SOLANGE KNOWLES: A Room of One’s Own

Solange Knowles can’t help but appear a little intimidating. Seemingly without the least bit of effort on her part, she’s been swept up into the realms of fashion as a newly appointed style icon, face of Rimmel and model with NEXT, she’s also releasing her third much-anticipated pop-tastic solo album this April, and oh, yeah, she also happens to be Beyonce Knowles kid sister. No big deal.

The last thing you’d expect from this multi-faceted beauty is that she could actually be, well, nice – and yet, that’s exactly what the increasingly visible Solange is. She’s a down-to-earth all-round-cool 25-year-old who is genuinely happy, loves her “low-key” lifestyle and has the work-life balance thing down. With raising her seven year-old son at the top of her priorities, and making “good” pop music a close second, Solange is an inspiringly grounded new talent on the rise. Inside her Boerum Hill brownstone home, Solange talks becoming an aunt, the pitfalls of fame and success, and creating complex pop music inspired by master songwriter’s of the past, with Indigo Clarke.

KEIRA KNIGHTLEY X EMILY HOPE

Bewitching partners in crime Keira Knightley and Emily Hope have more than a few rollicking stories up their sleeve. From swapping Leonard Cohen records to sharing a penchant for risqué pet names, the duo possess an unexpected magic and humour that comes with growing up and finding their feet together – so who better to conduct the interview than each other?

RODARTE: Kindred Sisters

With a poetic style all their own, sibling design duo Kate and Laura Mulleavy specialise in dreamy, delicate gowns that draw on the romantic past and the "infinite beauty of nature". Allowing a glimpse into their intimate world for Rika's Kindred Spirits issue, the sisters' tell us all about each other - loves, dreams, quirks and all.

ON THE ROAD: Musings on Kerouac’s iconic American novel

Musings on Jack Kerouac’s iconic American novel (as we prepare for the release of the film) by Indigo Clarke.

“The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles…” Jack Kerouac frantically typed over sixty years ago, writing his ground-breaking novel in just three weeks – and as it turns out, the mad ones are the ones for us too. The mad, impassioned, burning-at-both-ends characters that cross our paths as we lead lives less ordinary – those who fuel our imaginations, and make us feel at home in our own bohemian worlds. We didn’t need to be part of the Beat generation to find a companion in Jack Kerouac, and his alter ego, Sal Paradise – to recognize an epic, and false, hero in Neal Cassady’s avatar Dean Moriarty, "Though he was a con-man, he was only conning because he wanted so much to live and to get involved with people who would otherwise pay no attention to him"… And to find that our perspective on life, travel and youth changed as we devoured the pages of this superlative spontaneous prose for the first time.

A THING OF BEAUTY IS A JOY FOREVER

A poem "… Should be a friend. To sooth the cares, and lift the thoughts of man," observed John Keats, and in times of quiet reflection can there be a more perfect companion? Simple words become sublime, forever and inextricably linked, in the hands of the poet. A beloved, battered volume rediscovered and mused over in solitude can inspire reverie and introspection, offer solace or even provocation as kindred thoughts expand and enrich the mind.

ROSE LESLIE: Wild Rose

The unassuming Rose Leslie is as sweet and strong-willed – not to mention as naturally beautiful, as her name would suggest. At just 25, this wild Scottish rose has notched up critical praise and coveted accolades, as well as proven herself a versatile actress able to traverse the spheres of period drama and action fantasy with aplomb.

MARK BORTHWICK: Visual Poetry

Investing his radiant images with the friends, family, love and harmony that defines his way of life, the award-winning Mark Borthwick has become one of the most influential photographers of his generation by steadfastly following his own vision.

LINDA RODIN: Age is Just a Number

“Age is just a number. It is totally irrelevant,” famously quipped Joan Collins, “unless, of course, you happen to be a bottle of wine.” Proving that beauty traverses all ages, stylist, model and creator of cult skincare line RODIN, Linda Rodin, is currently experiencing something of a renaissance for her refined personal style and platinum do.

POLLY BROWN: Plantlife

Finding unexpected resonance in everyday objects, London-based photographer Polly Brown reveals the humanity and hidden grace behind some of the world’s most iconic brands through her quietly potent images.

GRETA BELLAMACINA: Poetry and Poise

Introducing a new generation to a seemingly anachronistic art, 22-year-old London-based Greta Ballamacina has won renown for her poetry; intricate and lyrical prose informed by her combined interest in fashion, music and art.

ANH DUONG: The Female Gaze

Progressing from ballerina, fashion model, actress and muse to acclaimed artist in her own right, Anh Duong's creative trajectory has been a serendipitous success. Born in Paris and relocating to New York in her mid 20s during the 80s art boom, Anh found inspiration in the energy and magic of the city and the art luminaries she was surrounded by including Julian Schnabel and Francesco Clemente.

MICHELLE HARPER: Bright Lights, Big City

Adopting the bright lights, big city attitude of the town she calls home, Michelle Harper's idiosyncratic personal style is a mash up of cultures and curiosities from the mutlifaceted world around her.

RADIANT WOMEN OF THE NEW WAVE

Led by intrepid French auteurs in the mid 50s and 60s, the New Wave movement irrevocably changed the landscape of cinema. This legion of pioneering directors, namely Roger Vadim and Francois Truffaut, rejected established stars of the time, replacing them with ‘real’ bohemian women, often their friends, collaborators and lovers – new faces that challenged conventions and transformed the role of women in film.

LAETITIA CRAHAY: Rock'n'roll Chignon

When it comes to headwear, Parisian fashion accessory extraodinaire, Laetitia Crahay, needs to take a bow. She’s not just reinvented the art, she’s taken it out of obscurity and re-popularised it – with a little help, she’s the first to admit, from her fabulous friends.

JAMIE BOCHERT: Grateful Outsider

With her dark, mysterious good looks and androgynous '70s rock style, New York-based Jamie Bochert, a model of enduring influence, was destined to be more than just a pretty face. At the height of her career in the mid 00’s, after consistently modelling for fashion publications, high-end designers (including Calvin Klein and Dolce&Gabbana) and luminary photographers, Bochert put fashion on the backburner to focus on doing what she loves most: singing and songwriting.

JEN BRILL: Downtown Girl

Relishing her new-found career “connecting the dots and problem solving” as a creative consultant working with artists, photographers and fashion labels, alongside her envious role as one of the Les Fidèles de CHANEL, the red-lipped raven-haired New York native, some-time model and resident style icon, Jen Brill, seems to have it all… Just don’t call her an it-girl.

URSINA GYSI: Whimsy and Wonder

She may hail from the Swiss Alps, but 24 year-old street-style muse and burgeoning stylist Ursina Gysi is all Parisian rock’n’roll chic. With the past four years spent assisting the ever-inspiring fashion icon and super stylist Camille Bidault-Waddington, Gysi has very recently taken the brave leap into solo work – and we are eagerly anticipating the results.