Sheikh Majed Al Jaber Al SabahThis month’s Guest Editor. An Icon of Innovation, a man renowned for his wide ranging creativity including his minimalist series on Instagramusing stark white backgrounds

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ISSUE NUMBER 63 - NOVEMBER 2014

Dear Passionate readers, In our quest to always bring you that which is new and unique, MEN’S PASSION is hosting a Guest Editor for this issue. To the rest of the world, he is known as a Style Icon. To all those who know him, he is known as a man of culture, great taste and lineage. To us, he is an Icon of Innovation, a pioneer in every field that he has entered. We have been following his career path over the last twenty years, and we have never ceased to be amazed by his ability to identify a market need, invest his talent in it and to take it to a completely new level, competing with the most seasoned on the international stage. Meet Sheikh Majed Al-Sabah and get to know the latest of his endeavors, discover the force that drove him to take upon himself all these challenges throughout his career. Get to know his personal taste through his hand picked favorite restaurant, DJ, architect and more. This is indeed a very special issue of MEN’S PASSION, and we dedicate it to Sheikh Majed on his birthday. May we celebrate more successes with every passing birthday, Till next issue,

JUST A THOUGHT

Zeina MokaddamManaging Director

ISSUE NUMBER 63 - NOVEMBER 2014

GUEST EDITOR - NOVEMBER 2014

“White... Is what your heart

should be..!

”Sheikh Majed Al-Sabah

TUMI.COM

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5 Sheikh Majed Al Jaber Al SabahThis month’s Guest Editor. An Icon of Innovation, a man renowned for his wide ranging creativity including his minimalist series on Instagramusing stark white backgrounds

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFAmera Al-Awadhi

LEGAL CONSULTANT Khaled Al-Kandari Al-Kandari Law Firm

PUBLISHED BY

MANAGING DIRECTORZeina Mokaddam

ACTING MANAGING DIRECTORNouf Al-Hajri

MANAGING EDITOR Simon Balsom

ACTING MANAGING EDITORKatia Abbas

CREATIVE DIRECTORLara Homsi

EDITORIAL PHOTOGRAPHERKhaled Sandid

PRODUCTION MANAGER& EXECUTION.Nidal Al-Shaker

PH7 is a specialized publishing house based in Kuwait. Telephone +(965) 2572 0810 Fax +(965) 2572 0860 Website www.ph7-kw.comTo maintain the desired quality of our publication, your contribution and feedback are welcomed.

Please email your suggestions to zeina@ph7-kw.com

For advertising, do not hesitate to contact info@ph7-kw.com

For subscription, please email your details to info@ph7-kw.com

PH7 wishes to state that the opinions expressed in MEN’S PASSION are those of the authors concerned and not necessarily those of the publisher.

BPA Worldwide Consumer Membership applied for, September 2014

ON THE COVER:

CONTENTS

12 Sheikh Majed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah An Icon of Innovat ion

28 Cityscape Real estate event one-on-one

30 Dominick Dunne Author, journal ist and f i lmmaker. 1925 – 2009

32 Diana Vreeland True sty le icon. 1903 – 1989

34 Bottega Veneta Where their own in i t ia ls are enough

36 Rem Koolhaas Architect

40 Mies van der Rohe Architect & Designer

November 2014

In a first for MEN’S PASSION, this month’s edition is brought to you through the efforts and inspiration of a special Guest Editor - Sheikh Majed Al Jaber Al Sabah. In a world which is so often over-designed, over-thought and over-complicated Sheikh Majed is known for his clear vision and clarity of thought. The pureness of these attributes and Sheikh Majed’s own words on page 6 make a bold statement - one reflected in the starkness and simplicity of this edition’s front cover.

42 Isfahan The Florence of the East

46 Festival de Cannes Beyond the red carpet

50 TFK The Fragrance Kitchen

52 EspaiSucre Sugar Space, Barcelona

56 Udaipur Lake Palace Pichola Lake, Udaipur, Rajasthan

58 DJ Van Moroccan music sensat ion

60 Apple iPhone 6

62 Piaget A v is i t to the heart of watch and jewel lery excel lence at the manufactures of Piaget in Switzer land

68 Jenson Button Formula One racer and TAG Heuer brand ambassador

70 Eberhard & Co. presents Tazio Nuvolari Automatic Three-Hands

Raya Abirached - new IWC Brand Ambassador

71 Casual Ital ian elegance Dolce & Gabbana’s Cruise Col lect ion

80 Louis Vuitton Shoes F iesso d’Art ico

82 The New BMW X6 A Sparkling Storm

84 World f irst: three plug-in hybrid models from Porsche Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid celebrates world premiere in Paris

86 New Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupé The high-end coupé arr ives in Kuwait

88 World Architecture Festival 2014 Wrap

92 Hodgdon launches carbon race boat

93 Tankoa Yachts Genoa based shipyard has revealedS701 at the Monaco Yacht Show 2014

94 Events

THE LUXE REVIEW

An Icon of Innovation

Sheikh Majed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah

Sheikh Majed Al-Sabah has been proved, deservedly so, to be a true pioneer in every field he has chosen to work in. Thinking outside the box and inviting change in Kuwait, the Arab world and also internationally, his thoughts led to a shift in the prevailing concepts in several sectors across the Arab world, owing to his foresight and modern vision.

Sheikh Majed’s career path was a real roller coaster; indeed, he hasfaced numerous challenges but thanks to his sage reasoning, he was always able to overcome obstacles along the way. He is a man who seizes opportunities and uses his own experience to light the way ahead.Perhaps Sheikh Majed was named ‘Ambassador of Fashion and Elegance’ for his unique and innovative taste infashion, but he is certainly more than just that; he kept going until he became an icon of both fashion and innovation. Always up to something new, he boldly ventures into a myriad of projects and fields that are all worth labelling as innovative.

His unique style is obvious wherever he sets foot. Sheikh Majed leads as an example as he is always the first to lay the foundations stones for any project successfully.

This interview for MEN’S PASSION magazine took a different twist with Sheikh Majed. Each and every word of his delighted us and gave us flashbacks to his stories of achievements as he modestly and genuinely recounted his fierce confrontations and proud success. As we conversed, we had a lot to learn and contemplate as we continue our own journey along the professional path:

Let us start with your latest commercial ventures. What inspired you to embark on a journey in the world of art?

I have established Oud Media, a Kuwaiti advertising and publicity company specializing in media production, films, advertising, graphic design and photography. We have a team of specialists and innovators whom we take pride in. We are always aiming for the best results in each project we execute. With regard to art production, there was no plan for the adoption of Arab youth talents; it was by mere coincidence that I got to step further into this field. After hosting the young singer Saad Almjarred, for the launch of a Moroccan perfume collection at The Fragrance Kitchen (TFK), we decided to partner with him for an art production, but not a conventional one of course. We signed an exclusive contract between Oud Media and Saad Almjarred whereby we would cover all his events, music performances and media appearances in the GCC countries and worldwide.

