It’s time for a Brave New World. Great British Brands 2023 celebrates the start of a new era, and looks ahead to a greener, fairer and more balanced world. Leading the charge is our cover star, none other than King Charles III – but as you’ve never seen him before, captured in virtual reality by Leo Caillard. Lucy Cleland speaks to the French artist about how he created an image for the future.

There are also insightful essays from Ellen Miles, Thamima Anam, Trevor Phillips, Josh Glancy and Peter Bazalgette, plus thought-provoking features and round-ups from eco-activists Clover Hogan and James Bidwell, sustainable travel expert Juliet Kinsman, wine connoisseur Tom Gilbey, and the Design Museum’s Head of Curatorial Priya Khanchandani. And let’s not forget the brilliant British brands that give this issue its name: we bring together 150 of the country’s finest, and ask them how they’re creating companies of the future.