Carl Magazine

For those who don’t know our good friend Virgil, you’re in for a treat! We met him in his showroom in the city centre of Copenhagen on a sunny early-spring morning, met by a comforting smell of insense when climbing the few steps down into the loafer-filled space. Despite his young age of 29, Virgil has a decade of work in the fashion and lifestyle industry on his resumé, working as a fashion consultant for brands such as NN07, GANT and Tommy Hilfiger. Last year he immersed himself in one of his own creative ideas and started the shoe brand Vinny’s, also known as Vinny’s The Vibe.


“I’ve always had a lot of ideas and I like to challenge them, so when I see a concept or a product my mind automatically starts questioning how I can take it to the next level. I reached a point in my life when I wanted to start working on my own ideas and concepts, and that’s when Vinny’s came to be.”

Virgil’s life is highly dynamic and intensely social. He’s constantly on the move between showrooms and meetings, and whilst also being a father to a two-year-old, he tells us that his view on good design directly correlates to how well the object fits into his busy life. Virgil often turns to Japanese design when looking for products that encompass these qualities, and OrSlow has been a long-time favourite, go-to brand in his wardrobe. He likes the way his pieces from the brand age and how they thrive, the more they are used.


“Design to me is all about durability and longevity. I like things that last and that can endure being used, so when I purchase things, I always ask myself “Will this fit and endure my lifestyle?”. Obviously, there’s also an aesthetic side to it, and if I can find things that are equally beautiful and practical, then I’m a happy guy.”

Virgil continues telling us about his style, and that it’s been inspired by many different eras and people in his life, mostly by his parents’ background and hiphop culture. His parents brought him and his brothers to Paris every summer, where they bought clothes for the boys. The clothes were inspired by their own upbringings in Congo, where their school days were spent in uniforms. So classic pieces, like oxford shirts, chinos and penny loafers have since day one influenced Virgils view on how one can dress and how versatile the wardrobe can be.


“That’s why the penny loafer was the starting point for Vinny’s. It’s such a versatile element that works with every wardrobe, it’s not just a shoe – it’s part of a lifestyle. The second you put on a penny loafer it elevates your whole demeanor.”

More often than not, you can find Virgil with his warm smile and infectious laugh at The Union Kitchen, a beloved local hotspot known for its weekend brunch. He calls it a second home, where he can spend hours upon hours sitting, enjoying a glass of wine while friends and family drop by.

“I’m driven by people and interaction. It’s those sudden conversations that just happen, in everyday life, that thrill me. I have amazing people around me that have achieved great things by working hard, so I often look to them to find inspiration in my own work.”

When we arrive at the meatpacking district of Västerås, Sweden, the expectations are high. Anders Holmberg and his crew at Anders Holmberg Arkitekter recently moved their office to an old slaughterhouse. A creative space where the ceilings are high and the daylight is bright. And one more thing: the new office can also, literally, fit a car. This was one of the reasons why they moved in the first place, since Anders dreamed of an office where he could park his Porsche 911 SC from 1983 inside.

The office

”This oppurtunity to move here was too damn good to refuse. I mean, the ceilings are high, the light is fantastic and the space is big enough to fit my team, my car and at the same time there is plenty of room over for nice furniture, and clear open spaces.”


The first thing your eyes register when you enter the office is the car parked next to a lounge area. Anders tells us that this is highly appreciated by the team and also the clients. In some way, Anders explains, vintage cars and architecture are interrelated.

”Timeless design objects tend to work great with each other, wheter it's a car, a house, a watch or a chair. This car is representing what we are standing for, which is timelessness and long-term design. The fact that I wanted to become a car designer when I was a child has also something to do with it of course”, Anders says.

When we ask Anders what he thinks is timeless architecture, the answer is simple: build bigger than you think. Every house hasn’t got to be big, but if you are building for the future, Anders tells us, you should build quite a few square meters more than you first planned.


”You never know how your life will evolve, but somehow, you will always need more space. That is important to think of at the beginning, because you can’t invent the design of your house twice.”