We started with two events during Eid al-Fitr holiday, one hosted in the Kingdom of Bahrain and sponsored by Bahrain’s Ministry of Culture and another in the UAE on the occasion of Layali Dubai Concerts. Oud Media signed an agreement with none other than Gucci to be Saad’s official sponsor in all of his tours.

You are known for thinking out of the box. What original paths will Oud Media open for Saad Almjarred?

Each project I start is a self-challenge. I always seek to add a unique touch or try to reshape what is familiar and present it in a new, unfamiliar wrapping that attracts others. Our decision was to refrain from traditional concerts. Instead of featuring a singer for a set amount of time, all our concerts are a continuous show that last for 70 minutes. What sets Saad apart is that he does not cry out for exposure. On the contrary, he is very comfortable to share the spotlight with other young talents. All his concerts are titled ‘Saad and His Friends’, offering them the opportunity to reach a large audience.

Should we expect new talents to join Oud Media?

Artist Asma Al Munawar contacted us and was open heartedly welcomed among us as she has an exceptional voice and is a profound talent. But, as usual, we have in store for her a completely different experience than Saad’s. We always seek novelty, and we strongly believe that passion is key to creativity in this area, and this is one of the rules I live by. I have been deeply passionate about every detail in the projects I carried out, and this translated into more creativity along the way.

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Before Oud Media, you launched a first of its kind perfume companyin the Middle East. How did the idea see the light?

I spent my childhood with my grandmother who taught me a lot about fragrances. Every day she would wear a wonderful mixture of Dahn Al Oud, incense and roses that appealed to my senses and influenced my taste in perfumes. Arab families are known for always having their own secret mixtures of fragrance; I am no exception to this rule as I have always made my own perfumes that were always commented upon by my friends and family.Day after day, I started to think more seriously about developing my passion for perfumes, and I decided to do so by combining heritage with modernity. I did the necessary research and decided to start manufacturing perfumes. My mission was to create a Kuwaiti brand with a global vision and I soon launched a perfume shop in Al-Hamra Mall named The Fragrance Kitchen –TFK. I manufacture perfumes in Grasse, France’s most celebrated region in manufacturing internationally acclaimed perfumes.

How is The Fragrance Kitchen different from other perfume brands?

While international brands launch new perfumes annually, TFK offers monthly new arrivals of perfumes so that our clients enjoy an exquisite and exceptional shopping experience one time after the other. The company met great success, therefore we are considering expanding and we are thinking of going international. We have a collection of our perfumes on the shelves of Harrod’s in London, as well as at stores in Milan, Florence, Moscow, Dubai and Jeddah. Our expansion plan includes opening branches in Riyadh, more in London, the USA, Hong Kong, and Paris in retail stores such as Selfridges, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, and Printemps. At a later stage we aspire to open independent showrooms for The Fragrance Kitchen across the world.

Your launching of the Moroccan perfume collection was the talk of the town in the press, on social media and among the public. How do you describe this experience?

When we decided to launch the Moroccan fragrance line, we considered hosting the young Moroccan singer Saad Almjarred to advertise the new perfume. More than five thousand visitors flocked to Al Hamra Mall that day. Despite our tactful organization of the event, we received bitter criticism. But, in all honesty, we did not expect such a large audience, and things got out of control. Perhaps all this led me to take a chance at art production.

Indeed, you leave your own and inimitable touch on each domain you enter. How did you rise to fame on Instagram?

My first exposure to Instagram was two years ago when a relative of mine casually introduced me to the application. I wanted to follow the untrodden path, and I came up with the ‘White Story’ concept. This is extremely simple and consists of uploading pictures with a white background and which became quickly known and greatly admired by my followers and by the Instagram team themselves who published my experience on their website.

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A person would usually need to channel his passion towards a single interest to be successful. In your opinion, how were you able to grow achievements in so many diverse sectors?

Let me draw a timeline to explain my point. As a child and until my teenage years, I suffered from asthma and was homebound for a long period.

I took the opportunity to study hard and to excel at school. During the graduation ceremony, I was honored by late Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Jaber al Sabah. It was a dream come true. I am a firm believer that willpower, perseverance and motivation play a key role in achieving success, no matter how many obstacles you face. My mother always tried to soothe my suffering with asthma, so we went to Switzerland and visited a physician who gave me injections that helped me avoid the symptoms of this sickness for a whole year. However, we soon found out that this vaccine had Cortisone in it, which caused me obesity along with great frustration. But I did not allow myself to lose determination and self-confidence. Back in the mid-eighties, shopping for clothes was a great torture as it was impossible to find a fit. Deep down, I felt that Kuwait lacked more innovative and avant-garde shopping spaces and this way the Villa Modaconcept started to take shape in my mind.

Tell us more about the early days of Villa Moda.

The opening of Villa Moda required extensive and tireless efforts. Initially, the family showed strong objections towards me entering this area of business. Also, the European brands agencies set numerous obstacles against me. However, in 1992, we planned for the opening and furnished the store space beside Kuwait Towers in the area where numerous Kuwait TV studios were set.

Then we contacted American brands that were not available in Kuwait at that time. In the beginning it was Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein and Donna Karan. The store hit the jackpot with a reputation that grew within five years and along with the internationally growing reputation of these names, particularly when the international designer Tom Ford joined the House of Gucci in 1996. Ford was able to add more glamour to the name of Gucci in the world of fashion. At that time, Gucci had a small shop in Salhiya Complex that did not meet the requirements of the parent company as Gucci was seeking to expand across the Middle East. In 1998, I opened the first and biggest Gucci Store in the Middle East in Al Fanar Mall. Grabbing the attention of European houses of fashion, we started collaborating with Fendiin 1999. That was a major milestone as we had engaged in continuous and lengthy negotiations with Prada who bought Fendi’s agency during that period.

Indeed, the first thingcrossing anyone’s mind when planning to open any store is to find a mall or a heavily frequented place. You were among the first and one of few people who dared to open a store in the middle of nowhere. Where did that idea come from?

My visit to the Free Zone in 2000 inspired me to open a large and unique store in that area. Project execution also started in 2000. Not only was it one of its kind, but also its location and the quality of design contributed to its rarity. We completed the design and construction project in a record time of 14 months only. We collaborated with the Italian engineer Pierre Francesco Gravel. Around that time and after three months, precisely in September 2001, my maternal uncle, the late Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Jaber Al-Sabah, fell ill and was accompanied to the UK by my mother on a private jet. Despite being there, I maintained contact with the engineers to pursue the project delivery. Then, when I was in England, I started to think of other things. As a big fan of Wallpaper magazine, I sought to open channels of communication with the editors, and my interview covered over eight pages of that issue.

After returning from the London hospital trip, in April 2002, I resumed the steps for the project’s grand opening. A big event was held for the opening and that gave us a huge promotional push. We started to expand across Arab countries. In mid-2003, we opened a Villa Moda branch in Dubai, and in 2005, we opened in Qatar, Damascus’ old souk and in Bahrain.

