That’s what prompted Anirban, co-founder of Ryokō and passionate photographer, to begin looking for a new camera bag. He needed something functional that would fit his everyday work style, and also weather the tolls of travel – the other thing that both he and his wife, Noon loved doing during their free time.

Disappointed with the lack of practical options, Noon and Anirban decided to design & handcraft one themselves. And that’s how Ryokō (which means “travel – 旅行” in Japanese) was born in 2015.

Ryokō’s initial range of leather goods soon became a hit among Dubai’s local and cosmopolitan community. Now, three years into their journey, the duo have extended their range beyond camera accessories to hand-stitched wallets, briefcases, and all kinds of travel gear, and are branching out to UK, Australia and Singapore through their retail partners. The common ingredient is the unique full-grain leather which are sourced mostly from Japan and some from Italy and India. Especially their wallets are handmade with intricate traditional saddle stitching – which gives Ryokō its classic yet contemporary look and feel.

What’s the Japanese connection? The material, for starters – Noon & Anirban wanted their accessories made from high quality leather that ages and gets better with time. This took the pair on a journey to tanneries in various countries, learning traditional craftsmanship from artisans. They chose Japanese Vegetable-Tanned leather for their hand-stitched range for its durability and natural feature. The slower tanning process is what gives their leather goods the beautiful patina. Starting with a beautiful pale tan shade, it eventually develops into any range of browns through wear and use.

But there’s another reason too. Once the pair decided to turn their penchant for leathercraft into a business, they had to cancel a 23-days holiday to Japan. Instead, they vowed that they would one day take Ryokō leather goods to Japan, the country where their inspiration originated.

For Noon and Anirban, the name encapsulates the mission. Their own love for travel is perfectly captured in their designs – durable and functional but stylish at the same time. And through their passion, Noon & Anirban have met like-minded people all over the world. Photographers who, like them, wanted to capture the moments in style, and travellers who wanted accessories that could see the world with them.

Ultimately, that’s one of the key reasons behind Ryoko’s success. The couple knew they were designing products that people wanted because they themselves did as well. Anirban realised that the gap in the market was his own needs for functional travel accessories. What turned Ryokō from a search for the right bag into an actual business was simply the belief in their own instincts – the belief that there would definitely be other people out there who would share similar interests.

There will always be people who share your interests, and are willing to invest their time and effort into them just as much as you are. For Ryoko, those people were photographers and travellers. Connecting with them opened a whole new journey for Noon and Anirban, allowing them to focus their attention on doing what they love. And that connection continues to shape their journey ahead. Their focus on the needs and desires of fellow travellers gives direction to Ryoko’s future designs.

Their success came from pursuing their own passions and finding others who share them. The message? Do what you love, and others will follow.

It’s been pretty well documented in recent years how bad air pollution and general urban living is for our health. In fact, The World Health Organization estimates that 4.6 million people, globally, die each year from causes directly attributable to air pollution, that’s more than die in car accidents! So bearing this fact in mind, consider the damage this is does to your skin, yeah the protective layer that keeps you safe?

From dusk to dawn, skin is bombarded by environmental assaults that damage its protective barrier and cause precious moisture to leak out and create unhealthy skin. This can lead to a dull complexion, clogged pores, hyperpigmentation and dark spots, and ultimately, wrinkles and inflammation.

Clinique’s new Dramatically Different Hydrating Jelly, is its first clear moisturiser to hydrate, strengthen, and protect your skin daily thanks to its unique Clean-Shield Technology. This innovation shields skin against pollution while restoring skin’s hydration and building back skin’s protective moisture barrier. Active ingredients include;
– Sodium Hyaluronate: An effective humectant in the same family as Hyaluronic Acid, which provides instant moisture, helping to keep skin plump, firm, and comfortable. Leaves skin looking refreshed, both immediately and after 24 hours.
– Glycerin: A humectant that attracts water to the skin to restore suppleness, while also forming a barrier against future moisture loss.
– Sucrose: Aids in providing hydration and soothing properties.
– Moisture Barrier Blend (Sunflower Seed Cake, Barley Extract, Cucumber Fruit Extract): This barrier building blend of ingredients helps to strengthen the skin’s barrier so that it is more resilient and better able to balance and retain skin’s moisture levels.

Creating a 100% transparent lightweight, oil-free water-jelly that hydrates, repairs skin’s moisture barrier, and protects your skin from pollution daily.

WORDS BY ISAAC PERRY

Paq is one of the fastest growing YouTube channels that has been seen in recent times with the channels pure focus being on the fashion industry as a whole and various styles from some of the biggest trends of today, as well as the future (shout out to Astro boy), sorry, what, pardon ? Just what exactly is, are a Paq? The four presenters, Elias, danny, Shaw no Dex, are incredibly different in the ways that they dress; however this channel truly shows that you should not judge a book by its cover the friendship bond which they all have some tight, endearing and funny at the same time.