The home

”When we saw the house, we immediately fell in love with it. It is a souterrain house, so when you stand in front of it, it just looks like a single storey house. But when you come inside, it is spectacular. And that is also great architecture according to me, when you don’t reveal everything at first sight. When it gives you the chance to discover, and it takes time, to appreciate.”


The house is built around a large living room, which is on the second floor (in this case the floor underneath us). The high ceiling has large windows for natural day light, and the house also has its own indoor swimming pool à la 1960s Mad Men style.

”When we first moved in, we wanted to renovate some parts of the house, but we really wanted to do the house justice. The kitchen for example, which I designed, has Oregon Pine in it that works perfectly well with all the original interior.”


There are books and design furniture in the house which gives us clues about his sources of inspiration. Famous names like Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe and Pierre Koenig to name a few. Anders continues to talk about how you, as a house owner, can minimize the risk of not feeling pleased with your home, and how to save money.

”Some people say that it takes three houses in your life to find the perfect home, but that is bullshit according to me. If you had hired an architect in the first place, you would have your dream home at the beginning for less than you paid while searching. People always ask me if it’s expensive to hire an architect, and my answer is: no, but it is however expensive to make mistakes.”

When we meet Mr. Kidston in his office in Geneva, he is only in Switzerland for a short period. He spends most of his days at international business meetings and car shows around the world. In between flights, Kidston spends his short remaining time at the office. We had the opportunity to meet him at such an occasion, to talk about his passion for vintage cars and the hunt for his father’s long lost 1955 Mercedes 300 SL “Gullwing”.

The Kidston office is located on the fifth floor of a fantastic art nouveau building at Avenue Pictet-de-Rochemont 7. The building, built in 1902, stands out from the neighbouring buildings, and we imagine so does the office. It is exactly how one of a vintage car dealing company is expected to be, with great looking interiors, nice employees and brilliant Italian coffee. After a meeting with a client, Mr. Kidston welcomes us to his private corner office, and it is stunning. It really looks like the office of James Bond himself.


Simon tells us that he grew up with cars, and there were always new cars parked in the garage at the family residence on the English countryside. His father, Lieutenant-Commander Home Kidston, was a car enthusiast himself and he was constantly looking for the newest and fastest car model. Simon explains.

”When I grew up, there were always new cars in the garage. My father was always interested in the newest and fastest car on the market, and for years I thought this was just boring stuff. As I got older, I became more interested in my father’s passion and the cars he owned. My father was 57 when I was born, so I think this passion was a great start for me to get to know my father a little bit better."



The office is filled with photos, small car models and prizes from historical car races. On one of the tables there's a diorama, which Simon explains is an exact copy of one of the pictures hanging on the wall. The image that the diorama is based on is a picture of Simon's uncle driving in a racecar competition in 1925. Simon goes on to talk about one of his favourite cars.

”I wouldn’t call myself a collector, I just got a few cars that I love and they mean a lot to me. A car that took me a long time to track down was my father’s 1955 Mercedes “Gullwing”. It took me twenty years to find it, and another ten years to persuade the owner to sell it to me.”


The “Gullwing” was an iconic car of the 1950's. It was the fastest car in the world when it first came out in 1954. 1400 were produced, Simon tells us, and a large number of them in silver, and so was Simons father’s.

“Trying to find a silver “Gullwing” was just like finding a needle in a haystack.”, Simon says.

He goes on to talk about the search for the car. In the 1980's, rumours said the car was sold to a collector in Canada, but he didn’t know this for sure.

“It could have ended up in various different places. With the internet, it’s easier to find something these days. Earlier I had to make phonecalls and fax every contact I had. I flew all over the world trying to find this car."


His father sold the car in the beginning of the 1960’s to purchase a newer and much faster Maserati. Simon remembers his father often talking about the “Gullwing” with fondness and nostalgia.

“I knew that car meant a lot to him, so I really wanted to find it. About ten years ago, I heard that the car might be in Switzerland. I don’t know why, but I really started to believe that was the case.”

Simon continues and tells us that his assistant at the time, had a business contact who worked for the Swiss car registration authority. He knew that it was not a conventional thing to ask if they could look up the chassis number in their register, but he had to try.

