THE BLOSSOMING OF LIFE STYLE

It was in early 2001 that a brand new idea was conceptualised. A one-page supplement, titled 'Living' had been gaining a steady following since its launch. Being the sole lifestyle supplement of The Daily Star, it carved a reader base all for itself despite its size. 

Given its success, the powers that be decided it was time to capitalise on the situation. Bangladesh was growing and along with it its various industries, including food and beverage, fashion and of course living itself. 

Thus, Star Lifestyle was born, a supplement of The Daily Star that envisioned becoming the one-stop solution to all lifestyle-related queries. The best way to describe the moments leading up to the first issue would be nervous trepidation with a dash of surrealism. In a matter of months, the face of lifestyle journalism was about to change forever. 

Star Lifestyle would be at the forefront of this revolution, leading right from the vanguard. And as the Bangladeshi's taste in food, fashion and frugal living became more refined, Star Lifestyle was ever-ready to guide them in the right direction. 

The magazine brought together some of the most talented minds in the world of fashion and living under one all-encompassing umbrella. The first issue saw the debut of columnists Sadia Moyeen, the beautician, along with Nasreen Sattar - two individuals who would go on to become the mainstays of the supplement. 

A shopping guide was prepared for the first issue and this would prove to be very popular in the following years, leading to a special-themed issue featuring one of the most comprehensive area-wise shopping guides ever prepared. 

The first issue also had a recipe column, satire and restaurant reviews rounding off the then 8-page supplement. Over the years, as the popularity of the magazine grew, so did the number of pages, finally reaching the coveted 20-pages per issue. 

Star Lifestyle's intention was always to uphold the traditions and cultures of Bangladesh, but as globalisation began at a pace never before encountered since the industrial revolution, Lifestyle's stature also began to verge on the metropolitan. 

The demands of the readers began to become more polished and upscale became the way to go. 
Star Lifestyle, however, continued to put Bangladeshi products and images in the forefront of everything, celebrating our culture while being open to the integration of others. 
Back in 2001, Star Lifestyle was as progressive as could be. 

Instead of only fixating on traditional takes, Star Lifestyle devoted itself to the self-examination of the Bangladeshi culture. This supplement was the first evidence that Bangladesh was a fashion destination and a growing power in influencing the fashion trends of the globe. 
One example of how this was done was when Star Lifestyle arranged a roundtable on Jamdani and its Bangladeshi roots, being one of the first to challenge India's claim to the famous weave. 

Star Lifestyle played a key role in establishing the face of the Bangladeshi fashion industry, helped in turn by a rising number of Bangladeshi fashion houses that were making a mark on the international scene. 
However, instead of just discussing trends, Star Lifestyle decided to become a trendsetter and in that regard began arranging some of the most spectacular photoshoots of the time. 

From wardrobe selection to setting up props, Star Lifestyle prided itself on ensuring the most attractive visuals present in any magazine in the country. The visuals, along with Star Lifestyle's apparent finger right on the pulse of the fashion world, led to an even more ambitious plan: targeting the wedding market. The wedding special started off as a comprehensive instalment of four issues with each dealing with a separate area of any wedding, such as food and clothing. 

By 2011, Star Lifestyle's wedding specials became a must have for all brides to be.

The issues were so detailed and so informative that they sowed the seed for the Wedding Special issue, a special supplement which went on to become one of the most awaited wedding guides every year, a must-have for every bride and groom to ensure the best wedding possible. 

To spice things up, another wedding supplement was created, tailored to meet the requirements of the mother of the bride. This supplement targeted a brand new market altogether and was yet another first of many.

With a trail blazed already, another path was about to be lit. As the recipe columns of Star Lifestyle began gaining prominence, the time was right to strike the iron and start on another avenue; food photography. Tiring of the usual shots of food, Star Lifestyle would go down the road of revitalising food photography and taking it to brand new heights. 

Special attention was now being given to what kind of food would be served and more importantly how the garnishing would be done. A lot of emphasis was given on the plating of the food and everything was done to ensure that readers would not be only attracted by what the given recipe would taste like but also how it would look. 

The focus on food led to Star Lifestyle partnering up with Rupchanda, the number one producer of edible soybean oil in Bangladesh. The two together produced the first ever Rupchanda-Star Lifestyle Amateur Chef in 2013. 

The success of the project led to it becoming even bigger next year in the form of Rupchanda-Star Lifestyle Super Chef and the following year it was rebranded as Rupchanda-The Daily Star Super Chef, capitalising on the popularity and visibility of the programme which had gone on to become the biggest culinary related reality show in all of Bangladesh. 

Star Lifestyle's role in the food scene was immense. Back before restaurant reviews were available right on a person's finger tips, Star Lifestyle would go out of its way to review every hot restaurant in the city. 

Much like their photoshoots, the food reviews dealt not only with the taste of the food but also the garnishing, the display, the service and of course the ambience of the restaurant. 

Star Lifestyle grew but there was also an influx of fresh blood to go with the old guard to ensure that the best of all worlds could be displayed and presented in the most succinct and attractive of manners. 
Over the years, the numbers of columnists has grown along with the popularity of the magazine. Indeed, Star Lifestyle could be said to be one of the most popular and most lucrative of supplements. 

Star Lifestyle is now considered as the standard of lifestyle journalism but it took a collective effort over a number of years to reach this position. 

Star Lifestyle hopes to remain at the forefront of trends in the 25 years to come and beyond and remain an integral part of The Daily Star.  

As the Daily Star turns 25, Star Lifestyle turns 16 and together the two can be said to have defined the lifestyle of Bangladesh. To say it was an honour to not only witness but be part of the history that was made is quite an understatement. In hindsight, it was not just an honour; somehow we feel it was destiny. 

Photo: LS Archive/Sazzad Ibne Sayed