Page 25 - S Summer 2024

Travel Well
@SMAGAZINEOFFICIAL
Sahar Nooraei
Editorial and Creative Director
sahar.nooraei@contempomedia.com
I remember one of the first trips I took as a kid with my family was to
Singapore. I still remember the climate, the pristine streets, the warm
disposition of the locals, and being incredibly overjoyed to experience a
different culture other than my own. It sparked a lifelong curiosity and
interest in seeking out the unknown.
What I’ve learned from having the privilege of travelling a lot as an
adult is that people have a lot of preconceived notions and opinions on
where to go and where not to go. But what deems a destination desirable?
Who gets to make that decision? In my experience, some of the best travel
experiences have taken place in destinations that trigger extreme reactions:
good, bad, and everything in-between.
The places I’m most drawn to are not entirely shellacked. They’re
unpretentious, and while not always under the radar, they typically draw
an impressive community of artists and creatives in pursuit of inspiration
and source material for their work.
In recent years, fashion houses have reinvigorated their approach to
destination shows, steering away from the usual suspects in favour of
growing cultural hubs such as Mexico City and Dakar.
This past December, I was invited to CHANEL’s Métier d’Art show
in Manchester, a city that’s produced seminal musical acts that I listen to
daily: The Stone Roses, Oasis, and The Durutti Column. What I loved
about this choice is that it wasn’t entirely obvious, and not something
people understood right away. Despite its deep creative roots, Manchester’s
not a global city that the common traveller flocks to—which in my books
makes it all the more compelling a place to unpack.
For this issue, we were lucky to travel back to Manchester to shoot the
collection in the city it drew inspiration from. Aside from curating and
listening to a Mancunian playlist to get in the zone, when conceptualizing
the story, we wanted to prioritize locations that were an important part of
Manchester’s rich cultural history. Naturally, we tapped Victoria Baths,
a former municipal swimming pool, as our first location, followed by
Salford Lads and Girls Club, a community recreation club with the focus
of guiding young locals, famously immortalized by The Smiths in the
sleeve of their The Queen is Dead album. With these two locations as our
backdrop, the collection’s textures—tweed, Shetland, cashmere—and
bright hues came to life. While inherently French, the collection seamlessly
intermingled with Manchester’s architecture and romantic, overcast skies.
With the summer season ahead and travel top of mind, I hope the
following pages spark your interest in discovering places that may feel out
of reach or unfamiliar.
SMAGAZINEOFFICIAL.COM
25
EDITOR’S LETTER
Photography by Ted Belton.