Tatler Malaysia – April 2026

Summary

Ray and Mark Dalio, photographed aboard the OceanXplorer research vessel, lead Tatler Malaysia April 2026 with a 12-page ocean-science package announcing OceanX's first Malaysian research mission in the South China Sea. The 160-page issue also profiles 20 young Malaysian entrepreneurs, the first Vietnamese designer at Paris Haute Couture Week, and a new Gir National Park safari guide.

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The cover feature ("Taking the Helm," p.54) reveals that OceanX's two-person submersible, Limiting Factor, will spend 45 days mapping 3,000 square kilometers of seabed in the South China Sea, with data shared with Universiti Malaysia Terengganu. The "Style" section runs 48 pages anchored by a 14-page fashion shoot ("Shaped by the Sky," p.68) shot at the Sultan Abdul Samad Building and a 6-page Golden Boy profile of Phan Huy—the first Vietnamese designer at Paris Haute Couture Week (p.82). Features include: The Heirloom Portrait (p.116) on portrait photography, Ben Sumadiwiria's story "Who Really Is Bobby Saputra?" (p.120), a Gemma Chan interview ("Sense and Sensibility," p.126), the Sheree Stuart Design net-zero Ontario home (p.134), Villa Schiaparelli (p.142), a supermarket-as-travel-trend feature (p.152), and a Gir National Park guide (p.156). The Scene covers 8 events including the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative event and the waste-not Potato Head collab with Max Lamb.

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Regular departments include Editor's Note (p.20), Online Highlights (p.14), and One Last Look (p.160). The Scene (p.30-52) also covers the Penjaga Gunung Orang Asli forest stewardship programme (p.34) and independent retail in KL (p.46). Advertising density runs at 42 percent.

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Content Guide

▸ Cover Story

p.54 · Taking the Helm
Ray Dalio, 76, and Mark Dalio, 36, commit OceanX's 2-person submersible Limiting Factor to a 45-day South China Sea mission in partnership with Universiti Malaysia Terengganu. Target: 3,000 square kilometers of unmapped seabed. The OceanXplorer carries 60 crew, 6 underwater drones and a helipad. Malaysian researchers will join the mission's biodiversity team.

▸ Features

p.82 · Golden Boy
Phan Huy, 32, became the first Vietnamese designer to show at Paris Haute Couture Week in spring-summer 2026. His 22-piece collection used Vietnamese silk and lotus-fibre fabric. Each piece required 150-200 hours of hand-embroidery by 8 artisans in Hanoi. His atelier produces 6 collections per year, priced from EUR 3,000 for a ready-to-wear blouse.

p.116 · The Heirloom Portrait
KL-based photographer Jeffrey Lim explains why black-and-white archival pigment prints outlast colour by 200+ years. His studio charges RM 8,000 for a 3-generation portrait session. The best light for outdoor portraits: 30 minutes after sunrise or 30 minutes before sunset.

p.152 · Gone Shopping
Supermarkets and convenience stores as travel destinations: Taipei's 7-Eleven x Muji concept store, Tokyo's Don Quijote Ginza, Bangkok's Gourmet Market Siam Paragon, and KL's Ben's Independent Grocer in Publika. Each entry lists the must-buy item and price range.

p.156 · On the Wild Side
Gir National Park, Gujarat: 600 lions, 40 open-top safari vehicles. The best season is February-March for lion sightings. A 3-night package at The Gateway Hotel Gir (from INR 12,000 per night) includes 2 safaris daily. Direct flights from KL to Ahmedabad on Malaysia Airlines (RM 1,800 return).

▸ Style

p.68 · Shaped by the Sky
Shot at the Sultan Abdul Samad Building—the 1897 Moorish-style landmark in KL's Merdeka Square. The 14-page spread uses the building's copper domes and arched colonnades as backdrop for 12 technical-fabric looks from On Running, Puma and local label Lembayung.

p.102 · Enduring Icon
Chanel celebrates the J12 watch's partnership with Gisele Bundchen. The 38mm J12 Paradoxe features a black-and-white ceramic case, in-house Caliber 12.1 movement with 70-hour power reserve. Price: RM 42,000. Only 550 pieces produced globally.

▸ The Scene

p.34 · Guardians of the Mountain
Penjaga Gunung (Mountain Guardians): 40 Orang Asli community members trained as forest stewards in Cameron Highlands. The programme pays RM 1,500 per month per guardian. Since 2023, they have recorded 15 new plant species and stopped 12 illegal logging incidents.

p.44 · Waste Not
Potato Head's Max Lamb collaboration transforms hotel waste into homeware. The SukkhaCitta collection uses discarded coconut shells, glass bottles and textile offcuts from the Potato Head Beach Club in Bali. Prices from IDR 500,000 for a coconut-shell bowl.

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Editor's Take

The OceanX package is more localized than the Philippine version: the Universiti Malaysia Terengganu partnership and the specific 3,000-square-kilometer mapping target give it a clear Malaysian stake. Phan Huy's Golden Boy profile (p.82) is genuinely inspirational—a first-of-its-kind milestone for Vietnamese fashion with specific production numbers. The Orang Asli forest guardians (p.34) is the kind of ground-level reporting the Scene section should do more of. But the 48-page Style section follows the February issue's trend of over-dominating the magazine. The Sultan Abdul Samad Building shoot (p.68) is technically well-executed but has no conceptual connection to the OceanX cover theme. Chanel's J12 feature (p.102) is a press-release summary with no independent evaluation of the watch.

Strengths
• OceanX mission specifics—45 days, 3,000 sq km, UMT partnership, 60 crew
• Phan Huy with Vietnamese silk sourcing, artisan count and couture pricing
• Penjaga Gunung programme with salary data, species count and illegal-logging stops

Weaknesses
• 48-page Style section (30 percent of issue) is dominated by brand collaborations
• Chanel J12 feature reads as a press release, not a watch review

Verdict: Recommended — The OceanX mission and the Phan Huy profile are both genuinely newsworthy; the style section is best browsed quickly.