While some performance cars benefit from thriving modification scenes – just take a look at Travis Scott’s Mansory-customised Lamborghini or the success of tuning houses like RUF for Porsches, AC Schnitzer for BMWs and Hennessey for Corvettes – the same cannot be said for Ferrari. Why don’t you see as many modified Italian Stallions? It’s a combination of a few factors, as this Reddit thread reveals.

First and foremost, Ferrari are incredibly particular about who they let buy their cars, and if you’re open about plans to modify your Prancing Horse, you could risk excluding yourself from their famously finicky selection process. Just like the brand, Ferrari fans are incredibly particular about their cars, too – and modifying a Ferrari is a one-way street to tanking the value of your car in their eyes.

RELATED: Australia’s Most Unlikely Classic ‘Bogan’ Cars Skyrocketing In Price

It’s also worth pointing out that Ferrari, like many high-end marques, offers extensive in-house personalisation, which removes the need for such an extensive aftermarket performance scene. As one commenter pointed out, “people don’t mod Paganis or Koenigseggs either… you can order [a Ferrari] to the exact spec you want so why would you want to then modify it?”

Another added, “there is no point in modding one of [these] cars yourself, they have incredibly low production numbers and each car is handcrafted after the customer’s desires. If you want something special on your Pagani or Koenigsegg, you just talk to them and I’m sure they’ll find a way to build it for you.” The same goes for Ferrari (within reason).

But there are some things that Ferrari can’t – or won’t, or didn’t – do. There comes a point where you have to throw caution to the wind, empty your wallet and get the supercar of your dreams. Isn’t the customer always right? That’s certainly the approach that was taken with this Ferrari 612 Scaglietti, which was converted by Dutch coachbuilder Vandenbrink into a ‘shooting brake’ in one of the most audacious custom jobs we’ve ever seen.

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A post shared by Classic Driver (@classicdriver) on Oct 9, 2020 at 11:52am PDT

In case you’re unfamiliar with the term, ‘shooting brake’ is an old-fashioned term for a two-door station wagon. It has a sporty connotation, with many European marques using it over the years to describe a sort of blend between a wagon and a coupé: think the Lotus Europa, Volvo P1800ES or the Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Shooting Brake.

RELATED: Bizarre Bentley ‘Detailing’ Technique Will Have Traditionalists Spinning

Sold for over €207,000 (~A$348,000) at Bonham’s Zoute auction in Belgium earlier this month, this 2005 model year 612 Scaglietti went under the knife in 2018, and is the only ‘shooting brake’ 612 in the world. The modification is unbelievably well done, and would have cost a pretty penny, but beggars belief somewhat. While we’re a fan of the body style, Ferrari already made a similar ‘berlinetta’ – the Ferrari FF – which makes almost 90kW more than the 612 (485kW for the FF vs. 397kW for the 612).

Surely it would have been more cost-effective to simply buy an FF rather than spending all that time and money on customising the older, slower car?

The other big criticism about this custom 612 is that it’s ugly. Instagram commenters went to town on the Dutch disaster, calling it a “modern breadvan”, “shockingly bad”, “if Ferrari made a hearse”, and simply “dreadful, dreadful, dreadful”.

Our question is this: what’s with the Dutch obsession with making performance cars into wagons? It started with Van Thull Development’s Porsche Boxster shooting brake, continued with Full Car Tuning’s BMW M3 wagon and RemetzCar’s Tesla Model S shooting brake, and now it seems Vandenbrink’s Ferrari is the pièce de résistance.

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The post Ferrari Shooting Brake: Should Performance Cars Be Modified? appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

The skies are sparse, but part of the Australian outback is full of planes.

News.com.au reports “billions of dollars worth of passenger jets are waiting out the pandemic” in a storage facility near Alice Springs.

This dusty desert graveyard is booming, its dry climate ideal for preserving aircraft.

A recent photo by plane spotter @aviation_tommy_ shows the Asia Pacific Aircraft Storage facility is home to jets from a variety of operators.

“That photo was taken by a helicopter,” Tommy told DMARGE. “I was flying with Alice Spring helicopter and we had a 20 minutes flight just circling around the airpark.”

“Many aircraft from different Asia[n] countries have been sent to Alice Springs; this is sad… to see to be honest, but it was a good experience to see these birds in the middle of Australia.”

From Singapore Airlines to Cathay Pacific, many airlines are hoping to keep their aircraft in good shape until there is demand for them again.

