It’s been a challenging year-to-date for e-bike enthusiasts and curious riders. Lithium-ion battery fires and reckless riding behaviors sparked a number of scaremongering headlines and even conversations in New York’s City Council about whether the category should be licensed like cars. During the spring and summer, arguably the most enjoyable seasons to cruise on two wheels, it felt impossible to find one of CitiBike’s electric fleet in working order.

Then, in August, VanMoof suddenly went bankrupt amid production and service delays. The “low maintenance” philosophy touted by the so-called “Apple of e-bikes” locked even tool-savvy owners and bike shops out of performing repairs. The company has since been acquired, but we wouldn’t fault owners for feeling like they’re one balance sheet away from having a $4,000 paperweight on their hands.

Clearly not all e-bikes are made equal, and the recent past has revealed some of the worst this emerging transportation category has to offer. But what do you get when a Tour de France–winning bike maker teams up with one of the most vaunted names in sports cars? The answer, if the new Cervélo Rouvida is any indication, is a lightweight, fast, performance-oriented ride ready for city streets, paved switchbacks, gravel trails, and everything in between. The Rouvida is powered by Ride 60, the most powerful motor made by Fazua, a company known for its light, compact motors, which Porsche acquired in 2022.

Kid-and-cargo haulers are favored by a subset of urbanites from Brooklyn to Berlin, but that’s not what the Rouvida was designed to do. “The general idea, written all over the building [at Cervélo], is making riders faster,” says Ryan Calilung, the company’s head of product development. “Maybe you can make your grocery run faster if you could run a basket [on this bike], but that’s not what we’re trying to do.”

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“Precise and crisp in the Swiss approach and relaxed and robust in the Texan spirit,” is how Kengo Kuma describes how he designed the just-opened Hôtel Swexan in Dallas’ burgeoning Harwood District. With a resume that includes everything from the LVMH Headquarters in Japan and Tokyo Olympics Stadium to the forthcoming One Hotel Paris, Kuma’s use of natural materials is a staple of his work. True to form, 100 different types of natural stone and wood were sourced from all over the world for the interiors at Swexan.

Drawing inspiration from a classical 19th-century Parisian residence, public spaces are adorned in plush furniture, hand-carved stone, and antique wooden fireplaces; the 134 residential-style guest rooms are outfitted with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the cityscape. Suites feature original works from developer Gabriel Barbier-Mueller’s personal collection such as the Harwood Suite’s Samurai armor. Don’t miss the array of onsite amenities such as a Moroccan–style pool terrace, 7th-floor steakhouse Stillwell’s whose beef program is anchored by its own breed of cattle, the European-style rooftop café Léonie, library speakeasy, and more.

How do you breathe new life into a centuries-old sport steeped in formalities and pomp? Race and gaming company 1/ST (pronounced “First”) had a hunch, and in 2017 they launched the Pegasus World Cup, an annual affair that marries the time-honored traditions of Thoroughbred racing with Miami’s vibrant party scene.

Now in its eighth year, it’s become one of the premier stops on the race circuit, attracting A-list celebrities, top musical talent, and the cultural elite. A focus on hospitality, culinary, and entertainment programming is central to the organization’s success in modernizing Thoroughbred racing, and VIP guests of this year’s event will have the opportunity to take in the race in the Baccarat Garden—an indoor-outdoor tent dripping in crystal.

If the swirling backdrops in Etro’s spring 2024 campaign seem otherworldly, that’s because they don’t actually exist. Marco De Vincenzo, the Italian label’s creative director, collaborated with digital artist and prompt designer Silvia Badalotti to render a medley of fantastical, pastel-hued scenes—and AI-generated models evoking “a humanity that’s both familiar and alien” to match—to showcase the collection in visually rich settings. “I didn’t know what AI really was before I met [Badalotti],” De Vincenzo wrote on Instagram. “Together, we embarked on a journey to a parallel universe where infinite possibilities lie and learned that, time and time again, only the heart can take you far.” The collection, which spans velvet garments adorned with tapestry-like motifs to soccer-inspired men’s jerseys, will be fully unveiled during Milan Fashion Week.

Brynjar Sigurðarson and Veronika Sedlmair first started working together by translating coastal Iceland’s folkloric heritage into soulful objects imbued with romantic ideals—an offbeat approach that caught the eyes of Swarovski and Björk, who commissioned a custom flute for a recent tour. Now based in the German Alps, the duo is preparing to unveil their latest feat at Galerie Kreo: a group of glossy, mushroom-shaped sculptures whose imposing, human-size proportions seem to evoke souls materializing through blown glass. Developed over two years alongside skilled artisans at one of Marseille’s most prestigious glass art centers, the totems forge a mystical ambiance that feels like a portal straight to the set of a sci-fi film.

When: Until April 7

Where: Aspen Art Museum

What: Chamberlain’s first survey in more than a decade sees Dia Art Foundation and Urs Fischer bring a swath of the late artist’s sculptures, made from foam, appliance parts, resin, and air ducts, to three floors of the Aspen Art Museum. Alongside his sculptures, which range in scale from minuscule to monumental, viewers can also look forward to seeing examples of his “psychedelic” photography practice. A ground-floor display of large-scale works on loan from the Dia Art Foundation show his adventures in “articulate wadding,” his choice words for his techniques of folding and compressing all manner of materials.

Ross Gardam is a team of designers, engineers, and makers who work collaboratively from ideation to realization. The Ross Gardam studio focuses on producing contemporary furniture, lighting, and objects working across a variety of innovative mediums. Merging traditional craft with modern techniques is paramount to Gardam’s methodology and informs each design. All Ross Gardam products are designed and produced in Melbourne.

Surface Says: Ross Gardam’s eponymous design studio goes beyond the oft-touted virtues of materiality and craft, bringing a focus on inspiring joy and defying convention with creations that span lighting, furniture, and beyond.

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