COMMON MAGAZINE EUROPE - FALL 2017

COMMON. 

FALL 2017 $9.99 

SUPERCHARGING TECH

1 

//2017 FALL//COMMON

COMMON//FALL 2017// 

IN THIS ISSUE 

06 

07 

08 

MINIMALISTIC SOUND 

URBANEARS STAMMEN 

THE GOLDEN LIQUID 

GLENDRONACH KINGSMAN 

EDITION 1991 

FUTURE IS HEAR 

HERE ONE 

WIRELESS EARBUDS 

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2017 FALL//COMMON 

IN THIS ISSUE 

#COMMONCOVER: THE 

AVEGANT VIDEO 

HEADSET 

10 

TONS OF FUN WITH 

BOOSTED BOARD 

EXPENSIVE TOY BUT WORTH 

EVERY PENNY 

WARDROBE EMPORIUM 

THIS SUMMER'S LATEST FOR 

YOUR SARTORIAL ARSENAL 

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16 

3


IN THIS ISSUE 

28 

38 

58 

JAMES BOND, MEET YOUR 

SARTORIAL MATCH 

KINGSMAN: THE GOLDEN 

CIRCLE X MR. PORTER 

IN AND OUT OF BRUGES 

PERFECT FOR A 

STROLL IN THE FALL 

SMART HOME, 

SMARTER YOU 

ESSENTIAL GADGETS 

TO START A SMART HOME 

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EDITOR'S NOTE 

Let me tell you a little story. I have always been obsessed with 

flipping through the pages of magazines, first absorbed in their 

images and stories, later assigning and editing my own. I really 

believe that no matter whether a magazine is delivered to your 

doorstep or to your computer, printed on glossy stock or on cheap 

tabloid paper, appearing on your iPad or your cell-phone screen, it 

is still and foremost the work of an editorial team for a discerning 

audience, a beautiful and meaningful— we hope—package of 

ideas, words and images that a group of experts prepares for its 

readers. While technology efficiently delivers news stories to our 

desktops, laptops and mobile devices, magazines are all about 

context—how ideas and images are presented in relation to one 

another and within a larger point of view. Magazines are about 

trust and partnership: We, the editors, will always strive to keep 

you engaged; you, the readers, are free to engage with us or to 

reject us. But enough theory: Let me tell you about this Autumn 

issue of COMMON. There is a story this month that I particularly 

like because it combines a great read and great company. We did a 

profile with the people at Buckle & Seam, a leather bagmaker 

based in Berlin and their work with a girls' school in Pakistan. And 

we've also tried and tested our "cover" this month, a very special 

gadget made for the future of cinema, the Avegant Video Headset. 

Have a read and if you're interested, don't hesitate to purchase it. 

As you flip through the magazine, you'll notice the abundance of 

tech and gadgets, and that's because it's a special gadget issue 

where we bring all the latest in technology. Whether it's to 

improve your home, health and even the way you travel, 

everything you possibly need are in here. 

So read on, and expect more in the upcoming issue! 

Azhar. A 

Editor-in-Chief 

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MINIMALISTIC SOUND 

URBANEARS STAMMEN 

www.urbanears.com 

By Azhar Ahmad 

The Urbanears Stammen looks like a small subwoofer as it’s simply a black box, though you 

can purchase other colors. Even wearing shades of bright orange, light pink and teal, the 

Stammen isn’t particularly unattractive and remains unoffensive enough to fit into most 

homes. The outside of the speaker is made of cloth, giving the speaker a warmth for those 

who are sick of metal and plastic. You’ll find the only physical controls on top of the 

Stammen. There are two knobs: One to adjust volume and to toggle between Solo and 

Multi-room playback. The other is for toggling play/pause as well as switching inputs and 

saved internet radio stations, which is handy to quickly access internet radio stations 

quickly without fumbling for your phone. On the bottom of the speaker, you’ll find a full 

sized USB port, 3.5mm aux jack and power port. Since these ports are located 

inconveniently at the bottom of the speaker, you’ll have to verify all cables are hooked up 

during the setup process as it’ll be a pain to access them later on. There’s also a bass port at 

the bottom to help this small speaker kick out some serious sound. 

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THE GOLDEN LIQUID 

GLENDRONACH KINGSMAN EDITION 1991 

www.thewhiskyexchange.com 

Kingsman: The Golden Circle officially premieres later this month. In honor of the film, 

GlenDronach is releasing a new GlenDronach Kingsman Edition 1991 scotch whisky. Only 

240 bottles of the whisky will be made available to the U.S. market, and they won’t be cheap: 

each one is priced at roughly $900 each. The whisky was actually hand-selected by film 

director Matthew Vaughn for the film. “A Kingsman is smooth, elegant and packs a punch, as 

does The GlenDronach—so it felt like the perfect fit,” says Vaughn. “I selected the 1991 vintage 

as it marks the birth year of ‘Eggsy,’ who is also known as Kingsman agent Galahad. It’s really 

special to get a limited edition like this, and even more so as The GlenDronach is my favorite 

single malt whisky. I hope Kingsman fans around the world enjoy it as much as I do.” 

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FUTURE IS HEAR 

HERE ONE 

www.hereplus.me 


Hands down, Here One sounds the best out of all the truly wireless earbuds in the market 

currently. Music is more clear and dynamic than on the Bragi Headphone, which was the 

best-sounding pair of truly wireless earbuds until now. Here One also makes AirPods 

sound pedestrian, but this is also thanks to the way the earbuds create a full seal in your 

ear (there is a variety of rubber and foam tips included in the packaging, too). Doppler Labs 

is quick to boast about how many software engineers it has on staff, in part because they’re 

not all dedicated to the augmented reality side of things. These people know their music, 

and it shows. Listening to music on Here One is like fanning out a deck of cards. You’ll 

discover there’s more to songs you thought you knew well. It’s not an enormous difference, 

like the kind you’d discover if you were listening to music through an amp or on a device 

with a DAC, but it’s an appreciable one. 

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LOST WALLET NO MORE 

CHIPOLO CARD 

www.chipolo.net 


The Chipolo Card is just 2.15-mm thick and features a 95-decibel alarm, 12-month battery, 

and 200-foot range. While thin at 2.15 mm, it's still about the thickness of three credit cards, 

but it’s quite a bit shorter and narrower. That makes it suitable for most wallets, or any of those 

hybrid wallet-cases for smartphones, tablets, and Kindles. Despite its diminutive size, it still 

manages to include a speaker, which means that you can locate your errant wallet the easy 

way: by sound. Touch a button in the iPhone or Apple Watch app, and the device will bleep at 

you continuously until you hit the button again to stop it. The Chipolo also uses the latest 

Bluetooth tracker tech, so the range is 200 feet, up from the 100 feet of previous-generation 

trackers. Once you go beyond this range, you can still see its last-known location on a map, 

which at least helps if you leave it at a friend’s place or anywhere else it can be accidentally left 

behind without being immediately stolen. 

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AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA 

#COMMONCOVER: THE 

AVEGANT VIDEO HEADSET 

SUPERCHARGING THE TECH INDUSTRY WITH A LITTLE 

SOMETHING FOR THE FUTURE 


The first iteration of the modern virtual 

reality headset came out in 2013 and then a 

year later, so did the Avegant Glyph. Now 

called the Avegant Video Headset, it is by no 

means a virtual reality headset, although it 

does offer a similar immersive experience 

using a different technology. The headset 

uses a patented technology called virtual 

retinal display, which is basically projecting a 

display directly into your eyes. 

How does it work exactly? The Avegant 

Video Headset takes advantage of Retinal 

Imaging Technology, to transmit vivid, lifelike 

images directly to the eye. The image 

begins with a low powered LED. After 

passing through a patented set of optics, the 

light is reflected off of a microscopic mirror 

array. Two million mirrors that shape the 

light into an image fit for the eye. The light is 

focused through a second set of optics and 

projected directly onto the retina mimicking 

the way we perceive light in our everyday 

environment. 

It’s still a fresh idea, with kinks to work out 

and a long road before it works as well as 

most people expect. The headset is big and 

heavy compared to other headsets, but then 

again this is not a typical headset. When you 

flip the headband to position it as closely to 

your eyes as possible, you get a futuristic 

“glasses” that looks like it came out of a sci-fi 

movie. 

And it’s pretty cool, too, with its switches 

and dials and its popped-out eyepieces. The 

lenses are of course adjustable, so you can 

have the best experience. It sounds like it’s a 

lot of work, but adjusting and setting the 

video headset takes no more than five 

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minutes. After that, you’re all set to have 

the best theatre experience without ever 

leaving your couch. 

At its best, even current VR technology 

can transport you to an immersive virtual 

space where you can explore, fight, and 

create. With the video headset, it’s 

basically the same thing minus the head 

tracking feature and 360 experience, but 

with crispier resolution. 

Another good thing about the video 

headset is that you can totally feel 

disconnected from the real world but still 

be aware of the surrounding. How? The 

headband (or eyeband?) doesn’t cover your 

whole view. You can still walk around, see 

up and down, and do other stuff that you 

can’t with a VR headset. Sure, sometimes 

light creeps in, but it’s not that noticeable. 

It’s the kind of thing you really have to 

experience to understand. 

When you put on a VR headset, you’re 

immersed in a virtual world where you can 

turn your head and look around, just like in 

the real world. The bad thing is, it detached 

you from reality. After all, its purpose is to 

immerse you “virtually”. But with the video 

headset, you get the best of both worlds. 

The reason to get it? It works with 

anything that has an HDMI output. No 

installation or downloading needed, unlike 

the VR. You get your own personal 50-inch 

TV, amazing sound and still be able to 

munch on snacks and sip your beer. 

If that’s not enough, the images projected 

are also true to size. Say you use the video 

headset to play first-person games (did we 

mention you can hook this up to any game 

console?). You embody a body-less 

character with only parts of your body 

visible. On a normal screen, you can’t really 

relate as there is a distance between you, 

the controller, and the screen itself. With 

the video headset, everything is exactly 

where it should be and is distanced 

perfectly and proportionately to your body. 

Design-wise, the video headset looks and 

feels more natural than a VR headset 

because it doesn’t block your view. From the 

front, it looks sleek and slim with a mattelike 

coating on the head/eyeband. To us, The 

Avegant Video Headset changed the way 

we experience movies and games forever. 

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Key Highlights: 

SCREENLESS DISPLAY 

Advanced optics create complete images, 

not pixels on a screen that your eyes have 

to interpret. This is effortless viewing, and 

it’s extraordinary. 

LONG TERM COMFORT 

Unlike traditional viewing formats, the 

Avegant Video Headset does the work for 

your eyes. Visual input is very natural, with 

no lag time, so there’s never fatigue—just 

sharp, brilliant images. 

NO SIDE EFFECTS 

The Avegant Video Headset avoids 

eyestrain, headaches and the physical 

discomforts often associated with other 

head mounted displays and video headsets. 

Images are focused for your eyes, so you 

can just relax and enjoy the show. 

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REVOLUTINISING THE WAY 

YOU RIDE 

WITH LUMOS HELMET SHINING THE WAY 

www.lumoshelmet.co 

The Lumos takes things up a notch and the 

result is a flagship helmet with more 

features than your average cycling helmet. 

If we look at the design of the Lumos 

Helmet, it’s clear that the Lumos is really 

aiming at the urban crowd. It features a 

sporty style that wouldn’t look out of place. 

There are already loads of good quality, 

lightweight, attractive and safe helmets to 

choose from, but none are packed with 

features such as in Lumos. The first, most 

obvious feature is the LED lighting system. 

There are lights in front and in the rear of 

the helmet, and they’re perfectly 

integrated with the helmet’s body with its 

flushed design. Turned off, you won’t even 

know that they lit up. One button on the 

back of the helmet controls the modes: 

Strobe, fast strobe, and continuous-shine 

settings for front and back. There are 60 

LED lights in front and back that shine up 

to 80 lumens. 

Because of the lighting system, the Lumos 

weighs significantly more than the average 

helmet. It weighs 15.5 ounces but it didn’t 

bother us one bit as we’ve gotten used to it 

after a couple of wears. In addition to the 

lighting modes, the helmet comes with two 

additional safety features. With a free app, 

you can pair the helmet to your phone. This 

controls the automatic brake light on the 

back of the helmet. The helmet sense when 

you’re decelerating and brightens the rear 

LEDs. 

In the case of the Lumos helmet, it also 

comes with turn-signal buttons that you 

can mount on the handlebar. But first, you 

have to pair it with the helmet but it’s only 

a 60 seconds set-up. Once the pairing is 

complete, orange arrows on the back, and 

the left or right half of the front lights blink 

when you press either signal. 

If you’re riding and worried if the helmet’s 

battery is low, it will make a cool “bleep” 

sound when the battery is low enough so 

you get a warning. Overall, our experience 

wearing the Lumos on the road has been 

great and cars finally notice us. So put on 

your Lumos and ride with confidence! 

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TONS OF FUN WITH 

BOOSTED BOARD 

EXPENSIVE TOY BUT WORTH EVERY PENNY 

www.boostedboards.com 


We took a ride on Boosted Board on expert 

(fastest speed, quickest acceleration, lowest 

range) an we managed to get at least 4 

miles, at most 10, depending on how much 

we're cruising and how much we're flat out 

on the throttle. Our average weight is 140 

lbs so maybe that contributes to a little 

more range. If you are riding in a big city, 

there are so many opportunities to just 

coast with no throttle to save battery, and 

there is no way to possibly travel at 20 mph 

constantly with traffic and lights in a big city 

anyway. 

Personally, we have never had a rock or 

any other that inhibited the board's 

performance or usability on all our rides 

(granted we try to avoid gravel roads). The 

only objects we've picked up are leaves 

which have no effect but an annoying noise. 

Takes about 30 seconds to remove a leaf. 

When it comes to the Bluetooth 

connection, we've had a few times when the 

Bluetooth cut in and out while trying to 

accelerate from a stop. It happened rapidly 

like three times within the first 100 miles we 

rode. After those three incidents, we have 

not come across the problem again. 

We've only run out of battery twice where 

we had to pump like a regular board. Once 

because we traveled like six miles on 

constant expert mode, and the other on 

purpose to recalibrate the battery. There is 

added resistance, but not enough to not use 

it as a regular longboard. If you want even 

less resistance, you can easily put better 

bearings on it if you find yourself running 

out of battery at the end of your commutes. 

Final Verdict: If you are pandering on 

whether to buy the board, just buy it 

(assuming you have the money). 

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WARDROBE EMPORIUM 

THIS SUMMER'S LATEST FOR YOUR SARTORIAL ARSENAL 

16


Rains Unisex Coach Jacket, www.rains.com; The Voyager Set by Wool and Oak, 

www.woolandoak.com; The Beatles Limited Edition 6-pairs set by Happy Socks, 

www.happysocks.com; Dr. Martens 101 Brando, www.drmartens.com; Cable 

Crewneck Sweater by Uniqlo, www.uniqlo.com 

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PERFECTLY SEAMLESS 

THESE FOLKS AT BUCKLE & SEAM CREATE THE PERFECT TRAVEL AND 

BUSINESS BAGS WITH A LITTLE TWIST 


Tell us a little bit about yourselves. What 

are your roles in the company? 

We are three co-founders in our twenties 

who, while working for Rocket Internet in 

Pakistan, Myanmar and Bangladesh 

introduced and developed e-commerce 

companies to those fastest growing mobile 

markets. Jena, (Creative Director) 

organised the first Shoppable Fashion 

show in Pakistan and repositioned 

Daraz.pk as the leading fashion portal in 

the region. As the Creative Director of 

Buckle & Seam, she works on the brand/ 

visual direction and positioning as well as 

the communication towards the customer 

on the website and other channels. 

Georg & me (Marco) are the Managing 

Directors of Buckle & Seam, Georg 

managed and developed logistics and 

operations of the former e-commerce 

venture in a region without proper street 

numbers and unorganised traffic, whereas 

Marco lead all marketing & partnership 

activities of the ventures& introduced the 

legendary Black Friday Sales to the country. 

Georg leads the product development and 

sourcing of our products whereas I take 

care of marketing, customer support and 

any other related administrative or financerelated 

tasks. People would describe us as 

the perfect triangle with a character who 

has the patience & creativity for branding, a 

person who is detail oriented and analytical 

and a character who can run & thinks 

critical but positive all the time. While 

working abroad, we all met incredible 

people, travelled in enchanting landscapes 

and most of all, we discovered Pakistan’s 

rich craftsmanship and fashion heritage. 

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AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA 

AAA 

How did the company start? 

Before I (Marco) left to work in Pakistan, I 

was looking for a premium work bag, but 

couldn’t find any which met my expectations. 

Either the bags were priced above 1,000 EUR 

or/, and they had massive branding on the 

outside. Once living in Pakistan Georg & me 

got to know the great craftsmanship in the 

city and got ourselves a handmade business 

bag. We were amazed by the quality thought 

of getting more bags for our friends back 

home. As all three of us were sharing the same 

flat in Karachi Jena got involved into our little 

project and helped us get our products right. 

After we got ten products over to our friends 

in London, Paris & Berlin, we got great 

feedback and suggestions to improve the 

product further. We were so amazed by the 

craftsmanship, and after half a year of product 

& leather development, we decided to quit 

our full-time jobs to launch our own business. 

Together with our friends & family we 

develop our product portfolio and add laptop 

sleeves and travel bags to it. After planning 

for the next six months, we went back to 

Pakistan and tried to identify our ideal 

supplier and partner. Although we have lived 

in the region and got to know many suppliers 

while prototyping, it was challenging to find 

the right partner who could grow with us 

while maintaining superior working 

conditions and quality standards. Finally, we 

managed to found a partner who helped us 

get in touch with an owner of a facility with 

great artisans. We now managed to build our 

Buckle & Seam division and facilities which 

exactly met our idea of providing cutting-edge 

work standards and disrupting current 

practices. 

Tell us more about the One Bag - One Child 

mission. 

"By shopping with Buckle & Seam, you help to 

empower girls by giving them access to 

literacy, hygiene and tolerance awareness. 

How? Because we committed to giving part of 

the revenue of each bag sold to a school that 

promotes girls' education in Pakistan. " We 

commit 3% of overall Sales (revenue) to Anum 

School. Anum School (Anum means peace) 

was founded just over 30 years ago thanks to 

a brave woman who decided to install a 

medical camp in a poor neighbourhood. 

Thanks to her effort, the camp slowly turned 

into a school. The students learn how to read, 

count, and write. They get History lessons, 

learn about Science, English but also about 

basic hygiene, tolerance, and respect. 

The community is thankful for the 

opportunity to send their children to school 

for a minimal contribution. Moreover, the high 

quality of education has made a name for 

itself so that the school can not nearly 

accommodate all the demand it faces. That is 

why we have decided to partner with Anum 

School, to see it grow and spread. Towards 

autumn this year we will be able to cover all 

running costs of the school – the greatest 

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achievement of this year. 

Do you think that your intentions, and 

your product, can impact the (creative) 

process for the future? 

From our point of view, it is inevitably 

important for any business to be 

transparent to his customers about its 

product and as well about the entire 

operational flow. In our marketing and 

branding activities, we proudly 

communicate where we source our leather 

and craftsmanship from, Pakistan. We were 

in the lucky position to live in the country in 

which we produce now and are 

extraordinarily happy that we can not only 

support the great initiative, Anum School 

but furthermore promote a country not 

many people know the true beauty of. 

What is the ethos behind the designs of 

Buckle & Seam? 

We believe this country’s talents should be 

promoted proudly as well as the quality of 

the raw material. Further, the ability to 

work closely with family tanneries and 

highly skilled manufacturers were a key 

factor in our decision making. Our goal was 

not just to produce our bags and leave 

without looking back. Rather it is to 

produce high-end quality bags at affordable 

prices thanks to a shortened supply chain, 

to be transparent about it and try to give 

back by supporting a school that promotes 

girl's education in Karachi. The idea of us is 

that “Your journey starts here”, we offer 

classic, elegant, functional designs that can 

be customised with creative inside prints 

and engraving your initials. 

Tell us about the ethical nature of the 

leather you work with and your work 

processes. 

Our leather is carefully selected from the 

North of Pakistan. Working with cow 

leather allows our products to be resilient 

and soft at the same time. We use our 

leather in its most natural form; entire 

grain – meaning that all layers of the 

leather have been kept and worked 

together. Having an average thickness of 

1,8 – 2 mm, it is twice as thick as the 

leather used in conventional leather bags 

and thus more robust. 

Providing the highest standard of working 

conditions for our teams in Pakistan is the 

cornerstone of Buckle & Seam. By 

committing to their wellbeing, we are 

building trust and forming long-lasting 

relationships. Regular visits to our facilities 

in Pakistan every two to three months, with 

constant communication in between, 

ensures the continual improvement of our 

bags and maintains our strong brand. 

While the majority of the world’s leather 

is tanned involving harmful chemicals such 

as Chrome VI, Lead and other 

environmentally damaging chemical 

substances, we process our leather through 

a Vegetable tanning technique. This 

process takes longer time and requires a 

specific know-how but is the most natural 

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way of tanning leather as it does not require harmful 

chemicals. At Buckle & Seam, we only work with longestablished 

family tanneries who use the finest raw materials 

to create our beautiful products. The tanning process takes 

approximately 4 – 5 weeks from start to finish and requires 

experienced and skilful artisans to create. 

Lastly, what does the future hold for Buckle & Seam? 

We constantly try to broaden the product portfolio and will 

diversify in wallets & other business bags relatively soon. We 

would like to bring the feel and ethics of our products to every 

European Country by the end of the year, and we are looking 

forward to going back to Pakistan and help to improve literacy 

thereby actually not only growing Anum School but rather 

build more schools thanks to our initiative. 

Visit www.buckleandseam.com 

and follow their journey on Instagram @buckleandseam 

21



GET INSIDE THE BRILLIANT 

MINDS OF MINIMALIST FASHION, 

ASKET 

SAY HELLO TO YOUR NEW FAVOURITE FASHION BRAND 


Tell us more about yourselves. 

My name is August and my co founder is 

Jakob. We are both Swedes. Jakob is born 

and raised in Kalmar, the Southeast. I’m 

from the South but grew up in the States, 

Germany and Austria. We met the first day 

of business school in Stockholm nearly 8 

years ago, stuck together ever since. Both 

of us have a background from startups 

within e-commerce. I worked for a Swedish 

payment startup in the and Jakob for a 

European e-commerce giant. So neither of 

us had any experience from fashion, 

garment design or manufacturing before 

starting ASKET. Probably that was also to 

our advantage. It gave us a healthy dose of 

naiveté and an outside perspective that 

allowed us to see industry rules and 

standard processes very differently – that 

comes in handy when you’re trying to 

create something fundamentally different. 

Where did you find the inspiration to 

follow this path? 

Ever since I was a teenager I’ve wanted to 

create something of my own, something 

with a lasting impact. Turned out Jakob 

shared that same dream. And, despite our 

lack of professional experience from 

fashion, we shared a profound interest in 

timeless style and quality pieces. 

Eventually, after years of frustration of 

how hard it was to find great quality, wellfitting 

essentials at a decent price, we 

realized that a big part of the problem was 

inherent to the rules of the fashion 

industry – constantly changing trends, 

expensive store locations, lavish events and 

an incomprehensible web of middlemen, 

agents and distributors who all want there 

cut. No wonder a plain white tee from a 

designer brand would cost a fortune 

although the factory is paid almost nothing. 

The more we thought about it, the more we 

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AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA 

AAAA 

realized that there was huge potential 

coming from the outside and building a brand 

that would be entirely online based – an 

environment we were very much familiar 

with. So we decided to take the matter into 

our own hands, to really leverage the 

opportunities of online by bypassing the 

whole fashion circus, turn directly to our 

customers and strive for perfection without 

compromise. 

Most of us are familiar with the normal sizes 

such as XS, S, M, L, XL and more. So tell us 

the reason behind ASKET’s expansive 15 

size range. 

When it comes to timeless wardrobe 

essentials all that really matters is quality 

and fit. As consumers, we were constantly 

navigating a disappointing path of 

compromises: designs that are outdated the 

day they hit the shelves, overpaying for 

“quality” or paying too little for garments that 

would tear after one wash. Not to mention 

the fit – we’d always have to settle for 

something that would fit “almost” right –a bit 

too long, too short, too loose or too tight. 

Why? Because 5 standard sizes obviously 

aren’t enough for 3.5bn men. Brands need to 

squeeze as many people as possible into as 

few sizes as possible to keep costs down. So 

when we started ASKET the fit was crucial. 

And with the internet as our platform and a 

fundamentally different approach, we could 

afford to do things differently. With naturally 

timeless items, fewer styles and no stores, we 

could invest in more and better sizes from 

the start. So we decided to extend every 

“standard” size, XS-XL, with 3 lengths, 

offering a matrix of 15 sizes that are designed 

to fit more people better. And it 

works. Take our t-shirt for instance - 98% of 

the people who try us find the perfect fit. 

We noticed that you are quite transparent 

when it comes to pricing and in the 

production process. How important is it to 

be transparent? 

Transparency is crucial to us, for several 

reasons. Ultimately our whole concept is 

geared at facilitating sustainable 

consumption. It may seem like a terrible 

business idea but we want our customers to 

buy less, buy better and take responsible care 

of their garments. That’s the only way to 

really slow down the current fashion cycle. 

The only way we can achieve this is by telling 

the full story of all the hard work that goes 

into making their garments. We document all 

our factories and show even the cost 

breakdown of our products. By doing that we 

hope that people will truly appreciate their 

garments and handle them with care. 

Hopefully it also encourages to start thinking 

about these things, asking the right questions 

and expecting the same transparency from 

other brands. I think most people care about 

sustainability, they are just not used to have 

any facts available when making their 

decisions, so we put all the cards on the table. 

Another important aspect is trust. Since 

we’re online only, you obviously can’t touch 

or try our pieces before buying, you can’t 

23


convince yourself of our quality and dedication by going into 

a store and talking to a sales rep. So transparency in all 

aspects - communication, costs and manufacturing - is our 

way to account for who we are, what we do and how we do 

it, inviting our customers to see for themselves what they 

are investing in and establish a personal and trusted 

relationship with us, despite our lack of a physical presence. 

Any plans of expansion for the brand? 

We’re staying online-only but are continuing to gradually 

expand our product range at the same pace. One piece at a 

time, building and curating the only essential wardrobe 

you’ll ever need. More specifically, this year we’re moving 

into to pants which is a tremendously interesting and 

challenging piece. But we’ve been working on them for 

almost two years and are very confident. And as with our 

sweatshirt, we’ll invite our customers to a pre-release of a 

limited amount of garments and let them have the final say 

before launching in full. 

What about you guys personally? Any ambitions or wishes 

you’d like to fulfill this year? 

Personally, my girlfriend and I are hoping to move out of our 

1-room apartment in downtown Stockholm and into 

something bigger. Stockholm - as beautiful as it is - is 

unfortunately terribly expensive, so it’s a pretty big leap. 

We’ll see if we manage this year. But honestly, apart from 

that – and yes it sounds like a cliché but it’s true – ASKET is 

Jakob’s and my only project. Building something from 

scratch requires enormous attention and dedication. Both of 

us have set aside most other personal ambitions for the past 

2,5 years and that won’t change anytime soon. 

24

25 



AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA 

UP-CLOSE WITH THE FOUNDERS 

OF CANO SHOES 

MEET THE THE GUYS BEHIND THE COMFIEST SUMMER SHOES 


First tell us a little bit about yourselves and 

your roles in the company. 

We are Lukas and Philipp and together we 

are CANO. We are both 25 years old, 

business graduates and high school friends 

for more than 15 years. We love to travel, 

get to know new cultures and see how these 

are expressed through fashion. Together we 

have travelled across all 5 continents but 

Mexico was the one country that 

overshadowed all the other ones. The 

vibrant and lively culture with its Aztec and 

Mayan roots absolutely fascinated us. When 

it comes to fashion, in few countries people 

achieve to blend the traditional clothing 

with modern fashion – in Mexico it is 

omnipresent. Talking about our roles in the 

company, Philipp has the lead in marketing 

and supply chain activities, while Lukas 

takes over decisions concerning finance and 

sales. Nonetheless, we still make most 

decision together as we belief that 

teamwork always brings us to the best 

results. 

What made you decide to be in the 

shoemaking business? And what is the 

inspiration behind the name, CANO? 

It all began during Christmas 2014. It was 

right before his return to Europe, Philipp’s 

girlfriend, the Mexican fashion stylist, Maria 

Puga (Instagram: @chinapuga), gifted him a 

traditional Mexican clothing item - the 

original Huarache. Immediately being in 

love with the shoe and its unique woven 

leather upper, Philipp decided that he 

wanted to bring this special footwear to 

Europe. However, like most of all good 

ideas, some time passed and a couple of 

beers were needed until we founded CANO 

back in Düsseldorf, in summer 2016. 

Coming up with a good brand name is 

always a difficult task, especially if you want 

it to be connected to your story. So we 

brainstormed for weeks, researching 

Mexican literature, history and art. Finally, 

we came to the conclusion that we wanted 

our brand name to be as simple and 

memorable as possible. Thus, we chose the 

word “Mexicano” (engl. Mexican), cut off the 

first two syllables and CANO it was. 

Tell us about the design to manufacturing 

process. Which phase is the most difficult? 

We started with the design of a traditional 

huarache model and looked for ways to 

modernize its style for the European fashion 

taste. Doing so, we adjusted its shape and its 

26



AAAA 

woven leather upper. Here, we increased 

the level of detail and chose leather of 

much higher quality. As a result, the first 

five models became reality. Of course, we 

did not do all of this by ourselves. In the 

adaption process we involved shoe 

designers and our Mexican artisans that we 

selected in the first step. We chose the 

ones with the strongest craftsmanship and 

the flexibility and interest to move away 

from the traditional styles. Finding our 

manufacturers was actually the most 

difficult part of our journey. While many 

artisans work by themselves and would not 

have been able to provide us with the 

quantities needed, others were not able to 

craft the shoes in the quality we desired. 

Hence, it took us many months, 

recommendations and samples until we 

finally found the manufacturer we are 

working with today. 

Who would be the first one to try on the 

shoes to see if you’ve got “the one”? Was 

there an “ah-ha!” moment when you found 

the perfect design/fit? 

From early on we had a clear image of our 

product in mind. However, the actual 

creation was far more difficult than 

expected. The adaption process of the 

designs took several months and an 

uncountable amount of hours and samples 

to get to the result that we wanted for 

CANO. So the “ah-ha” moment was after 

receiving the 6th or 7th sample – it was 

immediately after opening the shoebox and 

seeing the shoe exactly how we had 

pictured it in our minds. However, this was 

only the first hurdle. Now, back in Germany 

we had to wait and see if the shoes would 

have the same design and quality as the 

samples. The moment the shoes arrived, we 

opened the boxes and saw the final result, 

we were more than relieved and delirious 

with joy that the shoes even surpassed our 

expectations. Thus, thanks to the 

Huarache’s huge potential, we are 

confident that our first five models are only 

the start of a bigger journey for CANO. 

What is your plan of “attack” for the 

company this year? Any plans of 

expansion? 

We started off with a relatively exclusive 

production to test the response of the 

European market. As the feedback was 

consistently positive until now, we are 

already planning for our upcoming 

collection next to increasing the brand 

awareness of CANO. Currently, we are 

working with several brand ambassadors 

and influencers to make CANO a 

household name in the niche market we are 

in. 

Visit www.thecanoshoe.com 

27



JAMES BOND, MEET YOUR 

SARTORIAL MATCH 

KINGSMAN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE X MR. PORTER 

It’s not unusual for the spy genre to push the 

boundaries of credibility. You don’t have to 

sit through a James Bond movie until the 

credits roll to realise that gritty realism is 

hardly the order of the day. If there’s one 

thing that’s certain to have us scoffing at 

our screens in disbelief, though, it’s not the 

sight of our favourite secret agent leaping 

from a moving car, hanging out of a 

helicopter, or disposing of incompetent 

henchmen in a hollowed-out volcano. No, 

it’s the fact that he’s doing it while wearing a 

suit, shirt and tie – and yet not once does he 

reach for a handkerchief to mop his brow. 

And it's not just about the clothes; there 

are also plenty of accessories on offer too, 

from special edition Smythson diaries to a 

Kingsman fragrance by The Perfumer’s 

Story, pens by Conway Stewart and a superexclusive 

TAG Heuer Connected Modular 

45 Kingsman Special Edition watch (you'll 

find it in the shop in its own custom, 

computerised case). 

28


Harry's Cashmere Overcoat; Eggsy's Grey Double-Breasted Wool And Mohair-Blend 

Suit Jacket; Eggsy's Grey Wool And Mohair-Blend Suit Trousers; Turnbull & Asser 

White Cotton Royal Oxford Shirt 

Jack's Statesman Grey Alcantara-Trimmed Donegal Wool Blazer; Jean Shop Tequila's 

Statesman Selvedge Denim Jeans; Turnbull & Asser Statesman Cotton Western Shirt 

29


Golden Bear Poppy's Appliquéd 

Leather And Felted Virgin Wool- 

Blend Jacket; Jean Shop Statesman 

Selvedge Denim Jeans; Mister 

Freedom Slub Cotton-Jersey T-Shirt 

Todd Snyder + Champion Harry's 

Fleece-Back Cotton-Blend Jersey 

Sweatshirt; Todd Snyder + Champion 

Harry's Tapered Fleece-Back Cotton- 

Blend Jersey Sweatpants; Mister 

Freedom Slub Cotton-Jersey T-Shirt 

30


KINGSMAN X TAG HEUER 

TAG Heuer Connected Modular 45mm Ceramic And Leather Smartwatch 

Housed in a grade-5 titanium and ceramic case that is water-resistant up to five 

bar, this Swiss-made Bluetooth and WiFi-compatible 'Connected Modular' 

timepiece has an Android Wear 2.0 operating system powered by an Intel 

processor and a 410mAh battery with over one-day power reserve. Choose from 

a digital library of more than 30 pre-loaded styles for the AMOLED screen 

display, opting for one of two Kingsman dials - apt when the insignia appears at 

10h10 and the signature alarm buzzes. Presented in a special edition box, it 

comes with two straps that can be swapped and changed without any tools - one 

rubber-backed brown leather and the other orange alcantara, inspired by the 

tangerine velvet smoking jacket worn in the film by Mr Taron Egerton. 

31


Rocky Mountain Featherbed Suede And Shearling-Trimmed Quilted 

Faille Down Gilet; Jean Shop Tequila's Statesman Selvedge Denim 

Jeans; Jean Shop Statesman Selvedge Denim Shirt; Jean Shop 

Statesman 4cm Brown Leather Western Belt; Stetson Tequila's 

Statesman Leather-Trimmed Felt Hat 

Tequila's Statesman Leather-Trimmed Shearling Bomber Jacket; Jean 

Shop Statesman Selvedge Denim Shirt; Jean Shop Statesman 4cm 

Brown Leather Western Belt; Stetson Tequila's Statesman Leather- 

Trimmed Felt Hat 

32


Shop and view more collection 

exclusively at at mrporter.com 

33


ASK A MAN WHO KNOWS 

TOP TIPS FOR FALL GROOMING AND MUST-HAVES 


Sunscreen is year-round necessity 

Promise Organic Sunscreen Lotion 

If you know your skin is the type to freak 

out with a chemical sunscreen—go for 

Promise Organic Sunscreen Lotion, 

suggests Dr. Zeichner. It’s formulated 

with zinc oxide only, which is ideal for 

people with sensitive skin, since it’s a 

gentle ingredient that can actually 

protect inflamed skin, he explains. Plus, 

it’s blended with natural shea butter and 

essential oils, so your skin will actually 

feel soft and smooth instead of irritated. 

Exfoliate, but do it gently 

Scotch Porter Charcoal & Licorice 

Exfoliating Face Scrub 

Founded by Calvin Quallis, this hip 

grooming line touts slick packaging and 

innovative, yet eco-friendly formulas. 

Fortified with a bevy of skin-healthy 

botanicals like turmeric root, green tea, 

and licorice root, the brand’s scrub also 

stars charcoal, which is known to help 

detox the skin by drawing out impurities 

34


Invest in moisture 

No Wrinkles Extreme Moisturiser by This Works 

The lack of humidity in the air during the colder months can sap the moisture from 

your skin. To remedy this, a good moisturizer is essential, but one that locks in 

moisture is even better. 

Don't forget your hands 

Jack Black Industrial Strength Hand Healer 

Jack Black claims to be the hardest working hand cream in the 

business; and offers a rich, intensive cream with special conditioners 

to diminish tough calluses and heal unsightly cuticles. We love how 

this nourishing formula absorbs quickly and leaves a velvet-smooth 

finish with little residue and no stickiness. Premium ingredients like 

Vitamin A and E, eucalyptus, and rice bran oil, make this a powerful 

but gentle moisturizer men can use daily or as needed to transform 

dry, chapped, or cracked hands. You can also use this Industrial 

Strength Hand Healer on your feet, knees, and elbows. 

35


AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA 

MEET MAX: THE GUY BEHIND THE 

REVOLUTIONARY TRAVEL 

LUGGAGE 

NO ONE DOES SUITCASES BETTER THAN BUGABOO 


After the success of Bugaboo as a stroller 

company, when and how did the 

idea arise to design a new type of product? 

For us, it has never just been about strollers; 

it has always been about 

helping people move freely. When we first 

started the company, I spent a lot of time 

travelling for 

work. Everywhere I went, I saw travelers 

struggling with their luggage —there was 

obviously a huge opportunity to bring our 

design philosophy into the world of travel 

and shake things up a bit. So after a very 

successful few years of selling strollers, we 

decided to stretch the business by entering 

a new market based on the same brand 

values. 

What is the most innovative feature of 

Bugaboo Boxer? 

For me there are two: the power of push 

that turns the burden of carting around 

luggage into a smooth, effortless 

experience; and the modular system of 

interlocking cases that means you can carry 

all your bags on a single, easy-to-maneuver 

chassis. 

What projects do you have in mind for the 

future? What other types of product would 

36


AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA 

AAAA 

you like to reinvent? 

We love designing products that make life 

on the road easier. We’re constantly looking 

around us, observing the world, and trying 

to pinpoint places where life can be 

improved – and become more fun. That’s 

how we started: we saw how parents 

struggled when they went out with their 

families. They were pushing around strollers 

that were not only impractical – but ugly! 

We decided to change that. We happened to 

start off with strollers, but Bugaboo has 

always been a mobility brand at heart. So, 

we’ve just launched a luggage system, and 

next, we’re looking at making something 

that will change the way people think about 

commuting to work. 

Sticking with the theme of mobility, what 

are the objects that will be involved in the 

most interesting design evolution of the 

years to come? 

Everyone’s excited about electric cars right 

now, and I think we’ll see a lot more activity 

in that area. But I’m Dutch, so I prefer bikes! 

I grew up fixing and tinkering with bikes. 

They’re incredible pieces of design — so 

simple and useful, and really good from a 

sustainability point of view. But the basic 

design hasn’t really changed very much in 

over a century. So I feel very excited about 

personal mobility solutions based in the 

world of bikes, mopeds, and scooters. We’ve 

got a game-changing design in the works, 

and I think we’ll see a lot more fun and 

inspiring ideas coming in 

this area. 

Performance, functional innovation, 

aesthetic quality, identity, thought content: 

which of these values has the most 

importance in your design vision? 

We follow an iterative design process where 

functional performance and aesthetic 

quality cross-fertilize through integration. 

One of our guiding design principles is; “no 

beauty without performance”. Making 

something just look great won’t cut it at 

Bugaboo. All of our products are high 

performance, which means they function far 

above expectation – and are made to last for 

years. 

Visit www.bugaboo.com/luggage 

37


IN AND OUT OF 

BRUGES 

THIS LITTLE CITY IN BELGIUM IS PERFECT FOR 

A STROLL IN THE FALL 

By Andrea Manning 

It wasn’t until I saw the 2008 Colin Farrell movie “In 

Bruges”, a black comedy about two Irish hitmen in 

hiding, that I became aware of this Belgian town. I 

went from first hearing about it, to being absolutely in 

love with it, in only 107 minutes. The film did a great 

job of showcasing Bruges, so much so, that I couldn’t 

stop dreaming about it for weeks (Bruges that is, not 

the movie, even though it was very good). As the 

characters go about their business, you get to see a lot 

of Bruges: The wonderful architecture, Grote Markt 

and the famous Belfry, old bridges and beautiful parks. 

The locations are so much a part of the film, it’s like 

Bruges itself is playing a leading character’s role. 

Falling in love with a place you see in a movie can be 

both a blessing and a curse. For one, it will probably 

inspire you to seek out more information, maybe even 

visit one day. On the other hand, it can set the bar very 

high. If you do visit one day, there is always the 

possibility that the place won’t match your 

expectations. After all, Hollywood is very good at 

making the ordinary extraordinary. So, was Bruges 

everything I expected and hoped it would be? Before I 

tell you, here’s a look at how we spent our day in 

Bruges. 

38

39 



GROTE MARKT 

The largest of Bruges’ two central squares, Grote Markt was everything I had envisioned and 

dreamed about since 2008. I love buildings with character and colour, so the hugest smile 

came on my face when I stepped out from under the Belfry into the market square. 

Nineteenth century gabled buildings edge three sides of the square, the fourth side flanked 

by the impressive Belfort. Horse drawn carriages wait in the square for tourist to whisk 

around Bruges (and I do mean whisk- those horses trot people around so fast, I failed to see 

how it would have been romantic). Still, their presence contributed to the overall charm of the 

Markt. 

CANAL CRUISE 

I loved the canal cruise because we passed by a lot of very beautiful buildings, saw 

some swans gracefully floating at Minnewater park and went under some very low 

bridges (our captain told us to duck, but I don’t think they were low enough to start 

taking off heads!). At the same time I hated the cruise because we breezed by 

everything so fast! I was trying so hard to savour the moment, take it all in, burn the 

experience into my memory. I just don’t feel like that happened. While we saw a 

great deal and went down a few different canals, it was at such a fast pace. Too fast 

to be romantic and too fast to remember with a fond vividness. 

40


THE BELFRY 

The belfry dates back to about 1240, when Bruges was quite prosperous 

thanks to the Flemish cloth industry. A bit of an unlucky place, the tower has 

fallen victim to fire three times, the last of which destroyed the wooden spire in 

1741. It has never been replaced. 

On the way to the top of the tower you can stop on different levels to see 

displays of old bells, plus admire the big bell and see the carillon in action. 

Today there are 47 bells making up the carillon which rings out in song every 

quarter hour. While the carillon was interesting to watch, the best part of the 

belfry was the panoramic views you get of Bruges 

41


AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA 

42


AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA 

AAA 

INSIDE 

SHANGHAI'S 

FIRST SEVEN- 

STAR HOTEL 

Wanda Reign on the Bund, owned by 

Chinese property billionaire Wang Jianlin, 

took three years and half-a-billion dollars 

to build. 

A creation of glass and steel, the Wanda Reign 

on the Bund, China’s first seven-star hotel, 

adds sparkle to the well-known Shanghai 

promenade. But it is the hotel interiors that 

truly amaze. Think all-out Art Deco glamour 

topped with oriental opulence — oceans of 

marble floors and walls, rivers of inlaid jade, 

waves of geometric prints and towering 10mhigh 

bronze columns. 

If the inflated hotel rating is to be taken 

seriously, Chinese billionaire Wang Jianlin’s 

latest offering seeks to establish a level 

beyond luxury. The property tycoon’s Wanda 

Hotels & Resorts has opened more than 100 

outfits in the past five years. Wanda Reign on 

the Bund, the group’s ultra-luxe Shanghai 

flagship, took three years, and half-a-billion 

43



dollars, to build. 

Much of that went into commissioning 

dozens of quirky sculptures, avant-garde 

paintings and murals, displayed across the 

indoor and outdoor spaces. Wang is known 

as an art connoisseur and supporter of 

Chinese contemporary culture. The 

experience begins when you step into the 

palatial lobby, dominated by the Splendid 

Orient, an enormous impressionist painting 

of Shanghai by contemporary artist Shi Qi. 

The custom masterpiece showcases an 

abstract expression of the vibrant and 

modern metropolis, which has gone 

through a great socio-economic 

metamorphosis over the last two decades. 

Many of the hotel rooms overlook the 

city’s evolving skyline, plus tinier art pieces. 

We stayed in a corner room with floor-toceiling 

windows facing the Bund, Huangpu 

River and the modern Pudong district — 

with the kitschy Oriental Pearl Tower in 

plain sight. An Ogawa massage chair, a rare 

hotel amenity, is placed beside the window, 

encouraging maximum use. Delicate silkembroidered 

magnolia motifs over the bed, 

plus amber-coloured rhinestones, 3D 

mosaic tiling and a gold claw-foot tub in the 

bathroom illustrate the room’s flamboyant 

intent. 

Cutting-edge technology is ubiquitous. 

Peepholes are swapped with convenient 

digital screens to show a live feed of whose 

waiting at the door and iPad smart controls 

replace the use of buttons and knobs for 

curtains, lightings and temperature 

settings. 

Out of the hotel’s five dining marquees, 

we opted for the fifth-level He Japanese 

restaurant. Open only at night, we suggest 

sitting at the sleek bar as Tokyo-native chef 

Kikuchi Yoshiyuki will offer you his 

specially concocted and very potent 

shochu to pair with omakase-style dishes 

and Edomae sushi. 

Head to the rooftop bar Marc after 

dinner and toast Shanghai’s high life with 

an array of speciality cocktails. When it’s 

finally time to leave, the hotel’s 

chauffeured Rolls-Royce Phantom, 

supposedly owned by Wang himself, is 

available to see you to the airport in style. 

44


Wanda Reign on the Bund is a member of 

Preferred Hotels & Resorts, which represents the 

world’s finest hotels and resorts with an 

extensive global collection across more than 85 

countries. 

www.preferredhotels.com 

45



SHARP SHOOTER 

THE X-E3 IS THE BEST CAMERA FROM FUJIFILM YET 

www.fujifilm.com 

It’s been a long time coming. The third 

iteration of Fujifilms X-E line of X-series 

camera. Built in a rangefinder “brick” 

styling, but without the OVF of the X-Pro 

line, the X-E3 is to its bigger brother X- 

Pro2, what the X-T20 is to the X-T2. 

As always, the wishlist for features in a 

new fujifilm camera grow larger by the 

minute in various online communities, but 

Fujifilm kept true to concept, and improved 

an already great camera in some key 

areas.Fujifilm put effort into some new 

technologies, mainly evolving the 

touchscreen capabilities and using 

bluetooth for an “always on” type of 

connection to your phone. They also made 

it smaller. Actually, a lot smaller! It seems as 

if they really wanted this camera to be a 

versatile mirrorless interchangeable lens 

camera with as small a physical footprint as 

possible, that would be instantly capable of 

social media uploading and sharing. A real 

2017 lifestyle camera. 

Files are sharp, rich and vibrant straight 

out of the camera. Image noise at high ISO 

is kept to an absolute minimum, and the 

grain is not that of coma-noise. It is more 

like luminance noise. It looks fantastic in 

black and white, as well as in colour images. 

There isn’t necessarily less noise in the 

Fujifilm X-Trans files – it’s just better 

looking. Fujifilm apparently one-up’ed the 

high speed autofocus modes in the X-E3. 

They did some algorithm magic and 

cramped an extra few milliseconds out of 

the camera. 

The X-E3 is also the first camera from 

Fujifilm to feature a new bluetooth image 

transferring standard. You can have a ultra 

low power consuming connection feature 

to your smartphone or tablet. Gone are the 

tedious days of tranferring through wi-fi 

after trying to connect in what seems like 

forever. The new remote app lets you pair 

your X-E3 directly to your camera, and 

after that you can have it transfer all your 

files automatically or you can choose which 

files to transfer. The automatic transfer 

46


starts when you enter play mode or 

whenever you turn off your camera. You 

will get a small icon on your screen that 

shows the number of files that is set to be 

transferred. When using the “transfer 

order” function you get to choose which 

files you want to tranfer. The “transfer 

order” is found on page 2 of the playback 

menu, but there is a shortcut you can use by 

pressing “play” and then “A-FL” – It takes 

you straight to the menu. 

Since this is bluetooth, you can have an 

always-on connection, and you will 

experience close to zero power 

consumption of the camera. The build and 

feel of the camera is phenomenal. Metal 

built, nice silver or black coating as well as a 

very clean and streamlined layout of the 

camera back. It looks even cleaner than the 

X100F. It feels like a high quality product 

despite of the compact size. 

On the top plate you find a shutterspeed 

dial (up to 1/4000s), the auto switch, the 

shutter release (which is threaded), the 

exposure compensation (+3 to -3 and a “C” 

position where you can use the dials to dial 

in +5/-5) and an Fn button. All in all a very 

familiar layout to Fujifilm X series 

“rangefinder” users. 

The curves and lines on the camera have a 

very organic and fluid feel to them. Not any 

kind of hard edges anywhere.With the X-E3 

you get top op the line portability, 

connectivity and IQ within the Fujifilm X- 

series system. This is indeed a perfect carry 

around camera for those who do not want 

a fixed lens camera like the X100F/X70. – 

It’s getting rather tiresome to write, but 

Fujifilm has yet again made an incredible 

camera. 

47


THE BATTLE OF SMART HOME 

SPEAKERS: GOOGLE, AMAZON, 

AND APPLE 

SPOIL YOURSELF WITH THE LATEST SMART SPEAKERS FOR YOUR HOME 


48



AAAA 

GOOGLE GOES MINI 

THIS TINY SPEAKER PACKS A PUNCH 


The Google Home Mini is a stylish-looking 

speaker with surprisingly strong sound 

quality for its size. The Google Assistant is a 

capable Alexa competitor, especially thanks 

to its ability to search out detailed answers 

to a wide variety of questions. 

Google kept things simple with the Mini's 

design. It's an oblong orb of plastic and 

fabric with no visible buttons save for a 

slider to mute the microphone that's hidden 

in the back. It comes in your choice of three 

colors -- chalk (light gray), charcoal (dark 

gray), or coral (pinkish orange). 

To wake it up, you say "OK, Google" or 

"Hey, Google," and then you give it a 

question or command. You can ask it to play 

music, turn your smart home gadgets on 

and off, look up a fact for you, control 

Netflix and YouTube on your Chromecastenabled 

TV plus a whole host of other 

tricks. It puts the power of the internet just 

an utterance away, with the Google 

Assistant as your concierge. The Google 

Assistant is a good assistant. It's pleasant 

and helpful, and generally good at finding 

answers to whatever questions you can 

think to throw at it. By default, the 

49 

Assistant's digital voice is female, but if 

you'd rather converse with a "he," that's an 

option now, too — just toggle the setting in 

the Home mobile app's preferences section. 

Regardless of which voice you choose, I still 

wish Google would give its Assistant a 

better name. 

Despite the lack of physical buttons, the 

Home Mini still has touch controls you can 

use. You can tap the top to pause or resume 

music playback, and you can tap and hold to 

activate the Assistant. To adjust the volume, 

you tap the sides of the device. I wasn't a 

huge fan of those volume controls — they 

aren't quite responsive enough when you 

want to use them, and yet it's hard not to 

activate them by mistake whenever you 

pick the thing up. That said, you'll probably 

prefer to turn things up and down using 

voice commands. 

Overall, it's a design that's capable of 

blending in with your home's decor while 

still looking good if you happen to fix your 

gaze on it.



AMAZON SHOWS ITS WILD SIDE 

ITS LATEST SPEAKER NOW COMES WITH A SCREEN AND MORE 


The Echo Show does everything the original 

Echo does, but many of those features are 

much better when you add in a screen. 

Given that the Show is only $50 more than 

the standard Echo, it'll be a worthwhile 

investment for anyone looking to add a 

digital assistant to their home. 

The Echo Show is an oddly angular and 

blocky device. It's also strangely large, 

almost bulbous at the base. It's definitely 

not the sleek cylinder that we've come to 

associate with the Echo. The matte-black 

plastic (it's also available in white) picks up 

fingerprints quite easily -- but this isn't a 

device that you'll be moving around often, 

so that shouldn't be much of a problem. 

It turns out, that wide base houses the 

Echo Show's two speakers, which perform 

much better than I expected (more on that 

later). They make up the bottom half of the 

device, while the top is dominated by the 7- 

inch, 1024 x 600 touchscreen. That's the 

same resolution as Amazon's Kindle Fire 7 

tablet, and while it's certainly nothing to 

write home about, it fits the Echo Show's 

purpose. 

It's not something you'll be staring at for 

hours on end; instead, you're more likely to 

be giving it quick glances throughout the 

day. On top is a 5-megapixel video camera, 

which you'll use for video calls and, 

potentially, third-party services down the 

line. The top features three buttons: two 

for volume control and one to mute the 

Echo Show's eight-microphone array. The 

mics are set in an oval around the buttons 

up top, but there's no light ring like what 

you'll find on the original Echo. Instead, the 

bottom of the screen glows blue when you 

talk to the Echo Show. That works fine -- it's 

just not as elegant as the light ring. 

Overall, the Echo Show hardware is solid 

and functional, but not much more. It does a 

good enough job of blending into the 

background, which is really what you want 

from a device like this. 

50


AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA 

AAAAA 

APPLE BRINGS SIRI HOME 

APPLE FANS, REJOICE! YOUR HOME NOW GETS SMARTER 

When you first turn on the HomePod, it 

wants to learn where it is in space. It will 

send out a 360 beam of sound, seeing if 

there are any surfaces nearby, and if it finds 

it's on a shelf or a bookcase will use the wall 

behind to reflect a different level of sound. 

It's similar functionality to what's offered 

by Sonos with its multi-room speakers, 

although this system relies on you walking 

around the speaker's room with a phone 

that then uses its microphone to measure 

the space. 

The HomePod will also automatically 

work out whether there's another speaker 

nearby, and will connect to it and balance 

the sound to make sure the two are working 

well in tandem. Pairing your Apple device 

involves simply holding it near the speaker 

in much the same way as the AirPods. Apple 

is yet to confirm whether you can use non- 

Apple devices with the speaker. 

But how do they sound compared to one 

another? Well, the HomePod is easily the 

best of the three in terms of overall 

performance - but you'd expect that given 

it's also the most expensive. HomePod has 

been designed to be a 7-inch with a 4-inch 

upward-facing woofer that Apple promises 

will rock almost any room with distortionfree 

audio. It helps that this thing has 7 beamforming 

tweeters in its base. 

Apple has Siri baked into it, which explains 

why everyone was calling it the Apple Siri 

Speaker ahead of today's launch event. That 

means it will be able to answer inquiries like 

the Home and Echo, and also access Apple 

Music's 4 million song catalogue with a 

simple voice command. Voice commands are 

picked up with the speaker's six-microphone 

array, which is one less than the number that 

can be found in the Amazon Echo, but three 

times the amount that the Google Home has. 

Unfortunately Apple were silent on how 

well the speaker would work with other 

music services. Thanks to the inclusion of 

AirPlay you should be able to play any music 

you like from your iPhone, but it's not clear 

whether you'll be able to use Siri to control 

playback in the same way. 

51



THE UNIVERSAL VIRTUAL 

REALITY HEADSET 

CARL ZEISS VR ONE PLUS IS COMPATIBLE WITH ANY PHONE, AND THAT'S A 

GOOD THING 

www.zeiss.com 

VR is taking off – whether it’s watching 

ultra-immersive videos or utilising apps on 

your phone, or embedding yourself into 

whole new worlds with the help of a 

monster PC – it will soon be normal.The 

Zeiss VR One Plus is a VR phone headset 

which means you put your phone in it and 

watch special split-screen VR content 

through two binoculars-style lenses.the VR 

One Plus has a separate tray for the phone. 

This tray is generally compatible with 

phones from 4.7 to 5.5 inches. Usefully, the 

tray has a notch in the middle to help you 

line the phone's screen up so it's exactly in 

the middle of the lenses. 

Slotting it in is relatively simple but we 

found the tray could cover corners of the 

screen where some settings are usually 

positioned. It’s not a huge annoyance but it 

means sliding the phone out and maybe 

moving it around to get at the controls 

sometimes. We’ve yet to see a perfect 

phone clasp system.The front panel is made 

from a translucent black plastic. The Carl 

Zeiss logo sits discretely in the bottom left- 

hand corner, and the VR One name can be 

found along the top. The main body of the 

headset is made from a solid matte-white 

plastic, with a long narrow slot sitting 

behind the plastic plate. 

There’s also a black trim within which 

you’ll find some ventilation holes, covered 

from below with a thin layer of foam mesh. 

These ensure that the lenses stay mist and 

fog-free, unlike other VR headsets at this 

price range. There’s a triple layer of foam 

around the headset, too, to protect your 

eyes, and a double headstrap for keeping 

the VR One firmly on your head while in 

use. I found the VR One comfortable to 

wear; the straps can be adjusted to ensure 

the headset fits even the largest of heads. 

As for the VR content available, variety 

remains an issue. Despite Google 

Cardboard having been around for nearly 

two years now, there still isn’t a plentiful 

supply of content available – especially 

next to the Oculus-powered Samsung Gear 

VR. 

Carl Zeiss itself has a small selection of 

52


apps made specifically for the VR One: VR 

One Media, VR One AR, Carl Zeiss VR/ 

Exposition and the VR One Cinema. The VR 

One Media app acts as a hub for all the VR 

content that can be found within either 

Google Play or the App Store that Carl 

Zeiss deems is compatible with the VR One. 

The VR One AR app takes advantage of 

the small, colourful paper cube that comes 

flatpacked with the VR One. It uses the 

camera on your phone to let you see out of 

the headset to the cube itself, and allows a 

variety of items and creatures to emerge 

from within. It’s a great experience and a 

superb introduction to VR that doesn’t 

require you to be totally cut off from 

reality. 

The Carl Zeiss VR/Exposition app on the 

other hand is a lot more sedate. It takes you 

on a tour of an art gallery that features two 

artists, allowing you to get up close to the 

artwork from the comfort of your sofa. 

Finally, the VR One Cinema also allows you 

to downscale video and other content to a 

VR experience. 

53


THE WALL OF SOUND 

A NEW AGE OF SOUND SYSTEM HAS ARRIVED WITH BANG & OLUFSEN 

BEOSOUND SHAPE 

www.bang-olufsen.com 

The new wireless speaker system is wall-mounted and modular in design, the idea being 

that you set up an array of the speakers and configure it to your own needs. The BeoSound 

Shape forms a series of hexagonal tiles and behind each is a removable grille that features 

either an amplifier, smart hub, speaker or acoustic dampers. These tiles easily clip together 

to form different patterns, fabrics and colours and the end result is something more akin to 

wall art than a hi-fi installation. 

At the heart of the system is the BeoSound Core connectivity hub. This allows wireless 

streaming from Apple Airplay, Chromecast, Spotify Connect and Bluetooth 4.1. The Core 

hub also uses Bang & Olufsen proprietary BeoLink system meaning the Shape can form 

part of a multi-room set-up alongside other Bang & Olufsen and Beoplay products. 

54


GOING STEALTH 

THE ALL-NEW RAZER BLADE STEALTH IS PERFECT FOR NON-GAMERS 

www.razerzone.com 

The Stealth looks like a mini-gaming laptop, 

taking design cues from the thin and light 

MSI gaming machines from years gone by. 

Its aluminium shell has sharp edges and 

curved corners, managing an impressive mix 

of gamer-chic and work laptop style. 

The biggest clue to its gaming background 

is the green Razer logo that lights up when 

the laptop is switched on. While the device 

looks good out of the box, it will become 

staggeringly greasy almost immediately. Not 

only does every fingerprint leave a mark, 

trying to rub it off with anything but a 

proper cleaning cloth simply smudges 

grease around the lid and palm rest. 

The keyboard suffers the same fate, with 

each key getting a wet-looking coating. It’s a 

shame, because it’s a well-built piece of kit 

that weighs just 1.29kg. The keyboard isn’t 

the finest you’ll find on an Ultrabook, with a 

fairly rattly and shallow action. The keys 

themselves are of a decent size and are 

backlit too, but they aren’t particularly 

comfortable when typing for long periods. 

The best feature is the RGB backlighting. 

Unlike most other gaming laptops, the keys 

are individually lit. This means each key can 

display a different colour, allowing for some 

fun effects including flashing the keys for 

every press, and colourful wave patterns. 

They’re not essential, but they’re fun 

nonetheless. The touchpad is fine, but 

nothing special. It doesn’t have the instant 

precision of its high-end rivals and actually 

feels sluggish upon first use. A quick tweak 

of Windows touchpad settings saw me right, 

but it still isn’t a great experience for a 

laptop designed to be used on the move. 

The base model Razer Blade Stealth comes 

with a 2,560 x 1,440 IGZO touchscreen 

that’s 12.5 inches. A 13.3-inch panel is more 

usual on a laptop of this size. Aside from the 

bezel issues mentioned above, the other 

problem with a screen this size is that 

everything looks absolutely tiny unless you 

turn Windows 10’s display scaling options 

up to maximum. 

55


TECH ATTACK 

THE LATEST ACCESSORIES AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW 

NOMAD USB HUB - 5 PORT 

www.hellonomad.com 

This sophisticated multi-port USB charging hub is capable of charging up 

to five devices at once and designed to blend into your home’s decor. 

Discreetly hidden under its matte rubber top, Hub’s backside houses five 

high-powered standard USB ports and a cable routing passage for clean 

cable management. Unfortunately, it's currently available in USA style 

plugs only. 

OLIVE LEATHER WALLET CASE 

FOR IPHONE X BY MUJJO 

www.mujjo.com 

We're a sucker for products from 

Mujjo, as you notice in previous 

issues. We just love the understated 

simplicity and elegance in all Mujjo's 

products, this case included. Now 

comes in a bold olive colour, the 

leather wallet case is sleek and 

stylish, while at the same offers 

good protection for your expensive 

iPhone X. They’ve fully wrapped the 

cases with leather to reinforce their 

durability and closely follow the 

contours of the device, resulting in a 

very streamlined silhouette. The 

case interiors are lined with the 

finest Japanese microfiber with a 

satin-like finish, providing soft 

padding for your iPhone X. 

56


PAX III 

www.paxvapor.com 

These days everything is smart. Fridges, 

lights and now e-cigarettes. Capable of 

taking liquid or smoking mixture the 

Pax uses Bluetooth to control the mode 

for your preference of smoke 

production and flavour, and will even 

tell you when it needs charging or 

cleaning. It's one of those devices that 

perhaps is a hammer to crack a walnut, 

but it's an absolutely beautiful device 

and a much more discreet way of vaping 

than most. If you're thinking of giving up 

smoking, this could be the solution. Did 

we get away with that? Good. 

WACACO MINIPRESSO PORTABLE ESPRESSO MAKER 

www.wacaco.com 

Whether your next trip away involves backpacking, camping or slumming it in a hotel with no 

coffee-making facilities, the Wacaco Minipresso espresso maker is small, light and portable 

enough to ensure you never miss out on your morning coffee again. And it’s a good job. 

Regularly slurping a cup of the black stuff is associated with endless benefits, such as a lower 

incidence of Parkinson’s and certain types of cancers, and even reduced rates of DNA 

damage. The Center for Cohort Studies at Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, recently noted 

that drinking coffee could also reduce the risk of clogged arteries, which can lead to heart 

attacks. A cup of coffee a day keeps the illness away. 

57


SMART HOME, SMARTER YOU 

FOUR ESSENTIAL GADGETS TO START A SMART HOME 


POWERFUL WIFI 

Netgear AC1750 

One of the "hidden costs" of the smart home is having to get a good WiFi router. Without 

one, your experience with any internet-connected device is going to be lackluster. That’s 

frustrating when you’re trying to stream an episode of "Game of Thrones," but it’s actually 

sad when you’re sitting in the dark thanks to non-functioning smart bulbs. No WiFi router 

is going to be perfect, but people seem generally happy with this one from Netgear. It’s 

most important feature is supporting the wireless AC standard, which is currently the 

fastest type of WiFi available. Depending on the size of your place, it may be smart to invest 

in a mesh WiFi system, but if you’re trying to stay under a strict budget, this is a good way 

to go. 

CONNECTED LIGHTS 

Philips Hue 

It includes two smart bulbs and a Hue 

Bridge, which lets you connect up to 45 

bulbs. White Ambiance bulbs won’t be 

able to cycle through thousands of fun 

colors, but they can be turned on and off 

using your phone or voice. It doesn’t 

hurt that they’re both functional — 

especially if you only have overhead 

lighting in your apartment and don’t 

want to get up to flip the switch before 

going to bed — and fun. Turning your 

lights on and off with your voice might 

sound silly at first, but you’ll be 

surprised how quickly you get used to it. 

58


SMART PLUGS 

TP-Link Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini 2-Pack 

You can spend a small fortune replacing your appliances with new "smart" versions, but you 

can save a lot of money by buying smart plugs. Smart plugs sit between the outlet and your 

appliance and give you control over the flow of electricity. You can turn whatever is plugged 

into the smart plug on and off, or put it on a timer so it can’t waste power — or become a fire 

hazard. It requires some forethought, but these plugs can actually make your routine go a lot 

more smoothly. For instance, you can use it on electric kettle so you can say, "Alexa, turn on 

my electric kettle" and have boiled water for tea by the time you're done brushing your teeth 

in the morning. Smart plugs may not be as elegant of a solution as buying a new appliance, but 

they're a lot more cost effective. Plus, sometimes all you need is an answer to the question 

"Wait, did I leave that thing on?" 

LIVE COMFORTABLY 

Nest Learning Thermostat 

It offers all of the smarts of its 

predecessors, including Auto Scheduling 

and Auto-Away features, energy usage 

reporting, remote management via a 

mobile app, and a quick and easy 

installation procedure, and it boasts a few 

major improvements, including a larger 

screen with a sharper resolution that you 

can see across the room. It also supports 

geofencing to ensure it doesn't go into 

Away mode while you or a family member 

are at home. Although it lacks remote 

room sensors, it does works with a variety 

of smart home devices and the IFTTT 

Internet service, not to mention other 

Nest products. All this earns it our Editors' 

Choice for smart thermostats. 

59

Published by Jungle Bird Media GERMANY junglebirdmedia.com

COMMON MAGAZINE EUROPE - FALL 2017

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