SINGAPORE - For its debut issue released on Friday, June 27, 2014, The Life magazine (click here to download for iPad or click here to get it for Android devices) has scored two firsts.

For starters, it is the first monthly e-magazine from The Straits Times. It is also the first publication in Asia to have landed an exclusive one-on-one interview with fashion designer Nicolas Ghesquiere since he took over from Marc Jacobs as artistic director of French luxury house Louis Vuitton. The Life interviewed him in Mayduring his Cruise 2015 presentation in Monaco about how he plans to take the brand to the next level.

“The idea of The Life is to give readers a taste of the good life, as seen through the eyes of taste-makers such as Nicolas Ghesquiere, newsmakers who appreciate the finer things in life, and our team of writers who seek out the best in travel, food, design and style,” says Elisabeth Gwee, Life! deputy editor and The Life editor.

The digital magazine is a separate product from the regular Life! section, and will be launched every last Friday of the month in The Straits Times Star app. It is designed for tablets and optimised for the iPad.

The Life magazine is divided into five sections - Style, Pursuits, Travel, Food and Design.

To make stories come alive for readers, interactive elements such as videos, pop-up photo boxes, photo galleries and maps have been included.

In the first issue, Life! food critic Wong Ah Yoke shows you how to eat well, on the cheap, in Hong Kong. He tries out the latest Michelin-starred restaurants where one can have a meal for as little at $10 a head. In the regular monthly column, Best New Restaurant, he picks The Clifford Pier for its glamourous interior and authentic hawker fare at decent prices. For Travel, Tan Hsueh Yun escaped from the hustle and bustle of city life to a ryokan in Yamashiro Onsen. In Pursuits, vintage fashion lovers talk about their prized possessions, from designer clothes to jewellery.

Read more about the new ST Star app and The Life magazine here.

Stories are written by the Life! team and reporters from the Straits Times newsroom.

Says Ms Gwee: “The biggest challenge putting the e-magazine together was working in a brand new medium. From the video cover of the magazine to the inside pages, the design team have worked hard to create an interactive read that is engaging and easy to navigate. We hope readers have as much fun reading The Life as we did putting it together.”

How to download The Life - Issue 1 is free for your iPad or Android tablets and smartphones

1. First, you need to download The Straits Times Star (ST Star) app. Please click on these links: - ST Star app in the Apple App Store, or- ST Star app on Google Play2. Alternatively, go to the App Store or Google Play and search "Straits Times Star" to download the ST Star app, which is available for the iPad and Android tablets and smartphones. The app is designed for tablets and optimised for the iPad.3. Once you are in the ST Star app: - If you are a Straits Times All-In-One subscriber, log in using the same username or e-mail address and password that you use to log in to the ST app or www.straitstimes.com- If you are not yet an All-In-One subscriber to The Straits Times, please click "I'm just browsing" to go to the storefront.4. Once you are in the ST Star app's storefront, you can download The Life magazine Issue 1 free. Enjoy your read.