 

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A post shared by Tommy NG (@aviation_tommy_) on Oct 12, 2020 at 2:03am PDT

The facility has been so coveted during Covid the company plans to expand to accommodate up to 200 more aircraft, news.com.au reports.

Alice Springs is not alone in this boon. Airline ‘boneyards’ have been massively sought after this year as operators have scrambled to relocate their jets.

Why? As demand for travel plummeted, airlines faced the choice of mothballing their jets in a facility like Alice Springs or paying up to $400 an hour to continue storing them in popular airports.

Reports suggest The Arizona Boneyard in the US city of Tucson, for its part, is now home to 4500 grounded aircraft.

To put this all in perspective, Bloomberg reported earlier this year, “the number of passenger jets in service is the lowest in 26 years.”

“Finding the right space and conditions for 62% of the world’s planes and keeping them airworthy have suddenly become priorities for 2020.”

 

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A post shared by Tommy NG (@aviation_tommy_) on Oct 14, 2020 at 2:31am PDT

Another reason for the popularity of aeroplane ‘boneyards is because, as a Qantas pilot told DMARGE earlier this year, even if they wanted to, airlines will struggle to offload these expensive, depreciating assets: “I’m not sure there’s a market for used airliners at present given the financial stress most airlines are under. Airlines are more likely looking to return leased aircraft as opposed to selling owned aircraft.”

“Boeing and Airbus are both seeing large cancellations of commercial aircraft orders.”

Another pilot, using last year’s Boeing crisis to illustrate his point, told DMARGE, “I saw that the 737 MAX jets, if they ever fly again, require something like 100 maintenance hours, per aircraft, to ready them for service.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s the same for all the jets parked around the world.”

Alice Springs is particularly suited as an airline storage facility because positioned in Australia’s arid jugular, it is surrounded by desert. This means it has little rain, no storms and low humidity (humidity being the main concern, as its presence accelerates the corrosion of critical aircraft components).

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The post Alice Springs Airplanes: Photo Reveals The Fate Of Commercial Travel In 2020 appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Figuring out which watches celebrities and world leaders like to wear can sometimes be a full-time job. It requires eagle eyes, investigative skill, and more patience than the Dalai Lama.

Thankfully, it’s a pretty easy job when it comes to discerning what’s on Joe Biden’s wrist. The ex-Vice President and Democratic candidate for President of the United States has a few watches but is well-known for his love of one model in particular: the OMEGA Seamaster Professional Diver 300M.

Biden is a pretty die-hard Seamaster fan, and he’s known to own at least three examples of the classic sports watch: one with a black dial and bezel; one with a white dial and gold bezel; and the blue dial, blue bezel one he’s sporting here.

 

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A post shared by INSANE LUXURY (@insaneluxurylife) on Oct 18, 2020 at 12:44pm PDT

It’s a watch that Prince William, Duke of Cambridge is also a fan of, consistently spotted with a blue-dial quartz model, a gift from his late mother Princess Diana.

The longest-running model line still produced by OMEGA, the Seamaster range goes back to 1948, with the 300M model first released in 1993. The 300M is perhaps the most iconic member of the Seamaster range, famously James Bond’s watch of choice during Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig’s stints as the famous fictional spy.

The 300M is a stylish and finely crafted piece of horology, but not particularly flashy – which is perhaps why Biden likes them so much. Indeed, Biden’s love of the lowkey Seamaster reveals a truth about the kinds of watches American politicians like to wear, or rather what they don’t: modern American leaders go to great lengths to not be seen as flashy.

While JFK owned a solid gold OMEGA Ultra-Thin and LBJ was responsible for giving the Rolex Day-Date its ‘President’ nickname, most modern presidents have eschewed expensive watches. The trend started with Bill Clinton: before his tenure, Rolex actually gifted all American presidents since LBJ their own Day-Dates, but stopped the practice once Clinton got into office.

Instead, Clinton rocked a $39 Timex Ironman Triathlon. His successor, George W. Bush, also wore a Timex – a basic Indiglo model with a similar price tag to Clinton’s. Obama too wore a relatively cheap timepiece: a $750 Jorg-Gray JG6500 chronograph he received as a gift from his Secret Service detail in 2007. It’s no coincidence that Timex and Jorg-Gray are American brands, either…

RELATED: Trevor Noah Spotted With The Last Watch You’d Expect A Comedian To Wear

Once they’ve left office, some presidents have splashed out a bit on wrist candy. Clinton’s a known watch collector with a love of Panerais and Obama’s presidential portrait shows him wearing his Rolex Cellini dress watch, for example. But the trend remains true: flashy watches aren’t the done thing when one’s the president. Sure, Biden’s Seamasters might be a step up from a Timex but they’re still understated timepieces.

