Monocle 24: Konfekt Korner

Sophie Grove, Marcela Palek and Gillian Dobias discuss the history of women's swimwear with V&A senior curator Sonnet Stanfill, before bringing it up to date with Peter Hornung from Swiss fashion brand Round Rivers. Elsewhere, we meet the Viennese family whose world-renowned metal workshop has been passed down through five generations, sample some summer rosé with Chandra Kurt and celebrate the transportive nature of a long train journey.

This episode might whet your appetite: we head to the Soça Valley to meet Ana Ros, head chef of Slovenia’s first Michelin-star restaurant Hisa Franko, take a tasty turn around Barcelona’s Santa Caterina market to sample some Catalan delicacies, and ponder why taste and place are so deeply intertwined. Plus, we take a whirlwind trip to the Venice Biennale and meet the founder of sustainable fabrics pioneer Pyratex.

We celebrate the craft of objects as Sophie Grove speaks to the glassware expert Marie-Rose Kahane and stoneware designer Susanne Poltrago-Persson; and the writer Fleur Macdonald muses on the emotional weight of an inherited pair of shoes. In Ibiza we meet the female farmers who have gone off-grid and traded in heady parties for a quieter life on the land. Then, we head to the market in Rome with food writer Rachel Roddy to pick up some seasonal vegetables and discuss Italian food rituals. And finally, we learn about album cover design with musician Lou Hayter and designer Alice Kunisue.

In the second episode of ‘Konfekt Korner’, brought to you from London and Zürich, Sophie Grove, Gillian Dobias and Marcela Palek are joined by Daphné Hezard, editor in chief of ‘Regain’, who reveals one of France’s best-kept secrets: the vineyards on the island of Porquerolles. We also gallop our way to Vienna to visit the world of horse ballet; get the best tips on how to throw a Persian dinner party with art dealer Anahita Sadighi; and sample delicious sourdough at Kora bakery in Athens. Plus: we meet Barcelona-based photographer Iris Humm and the French-Moroccan journalist Marie Le Conte tells us about the power of dance.

Welcome to Konfekt Korner, a new podcast brought to you by the ‘Konfekt’ magazine team, hosted between London and Zürich. In this first episode, Sophie Grove, Gillian Dobias and Marcela Palek are joined by fashion designers Paula Gerbase and Kazu Huggler; Norwegian artist Sissel Tolaas tells us why you should consider scent when throwing a dinner party; and we head to Austria to cook up some new takes on the classic Viennese cake. Plus: we meet some of the people behind the first issue of ‘Konfekt’, including Egypt-based photographer Roger Anis, and the writer Lou Stoppard who muses on the sanctuary of the bathroom.