But what are these four Horsemen of the style apocalypse about? First up,  Danny has a very classic style with Fred Perry being his go to brand paired with some nicely fitting trousers and loafers showing a different style to the street wear dominated industry of today!

Elias shows what we would call the most out their style with from all the boys with his love for high-end and futuristic designs formulating his personal style, however beyond the bright colours he showcases multiple styles making each one his own.

Shakka.d.badmon makes each outfit individual through his creative eye as well as implementing his art background within all the personal challenges they are set. In multiple challenges he has shown his artistic eye by personally altering garments, also congrats on your recent graduation!(brains as well)

Dex’s style in one word would be ‘Black’. All of his outfits consist of this colour however he changes it up through wearing different clothing silhouettes and branding which makes his overall look ‘incredibly him’. However when he does venture out of just black he really suits it with the most memorable being the red track suit in my honest opinion.

They are probably better known for hosting the best dressed ‘Youtuber’ Awards, this brought the whole Mens fashion YouTube community together with people shortlisted from the UK all the way to The US.

This competition consisted of three groups based on the amount of subscribers each ‘Youtuber’ had, once the public had voted for their favourite one from each group there was a final showdown which took place in Berlin where Magnus, Sangiev and Rickey Thompson all had to pick one outfit from a warehouse which had been set up by the Paq boys and HIghSnobiety.
This was something, which had never been seen before within the fashion industry, and if you haven’t already, we highly recommend that you go and watch The Best Dressed ‘Youtuber’ Awards as well as many others, which they have released.

We’ve been watching the Paq boys for a while now and seeing the channel grow as quickly as it has is something which we’ve very much enjoyed, they bring a different side to the ‘Youtube’ community and freshness to an increasingly, for the moment, dull industry. This is something we haven’t seen for a long time and its only going to get bigger and better, best of luck and we look forward to seeing your success grow.

With airlines being SO tough on the regulations of what you can and more importantly, what you can’t bring with you, grooming product wise, the contents of your soap bag have becomes more sensitive than your skin at the end of the first day of day long Sun worshipping.

Whether you’re riding the waves, sailing the seas, or just generally topping up your tan, it isn’t just your skin that need super protection from the harmful rays of the sun. Another area of your sun kissed body you need to consider, is to protect your hair from the summer heat. 

These luggage-friendly grooming kits from SACHAJUAN.They incorporate the brand’s Ocean Silk Technology which is developed with extracts from sea algae that add valuable minerals and proteins to boost strength and shine, whilst protecting the scalp and moisture balance of hair. The perfect way to achieve and maintain effortlessly healthy summer hair. 

This collection combines the award winning Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner, with the multi-tasking hero Volume Powder. Its travel sized shampoo and conditioner are a great holiday accompaniment; heat and UV protectants ensure hair is protected in the sun and will give it a boost of smooth volume. Use the Volume Powder to give hair structure and volume with a fresh feel. 

Rebalance and soothe a stressed scalp with this gentle cleansing collection. This two step routine can be used as part of maintaining a healthy scalp. The Scalp Shampoo contains Piroctone Olamine and Climbazole to remove dandruff, tackle irritation and soothe. Normalizing Shampoo and Conditioner provide the perfect follow up regime to maintain optimal scalp health. Also containing Ocean Silk Technology, the caring ingredients in this collection will boost hairs volume, bounce and moisture.

Influential figures in the world of fashion are joining forces with the Global Fashion Exchange (GFX) in a bid to overhaul the shopping habits of the nation and change their wardrobes through sustainable fashion. Founded in 2O13, GFX makes an impact through innovative clothing swap events, curated talks and cultural activations around the world. UK citizens, alone, throw away over 300,000 tonnes of textiles every year and, on average, wear each piece of clothing for only seven days and only 16% of clothes are being reused, with the other 84% being either burnt, dumped in landfills or sent to other countries to only reuse buttons and zips.

GFX founder Patrick Duffy is highlighting the environmental damage fashion is having through a series of ground-breaking pop up talks and sustainable fashion swaps across the country, to highlight the environmental damage fashion is having on our environment. Over the years, GFX has helped save 22 tons of clothes (over 40,000 pounds) from going to landfills through events held on three continents, in four global cities.

According to the not-for-profit global movement, Fashion Revolution, 25% of the carbon footprint of clothes come from the way we care for them; for example, one million tonnes of synthetic fibres discharge into waste water every year – the equivalent of approximately 53,000 plastic bottles coming off our clothes in the wash. Fashion Revolution has teams in over 100 countries around the world. The organisations campaigns for systemic reform of the fashion industry with a focus on the need for greater transparency in the fashion supply chain.

As such, if everyone wore their clothes more, we could reduce carbon, water and waste footprints by up to 30%. To put things into perspective – most people wear their clothing for an average of seven days, when the average should be three years.

The next swap will be taking place on Sunday 23 September and will be available for all to experience.