Hell, even his bombastic rival, current President Donald Trump, has surprisingly restrained taste in watches. Trump’s three favourite watches include a Rolex ‘President’, a slim Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse he often sports when golfing and a Vacheron Constantin Historiques Ultra-Fine 1968, his most commonly worn piece. They’re all gold watches, sure, and none of them are exactly cheap, but they’re not as outrageous as you might expect.

It’s not a mystery why most American politicians avoid being seen to worn expensive watches. They don’t want to look out of touch or be accused of largess. Other world leaders aren’t quite as restrained as Trump or Biden, however: Russian President Vladimir Putin is known for his love of pricey A. Lange & Söhne and Blancpain pieces, and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen was recently spotted wearing a limited-edition Richard Mille RM57-05 ‘Golden Eagle’ Tourbillon worth well over $1mil. Corruption pays, we suppose.

Thankfully, Australian leaders are more subtle. Current Prime Minister Scott Morrison wears an un-flashy TAG Heuer Aquaracer, and despite his riches, Malcolm Turnbull most commonly sported an Apple Watch during his tenure (although he was also spotted rocking a vintage Rolex on occasion…)

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The post Joe Biden's Understated Timepiece Reaffirms ‘Unspoken’ Presidential Watch Trend appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

What does it take to ruffle the feathers of a Sydneysider? What would irritate a proud Melburnian? Though we should all be pulling together right now, Queensland’s success against COVID-19, which has seen the Brisbane to Cairns flight path supersede the “golden triangle” of aviation (Sydney, Melbourne; Brisbane) and the backbone of Australian domestic travel (Sydney to Melbourne) to become Australia’s busiest route, might have some eyebrows up in the air.

This shakeup was recently outlined by a Deloitte Access Economics report, which shows Queensland’s borders closures have brought the state success, but at a price.

Deloitte partner Chris Richardson, according to Brisbane Times, has said: “Queensland depends more on international and state borders than the average state to fight for its livelihood.”

“Unemployment has become an unavoidable issue because of it.”

Cairns Airport’s head of aviation Garry Porter’s recent comments to the ABC add further context to this ‘success’. Porter said Cairns, though it is now part of Australia’s busiest flight path, was seeing about 100,000 people arrive at the airport each month – compared to a “normal” (i.e. pre-Covid) figure of more like 450,000 per month.

 

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A post shared by Jonas Hornehoj | Photographer (@thefreedomcomplex) on Oct 19, 2020 at 3:44am PDT

So even though Cairns airport is seeing up to 90 flights per week, mainly from Brisbane, as visitors from the south of the state enjoy themselves and provide the north with a welcome boost to the economy, Queensland is still by no means back to normal.

Traveller reports Cairns is not alone in its (relative) success, with regional and intra-state routes now dominating the list of top domestic flying destinations in Australia, and Australian airlines “preparing [and waiting] to boost capital city flights as state borders slowly re-open.”

“The Tasmanian government announced on Monday it will open the state to NSW on November 2, provided NSW avoids a spike in COVID-19 cases.”

At this stage, travellers from Queensland, South Australia and the ACT can visit Tasmania from next Monday with both Qantas and Virgin keen to ramp up their network capacity, Traveller reports.

Qantas data appears to back up the aforementioned Deloitte Access Economics report, with Traveller reporting Qantas’ most popular domestic route in the September-October school holidays having been Brisbane to Cairns, “up from the 14th most popular route this time last year.”

“In second place,” according to Traveller, “was Perth-Broome and third was Brisbane-Townsville.”

“South Australia’s decision to allow quarantine-free travel from NSW saw Sydney-Adelaide land fourth on the list, with Canberra-Brisbane rounding out the top five,” (Traveller).

“In 2019 the top routes were the ‘golden triangle’ between Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, as well as Melbourne-Perth and Melbourne-Adelaide,” Traveller added, claiming Victoria’s importance to the Australian aviation network is highlighted by “Melbourne’s presence in four of the top five routes from this time last year.”

“Before the coronavirus pandemic the Sydney-Melbourne route consistently ranked among the busiest flight paths in the world.”