How was Villa Moda affected by the global f inancial crisis?

The global financial crisis coincided with publicly listing the Villa Moda Company in DIFC. All countries and various sectors were influenced, and to a large extent, the company shares were affected. My plans were gravely thwarted by these events since I had diligently built, planned and developed strategies and plans for this project year by year, but I can never surrender - nor can I ever feel despair. I decided to become a businessman at that point of my career path. I had been a member of Tamdeen Group’s Board of Directors for over sixteen years witnessing the shift from a government company to a private sector company purchased by my family and Al-Marzouq family. I then entered the field of the arts, followed by perfumes and later into production. Today, I can savor the taste of success as I look back on my accomplishments.

How did you find yourself involved with the arts?

My first experience in this was through an antiquities exhibition in Miami, USA. The exhibition displayed antiquities from Kuwait, East Asia, Syria and other Arab countries. I embraced this idea and decided to replicate this activity in Kuwait by an exhibition featuring instances from the history of Kuwait that was later known as Al Sabah Art & Design Gallery.

In March 2009, I opened Al Sabah Art & Design Gallery at the Corniche Club. I have a boundless passion to look for rare pieces depicting the ancient history of Kuwait, antiquities and rare paintings. I primarily sought to modernize the concept of galleries through blending heritage with modernity. The exhibition presented the works of a number of Arab countries including the Lebanese artist, Laudi Abilama and Sabhan Adam, and included a rare collection of Arab rulers’ portraits.

From then on we hosted new works biweekly and expressed our support of young Kuwaiti talents by allocating spaces for their works as a means to celebrate their creativity and innovations.

16 17

In your opinion, how did technological advances affect fashion shopping?

A number of factors have lately contributed to the change and rise of fashion shopping concepts and habits. The client has new purchase methods such as the numerous online stores. On a different note, choosing clothes has radically changed. Before, when you would be shopping for clothes, you would be thinking of a certain item for a specific occasion. Nowadays, the concepts have been overturned, and people express bolder choices of outfits that might suit more occasions. People can also add their own touch with accessories.

The name of Sheikh Majed Al-Sabah has become analogous to the generous patronage of young Kuwait fashion design talents. What are the future scenarios for further talent support?

When we opened Villa Moda, we organized contests seeking to attract Kuwaiti designers. The winner’s designs would be displayed in Kuwait stores or our stores abroad. Lately, almost anybody calls himself a designer. I personally think that a successful designer, and they are rare today, is the one capable to execute the design, alpha to omega. My name appeared in this field as a supporter for designers.

In addition to your executed projects, you presented a brand new and unconventional concept: 21Carrots. How is it distinct?

The store is a venture of my sister’s, Sheikha Majida Al-Sabah. She asked me for assistance in terms of injecting fresh concepts to Kuwait market. That is exactly what we hav done. We opened the store in Al Hamra Mall specializing in unique and innovative catering requirements and provisions. We select designers on a monthly basis whose cake design collections come from the four corners of the world in various shapes, colors and flavors. We also provide state-of-the-art packaging, which added to 21 Carrots unique identity in this sector.

Esquire Middle East has named Sheikh Majed Al-Sabah among The Best Dressed Men of All Time, a list which included celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, Johnny Depp, Steve McQueen, designer Tom Ford and other world-renowned figures. Voting Sheikh Majed Al-Sabah to appear on the list did not come as a surprise. In fact, he has always been noted for his elegance and profound experience in the trade of luxurious fashion designs. He is the reason behind the first entry to the region of high-end fashion brands such as Gucci, Dolce &Gabbana and Marni.

After only two and a half years of its establishment, Villa Moda became the leading fashion house in Kuwait and soon appealed to the well-heeled of Kuwait and the region who were on the hunt for the latest trends of the world’s leading fashion houses, such as Prada, Yves Saint Laurent and Gucci; they certainly found what they were looking for, owing to Sheikh Majed Al-Sabah who was then named the “Sheikh of Chic”.

In 2005, an Italian organization presented to Sheikh Majed a prestigious fashion award in recognition of the originality and excellence of companies dealing with high-end Italian products.

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ضمن الصباح ماجد الشيخ تختار األوسط الشرق Esquire مجلة ضمت والتي The Best Dressed Men of All Time قائمة وستيف ديب وجوني سيناترا فرانك مثل مهمة شخصيات الشيخ اختيار عالمية. وشخصيات فورد توم والمصمم ماكوين ماجد الصباح في هذه القائمة لم يكن غريبا حيث عرف عنه أناقته الشديدة وخبرته في تجارة األزياء الراقية فهو السبب في دخول دور Gucci أزياء عريقة للمنطقة ألول مرة منذ أوائل التسعينات مثل

.Marni و Dolce & Gabbana و

سنتين بعد الكويت في للموضة دار أول مودا” “فيال أصبحت والمنطقة الكويت أثرياء أنظار محط إنشائها، على ونصف الباحثين عن آخر تصاميم دور األزياء العالمية مثل برادا وايف سان الذي الصباح ماجد الشيخ نشاط بفضل وذلك وغوشي، لوران

أصبح يطلق عليه لقب “شيخ األناقة”.

جائزة الصباح ماجد الشيخ ايطالية منظمة منحت 2005 في والتفوق للتميز تقيدرًا وذلك الراقية األزياء تجارة مجال في اإليطالية من المنتجات مع تتعامل التي والشركات للمؤسسات

العالية”. “الشريحة

بدأت ،2002 أبريل في وتحديدًا لندن في العالج رحلة من العودة وبعد لفعالية وكبير ضخم بحدث وقمنا المشروع، الفتتاح الفعلية الخطوة االفتتاح والتي من خاللها استطعنا أن نحقق شهرة واسعة. وبعد 4 سنوات فقط أصبحت “فيال مودا” أول شركة أزياء كويتية مدرجة في سوق الكويت لألوراق المالية. وبدأنا بالتوسع في الدول العربية حيث افتتحنا فرع لفيال مودا في منتصف عام 2003 في دبي، و2005 في قطر، والسوق القديم

في الشام والبحرين.

كيف كانت تداعيات األزمة المالية العالمية على فيال مودا؟

فيال شركة أسهم فيها أدرجت التي السنة تتزامن أن الصدف شاءت التي العالمية المالية األزمة حدوث بسنة المالي، دبي مركز في مودا تأثرت بها جميع دول العالم في مختلف القطاعات، وطبعًا اثر ذلك على أسهم الشركة. شعرت باإلحباط الكبير ألن هذا المشروع هو ثمرة سنوات متواصلة من العمل والخطط واالستراتيجيات. لكن بطبيعة شخصيتي التي ال تعرف االستسالم وال اليأس، وألنني عضو مجلس إدارة في شركة أن كانت شركة حكومية وصواًل 16 سنة، أي منذ العقارية منذ التمدين إلى تحويلها لقطاع خاص وشرائها من عائلتنا بالشراكة مع عائلة المرزوق. قررت أن تأحذ المرحلة القادمة من حياتي المهنية صفة رجل أعمال. دخلت في مجال الفن التشكيلي والعطور والتي بدورها أدت إلى دخولي في مجال

اإلنتاج، وها أنا اليوم محاط بكل ما سعيت لتحقيقه.

