We could all do with looking to the stars after a tumultuous year. With travel off limits, the distant mysteries of the astrological kind can offer a glimmer of hope. The flickering of candles in darkness brought to mind the luminosity of stars for Dr Kate Forbes, the director of innovation at home and personal care brand Aesop, and in its first foray into candle-making, it looked up for inspiration.
Junior the Pocket Bar finds a new home and new look at Ann Siang Hill
We’re beginning to return to bars again, and the boozy among us couldn’t be more thrilled to be whiling away the hours in the comfort of a darkened room. And Junior The Pocket Bar’s new digs, with its 25-seat capacity and hazy lighting offers just that experience. Joe Alessandroni has struck out on his own in taking the institution independent, and is joined by Hazel Long and Peter Chua by the bar.
Samuel Ross unveils his material instinct for Hublot
Timepiece ambassadors tend to fall into two categories: actors and athletes. So when news came that Samuel Ross, the 29-year-old designer behind fast-on-the-rise menswear label A-Cold-Wall*, was announced as the newest member of the Hublot family, joining the Swiss watchmaker as an ambassador, it was understandably exciting.
Bode offers a make-do-and-mend approach to menswear
Every season, countless new designer names join the ranks of fashion week schedules, multi-brand retailer lists and your Instagram feed. But once in a while, a designer comes along that has the power to radically alter the very course of the industry, such is the unique nature of vision. Bode is one such brand.
What is photography in the age of Instagram?
In an era when amateur iPhone snapshots can garner millions of likes, what’s the role of a photographer, and how has the professional artform evolved to serve our social media feeds? Lee Yik Keat, Margaret Zhang and Tom Blachford delve into this turning point to learn how the lines between social media and photography are dissolving, and what the future holds for the camera. Lee Yik Keat is a self-taught photographer based in Singapore.
Meet the people leading the fight against the destruction of our oceans
As part of the 2020 edition of Esquire Neighbourhood we brought together four thought-leaders that are pushing for change, innovating to find solutions, and helping to bring awareness to the fragile state of our oceans. Cody Simpson is best known as a singer and songwriter, and additionally serves as the UNDP Ocean Advocate, for which he uses his profile to raise awareness of the important role our oceans play in the health of our planet.
Harry Shum Jr. tells us about jumping from TV franchises to the big screen
You might know him as Mike Chang, or as Magnus Bane, but what we discovered in our interview, recorded as part of this year’s Esquire Neighbourhood event, is that Harry Shum Jr. is a thoughtful, intelligent and pretty damn inspiring guy.
Charlie Lim performs an acoustic session for Esquire Neighbourhood
Last year, some 6500 locals turned out for the annual Esquire Neighbourhood event, in which we took over Duxton Hill with multiple days of talks, performances and workshops. How do you recreate that experience in the midst of a global pandemic where there’s a limit of five people for any social interactions? Well, you don’t.
What is cryotherapy? The science behind the alternative therapy explained
Last year in Copenhagen, my friend failed to convince me to join him for a winter ocean dip—a popular pastime in the Scandinavian country that attempts to shock the body into happiness through a kick of adrenaline—because, I thought, who’d want to jump into the freezing cold water when we’re wearing scarves and beanies? I’d obviously read about it before.
Meet the Singaporean artist collaborating with ASICS
In the week that the UK unveils a much-maligned nation-wide advertising campaign encouraging creatives to retrain for roles in cyber security, and with the arts industry under immense pressure the world over due to venue closures, sportswear brand ASICS has this week unveiled a collaboration with 30 emerging artists in the Southeast Asia region.
This Lamborghini bicycle will cost you SGD25,000. Is it worth it?
Working out isn’t typically a luxurious experience. It’s gritty, sweaty, and for the most part, hard work. But Automobili Lamborghini has sought to take the style factor up a notch in its partnership with Cervelo Cycles, for which the two brands present an ultra-limited edition street bicycle: the Cervelo R5 Automobili Lamborghini Edition.
Allan Wu believes a sound mind is a sound body
“Being active and being healthy is not about being on the cover of Men’s Health – it shouldn’t be about aesthetics,” says Allan Wu. “Exercise is about enhancing your quality of life, because you’re happier, you have a regular release of endorphins and adrenaline, you’re sick less often, and you have a sense of accomplishment.” It’s this ethos that Wu, the Singapore-based television host and actor, abides by, though if he can’t get a workout session in he knows not to beat himself up over it.
The best fitness apps for iOS and Android
The Singaporean Circuit Breaker brought with it a lot of unexpected challenges, and with gyms closed and social distancing measures ruling out group fitness, the download of fitness apps boomed. While we worked from home and cooked ourselves three meals a day (many of us for the first time), we also sought to better our physical selves through at-home exercise – or at the least, stay in some sort of shape whilst maintaining an acceptable fitness level.
Are you actually fit, or do you just look it? We asked personal trainer Davin Choo
Such is the accuracy of Instagram’s unique user targeting that once you’ve double-tapped on one image of a friend, influencer or celebrity showing off their ripped physique at the gym, and the next thing your feed is filled with similar imagery. It’s enough to inspire a post-circuit breaker detox and hit the streets in a new workout kit, but what exactly are we hoping to achieve?
Nike is auctioning off eight super-rare, super-expensive sneakers
Sneakerheads might never have thought they’d find themselves at Sotheby’s, the aristocratic auction house, and yet right now, we’re all jamming the traffic of its online platform while it hosts the Cult Canvas auction of super rare (and expensive) one-off Nike sneakers. That’s right: eight. In the singular. Each of the eight pairs are in pristine condition, and is the result of a collaboration with, or inspired by, a range of artists, including Bernard Buffet, Futura 200 and Michael Lau.