How things have changed.

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The post Sydney To Melbourne Dethroned As Our Busiest Flight Route appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Let’s skip the preamble about how awful 2020 has been. It’s been a shit sandwich of a year, and that’s undoubtedly had an impact on our mental health.

But The Bat Kiss hasn’t been entirely negative: many Australian men have turned a negative into a positive, using 2020 as their opportunity to make a change and improve their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing – even if it’s just little changes.

RELATED: Researchers Discover Encouraging Pandemic ‘Silver Linings’ For Australian Men

But there are still some big hurdles we need to overcome, many of which are in our own heads: research from WW recently revealed how Aussie men’s characteristic bravado and ‘she’ll be right’ attitude could be holding us back from improving our health, and now career website SEEK has come up with similar findings that show how social pressures could also be hampering positive growth, too.

Their latest data on mental health in the workplace has shown that while over half (56%) of Aussies are feeling more aware of their own mental health due to COVID-19 and 80% agree that people should be allowed to take days off for their mental health, only 1 in 3 claim they’ve taken time off for mental health reasons.

Other stats reveal how 40% of Aussie workers would feel uncomfortable speaking to their boss or manager about their mental health, and that 53% of workers who’ve taken time off for mental health reasons weren’t honest with their employers about it, giving another reason for taking time off instead. Perhaps most pertinently, 53% of Aussie workers feel that disclosing their mental health history in a job application or during an interview would disadvantage them – yet only 26% of those involved in the hiring process said that it would be a disadvantage.

The statistics reveal that while there seems to be a consensus about the value of mental health days and being open about one’s struggles with mental health, people are still afraid to be transparent. DMARGE spoke with SEEK’s Resident Psychologist Sabina Read, who explains that this is especially true of Australian men.

“We only need to look at the statistics to know that mental health is an important issue for men. On average, one in eight men will experience depression and one in five men will experience anxiety at some stage of their lives. Blokes make up an average six out of every eight suicides every single day in Australia. In fact, the number of men who die by suicide in Australia every year is nearly double the national road toll.”

“However, evidence also indicates men are far less likely to seek help for mental health conditions than women. Although this trend has slowed in recent years, we need to continue to encourage early intervention and support for men. In workplaces, help-seeking behaviour norms are often influenced and modelled by senior leaders and management, many of whom are men. Yet, at the end of the day, all of us are responsible for initiating, supporting and practising conversations and action regarding our individual and collective mental health.”

 

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A post shared by Meditation & Good Vibes (@luke.mcleod) on Feb 29, 2020 at 10:48pm PST

A simple piece of mental health care that Australian men should be more open to is taking a mental health care day. While understandably most of us are reluctant to use paid leave willy-nilly, Australians could actually benefit from being less stingy with spending their leave: according to research Roy Morgan conducted last year, a huge number of Australians didn’t use all their annual leave by the end of 2019.

Not only is it bad for the economy if too many Aussies sit on their annual leave – it impacts productivity and could represent missed opportunities for the tourism sector, for example – it could also mean that Aussies are unnecessarily suffering from a mental health perspective when they could have allowed themselves some mental health leave.

It’s an especially pertinent discussion to be having in 2020 when our ability to travel (one of the most common uses of annual leave) has been severely reduced, while at the same time our collective mental health has taken an unprecedented toll. In short – maybe we should be taking more mental health days in 2020.

How To Take A Mental Health Day

Taking a mental health day is easier said than done, obviously. Not to fear: Sabina Read has some advice for men who might struggle to broach the issue with their employer.

“When approaching your employer, simple and direct communication is usually best,” she relates.

“There’s no need to offer up specific details of any mental health issues if they aren’t directly impacting your job, however, it’s useful to share that you’re feeling overwhelmed or struggling; and that addressing this through taking a day (or more) off to attend to your wellbeing is important. Taking a mental health day can be associated with either general self-care or more serious mental health concerns, but it’s up to the individual, the level of disclosure shared with the boss.”

It’s important that you don’t spend the entire time feeling guilty about taking a mental health day either, she says.

“Taking a mental health day and being riddled with guilt negates the purpose of taking time away from work. It’s important to recognise that the mental health day is a way to effectively give back to yourself, put your own needs on the map, and prioritise the mind and body that enables you to live and work in ways that are important and meaningful to you.”