“I asked my then assistant if she would mind to call her contact, to see if the person at the car registration authority could just tell us if it was in Switzerland. I was so happy to find out that it was.”

The car was not only in Switzerland. It was registered to a man who lived very close to Simon’s old boarding school in Gstaad. He continues.

“I must have drove past that house a thousand times without knowing that the car was there. When I got the news, I immediately called my contact, who runs a famous hotel in Gstaad, to see if he knew the owner. He did, and he was happy to introduce me to him.”

At that time, Simon was on a business trip in America. It was during the volcano crisis in Iceland, resulting in not many available flights to Europe. Simon managed to find one flight to Rome, and he immediately jumped on the plane.



“When I finally got to Rome, there were no availble flights. I ended up hiring a chauffeur to drive me all the way to Geneva, about a 800 kilometers drive. When I arrived, I jumped into my car and drove as quickly as possible to Gstaad to meet this man.”

When Simon arrives, the owner welcomes him outside the garage. For the first time in his life, Simon is now going to see his father's beloved “Gullwing” that was sold fifty years earlier.

“The owner opens up the garage door, and there it was. He handed me the keys and told me to take it for a ride. It was truly an emotional time for me.”

When Simon got back, he asked if the owner would consider selling the car to him. The answer was no, but Simon was persistent – he kept on asking over the years. One day, the “Gullwing” owner changed his mind. He was now willing to trade for a car in better condition since the car that Simon’s dad previously owned was in need of restoration.

“I started to look for a restored, Swiss registered “Gullwing” to make the trade and found one. They say that a salesman is his own worst enemy, because I ended up finally making a deal with him and traded my fully restored “Gullwing” to his that was in great need of restoration. He obviously is a much better businessman than me, but I finally brought my father’s Mercedes 300 SL “Gullwing” back home."

Thinking back to his childhood memories, Kristian remembers clearly when he first ever fell in love. And no, we’re not talking about a girl here. When Kristian was six years old, flipping through his family’s large collection of National Geographic magazines (dating back to a 1917 issue), he first saw it. In the initial pages of a 1976 edition, he saw the Patek Philippe Nautilus 3700 watch ad. This particular watch, which is now in his possession, was the start of a lifelong love story between him and everything that has to do with horology.


Patek Philippe Nautilus, ref. 3700 from 1976

Kristian is one of the best known watch specialists in Scandinavia, and probably in the world. His eighth book about the subject will be published in September 2019, and he has a large amount of followers on his social media platforms. Speaking of social media, his two last books, Hashtags and Watches I and II, are an homage to his love of both printed media and Instagram. “As a former art director, I wanted to do something that included watches and print, but that also incorporated social media somehow. So I thought, why not publish my Instagram account?” Said and done. The books were a success and sold out in a flash.



When I asked Kristian which one of his timepieces that matters the most, he rapidly went up from the kitchen table, where we shared a cup of coffee together alongside his Patek’s, AP’s and Rolexes, to grab a book from his bookshelf. He briefly browsed the book and showed me a portrait of the Danish war correspondent and journalist Jan Stage. My attention was drawn to the watch Mr. Stage was wearing, a Rolex GMT Master ‘Pepsi’. I suddenly realized why it caught my eye. This watch was laying there in front of me on the kitchen table. “In addition to the Patek I talked about before, this is my most precious watch. It belonged to one of my childhood heroes, Jan Stage. He was actually kidnaped in El Salvador wearing this watch” Kristian said. The watch itself, a 1968 Rolex GMT Master 1675, isn’t a rare watch at all, but with the story behind it, this one becomes invaluable.


Rolex GMT-Master II, ref. 126710 from 2018

Nowadays, when Kristian ponders between which watch he should wear, the choice usually end up on the Rolex GMT Master II ’Pepsi’, with jubilee bracelet and red and blue ceramic insert. It was released in Baselworld 2018, and since then it has become one of the most sought-after watches by collectors worldwide. Some people, who was lucky enough to get their hands on one, bought it just with the intention to sell it for twice (or more) of the listing price. This is not the case for Kristian. He wears it almost every day, alongside with his well-worn Barbour jacket, cargo pants and 21 year old Red Wing leather boots.