حدثنا عن تجربتك في مجال الفن التشكيلي ؟

التجربة األولى في هذا المجال ن كانت من خالل تنظيم معرض “أنتيك” الكويت من أثريًا قطعًا المعرض هذا ضم حيث بأميركا، ميامي في لذلك مختلفة. عربية وبلدان وسوريا آسيا شرق من جمعتها وأخرى خالل من الكويت إلى النشاط هذا أنقل أن وقررت الفكرة هذه تبنيت تنظيم معرض نعكس من خالله تاريخ الكويت، ولذلك أنشأت “الصباح

غاليري للفنون”.

افتتحت Al Sabah Art & Design Gallery في شهر مارس من سنة 2009 النادرة القطع عن البحث في كبير أمتلك شغف الكورنيش، نادي في وكانت النادرة. واللوحات والتحف القديم، الكويت تاريخ تعكس التي المزج خالل من الغاليري مفهوم تحديث هي آنذاك الرئيسية الفكرة الفنانين من لعدد لوحات أيضًا المعرض وضم والحداثة. التراث بين لودي اللبنانية التشكيلية للفنانة منها العربية الدول من التشكيلين أبي الما وصبهان آدم وهي مجموعة نادرة من “بورتريهات” لألمراء العرب.

أعمااًل نعرض حيث منتظمة بوتيرة المعرض نقيم أن آنذاك وحرصنا أبوابة أمام المواهب جديدة مرة في كل أسبوعين. كما فتح المعرض بهدف أعمالهم لعرض أماكن مخصصة توفير وتم الكويتية الشبابية

دعمهم في هذا المجال الظهار إبداعاتهم وابتاكارتهم.

20 21

مع تماشيًا األزياء قطاع في الشراء فكرة تطورت كيف اليوم برأيك الثورة التكنولوجية؟

هناك عوامل عديدة في اآلونة األخيرة غيرت وطورت عدد من من المفاهيم والعادات المتعلقة شراء األزياء. فاليوم أصبح للعميل أساليب شراء أخرى اختيار أخرى، طريقة ناحية ومن العديدة. اإللكترونية المواقع مع ظهور األزياء تغيرت بشكل كبير، كانت عملية شراء تتمحور حول مفهوم شراء المفاهيم هذه تغيرت فقد اليوم أما محددة، لمناسبة معينة قطعة وأصبح الناس أكثر جرأة في اختيار أزياء تناسب عدد أكثر من المناسبات

مع إضافة بصمتهم الخاصة من االكسسوارات.

لطالما اقترن اسم الشيخ ماجد الصباح باحتضانه المواهب الشبابية لتعزيز أي مشروع مستقبلي لديك األزياء، هل قطاع في الكويتية

دورك في دعم المواهب؟

عندما تم افتتاح فيال مودا، حرصنا أن نستقطب المصممين الكويتيين فرصة للفائز ونوفر بتنظيمها، نقوم كنا التي المسابقات خالل من لعرض تصاميمها في متاجر الكويت أو متاجرنا خارج الكويت. إال أنه في اآلونة األخيرة أصبح لقب مصمم أزياء تطلق على أي شخص، ومن جهة القادر على تنفيذ جميع مراحل الناجح هو الشخص شخصية المصمم اسمي واقتران اليوم. نفتقده ما وهذا الياء إلى األلف من التصميم كداعم للمواهب الشبابية هو بسبب الدعم الذي كنا نقدمه للمصممين

في ذلك الوقت.

باإلضافة إلى مشاريعك التي قمت بتنفيذها، طرحت فكرة خارجة عن المألوف وهو متجر Carrots 21، ما الذي يميزه عن غيره؟

مني طلبت وقد الصباح، ماجدة الشيخة لشقيقتي هو المتجر هذا مساعدتها في تقديم أفكار جديدة في السوق الكويتي. وهذا ما قمنا به، افتتحنا المتجر في مجمع الحمرا ، ومهو مختص بتوفير المستلزمات نوعها. من وفريدة مبتكرة بطريقة الحلويات من بالمناسبات الخاصة عرض ويتم العالم، حول من مصممين باختيار ًا شهري نقوم لذلك ونكهات وبألوان مميزة بطريقة للحلويات تصاميمهم من مجموعة مختلفة. كما حرصنا على توفير طريقة تغليف مبتكرة مما خلق لمتجر

Carrots 21 بصمة خاصة في هذا القطاع.

من المتعارف عليه أن يمتلك الشخص شغف في أمر واحد ليبدع، من وجهة نظرك كيف استطعت أن تحقق إنجازات في قطاعات متباعدة؟

المراهقة كانت فترة صعبة أن مرحلة طفولتي لغاية سن القول يمكن بسبب إصابتي بداء الربو، وهذا ما أجبرني على المكوث في المنزل لفترة

طويلة. وتلك الفترة شكلت داعمًا وحافزًا كبيرًا لدي ألجتهد في دراستي وأحقق التفوق ألكون من الطلبة األوائل ليتسنى تكريمي من قبل أمير الكويت الراحل الشيخ جابر الصباح خالل حفل التخرج، وبالفعل حققت هذا الحلم. لذلك أعتبر أن لإلرادة واإلصرار والعزيمة أدورًا كبيرة في تحقيق اإلنجازات بغض النظر عن الصعوبات التي يمكن أن يواجهها أي شخص. ولطالما سعت والدتي أن توفر لي سبل الراحة من مرض الربو، لذلك قمنا برحلة الربو إلى سويسرا حيث كان يشتهر أحد األطباء هناك بتوفير حقن لداء قادرة أن تجنبني عوارض هذا المرض لمدة سنة كاملة، ولكن بعد فترة السمنة تسبب التي الكورتيزون مادة يتضمن اللقاح هذا أن اكتشفنا لي سبب بدوره والذي مقبول، غير بشكل آنذاك وزني وزاد المفرطة، اإلحباط بشكل كبير، لكن وقتها لم أسمح أن أفقد ثقتي وعزيمتي في نفسي. وعندما كنت أرغب بالتسوق لألسف لم أكن أجد ما يتالءم مع جسمي، وكان ذلك في منتصف الثمانينيات، وشعرت أن الكويت بحاجة إلى أماكن للتسوق أكثر ابتكارًا وخارجة عن المألوف، ومن هنا جاءت فكرة

فيال مودا.

