THIS FAKE WATCH THING IS OUT OF CONTROL / IS SNEAKER CULTURE OVER? / CHINOS RETURN / THE GROWING THREAT OF THE SAHARA / NEW RULES FOR WEARING SUITS / INCLUSIVE OF VAT Q AR30 SPRING 202 4 • ISSUE 0 1 7Only available in selected Swatch Stores MISSION TO SATURNOnly available in selected Swatch Stores MISSION ON EARTHSPRING 2024 esquir eme.com 4 contents 76 TA REK S A LMAN Long-regarded as a key part of Qatar’s footballing future, the tough-tackling Asian Cup winning defender is now fulfilling his full potential Tarek Salman wears Trefoil Essentials Tee, QR140; Adibreak Adicolor Track Pants, QR325; Samba OG Shoes, QR545, all by adidas; La Maille Polo Wool-Knit Sweater, QR2,430, by DRÔLE DE MONSIEUR ON THE C OVER PHOTOGRAPHY BY SAM RAWADI Tarek Salman wears Pinstripe Tank Vest, QR190; Pinstripe Sprinter Shorts, QR280; Emerald Green Samba OG Sneakers, QR500; Premium Mid Crew Socks, QR80; Tiro Club Ball, QR90, all by adidasBLACK BAY What is it that drives someone to greatness? To take on the unknown, venture into the unseen and dare all? This is the spirit that gave birth to TUDOR, a spirit carried forward by every woman and man who wears this watch. Without it, there is no story, no legend and no victory. This is the spirit that drives David Beckham every single day. This is the spirit embodied by every TUDOR Watch. Some are born to follow. Others are born to dare. What is it that drives someone to greatness? To take on the unknown, venture into the unseen and dare all? This is the spirit that gave birth to TUDOR, a spirit carried forward by every woman and man who wears this watch. Without it, there is no story, no legend and no victory. This is the spirit that drives David Beckham every single day. This is the spirit embodied by every TUDOR Watch. Some are born to follow. Others are born to dare. FIFTY ONE EAST, LAGOONA MALL +974 4436 1111 WWW.51EAST.COM FIFTY ONE EAST WATCHES AND JEWELLERY, DOHA FESTIVAL CITY +974 4433 5534SPRING 2024 esquir eme.com 6 CO NTENTS contents the features 86 WAT C H C A REFULLY The fake watch market is booming, but why? 92 THE LA S T GU ARDIANS The Sahara continues to grow, here’s how it is being challenged 102 THE AR T OF SAY ING ‘NO’ Why the answer ‘no’ is both good for society and us personally the style 22 I S IT OK T O WEAR PEARLS? Here’s how you can, and why you should 24 THE NEW RULES OF SUITING UP Suiting is back in. Our tips on doing it right 30 I S SNEAK ER C U LT URE DEAD? Has the bubble finally burst on streetwear’s great equaliser? 36 NO T YOUR C H ORES Is the trend of errandcore a shallow hologram of reality? 38 SHOO T: MEMBER S OF THE BOA R D This seasons styling gets gloriously casual 62 SHOO T: TA SK MA S TERED Let Cartier upgrade your every day the edit 10 OPENER Samsung’s new Galaxy S24 Ultra blends toughness with AI smarts 12 MU SIC Introducing The Nakameleon— the DJ taking Qatar by storm 13 B OOK S Four ‘must-adds’ to your spring reading list 14 SP OR T One writer’s obession with the iconic adidas Predator boots 16 TEC H The little Leica that can 17 DESIGN Celebrating 100 years of the most iconic of writing instruments 20 TRAVEL Sri Lanka’s beauty and versatility should have you clamouring for your passport P A GE 30 P A GE 62 P A GE 92 P A GE 38 P A GE 24ITP MEDIA GR OUP CEO Ali Akawi CFO Toby-Jay Spencer-Davis MANAGING DIRECTOR Marne Schwartz QATAR DIRECTOR Bianca Brigitte Bonomi EDIT ORIAL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Matthew Priest GROUP ART DIRECTOR Oscar Yáñez QATAR BRAND EXPERIENCE MANAGER Narges Raiss SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER Efraim Evidor FASHION EDITORS Nour Bou Ezz, Laura Jane Brown and Seher Khan JUNIOR FASHION EDITORS Imogene Legrand and Charlotte Marsh-Williams TECH EDITOR Thomas Shambler LIFESTYLE EDITOR Anton Brisinger PRODUCTION MANAGER Steff Hawker EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Sarah Kuleib C ONTRIBUT OR S Tayachi Bachir, Cameron Besley, Dan Europe, Jonathan Evans, Matteo Fagotto, Matilde Gattoni, Garrett Munce, Andrew Nagy, Sam Rawadi, Johnathan Seidler, Josh Sims, Nick Sullivan, Fernanda Tronco, Chung Wooyoung ITP LIVE GENERAL MANAGER Ahmad Bashour ADVER TI SING VICE PRESIDENT, ITP LUXURY GROUP Farrah Taylor Direct: +971 4 444 3523 farrah.taylor@itp.com GROUP KEY ACCOUNT DIRECTOR, ITP MEN’S LUXURY Widad Naami Direct: +971 4 444 3506 widad.naami@itp.com KEY ACCOUNT MANAGER Khalid Raja Direct: +971 4 444 3125 khalid.raja@itp.com PR ODUC TION & DI S TRIBUTION PRODUCTION MANAGER Denny Kollannoor PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Balasubramanian P SENIOR IMAGE EDITOR Emmalyn Robles IMAGE EDITOR Jemima Joy MARK ETING AND C I R C ULATION DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR Avinash Pereira CIRCULATION EXECUTIVE Rajesh Pillai HEAR S T MAGAZINES INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT/HEARST MAGAZINES INTERNATIONAL Jonathan Wright SVP/GLOBAL EDITORIAL & BRAND DIRECTOR Kim St. Clair Bodden GLOBAL EDITORIAL & BRAND DIRECTOR, YOUNG WOMEN’S GROUP, WELLNESS GROUP, ENTHUSIAST GROUP, LIFESTYLE GROUP Chloe O’Brien ES QUIRE INTERNATIONAL EDITIONS AUSTRALIA, CHINA, CZECH REPUBLIC, GERMANY, GREECE, HONG KONG, ITALY, JAPAN, KOREA, MEXICO, MIDDLE EAST, PHILIPPINES, QATAR, SAUDI ARABIA, SINGAPORE, SPAIN, TAIWAN, TURKEY, UNITED KINGDOM, UNITED STATES The publishers regret that they cannot accept liability for error or omissions contained in this publication, however caused. The opinions and views contained in this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers. Readers are advised to seek specialist advice before acting on information contained in this publication, which is provided for general use and JUNE not be appropriate for the reader’s particular circumstances. The ownership of trademarks is acknowledged. No part of this publication or any part of the contents thereof JUNE be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without the permission of the publishers in writing. An exemption is hereby granted for extracts used for the purpose of fair review. Published by ITP Media Group by permission of Hearst Communications Inc, New York, United States of America. PUBLISHED BY ITP MEDIA GROUP FZ-LLC. © 2024 ITP MEDIA GR OUP P O BO X 5000 24, DUB AI, U A E . TEL : +971 4 444 3000 . ITP . C OM SPRING 2024 esquir eme.com 9 ED ITO R ’ S LET TER A letter from the editor The game of our lives PHO T O : EFRAIM EVIDOR few years ago, I considered giving up on football. Some of you will know how important a decision that is. Others, will probably shrug and turn the page.Right. Have they gone? Good. Let’s get into it. I have been playing and watching football with a devout level of commitment for most of my life. In fact, I can time line important moments in my life with major football tournaments and moments. I know where I was (living in Brunei) and what I was doing (my cousins were visiting) in the summer of 1994 thanks to Roberto Baggio’s penalty miss in the World Cup final. When Wayne Rooney was sent off in 2006 after stamping on Portugal’s Ricardo Carvalho’s unmentionables, and the world went bananas over Cristiano Ronaldo’s subsequent wink— I was a newly-graduated man gallivanting around Croatia’s quaint quay-side cafés. Speaking of Ronaldo, a decade later was when he led his country to its first title, albeit in the final he did so from the sidelines having been injured early in the game. It was also the week that I became a father for the first time. The way that football is structured makes it an ever-present. Life is simply what happens in-between. Like all fans, I’ve experienced the thrill of the highs, and the crushing plunge of the lows—but when will it end? Back in 2015, the two teams I support were having big seasons. Norwich City had just been promoted to the Premier League, winning the playoffs, having smashed bitter rivals Ipswich in the semis. Juventus were facing Barcelona in the Champions League final in Cardiff. One more win would complete a Treble of trophies for my Italian countrymen (having already won Serie A and the Coppa Italia), and with that I would have completed football fandom, and could walk away. They didn’t win, and I have been punished to ride the rollercoaster forever. The thing is, the rollercoaster isn’t a lonely one. It is one where a young girl from Brazil can sit next to an 80-year-old man from Al Wakrah, and communicate via football alone—players, moments, goals, kits etc. It is the great unifier. The start of this year saw another thread weaved into the tapestry of the Global Game (and my own life), when Qatar won the AFC Asian Cup in front of an adoring public here in Doha. I was welcoming the birth of my second daughter, while on the pitch, the victory cemented the country’s Golden Generation— including our cover star Tarek Salman (pg76)— with a place in history, healing any lingering disappointment from last year’s World Cup. I guess it’s time to buy another ticket for the rollercoaster then. Speak soon, stay lucky. Matthew Priest ANext >