12 TRENDING INDIVIDUALS FOR 2022
KEEP AN EYE ON THEM
This is the list of 12 people to keep an eye on this year, from the sustainable fashionista and luxury designer to the conscious musician and hospitality pioneer!
The sustainable fashionista, Eshita Kabra-Davies
Born in India, raised in Singapore and based in London, self-proclaimed ‘third-culture kid’ Kabra-Davies set up By Rotation in 2019. Coined the ‘Airbnb of fashion’, the world’s first social fashion rental app was inspired by a trip to Rajasthan, during which she witnessed the environmental impact of textile waste. Launches in Paris and Dublin will follow 2021’s London pop-ups.
The chef, Jeremy Chan
Mayfair’s Ikoyi, named after an affluent district of Lagos, is the first African-inspired restaurant in London to win a Michelin star – even if its chef, Jeremy Chan, hates labelling his artistic, spice-rich dishes as anything other than ‘driven by the best ingredients’. British-born, but brought up between Hong Kong, Canada and the USA, Chan isn’t a typical chef, either.
Genova is the recently appointed managing partner and a growing force at Tihany Design, the influential interiors firm founded by Adam D Tihany in 1978. Its new projects range from the upcoming Hotel La Palma in Capri to a new Seabourn expedition ship touted as having a ‘chalet-like’ feel.
The conscious musician, Ann of the North
Oslo-based Anna Lotterud’s synthy, soulful electro-pop vocals and dreamy ballad-like lyrics have seen her collaborate with chart-topping artists such as Tyler, the Creator and The Chainsmokers. Since releasing the wistful 2017 single ‘Oslo’, she’s toured the USA and written a new album, due for release in 2022.
The innovator, Nachson Mimran
Mimran – together with his brother Arieh – runs to.org, a foundation, activist platform, and venture capital fund. Recent projects include a mangrove restoration programme in Senegal, a new arts centre at Uganda’s Bidi Bidi refugee settlement and The Throne – a 3D-printed portable loo made from recycled plastic. More structures using waste plastic are in the pipeline for 2022.
L’Acqua is behind Saira Hospitality, a non-profit that creates pop-up industry-focused schools to help connect hotel brands with the surrounding communities. In 2022, it will open its first permanent outpost, Saira London. Hotels will sponsor 90 students from ‘demographics that have been overlooked, whether refugees or former prisoners.
The curator, James Bartlett
The heritage expert and artist will be the lead curator at Charleston’s new International African American Museum, which will open in 2022 on the Gadsden’s Wharf site, where many African slaves first landed in the USA. The museum will have both a local and global focus, from South Carolina’s rich Gullah-Geechee heritage to the global African diaspora.
The snowboarder, Jenny Jones
She was the first British athlete ever to win a Winter Olympics medal on the snow when she took the slopestyle bronze at Sochi in 2014. Jones will be returning to the Winter Olympics, in Beijing in February, as a commentator and presenter. She also runs Workshop by Jenny Jones, a series of holistic week-long snowboarding camps in the French Alps, which include mind training from sports psychologist Louise Jones, as well as yoga and fitness sessions.
The environmentalist, Bella Lack
The 18-year-old is one of Britain’s foremost young activists. A youth ambassador for the Born Free Foundation for animal rights, she gained prominence at just 11 for a campaign to raise awareness of palm oil’s impact on orangutan habitats. For her upcoming first book, she interviewed global youth on the frontline of the climate crisis.
Along with co-founders Kfir Levy and Eduardo Castillo, the entrepreneur was partly inspired by Burning Man to create the first sustainable, mindfulness-centred Habitas property in Tulum in 2016 – initially as an experimental pop-up. With existing outposts including Namibia and Saudi Arabia’s AlUla, the highly buzzed-about brand is planning to open six more of its lifestyle-driven properties this year – designed and fabricated in Habitas’s own factory, and installed onsite like Lego – in locations including Costa Rica and Mexico’s Baja California.
The urban planner, Alice Cabaret
Cabaret founded the Paris-based agency The Street Society, which specialises in transforming neglected public spaces, from the Marais to Johannesburg. Her latest projects include turning the disused Gare des Invalides into a museum, food hall and play space, and transforming a chocolate factory on the River Marne into a modern community.
The hotel GM, Lydia Nzayo
The new general manager of Singita’s Kwitonda Lodge in Rwanda was raised in Russia, France and Italy. After working in some of Spain’s top hotels, she returned to Rwanda following the death of her brother to honour his dream of exploring their home country.