إذاً، كيف كانت البداية الفعلية لفيال مودا؟

لم يكن افتتاح فيال مودا باألمر السهل، فقد واجهت مشكلة مع األسرة عراقيل وواجت المجال، هذا في دخولي رغبتهم عدم بسبب جهة من من وكاالت العالمات التجارية األوروبية. في البداية بدأنا بتوفير مساحة الفتتاح المتجر الذي كان موقعه بجانب أبراج الكويت في 1992. وكانت هذه المنطقة تتضمن عدد من استديوهات التصوير الخاصة بتلفزيون

الكويت. بدأت بالتواصل مع العالمات التجارية األميركية، وفي ذلك الوقت لم تكن

هذه العالمات متوفرة في الكويت، بدأت مع رالف لورين وكالفين كالين ودونا كارن. حقق المتجر نجاحًا كبيرًا، شهرة واسعة وفي غضون 5 سنوات انتقال المصمم أكثر شهرة، خاصة مع التجارية العالمات أصبحت هذه العالمي توم فورد إلى دار غوتشي في سنة 1996، والذي استطاع أن يرفع الدار إلى تطوير الدار إلى مستوى عال في مجال الموضة. وسعت اسم الرغم من وجود متجر الشرق األوسط، وعلى التي تمتلكها في المتاجر صغير لغوتشي آنذاك في مجمع الصالحية إال أن ذلك لم يلبي متطلبات الشركة األم. لذلك قمت بالخطوة وافتتحت أول وأكبر متجر في الشرق األوسط لغوتشي في مجمع الفنار في 1998. واستطعنا من خالل هذه الخطوة أن نجذب انتباه دور األزياء األوروبية. وفي سنة 1999 تم التعاون مفاوضات في كنا أننا خاصة مهمة تحول نقطة واعتبرها فندي مع

مستمرة وطويلة مع برادا، وخالل تلك الفترة قاموا بشراء وكالة فندي.

يسعى متجر، أي بافتتاح الشخص يرغب عندما أنه المؤكد من أوائل من أنت بالناس، مكتظ مكان أو تجاري مجمع في يكون ألن األشخاص الذين كانت لديهم الجرأة في افتتاح متجر في مكان أشبه

بالصحراء، كيف استوحيت هذه الفكرة؟

خالل زيارتي للمنطقة الحرة في 2000، استوحيت من هذا المكان فكرة مميزة بأن افتتاح متجر كبير هناك سيكون لديه طابع خاص. وفي يونيو 2001 بدأنا بتنفيذ المشروع، وكان يعتبر فريد من نوعه ليس فقط بسبب أنجز والبناء التصميم مشروع ألن أيضًا لكن التصميم وجودة موقعه التعاون 14 شهرًا فقط. وتم يقارب في وقت قياسي حيث استغرق ما مع المهندس اإليطالي بيير فرانشيسكو كرافل. وخالل هذه الفترة وبعد البالد أمير خالي تعرض ،2001 وتحديدًا في سبتمر تقريبًا، أشهر ثالثة خاصة بطائرة نقله استدعى صحية لوعكة الصباح جابر الشيخ الراحل إلى بريطانيا ورافقته مع والدتي. وخالل تواجدي هناك كنت على تواصل مع المهندسين لمتابعة عملي إلنجاز المشروع. لكن خالل تواجدي في بريطانيا بدأت التفكير في أمور أخرى. فكنت من أشد المعجبين بمجلة Wallpaper، وسعيت للتواصل مع المحررين وتم إجراء لقاء صحفي معي

على مساحة ثمانية صفحات.

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من أن يمتلك الشغف في هذا المجال. وهذا هو المبدأ الذي اعتمده في حياتي المهنية. فكل مشروع طرحته ونفذته كنت وما زلت أمتلك شغف

كبير في كافة تفاصيله، وهذا بدوره ما يساعدني على اإلبداع.

في نوعها األولى من ميديا، طرحت شركة عطور افتتاح عود قبل الشرق األوسط، كيف كانت البداية الفعلية لذلك؟

طفولتي كانت عند جدتي وتعلمت منها ما أعرفه اليوم عن العطور، حيث كانت تضع يوميا دهن العود والبخور والورد بشكل رائع وهذا األمر ترك لدي أثرًا كبيرًا في عالم العطور. ناهيك عن أن العائالت العربية تمتلك دائمًا خلطات سرية خاصة بعطورهم وأنا واحد من هؤالء األشخاص. ولطالما استحسان تنال دائمًا والتي الشخصية عطوري بتصنيع أقوم كنت جدية بطريقة بالموضوع بالتفكير بدأت حولي. من المقربين واعجاب وبشكل أكبر، فقررت أن استمثر هذا الشغف الذي أمتلكه في العطور من خالل دمج التراث مع الحداثة. لذلك بدأت باألبحاث الالزمة وقررت دخول مجال تصنيع العطور ووضعت أمام عيني هدف بأن تكون هذه العالمة

التجارية الكويتية برؤية عالمية. أطلقت متجر خاص للعطور وحمل إسمالحمرا. مجمع في ”TFK The Fragrance Kitchen-العطور “مطبخ وبدأت بتصنيع العطور في غراس وهي المنطقة الفرنسية األكثر شهرة

في تصنيع أهم العطور العالمية.

ما الذي يميز The Fragrance Kitchen- TFK عن غيرها من العالمات التجارية المختصة بالعطور؟

عطورها تطرح أن العالمية التجارية للعالمات بالنسبة العادة جرت الجديدة بشكل سنوي، فحرصت أن يضم TFK بشكل شهري عطور جديدة لنوفر للعمالء تجربة تسوق متميزة وفريدة في كل مرة.حققت الشركة هو المشروع هذا من أن هدفي خاصة للتوسع دفعنا مما باهرًا نجاحًا لندن، في هارودز متاجر في عطورنا من مجموعة عرض وتم العالمية.

التوسعية الخطة ومن ضمن وجدة. دبي موسكو، فلورانس، وميالنو، الرياض ولندن والواليات المتحدة نسعى إلى إفتتاح أفرع في كل من تجار من الكثير فيها للمتاجر سالسل ضمن وباريس كونغ وهونغ ماركوس ونيمان أفينيو فيفث وساكس سيلفريدجز مثل التجزئة في العطور لمطبخ مستقلة صاالت نفتتح أن ونأمل وبرونتومب.

العالم. بلدان جميع

به قمت ما وكالعادة مغربية، عطور مجموعة إطالق مع بالتزامن خالل الحفل كان محور حديث الصحافة، اإلعالم وعامة الشعب، كيف

التجربة؟ تلك تصف

عندما قررنا إطالق مجموعة العطور المغربية قمنا باستضافة المطرب التي الضجة أن إال العطر. لهذا للترويج المغربي المجرد الشاب سعد األبعاد. كل وفاقت متوقعة غير كانت الحدث هذا من عليها حصلنا الكبير والدقيق التنظيم الرغم من تعرضنا للكثير من االنتقادات على الذي قمنا به، فقد وصل عدد زاور مجمع الحمرا في ذلك اليوم أكثر من 5 آالف شخص وعندما يحدث أمر كهذا يكون خارج عن السيطرة. وربما

ما حدث كان سببًا لي بدخولي في مجال اإلنتاج الفني.

