HTSI editor’s letter: getting leathered in Munich

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I love Munich. And I love leather. So, no surprise, I love this weekend’s cover.

I didn’t always love leather. In my younger years I thought it made me look a little brassy; it didn’t sit so easily on me. Maybe it’s a material that requires a little maturation. A bit of attitude. As time has passed I’ve found it to be the unexpected workhorse of my wardrobe, helping me to channel a persona I like to pitch between ’70s rock icon and Soviet-era spy. I’ve since worked up quite a portfolio of leathers, my current favourites being a vast black trench from Balenciaga and a chestnut-brown bomber by Studio Nicholson. The range on offer in our shoot is sorely tempting – I’ve been lusting over the Phoebe Philo jacket above ever since I saw it in a lookbook more than a year ago.

Chloé leather trench coat, £5,600, and leather over-the-knee boots, £1,496. Ferragamo super-geelong wool dress (just seen around sleeves), £1,085, on Lenbachplatz in Munich © Jeremy Everett

Munich is a largely undiscussed city, often overlooked in favour of the edgier Berlin. It’s a shame, considering its profuse supply of beer steins, pretzels and traditional costumes, which are very much the metrics by which I like to measure up a place. Munich residents themselves feel no need to advertise the city: those who know it (such as HTSI’s style director Isabelle Kountoure, a Munich native, who worked on this story) are only too well aware that it offers an outstanding quality of life. Our fashion mini-break takes in all the major hotspots, from the Haus der Kunst museum to the Chinesischer Turm beer garden and the central Viktualienmarkt, while Felix Bischof, another Munich veteran, talks to its designers and creatives about their favourite restaurants, castles, museums and parks. Michael Kliger, CEO of the Munich-based retailer Mytheresa, observes that its outpost there “remains a sanctuary for those who seek a more personal, curated experience”. Well, quite.

Katharina Herold (right) with multidisciplinary artist Vicente Hirmas in the salon at Herold’s home in Felanitx, Mallorca © Mattheiu Salvaing

Many cultural hotspots have emerged since the pandemic. Gallerist and curator Katharina Herold had no intention of moving to the Balearics when she first arrived in Mallorca in 2022, but like many others who fell for a new perspective, she kept on extending her stay. Since then she has created a gallery home in Felanitx, a busy town that stages dozens of saints’ parades each year. The result reflects in part the region’s celebratory spirit: it’s also a place for her to collate her Wunderkammer of eccentric things. Aimee Farrell went to see her as she opens it to visitors, showcasing the results of a unique artistic residency. Few artists actually live in the same building as their patrons, but these past months have seen Herold living with the multidisciplinary artist Vicente Hirmas, who Herold has commissioned to create site-specific works. Herold tells Aimee that she hopes that “the house evolves” with each new collaboration, while guiding her around a space in which almost everything is for sale.

Manizeh Rimer leads a kirtan chanting class at Love Supreme Projects in London alongside musician Ben Hazleton

Have you tried chanting? For the past few months I’ve been spending my Saturday mornings at Manizeh Rimer’s Jivamukti sessions at Love Supreme Projects, a practice of 90 minutes that opens and ends with a 15-minute chant. At first I thought I would feel awkward about performing a kirtan amongst a group of (quite tightly packed) near-strangers, but instead I find that Rimer’s call and response, with her accompanying musicians, leaves me in a state of near-transcendent calm. It’s a calm that lasts for at least a minute. But it’s a great way to start the weekend. Rebecca Newman has found out more about Manizeh and other proponents. I highly recommend you try an “om” or two at home.

@jellison22