helen siwak, folioyvr, ecoluxury, lifestyle, luxury, vancouver, bc, yvr

Issue #23 – Helen Siwak, Publisher’s Message

Greetings and a warm welcome! It is with great pleasure that we present Issue #23, the first edition of 2024 of the Folio.YVR Luxury Lifestyle Magazine. As we enter our sixth year of celebrating Vancouver and the unique community that calls this city home, we are excited to bring you an array of captivating stories and a bounty of eye-candy images that will leave you spellbound.

In 2018, we were privileged to have spent an enchanting afternoon with Singapore-born and Paris-based haute couturier Andrew Gn at Leisure Center during a trunk show for the city’s most sophisticated taste-makers. Over the years, Gn’s garments’ intricate embroidery and elegance captured the hearts of women of elegant worldwide.

When Gn announced his retirement this past December, the news sent shockwaves throughout high society and the fashion industry. In this issue, we pay homage to Andrew Gn’s journey through a story by contributor, Kate Pickering, featuring his glorious creations throughout.

In the Fashion section, we introduce you to the newest tenant in Vancouver’s ‘Luxury Zone,’ the infamous Balenciaga, along with the relaunch of Louis Vuitton in the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver.

We also take you on a weekend ‘away’ with The DOUGLAS Autograph, where guests can indulge in cocktails and culinary delights at D/6 Lounge and Honey Salt, refresh at Spa by JW, and blow off some steam while getting lucky at the casino.

In the Showcase Pianos Presents Series, Manuel Bernaschek has chosen to spotlight rising Clean-Pop sensation Miist who splits her time recording in California, with family in the San Juan Islands, and in Vancouver.

Our Features include an in-depth look at the life and work of Maestro Ken Hsieh, also affectionately known as ‘Conductor Ken’ of the Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra, as well as profiles of Mother-Son real estate duo Sid Koshul and Jacqueline Adler, and Paolo Fazioli, the creator of almost three dozen Fazioli pianos gracing luxury hotels, office towers, and private homes in the city.

The Gallery Jones continues to captivate art lovers with their curations. This past May (Issue #18 Spring 2023), Lyle XOX mesmerized patrons with his large-scale facial assemblage photographs, and now Brian Howell‘s mind-bending ‘Chainsaw Rorschach Test’ challenges our perception.

Before closing this issue, we take a spin in the West Coast’s two hottest EVs – the Porsche Taycan 4S, along with taste-maker and award-winning interior designer Aleem Kassam, and the Mercedes-Benz EQS. Electric lovers can now be climate-friendly and stylish without sacrificing any of the power.

Thank you for joining us on this luxury journey, please enjoy, and share with your friends!

Helen Siwak, EIC & Publisher

Author Profile

Helen Siwak, Luxury Lifestyle Observer: Helen Siwak is the founder of EcoLuxLuv Communications & Marketing Inc and publisher of Folio.YVR Luxury Lifestyle Magazine and PORTFOLIOY.YVR Business & Entrepreneurs Magazine. She is a prolific content creator, consultant, and marketing and media strategist within the ecoluxury lifestyle niche. Helen is the west coast correspondent to Canada’s top-read industry magazine Retail-Insider, holds a vast freelance portfolio, and consults with many of the world’s luxury heritage brands. Always seeking new opportunities and challenges, you can email her at [email protected].