فعاًل، في كل مجال تدخل به تضع بصمتك الخاصة والفريدة، كيف استطعت أن تحقق الشهرة على االنستجرام؟

تعرفت حيث سنتين منذ كان االنستجرام على شخصية تجربة أول أن أرغب لم الصدفة. طريق عن أقربائي أحد خالل من التطبيق على أكون شخص تقليدي لذلك اخترعت فكرة “القصة البيضاء”، وإذا تمعن تحميل صور عن عبارة فهي البساطة. بغاية وجدها بالقصة الشخص وصدى واسعة شهرة الفكرة هذه حققت وقد اللون، بيضاء بخلفية على القائمين قبل من معي التواصل تم أنه بالذكر والجدير إيجابي.

تطبيق االنستجرام، وتحدثوا عن تجربتي على موقعهم اإللكتروني.

لنبدأ من آخر مشاريعك التجارية. دخلت في مجال عالم الفن، كيف ومن أين جاءت هذه الفكرة؟

شركة هي واإلعالن، للدعاية الكويتية ميديا عود شركة شركة أسست والتصميم واإلعالنات واألفالم اإلعالمي اإلنتاج في متخصصة المتخصصين من عمل فريق لدينا الفوتوغرافي. والتصوير الجرافيكي كل في النتائج أفضل تقديم إلى نهدف بهم. نفخر الذين والمبدعين مواهب لتبني خطة أي هناك يكن لم الحقيقة وفي به. نقوم عمل شبابية عربية، لكن األحداث التي جرت دفعتني للتفكير في اإلنتاج الفني إلطالق المجرد سعد الشاب المطرب استضافة وبعد أعمق. بطريقة ، قررنا The Fragrance Kitchen – TFKمجموعة عطور مغربية لمتجربالطريقة ليس كالعادة ولكن الفني. اإلنتاج مجال في معه التعامل التقليدية على اإلطالق. تم توقيع عقد حصري ما بين عود ميديا والفنان سعد المجرد حيث ستتم تغطية جميع الفعاليات والحفالت الموسيقية للمغني سعد لمجرد باإلضافة إلى التغطية اإلعالمية في دول مجلس

التعاون الخليجي وجميع أنحاء العالم.

المبارك الفطر عيد عطلة خالل حفلين خالل من كانت انطالقة وأول وتاله البحرين في الثقافة وزارة رعاية تحت البحرين مملكة في أولهما

حفل في مهرجان ليالي دبي في دولة اإلمارات العربية المتحدة.الشهيرة التجارية العالمة مع باالتفاق ميديا عود شركة قامت كما

غوتشي لتكون الراعي الرسمي للفنان في جميع جوالته.

من المتعارف عليه أن أفكارك دائمًا تكون من “خارج الصندوق”، فما هو األمر المميز الذي ستطرحه عود ميديا للفنان سعد المجرد؟

أتحدى نفسي من خالله. فكل في كل مشروع أقوم به أسعى دائمًا أن ما هو موجود بالفعل أقوم بإعادة تشكيل طابع مميز له وطرحه بطريقة خارجة عن المألوف ليكون مثير لآلخرين. لذلك قررنا أن نتبعد كل البعد يقدمها أغاني عن عبارة هي والتي التقليدية، الغنائية الحفالت عن الفنان لمدة معينة من الوقت. واستبدلنا ذلك بأن تكون جميع الحفالت بتنظيمها عبارة عن عرض متواصل تصل مدته التي نقوم الموسيقية الحقيقية إلى موهبته المجرد باإلضافة 70 دقيقة. وما يميز سعد إلى جميع لذلك فقط، نفسه على الضوء يسلط ال فهو يمتلكها التي ذلك خالل ومن وأصدقائه”، “سعد إسم تحمل يقدمها التي الحفالت ينمي المواهب الشابة ويقدم لهم الفرصة لتقديم موهبتهم أمام عدد

كبير من الناس.

شركة إلى وضمها معها التعاقد سيتم جديدة أسماء هناك هل عود ميديا؟

المنور، ورحبنا بشكل كبير بها ألنها ايضًا الفنانة أسماء تواصلت معنا تمتلك صوت مميز وموهبة قوية. ولكن كالعادة ما سنقدمه لها سيكون مغاير تمامًا لما قدمناه لسعد المجرد. ونحن دائمًا نعمل على تقديم ما هو جديد. ولكن حتى يتمكن أي شخص أن يكون مبدع في مجال ما، ال بد

24 25

أثبت الشيخ ماجد الجابر الصباح نفسه عن جدارة أنه فعليًا رائدًا في أي مجال إختاره وهذا يعود إلى أفكاره المتميزة التي تفرض نفسها في المجتمعات الكويتية، العربية والعالمية، والتي بدورها غيرت المفاهيم السائدة في مختلف القطاعات

في العالم العربي بسبب رؤيته العصرية التي سبقت الزمن.

حياته في والمطبات العقبات من العديد الصباح ماجد الشيخ واجه اإلطالق، على سهلة المهنية حياته رحلة تكن لم له في خطواته ليكون درسًا تجاربه واالستفادة من للفرص وانتهازه الثاقبة رؤيته بفضل يتخطاها أن استطاع المهنية. األزياء، لكنه باالبتكار في مجال المليئة الخاصة الموضة واألناقة بسبب بصمته الصباح لقب بسفير القادمة. الشيخ ماجد أكثر من ذلك، هو أيقونه للموضة و لإلبداع في آن واحد. يسعى للقيام بكل ما هو جديد، ولديه الجرأة الكبيرة في الخوض بمشاريع ومجاالت مختلفة تصب جميعها في قطاع اإلبداع فيترك بصمته أينما اتجه ليصبح فيما بعد مثل يحتذى به من

خالل وضع حجر األساس ألي مشروع.

بالحديث المضمون حيث استمتعنا ناحية MEN’S PASSION، كان مختلفًا تمامًا من الصباح مع مجلة الشيخ ماجد حوار معه عندما سرد قصص عن انجازاته بكل تواضع وعن العقبات التي واجهها وتخطاها بكل فخر، لنكتسب من خالله درسًا

في حياتنا المهنية. وكان الحوار التالي:

الشيخ ماجد الجابر الصباحاإلبداع أيقونة

CityscapeReal estate exhibition. A one-on-one withDeep Marwaha, Group Director, Informa Exhibitions

Is it the first time for Cityscape to be organized in Kuwait? Yes, this is the inaugural Cityscape event in Kuwait

What is the number of the exhibitions organized annually?In 2014, Cityscape will have run 8 market-leading real estate events across 6 countries. It is important for our standing in the industry that each of our events represent the largest and most important real estate shows in each market we reside and a lot of research and expenditure is undertaken to ensure this happens. We have some new launches happening in 2015 including Cityscape Malaysia, with others yet to be officially announced.