“As for how to spend your day, the list is long – resting, reading, walking, exercising, seeing a trusted friend or family member, doing something for yourself like lying in a bath or having a massage, and may also include thinking about strategies to address unmet needs at work, but most definitely will not involve working remotely or stewing in guilt.”

 

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A post shared by DMARGE (@dmarge) on Sep 27, 2020 at 3:01am PDT

However, mental health days aren’t the be-all and end-all of mental health care, Read warns.

“The reality is that we need to attend to our mental health every day – it requires regular attention to keep us feeling motivated, productive and able to cope with the demands of life. Ignoring or not valuing our mental wellbeing comes at a cost to the way we feel, our sense of engagement in work and life, our relationships, the sense of meaning we attach to work, and can often result in being unproductive.”

“We don’t need to be a psychologist or an expert to check in when we are concerned about the mental health and wellbeing of coworkers, and many of us fear that checking in may feel awkward, or that the conversation could be uncomfortable. Whether we’re an employer, employee, colleague, neighbour, family, or friend – mental health is everyone’s business.”

“There have been many reminders over the years around mental health – particularly R U OK? Day [which] has been an invitation for many Australians to check in with each other, but we need to do more than that. Employers have a responsibility to create a culture where discussing our mental health is no different than discussing our physical health, and there are practical ways to do this… if you have concerns about someone’s mental health, don’t ‘join the dots’… that’s not our role if we’re not a health professional. Our role is to observe tangible changes in behaviour, instead saying ‘I’ve noticed you’re more reserved than usual, are you feeling okay?’ [for example.]”

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The post Mental Health Tips: Psychologist Approved Advice You Need To Know appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

From Venice regaining its magic (as the travel ban kept cruise ship heathens and disrespectful visitors away) to Virgin Australia taking the chance to negotiate new contracts and make cruel (but potentially profitable) management decisions behind a ‘smokescreen’ that would have been deemed against the airline’s culture just eight months ago, 2020’s pandemic has had various silver linings.

That’s before we mention the budding luxury hotel renaissance, sea turtles thriving in Florida or Australia’s slated post-pandemic domestic tourism boom.

However, there have also been devastating economic consequences to the knee-capping of long haul international travel.

Forbes reports, “The expected loss in export revenues from international tourism is $910 billion to $1.2 trillion; $320 billion has already been lost in the first months of 2020, which is more than three times the loss experienced during the entire 2009 economic crisis.”

In tandem with that, according to the UN, international tourist numbers are projected to fall by between 58% and 78% from 2019 to 2020, which would result in an annual decline of 850 million to 1.1 billion tourists.”

But it’s not all bad news. Not only are there silver linings to this ceasefire in flinging tourists around the globe but – according to CNN – there could now be permanent improvements in how the tourism industry operates.

RELATED: The Awkward Truth About Australian Tourists’ Europe ‘Fetish’

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, this could be our chance to make travel better not just for the world but for ourselves. Yes: as Traveller reports, it will be more expensive, but this drawback may pay us back in experiential dividends.

 

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A post shared by Dubrovnik Croatia (@dubrovnik.croatia) on May 18, 2020 at 8:27am PDT

As Senior lecturer Ya-Yen Sun from the University of Queensland told CNN in a recent video, during the pandemic, global emissions dropped by 4.6% – the largest reduction we’ve ever seen in human history.

According to research by the University of Queensland and the University of Sydney, before the pandemic, tourism accounted for 8% of global emissions – not far behind sectors like agriculture and manufacturing.

For evidence of why this is crucial, look no further than David Attenborough’s Netflix sensation, A Life On Our Planet.

This, then, is our chance to rethink and make travel better for the tourism experience too.

RELATED: Iconic Photo ‘Reveals’ Why Sex Pilgrims Are Flocking To This Obscure Italian Island

Jelka Tepšić – the deputy mayor of Dubrovnik – illustrated how this is already, on a small scale, happening, explaining to CNN how Dubrovnik – a city famous for having too many people – is now easy to walk around with no crowds.

Dubrovnik normally hosts over 800,000 visitors from cruise ships alone, and 1.4 million people in total a year (some to see the Game of Thrones filming locations, others for the nightlife). Now, they have cut the number of cruise ships that can come, and the pandemic has given them time to launch a bus reservation system to improve congestion.

RELATED: The Psychology Of ‘Travel Shaming’; Australia’s Latest Plague

With now (according to CNN) less than 12 reported Covid cases, Dubrovnik’s tourism is back to about 40% capacity, and is smoother for tourists.

