The Entrepreneurs

Bob Sheard, friend of the show and co-founder of brand agency Fresh Britain, stops by with reflections on the Brand Britain event that took place in January in London and featured Monocle, Central Saint Martins and the leaders of a host of great businesses. Sheard shares lessons from the day and explains how they have recalibrated his strategic approach.

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Monocle’s Asia editor, James Chambers, joins Tom Edwards from Bangkok for a Thailand-themed special episode. We met the founder of The Commons – a mall-cum-community centre – and the man behind local menswear brand The Decorum.

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Adrien Gloaguen, the founder and owner of French boutique hotel group Touriste, talks about its expanding portfolio and how to balance the individual charms of each property with overarching brand values.

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Adrien Roose is co-founder and CEO of the award-winning Belgian electric cycle company that has transformed the industry with its fully automatic rider experience. Roose explains how Cowboy is reimagining urban mobility – and how that is helping to shape happier, healthier cities.

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Monocle’s Paige Reynolds reports from Berlin on the start-up seeking to fix fashion’s sustainability problem and shift attitudes away from ownership by offering consumers a rentable range of everyday, unisex garments.

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We meet Annabel Thomas, the founder of organic whisky distillery Nc’nean on Scotland’s west coast. Thomas reflects on her decade-long journey to change perceptions of the spirit, reach a more diverse customer base and innovate production through sustainable practices.

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The founder of the eponymous slow-fashion brand, which creates classically styled and traditionally crafted garments, explains his commitment to using materials sourced from experienced Italian artisans. 

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We meet Jason Kirk, one half of the husband-and-wife team behind eyewear innovators Kirk & Kirk. The brand is revolutionising the industry with their colourful frames and thoughtful approach to design. Hear how they scaled the business internationally despite challenges along the way and why Jason is convinced that the right frames can be a game-changer.

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Fernando Bonastre de Celis, the founder and creative director of Bonastre, explains how his brand creates premium leather bags by focusing on materiality, durability and craft. He tells us why his success relies on European manufacturing – and plenty of savoir-faire.

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We’re in Lisbon to meet Chitra Stern who, with her husband, Roman, created Martinhal Family Hotels & Resorts, which has reimagined luxury family holidays. She tells Monocle about her latest endeavour, Martinhal Residences. Plus: we head to Berlin to clink glasses with Moritz Zyrewitz, founder of a gentle, lower-alcohol German wine brand.

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