What countries do you target the most to hold these exhibitions? Cityscape is an event brand that concentrates on emerging markets. As our original and flagship event – Cityscape Global, is located in Dubai - UAE, naturally the bulk of our shows are in the Middle East, but we hold shows and have held shows in locations including the US, Asia, Latin America and Africa. 2015 will be an interesting year for the brand as we look to high growth real estate markets further afield.

How do you expect the participation’s traffic at the exhibition? Since the announcement of the event, the reaction has been extremely positive. We hope to attract over 5,000 unique visitors to the event including international participants.

Have you conducted a feasibility study on the real estate market in Kuwait and accordingly estimated its needs to this kind of exhibitions? A huge amount of research is always undertaken before the decision is made to run a Cityscape exhibition. Cityscape is owned by Informa Exhibitions, one of the largest event,

publishing and media companies in the world. Informa is a global expert in knowledge-based industries and employs thousands of employees in this field. From our research activities, the Kuwait market has a strong appetite for real estate investment regionally and internationally, and the domestic real estate regulatory environment is seeing positive action from a progressive government. In addition, the current real estate events in Kuwait are local shows that lack the necessary recognition or marketing strategies to showcase the Kuwait market to a global audience. Cityscape Kuwait is an event that plans to bring the Kuwait market to global attention.

How do you see the Kuwaiti investor and his passion in purchasing real estate? Kuwaiti investment into global real estate is strong and this trend is set to continue. Where we see the largest growth is regional investment, as well as investment into local investment property.

Do you have any statistics that shows percentages about Kuwaitis ownership of real estate in the Gulf region? The amount of investment regionally remains relatively low compared to neighbours such as Saudi Arabia, below 7%. But as I have said, this trend is shifting and we see investment into GCC as one of the key areas for Kuwaiti investors from 2015 onwards.

What advice can you address to the Kuwaiti buyers at the exhibition?Cityscape Kuwait is the only real estate exhibition in Kuwait that features a plethora of investment opportunities from the local, regional and international market. Our events provide a comprehensive experience with a multitude of networking opportunities including conference events, and meetings. I encourage those attending to take full advantage of what the event offers, and to view real estate product that you will not see at other events.

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THE PREMIER REAL ESTATE EVENT IN KUWAIT

7-9 December 2014, Kuwait International FairgroundsKUWAIT

OF INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES

70+11,000s

EXHIBITORS

SUMMITREAL ESTATE

Organised by

Cityscape Kuwait 2014 is the premier real estate investment and development event in the State of Kuwait. Featuring a large scale exhibition, a content driven conference and other networking events, Cityscape Kuwait brings together key decision-makers from the public and private sectors, supporting development, bringing transparency and encouraging collaboration. Whether you are a large scale real estate developer, a local architect or a private investor, Cityscape Kuwait is your opportunity to access the Kuwaiti real estate and investment community like no other event or platform ever has.

Register now for FREE entry!

www.cityscapekuwait.com

+971 4 336 5161

info@cityscapekuwait.com

Silver Sponsor

Author, journalist and filmmaker. 1925 – 2009

Dominick Dunne

“Nobody ever saw Dominick Dunne and wondered, “Is that who I think it is?” You knew right away. The Turnbull & Asser ensembles in Crayola hues, the circular tortoiseshell glasses, the aroma of talcum powder that preceded him by five paces. It was all by design. He wanted you to recognize him. He wanted you to introduce yourself. He wanted you to tell him what you knew.”

Vanity Fair

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It was a life that began in Connecticut, the southernmost of America’s New England states. Born in to an apparently charmed existence – large house, private school, servants – his early years were nonetheless overshadowed by events that even money cannot hide. Disturbed by his son’s interest in dance and theatre, Dunne was routinely beaten by his father – actions that left him deaf in one ear.

The young Dominick sought escape through movie magazines, and dreamed of a life rubbing shoulders with stars of the silver screen. In Los Angeles at the age of 9 he joined a bus tour of celebrity homes – from this day he felt Hollywood was where he belonged.

After graduating from Williams College and serving in World War II, he moved to New York hoping to find the glamorous life he so craved. He landed a job in the fledgling world of television, first as floor manager for The Howdy Doody Show and later with Robert Montgomery Presents.

Having made a name for himself in television, Dunne moved to Los Angeles where he would direct the acclaimed Playhouse 90. His dreams were coming true and his young family settled into a Santa Monica beach house.

This extravagant lifestyle put a strain on his finances, and eventually took a toll on other areas of his life. An obsession with social details, his own appearance and the Hollywood lifestyle came to dominate.

A series of movie making flops followed, and addictions increased.

“When you›re down and out, there›s no meaner place to live than Hollywood,” Dunne once said, “You can get away with your embezzlements and your lies and your murders, but you can never get away with failing.”

In 1979 53-year old Dominick Dunne fled Hollywood. He would never live there again.

From that time, when his life seemed all but over, Dominick Dunne carved out a career as a bestselling novelist and a special correspondent for Vanity Fair magazine covering an area that has become his own special provenance: the criminal entanglements of the rich and famous.

Through his insight and skilfully crafted stories, such as The Two Mrs. Grenvilles and People Like Us, he pointed a finger at those in society›s upper reaches and demonstrated an innate understanding of how the other half operates during the worst of times. And later, at Vanity Fair, he gave readers his unique inside

account of several high-profile cases including the murder trials of Claus von Bulow, the Menenedez brothers, Ethel Kennedy›s nephew Michael Skakel and, perhaps most famously, O.J. Simpson.

Even for Dunne, his move from Hollywood did not signal the end of his bad times. In 1982 he received news that his twenty-two year old daughter, Dominique, was in a coma. She had been strangled by John Sweeney - her ex-boyfriend. Dunne flew to Los Angeles but Dominique (an actress who appeared in Poltergeist) never regained consciousness. She was taken off life support. Dunne returned to New York and awaited Sweeney›s trial.

On the day he was due to fly to Los Angeles he met Tina Brown, a young Englishwoman who was about to take over as editor at Vanity Fair.

She was impressed by his storytelling abilities and his social contacts. These were things you couldn›t teach. She told him to keep a journal at the trial and come see her when it was over. Though he lacked formal journalistic training, Dunne had a natural nose for detail and showing not telling, giving his anecdotes real power.

In 1984, «Justice: A Father›s Account of the Trial of his Daughter›s Killer» appeared in the first issue of Vanity Fair edited by Tina Brown. She called Dunne into her office the day before it ran and told him that he belonged to her magazine and no other.

It was the Simpson trial that brought Dunne back to Los Angeles in 1995. Returning to the city of his epic failure, Dunne was suddenly sought out by precisely the type of folks who had shunned him when he was down and out. He became Hollywood›s most desirable guest, gladly accepting invitations to share the scoop on O.J. in dining rooms all over Beverly Hills.

Ultimately, Dunne made his career out of being an insider. As much as anyone, he lived in and among both the bluebloods and Hollywood royalty.

And perhaps most importantly, as Jill Robinson once wrote, he also knew that there’s nothing up there in society to envy.

