fter 17 years of magazine
publishing, one would
think thatPhilippine Tatler
has seen and done it all—
but apparently not. For our
cover story on Robbie Antonio, we again pulled
a coup in capturing images which have never
seen print.
Antonio is a young real-estate visionary, high-
profile with his public persona but secretive
about his personal life. A few years ago, he
got tongues wagging whenVanity Fairwrote
a piece on him titled, “The Museum of Me,”
where he discussed his home designed by no
less than the Dutch Pritzker Prize architect Rem
Koolhaas and his art collection. But in Manila’s
tight-knit society, we have, surprisingly, never
met anyone who has been inside—save for
his family, perhaps. Or if they have, nobody is
talking. I recently bumped into him and his wife
at Manila House, and he promised to invite me
over. I told him that I woudn’t take photos!
So our cover subject piqued our interest,
particularly now that he has 80 architects and
design icons from all over the world who have
agreed to collaborate with him in Revolution
Precrafted, the global prop-tech company
he founded three years ago. When we asked
Antonio to come out for our annual Design
Issue, we insisted on doing the pictorial in his
home. He offered other venues: his office, or
one of the precrafted homes that has never been
seen before. We said no. He finally agreed—but
not after laying down his own demand: thatnobodywill go inside his house except for the
photographer. We agreed to thecompromise.
Our photographer, the architect and board
top-notcher Marc Henrich Go, was nice about this
unusual arrangement and adapted excellently,
capturing the eccentric visionary in his element.
Antonio dictated everything, from the choice of
clothes to the shoot locations. As I said, there’s
a first time for everything. To read more about
Antonio and his work, please turn to page 146.
In this Design Issue, go with us on an awesome
journey of breathtaking works by geniuses:
our good friend, Gert Voorjans, brings us to a
work he’s done in Antwerp, Belgium; tour the
home of international celebrity interior designer
Martyn Bullard in Palm Springs; visit hair stylist
extraordinaire Kim Robinson in Hong Kong;
luxury shoe brand Aquazurra’s Edgardo Osorio
gives us a peek into his Florentine world; be
charmed by French lifestyle via images of château
living, courtesy of Assouline Publishing. Then on
to Venice for our country’s second participation in
the Architecture Biennale.
Please join us, too, in welcoming our new
Motoring Editor, James Deakin. Another icon
(but in the world of cars), Deakin just joined the
Australia leg of the Porsche World Expedition
that took a fleet of Cayennes around the world
in, yes, 80 days.
Next month, we mark another milestone,
as we celebrate our 17th anniversary issue.
See you then!
—Anton San Diego
Editor-in-ChiefDesign Matters
EDITOR’S NOTE
This Richard Mille
watch (RM 53-01
Tourbillon Pablo
Mac Donough),
was inspired by the
sport of kings and
named after one of
WVSV»ZÄULZ[WSH`LYZ
Bold, handsome
and strong,
this timepiece
is designed to
withstand shock
and impact, and is
SPTP[LK[VWPLJLZ
Now, do you want
to be one of the
lucky few?VISIONS AND
VISIONARIES A house
by Gert Voorjans in
Antwerp; Aquazurra’s
Edgardo Ossorio’s
home in Florence; Kim
Robinson’s Hong Kong
residence; Venice
Architecture Biennale;
Robbie Antonio in his
Manila abodeLUCKY 3020 philippine tatler. august 2018