Also contributing to this is another travel trend that experts say could help the planet too – travelling locally.

“Up to the 10th of August, we have the biggest number of visitors which were all Croatian,”  Tepšić told CNN.

On top of this, Bruce Poon Tip, the founder of small group adventure travel company G Adventures, told CNN another way travel could improve coming out of 2020 is booking trips with a purpose, based more on destination than bed sheet thread counts.

 

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A post shared by G Adventures (@gadventures) on Oct 19, 2020 at 3:02am PDT

“I don’t necessarily think we should be fighting to get back to normal,” Tip told CNN, explaining both the industry and the planet would benefit from more destination-based travel.

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The post 2020 Could Be The Travel Industry's 'Phoenix Moment' appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Travis Scott might be the biggest rapper in the world right now.

While 2020’s been grim for some, it’s been a blessed year for the Houston artist: collaborations with sportswear giant Nike, fast-food chain McDonalds and massive multiplayer video game Fortnite; releasing chart-topping singles and co-producing the soundtrack for Christopher Nolan’s mind-bending film Tenet; starring in Matthew M. William’s debut collection for Givenchy alongside partner Kylie Jenner… Life is good.

Scott (real name: Jacques Webster) has celebrated his bumper year with a double flex worthy of the gods: a highly customised Lamborghini Urus and a pair of archival Supreme x Nike sneakers.

RELATED: I Took A $400,000 SUV To A $2 Bunnings Sausage Sizzle & This Is What I Discovered

 

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A post shared by Complex Sneakers (@complexsneakers) on Oct 18, 2020 at 3:39pm PDT

Let’s start with the sneakers: they’re Supreme x Nike SB Blazers from 2006 that feature a quilted texture, snakeskin-effect Nike ‘swoosh’ and a golden swing tag adorning the heel. Anything Supreme attracts hype and an appropriately high price tag, and these 14-year-old creps are no exception: some sizes are fetching over A$2,000 on StockX (an upwards trend that’s only likely to continue thanks to Scott’s co-sign).

It’s all about collaborations with Scott, and the Lamborghini is no different: first modified by Mansory in Germany, Scott’s also taken his A$400,000 Italian SUV to famous Californian garage West Coast Customs, who have spruced up the car in Scott’s favourite colour: mocha brown. It’s a colour scheme that Scott’s painted many of his cars in, including his Range Rover, Mercedes-Maybach G650 and Lamborghini Aventador.

RELATED: Travis Scott’s ‘Iridescent’ Vehicular Flex Comes With A Masterclass In 90’s Style

The white rims and black carbon fibre that contrast with the brown bring to mind Scott’s collaborative Nike Air Jordan 1s, which also demand A$2,000+ resale prices. ‘La Flame’ shared a close-up of the wheels, which also feature ‘Cactus Jack’ centre caps and brake calipers (Cactus Jack being one of Scott’s many nicknames as well as the name of his record label).

Mansory is known for their outlandish modifications and love of carbon fibre (as well as stratospheric price tags). The ‘Venatus Evo‘ customisation package Scott has optioned costs an additional €556,800 (~A$928,000 or US$655,000) on top of the Urus’ already eye-watering sticker price.

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The post Travis Scott Lamborghini: Rapper Flaunts Modified Urus SUV appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Will First Class’ champagne showers ever be the same again? Emirates’ latest announcement suggests we’re getting there, but there will be a tighter hold on the nozzle.

Emirates is unlocking its premium perks again, some of which were temporarily unavailable due to the pandemic. This means the A380 Onboard Lounge and Shower Spa are back in action, with additional health and safety measures alongside them.

“The A380 Onboard Lounge, which serves First and Business Class customers, will transform into a take-away bar with limited seating capacity and social distancing protocols in place,” Emirates said yesterday in a press release.

“The bar continues to serve wines, spirits, soft drinks and pre-packaged lounge bites for customers to take and enjoy in the comfort of their own seats. Customers can also make their orders from their seats if they prefer. The social areas in Business Class on select Boeing 777 aircraft and in First Class also re-opened with pre-packed snacks for customers to grab and go.”

The announcement was heralded on Instagram alongside the following photo, in which a flight attendant can be seen in a hygiene suit and mask, waiting for the drink orders to come flooding in.

 

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A post shared by Emirates (@emirates) on Oct 18, 2020 at 8:00am PDT

“Our iconic @Airbus A380 Onboard Lounge is open again with a slightly redesigned service for your health and safety,” the photo was captioned. “Stretch your legs, order your drink and enjoy it in the comfort of your own seat.”

Whilst it is good news for premium passengers these perks are once again percolating, the photo also demonstrates a harsh truth airlines will have to come to terms with in this Covid era – the ambiance of the pointy end may never be the same again.

Though the lack of safety features like masks, were it to occur, might leave passengers even more unnerved, the ‘Venetian plague doctor’ vibes we’re getting from this photo has DMARGE pondering: will premium classes – across all airlines – with their reputations for stroking passengers’ egos and making them feel special, be trailblazers in removing hygiene protocols (once safe to do so), or laggards (in a marketing bid to show customers how seriously they take their safety)?

In any case, First Class customers can now, once again, have a shower at 40,000 feet, with luxury spa products provided in individual amenity bags to each customer.

 

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A post shared by Emirates (@emirates) on Oct 19, 2020 at 8:01am PDT

Emirates has also announced that, from November the 1st, its onboard dining experience will return to its signature service while observing strict hygiene protocols.

Read Next

• How To Get More From Your Next Emirates A380 Business Class Trip
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The post Emirates A380 Onboard Lounge: Grim Pandemic Reality appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Stereotypes are rude but often true.

Just as ‘Australian fashion’ used to be considered an oxymoron or punchline for most of the 20th century, some countries are world-renowned for their sartorial expertise. Just the words Milan or Paris immediately conjure up thoughts of fashion weeks, luxury brands; fancily-dressed men and women.

RELATED: Important Dating Rules Men Need To Know Before Visiting France

Yet those in the know would tell you that the real fashion capital of the world isn’t in Europe, but in Asia: the Japanese have long been regarded as the world’s most fashionable nation.

Not only are Japanese people, generally speaking, particularly fashion-forward, but the Land of the Rising Sun is also home to brands like Comme des Garçons, fragment design, NEIGHBORHOOD and Uniqlo; world-famous shops like Beams, atmos and Dover Street Market; plus acclaimed designers like Yohji Yamamoto, Jun Takahashi, Issey Miyake, Nigo and the recently-departed Kenzo Takada.

Japanese men in particular are well-regarded for their impeccable fashion sense, and the way they dress has had enormous impacts on modern style. The streetwear, workwear and retro emphasis that defines much of modern men’s fashion in 2020 is straight from the streets of Tokyo in the 90s. Even modern sneaker culture – which revolves around limited releases and building up hype – owes much to the fastidious footwear collectors of Japan, which has long been the world’s #1 destination for rare kicks.

The real question is this: what do Japanese men do differently to men in other parts of the world?

It’s a simple answer, but it’s because the Japanese care more about fashion than other cultures.

Firstly, they’re master curators. Not only does Japan have a rich fashion culture all of its own – think the kimono, tabi, noragi or hachimaki – but the Japanese have always been masters of taking the best looks from abroad and applying a distinctly Japanese edge.

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Case in point: Japanese denim is well-known and regarded for its quality and timeless fashion appeal, with celebrities like John Mayer, Kid Cudi and Benedict Cumberbatch just some prominent devotees of the stuff. Denim’s a great case study where the Japanese have taken an element of another culture – in this case, American fashion – and elevated it beyond its origins. The same could be said about Japanese whisky, watches or cars.

While there’s definitely a consumerist, disposable culture within mainstream Japanese society (there’s a cultural obsession with ‘the new’), that doesn’t extend to fashion. Indeed, the Japanese have been well ahead of the curve when it comes to investing in quality basics and timeless goods. Some brands that emphasise this old-school approach to men’s clothing include Hender Scheme, Visvim, Wacko Maria and WTAPS.

It’s also why sneaker culture and streetwear had their genesis in Japan: while Australians obsess about the housing market and the Spanish obsess about food, the Japanese obsess about fashion. Perfecting a ‘fit’ and standing out from the crowd is the way Japanese men express their individuality.

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Perhaps the most striking thing about Japanese men’s fashion is that unlike Australians for example, they’re not afraid to take risks, experiment and wear what they want. Too much of modern men’s fashion is ‘ironic’ – like wearing chunky dad sneakers, aviator prescription glasses or growing out a ‘skullet‘.

The Japanese don’t buy into that sort of thinking, however. They wear what they like because they like it, not because they think someone’s going to recognise the brand, or let them into a party. It’s about creating a community instead of riding a wave.

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