Tag: Harper’s Bazaar

by Harper’s Bazaar Singapore

They live their lives online, and are not shy about showing off their precious toys and presence at exotic places that most other people can only dream about.

Meet the princelings and princesses of regional political and business leaders.

While in the past only their closest friends and family members got to see these lifestyles of the rich and famous, social media platforms now bring these bling bling images to everyone.

This gilded lifestyle became fodder for Malaysian newspapers two weeks ago, when they zoomed in on Ms Meera Alyanna Mukhriz, a granddaughter of the country’s former prime minister and now opposition leader Mahathir Mohamad.

The government-backed media showed her living what they said was a “celebrity lifestyle”, showing her wearing designer clothes, travelling on a yacht and holidaying abroad. She is the daughter of Mr Mukhriz Mahathir, former Kedah menteri besar who is also in the opposition today.

Apart from being easy prey for political attacks, these young people could perhaps also be more circumspect about what they show off to the public.

In Malaysia, where many Muslims are turning deeply conservative, Instagram pictures by TV personality Rozita Che Wan lightly kissing her husband Zain Saidin at Paris’ Eiffel Tower in 2014 and on Greece’s Mykonos island in 2016 led to dozens of angry comments. She said she had to block hundreds of these netizens from her account.

In Indonesia, a tweet in August of a picture of a Koenigsegg – a Swedish sports car – by a friend of local celebrity Raffi Ahmad described the car as Raffi’s new ride.

In response, a tweet from the account of the Directorate-General of Tax said: “Please inform Raffi to report on his annual tax filing if he has new asset.”

Here are some other children of prominent people who like to post on their eye-catching adventures.

1. CHRYSEIS TAN

Daughter of tycoon Vincent Tan of the Berjaya group.

Chryseis often documents her travels through Instagram stories.

The heiress is chief executive of Berjaya Times Square, a giant shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur. Forbes valued her father Vincent Tan, one of Malaysia’s most recognisable tycoons, at US$820 million (S$1.1 billion) this year.

Chryseis was recently engaged to Mr Faliq Nasimuddin, 32, a son of the founder of large Malaysian conglomerate the Naza Group.

She had her pre-wedding photoshoot in Venice. Dressed in a Monique Lhuillier gown, her photos were taken by Greg Finck, one of the top wedding photographers listed by Harper’s Bazaar.

She celebrated her 29th birthday last month in Venice, with dinner in an emptied-out hall at the Aman Venice, where George Clooney tied the knot with Amal Alamuddin.

2. ISABELLE DUTERTE

Granddaughter of President Rodrigo Duterte

Isabelle, 17, stirred a hornet’s nest when she posted on Instagram photos of herself in expensive, designer garb as her father was being investigated over 6.4 billion pesos (S$170 million) worth of smuggled methamphetamine.

The teenager is the daughter of Davao Vice-Mayor Paolo Duterte, 42, the elder of President Rodrigo Duterte’s two sons. Davao is located in Mindanao and is also the home city of President Duterte.

Paolo’s name came up in testimony given in August to the Senate by a Customs “fixer” being investigated for allegedly facilitating a shipment of 604kg of crystal meth in May. Paolo has professed his innocence.

While this was happening, Isabelle posted the photos that showed her with a US$3,100 (S$4,200) Celine bag and donning a US$750 pair of Chanel ballerina flats. She has another Celine bag, worth about US$2,700, and US$620 Gucci Ace sneakers.

Critics say the photos betray a legacy of ill-gotten wealth while supporters have told the critics to leave the girl alone.

Isabelle has managed to parlay the attention into a career in show business.

3. RICHARD MULJADI

Grandson of entrepreneur Kartini Muljadi

Lawyer-turned-entrepreneur Kartini Muljadi was the only Indonesian woman in Forbes Indonesia’s 2016 50 Richest individuals, with a net worth of US$760 million (S$1 billion). Her family controls listed pharmaceutical firm Tempo Scan Pacific.

Her grandson Richard, 29, regularly shows his audience how some of that money was spent.

In one picture, he is standing astride two red Ferraris.

A short video highlights how he spends a day at home, showing him starting the engine of his red Porsche 911 Carrera, then his yellow Lamborghini, before cruising around his swimming pool in a Yamaha WaveRunner jet boat.

In another photo, Richard shows he has not one, but two, vintage watch collectors’ items – the 1970s Rolex Military Submariner.

He is married to former model and actress Shalvynne Chang, 27.

4. ROBBIE ANTONIO

Scion of Century Properties

Robbie, 39, is the son of Century Properties’ owner Jose Antonio who is a business partner of US President Donald Trump.

The property scion is friends with Mr Trump’s children Ivanka, Eric and Donald Jr. Those ties have led to a US$150 million (S$200 million), 57-storey, Trump-branded tower in Manila.

In 2013, Robbie commissioned Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas to build him a US$15 million Manila home to house a museum for his art collection, including a series of 35 portraits of himself by some of the world’s top contemporary artists, dubbed in a Vanity Fair story as his “Museum of Me”.

While Robbie keeps a low profile on social media, his Instagram account has him posing with celebrities he considers close friends, such as Adrien Brody and Lenny Kravitz. He has also been photographed with Paris Hilton, who designed an artificial beach for him, and, of course, with Mr Trump.

The self-promotion and networking are part of a successful business model that Century Properties has latched on to. It builds luxury properties and has celebrity partners like Ms Hilton.

5. NORASHMAN NAJIB

Son of Prime Minister Najib Razak

Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in Shanghai last week created a stir amid reports that several models had been denied entry into China.

One person unaffected was Mr Norashman Najib, 27. The son of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak had a seat at the show which featured models in scintillating lingerie.

He also posted a selfie with one of the models, Josephine Skriver.

His fashion show buddy? Singapore’s Kishin RK, heir of property giant RB Capital.

Ashman, as he is known to friends, is well known to social media users.

He frequently documents his love for music on Instagram.

But most posts show him trailing his father on official business trips, including the ministerial meeting with US President Donald Trump in September.

This article originally appeared in The Straits Times. 

by Katrina Kufrer, Harper’s Bazaar Arabia

The French Modern and contemporary art fair put its design showcase on hold in 2009, but fair director Jennifer Flay tells us how the time has come to bring design back into the fold

The 44th edition of FIAC (19-22 October) is featuring a return to programming it initiated in 2004 and put on hold in 2009: design. While only halted due to spatial constraints of the historic Grand Palais building on the Champs Elysees – due to undergo renovations from 2020-24 to update the useable amount of space – Flay indicates that the public has long been ready to see design alongside contemporary art.

Five Paris-based design galleries – Jousse Entreprise, kreo, Laffanour Galerie Downtown Paris, Eric Philippe and Patrick Seguin – are set to rub shoulders with 192 art galleries. “There is a shared sense of looking for beauty, for new ideas, a new way to look at the world and live in it,” says Flay. “Eventually when looking at art, you will also think about the table you sit on, the lamp you light… there are many people who start with objects and move to art. It’s a very natural dialogue.”

Flay elaborates on the continuous discussions she has had with numerous design dealers since 2009, when pressures on both sides caused a temporary exhibition halt. “In 2004 design blossomed, from few events there were at least five a year that these dealers were participating in that put them under pressure to produce material for each,” she explains. For FIAC, “There was already a lot of pressure on the art galleries in terms of the limited space, and for design, you need space to properly show the forms.”

In an effort to continue collaborating with the field until another solution could be found, FIAC launched an architectural satellite project in 2010 in Esplanade de Feuillants at the Jardin des Tuileries where architectural design and innovation were showcased. While not a full fledged design programme, Flay does remark that this helped compensate for the lack of design booths at the main fair grounds and helped continue to nurture a non-art related line of programming. However, following the design scene’s evolution, “It became urgent to bring it back,” Flay asserts.

While initial ideas involved a separate, additional venue, many of the design dealers preferred to return to the original Grand Palais location. “I am very happy to be back at FIAC this year,” says François Laffanour. “Jennifer Flay was the first to gather design and contemporary art in an international fair a few years ago and we were part of the adventure.” Laffanour confirms that contemporary art and design are closely linked, and that the two fields share many collectors. The public will have to wait and see the face-lifted space in which the design dealers will exhibit, but Laffanour shares that they will be bringing pieces by the “Masters of Modernity: Charlotte Perriand, Jean Prouvé, Pierre Jeanneret, and more recent works by Ron Arad, Vassilakis Takis and Ettore Sottsass.”

In the meanwhile, Flay says FIAC will continue its architectural project, highlighting that this year will see six special designs including an early Jean Prouvé pavilion from 1944, a mediation on dwelling by Hans-Walter Mueller, and a Jean Nouvel house. “I’m looking to the future,” Flay says. “It’s something very exciting that we can explore.”

FIAC will run 19-22 October at the Grand Palais, Paris. For more information visit fiac.com

 

 

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