The 2020 Drone Photo Awards winners offer a new perspective on our world
Ball Up” by Brad Walls. “Frozen Land” by Alessandra Meniconzi. “Black Flag” by Tomer Appelbaum. “Gray Whale Plays Pushing Tourists” by Joseph Cheires. “Lovers on the Field” by Krzysztof Krawczyk. “Dubai Marina” by Carmine Chiriacò. “Empty seas and crowded shores” by Srikanth Mannepuri. “Largest Congregation” by Azim Khan Ronnie.
Clean up your fashion act with this sustainable denim collection
They're one of the hardest-working items in our wardrobes, but producing a pair of denim jeans puts an awful amount of pressure on the planet's resources and has dire impacts on the wellbeing of our landscape.
Sharon Cho is the sustainable designer you need to know
Sharon Cho is a name we’re putting our money on becoming fashion’s next big thing. A recent Parsons BFA Fashion Design graduate, the young designer creates tailored pieces that don’t just nod to sustainability but have it embedded into their very DNA. It’s for this reason that YOOX – the global online retail store that’s part of the Net-a-Porter group – has partnered with Cho to commercialise the young designer’s collection following her six-month internship at YOOX’s Milan headquarters.
CDLP is the lifestyle brand changing what it means to work from home
What does home-wear look like in 2020? While in the past our home was our private sanctuary, a place to dress down, our Covid-world has meant that it’s now also our office, our restaurant and bar, and our place of entertainment and leisure. “Home for us has come to assume a much more multifaceted role,” explains Christian Larson, the co-founded and creative director of CDLP, a Swedish brand creating luxury menswear essentials.
These are the best men's fragrances of 2020 (so far)
Some old favourites, some instant new classics, there’s no denying the appeal of these unique fragrances. Here, we've rounded up the best men's fragrances of 2020 (a list which is, of course, subject to change as we speed towards the year's close). Tom Ford Beauty Neroli Portofino EDP Tom Ford’s remake of a classic eau de cologne comprises notes of neroli, bergamot, rosemary, lemon and mandarin.
Viktor&Rolf Mister Mister marks a return to menswear
Viktor&Rolf Mister Mister.
Yohji Yamamoto and Hublot team up for a second take on the Big Bang
Earlier this year, luxury Swiss watch brand Hublot collaborated with the iconic Japanese fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto to mark the opening of its new flagship in the Tokyo shopping district of Ginza. Yamamoto, of course, is known as the designer who made his mark on the industry some five decades ago with what was described as the “Shock of Black”, an aesthetic that, with his contemporary Rei Kawakubo, Yamamoto introduced to the French world of high fashion.
Movie review: The Devil All the Time
Mood is everything in director Antonio Campos’ film adaptation of The Devil All the Time. The period drama is set in the backwoods somewhere between Ohio and West Virginia, and it’s this time and place that do a lot of the work in setting up an on-screen tension that has us feeling uneasy from the very first frame. The slow, drawling accents and lingering stares, the run-down houses and bleak state of poverty, the palpable sense that something is amiss… or about to be.
Alexander McQueen opens its third store in Singapore
2020 has not been a kind year for fashion retail – though other purchases, such as take-home alcohol, are up significantly year-on-year – but British fashion house Alexander McQueen is looking ahead to a period of post-pandemic bliss when we will once again return to stores with gusto. As evidence of its confidence, the brand has this week opened a new store in the Ion Orchard mall in Singapore, its third in the Lion City following Marina Bay Sands and Scotts Road.
Is Henry Golding the new James Bond?
Henry Golding photographed by Mitchell Nguyen McCormack for Esquire Singapore. Is Henry Golding set to replace Daniel Craig as the new James Bond? As we draw nearer to the release of Craig’s fifth and final instalment in the iconic franchise – after several Covid-related delays, No Time To Die is set to launch in theatres on 12 November – the rumours of who will step into the polished brogues of 007 has reached a boiling point.
Dunhill’s fall/winter 2020 collection gets a unique creative treatment
What to do when a global pandemic restricts international travel and your regular collaborators are separated by border closures? Get creative. That was certainly the mandate that British menswear house Dunhill gave to Hong Kong-based creative director Alvin Goh in commissioning a photo shoot captured entirely on iPhone with a team in four cities and three continents: London, New York City (art director Dijun Wang), Hong Kong and Singapore (photographer Micky Wong).
Watch the first Dune trailer, and discuss
If, like me, you woke up this morning and, before anything else, opened your computer to watch the first full-length trailer for the forthcoming remake of Dune, then I’d say you’re also experiencing cinema withdrawals. I hope you feel seen, for you are not alone.
Watch the new James Bond trailer and buckle in for the wait
It's here. The second – and presumably the final – trailer for the forthcoming James Bond film, No Time To Die, has landed merely moments ago. Are we excited? Yes. Is the trailer good? Yes. Does it mean the film will be? Well, does it really matter? It's James-Bloody-Bond, we've been starved of new movie releases, and it's got all the locations (Jamaica, Norway, Italy, the UK – obvi) to satiate your pent-up travel desires, at least for the two-plus-minutes that it runs.
See the Rado watch that took home the Singapore Design Award
Is the Rado True Thinline Les Couleurs Le Corbusier timepiece the most award-winning watch in history? It certainly has one of the longest names. Over the past week, Rado’s timepiece took home at both the Good Design Award, here in Singapore, as well as the iF Design Award, taking its tally of award wins to well over 40 – an unprecedented feat in the watch industry and testament to the success of what is a most unique collaboration between Rado and Les Couleurs Suisse.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Mitchell
Contact Mitchell, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack