Design Anthology, Asia Edition, Issue 39
We were poolside at a particularly palatial villa in Bali when we realised we work rather well together. The year was 2018; we had just put out a special issue on Indonesia and were touring the nation’s creative hubs to launch it and meet many of the faces who had made their way into its pages. Whether it was the breezy Bali air, the liberal libations or the friendly Indonesian spirit, there was a lightness that made anything seem possible. Fast forward to today and, it turns out, anything is. With this issue, the two of us have come together to take Design Anthology into its second decade.
Since meeting, we’ve worked on 20 issues together, this being our 21st. Everything you see in this issue of Design Anthology and beyond is a collaboration and a reflection of a vision shared between two different people. It may be unusual in the world of magazines, but we nonetheless join a long history of partnerships in the creative disciplines that we cover.
Bar a few tweaks, the issue continues many of the conventions established over the past ten years. We continue to look for the Design Anthology take on design, architecture, travel, fashion and art with our roster of writers and photographers, and as always this sets us off on a global tour. Our Dossier section stops off in Tokyo, Seoul and Shanghai, while Wanderlust has us checking in to Kyoto and Mongolia’s Orkhon Valley. Then it’s up to London and Venice for our Vernissage section, down to Bangkok, Bali, Singapore and Australia’s Mornington Peninsula for our Homes section and then back to the Thai capital for Architectonics. Where’s the Concorde when you need it?
Before you get stuck into this issue, it’s worth recognising the mammoth effort — and bravery — it takes to start and run a magazine. Founders Suzy Annetta and Philip Annetta, and countless collaborators along the way, have worked incredibly hard to spotlight a community that, until Design Anthology’s founding in 2014, had no unifying publication dedicated to it. The courage and vision it took to launch something new should never be underestimated, and we honour their efforts with renewed vigour as we begin this journey together.
If you have a project to pitch, a tip to reveal or some feedback to share, our inboxes are always open. Whether we’re yet to meet or are old friends, we can’t wait to clink glasses with you somewhere in the world in the months to come. It’s because of our readers, our steadfast contributors and our commercial partners that we’re able to do what we do. Thank you for all your support, and we hope you enjoy the issue.
Simone Schultz & Jeremy Smart
Editors-in-Chief
