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    Now reading: The GUi-DE: Omar Apollo’s innovative new video & fungi face nectar

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    The GUi-DE: Omar Apollo’s innovative new video & fungi face nectar

    Read, watch, wear, listen, see… how to spend your week, according to i-D.

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    The new week is here and with it comes the chance to delve deep into some fresh culture and fashion. Here’s your latest look at the i-D Guide.

    Listen to… Omar Apollo’s “Ice Slippin”

    GRAMMY-nominated Omar Apollo’s music video for new single “Ice Slippin” is epic. The deeply personal song explores, in the Indiana artist’s own words, “the thoughts I had passing through my mind the winter I came out to my family; receiving cold judgement as opposed to the acceptance I felt I deserved”. Omar’s coming out was made all the more intense, it transpires, when he got into a near-fatal car accident driving the black iced road over to his family’s place. Enlisting award-winning New York duo rubberband – plus an on-set doctor who captured brain waves, MRI, heart scans and more – the visual sees Omar being rebuilt and reborn, his consciousness recreated. “We wanted the video to be an object that reflected the many different physical pieces of what it means to be a human,” rubberband tell us, “and what it would take, in the realm of magical realism, to rebuild a human soul.” A veritable sci-fi movie. Watch it above then follow rubberband, who are repped by SMUGGLER, on Instagram here.

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    Buy… HERBAR Face Nectar

    Mushrooms are incredible things. Not only can they absorb oil spills, communicate with each other and improve cognitive function (thank you, lion’s mane!), they’re also the future of skincare. Following the success of HERBAR’s Face Oil, the brand’s just-launched Face Nectar is a serum combining the benefits of turkey tail, tremella, matsutake and reishi with an ultra low molecular hyaluronic acid. Application with their dalmation stone Gua-shroom is optional but aesthetically on point. Try it for yourself here.

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    Stay at… The Upper House

    Hong Kong isn’t exactly known as the roomiest of cities, with the majority of its territory taken up by greenery-carpeted mountains and the deep teal sea. The little occupiable ground there is is ruthlessly maximised, taken up by the sort of skyscrapers that make London’s look like twee townhouses, each arranged in unabashedly claustrophobic spatial configurations. As such, the city’s hotels have earned a generally justified reputation for rooms you can barely open your suitcase in, but an important exception to this near-ubiquitous rule, though, is The Upper House.

    With rooms starting at 730 square feet — the largest you’ll find in Hong Kong — The Upper House is easily one of the most luxurious properties in a city where ample square footage is more sought after and highly valued than the rare Birkins and 2.55 flap bags that fill its proliferation of über-luxe megamalls. Nestled between the steel-and-glass canyons of Central and the thrumming markets and buzzy bars of Wan Chai, as the name suggests, The Upper House occupies the lofty upper floors of a skyscraper above Pacific Place, one of the city’s more chi-chi retail hubs — and home to Joyce, a must visit for any fashion fans keen for some serious shopping.

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    Indeed, the first thing that will strike you on walking into any of its 117 impeccably appointed rooms and suites is the sheer abundance of space on offer. Whatever awe you experience on stepping into the room will no doubt be trumped however when you see what lies beyond it: rooms either look onto a serene vista of Hong Kong’s forest-decked Peak, or a cinematic panorama of one of the world’s most famous harbours.

    Once you’re done with peeking down on the cars, ferries and helicopters buzzing about below and step back into the room, you’ll realise that The Upper House’s real success isn’t just the sheer amount of space, but rather the consideration invested in its curation. A product of the vision of the esteemed interior architect and designer André Fu, the design of each room and suite is tailored to conjure a sense of an impossibly chic home away from home — such that you almost forget you’re in a hotel. Replete with natural ash and bamboo finishings, shoji glass panels and lacquered paper accents, living spaces and bedrooms instantly conjure a sense of profound calm — a sense compounded on entering the limestone-floored bathrooms, each of which features a walk-in rainfall shower and a bathtub you could almost do laps in.

    As and when you manage to peel yourself from your quiet luxury cocoon, though, you’ll find a plethora of options to keep you covered within the property walls. From Salisterra, a top-of-the-world, art-filled Mediterranean bistro (where the baked-to-order madeleines are a must!), to The Lawn, a chic garden space with an adjoining café helmed by a rotation of international residents, it all makes The Upper House a house you’ll wish you could call home. Book your stay here. Seriously, now!

    Watch… Zimmers 2

    Talented photographer Hark1karan has an ongoing photo series in which he documents West London’s Punjabi community of classic BMW enthusiasts known as “Zimmers”. Last year, a short but perfectly formed documentary called Zimmers of Southall sprung from the project, exploring the intergenerational subculture a little further, revealing a love of both vintage cars and dub music. Sound good? You’re in luck — Pt. 2 just dropped. Produced by filmmaker Alex Donaldson, the follow up introduces the young women of the community, the BMW appreciation they inherited from their parents and the independence their cars give them. Watch the doc above and follow the director on Instagram here.

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    Wear… Rabanne beauty

    A new era in beauty launched this past weekend as Paco Rabanne finally dropped their uber-sleek, metallic inspired line of makeup and skincare. Launching in Selfridges this past weekend, the impressive, gender-neutral collection includes everything from shimmery eyeshadow palettes, hydrating foundations and even spray on glitter (just in time for this glorious heatwave, after a summer that’s left your skin looking decidedly un-glowy). Rabanne Makeup comes in striking, high–gloss gold, silver metallic and mirrored packaging, lifting inspiration from the characteristic metal details and kinetic silhouettes of The Maison’s avant–garde fashion legacy. To coincide with this launch, the brand have also announced British beauty mogul Diane Kendal as Rabanne Beauty Creative Director. Diane will be showcasing the new range at Paco Rabanne’s SS24 show. Until then you can check out the full line of Paco Rabanne beauty here.

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    Go to… Anita Gelato

    Milk chocolate and salted pretzel? Berry Pavlova? White chocolate and pistachio? Salted almonds and caramel? Have as many flavours as your cone can carry from the new Anita Gelato store in Seven Dials in Covent Garden. Their first UK store, the family-run business that started from a small kitchen in the Mediterranean in 1998 now has over 150 flavours of gelato, sorbet and fro-yo for you to try, made in-store with fresh ingredients. There are seriously good sugar-free and dairy-free vegan options too. Taste it all at 4 Upper St Martin’s Lane.

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