Having been on both sides, he knows that most of all.

Passion for Writing:Although he fell in to a career as a writer almost by chance, few men of the 20th and early 21st century possessed the insightful mind and pithy turn-of-phrase of Dunne. Coming from amongst Hollywood’s glitterati himself, there was no one better connected or well-placed as an observer.

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Diana Vreeland

Diana Vreeland, the former American Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar editor – all rouged cheeks, supersized earrings and fashion bon mots – defined much of the way we view style in the 21st century.

True style icon. 1903 – 1989

Despite a predilection for aristocratic luxury that recalled the gracious days before World War I, she had an innate understanding of the extraordinary pace of change in 20th-century life. She had an eye for what was new and imaginative, and many fashion designers say she gave them a crucial boost at an early stage in their career.

She was fashionably thin, and her favorite costume when she was working or partygoing was narrow black pants with either a black turtleneck sweater or elaborate tunic, depending on the occasion. For years she wore her hair in a snood - it became a kind of trademark - and wore ankle-strap low-heel sandals.

Passion for Style:It is impossible to overlook the significance of Diana Vreeland’s role in the importance of fashion and its place in society today. Incredibly stylish in her own right, her influence resonates through the industry and around the world today. She was also the queen of the one-liners.

During most of the 1960’s, when fashion was in turmoil, she presided over Vogue magazine, where the fashion world took everything she said seriously and where she made a few apparent mistakes, such as having experimental photographs taken with a wide-angle lens that distorted the models, giving them big heads and tiny feet. Nevertheless, fashion photographers were widely influenced by those pictures and began trying to see what their lenses could do.She breakfasted on tea and oatmeal, worked in bed in the mornings and showed up in her office around noon.

She avoided the typewriter. “Has anyone ever written a great love letter on a typewriter?” she asked. “A great suicide note?” And she made pronouncements. Of Chanel, she said, “her first customers were princesses and duchesses and she dressed them like secretaries and stenographers.”

Her last career, with the Metropolitan Museum, began in 1973 with a retrospective showing of Balenciaga›s clothes, from his first collection in 1938 to the wedding dress he made in 1972 for the Duchess of Cadiz, General Francisco Franco›s granddaughter, a month before he died.

During the museum period, Mrs. Vreeland became the undisputed voice of the fashion world, and her presence at other parties and fashion openings was eagerly sought. She received awards from such diverse groups as the Italian fashion industry and the Rhode Island School of Design and she became a chevalier of the French National Order of Merit.

In a book of her favorite photographs and sketches edited by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and published by Doubleday in 1980, she continued her penchant for aphorisms. “Elegance is innate,” she wrote. “It has nothing to do with being well dressed.”She also said, “I loathe narcissism, but I approve of vanity.”

As fashion became more egalitarian during the later years of the 20th century, Diana Vreeland provided a link to the aristocratic years when it was the province exclusively of the very rich. At a time when most people were concerned with the practical qualities of synthetic fibers, she could speak of “the feel of a perfect piece of silk” as the “greatest projection of pleasure.”

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For a cheat sheet, here’s five things you need to know about her

She loved flawsVreeland wasn’t into a rarefied untouchable beauty – she wanted to celebrate what made people unique. Her motto could have been “it takes all sorts”.

It wasn’t just about the magazinesVreeland had a wild old time before she came to editing. Born in Paris, her family moved to New York where she studied dance under a Russian ballet master, and – legend has is – rode horses with Buffalo Bill. She wanted to be, as she said, “where the action was”.

She invented the fashion exhibition as we know itAfter she was fired from Vogue in 1971, Vreeland curated exhibitions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Although her historical accuracy could be off – she often confused centuries and was the first to admit she was” terrible on facts” – her work banished any academic stuffiness, and drew millions of visitors through the doors.

“Elegance is innate,” she wrote. “It has nothing to do with being well

dressed.” She also said, “I loathe narcissism, but I approve of vanity.”

She was the Oscar Wilde of fashion“Pink is the navy-blue of India,” so said Vreeland – but that’s just her most famous quip. This fashion editor was the queen of the one-liners. Others include “I loathe narcissism but I adore vanity” or – sorry, Londoners – “the best thing about London is Paris”.

The 60s would be nothing without herJoining Vogue in 1962, Vreeland was a pop-culture magpie and the perfect editor to document the decade unfolding around her. The youthquake, as it became known, pulsed through the magazine. Vreeland also had a hand in creating one of the icons of the decade – consulting with Jackie Kennedy on her clothes, and scoring the first pictures of the presidential couple.

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Craftsmanship and Creativity

Bottega Veneta

Discretion, quality, and craftsmanship — Bottega Veneta has created a new standard of luxury since its founding in Vicenza in 1966. Steeped in the traditions of Italy’s master leather craftsmen and long celebrated for its extraordinary leather goods, Bottega Veneta has recently emerged as one of the world’s premier luxury brands. The company’s famous motto, “When your own initials are enough,” expresses a philosophy of individuality and confidence that now applies to a range of products including women’s and men’s ready-to-wear, fine jewelry, furniture, and more.

While Bottega Veneta continues to grow, the qualities that define it are unchanging: outstanding craftsmanship, innovative design, contemporary functionality, and the highest quality materials. Also constant is Bottega Veneta’s commitment to its ateliers, where artisans of remarkable skill combine traditional mastery with breathtaking innovation. Indeed, there is an unusual and inspired collaboration between artisan and designer at the heart of Bottega Veneta’s approach to luxury, symbolized by the house’s signature intrecciato woven leather. In the summer of 2006, in recognition of the importance of artisanal craftsmanship and the fragility of this traditional way of life, Bottega Veneta opened a school to train and support future generations of leather artisans.

The most recent chapter in Bottega Veneta’s history began in February 2001, when the company was acquired by Kering, formerly known as Gucci Group. Creative Director Tomas Maier came on board in June of that year and presented his

Passion for Fashion:Throughout its history Bottega Veneta - literally the ‘Venetian atelier’ - has remained true to its ethos and core values of fine-quality materials, extraordinary craftsmanship, contemporary functionality, and timeless design. Here, elegance is carried, it is not emblazoned.

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first collection, Spring-Summer 2002, to immediate critical acclaim. From the start, the house’s sensibility was refined, sensuous, and intensely personal, designed for a customer who is sophisticated and self-assured. In the years since, Bottega Veneta has introduced exciting additions to the collection, including fragrance, fine jewelry, a watch, furniture, and home accessories, while continuing to offer an exclusive and coveted assortment of ready-to-wear, handbags, shoes, small leather goods, eyewear, luggage, and gifts.

Men’s Fall-Winter 2014/2015 Collection

For Fall-Winter 2014/2015, Bottega Veneta presents a collection marked by ease and informality. Though its roots lie in the juxtaposition of attitudes, combining the sense of a proper uniform with the feeling of effortless athletic wear, the clothes have a distinct sophistication, thanks to the use of luxurious materials, detailed construction and a subtly refined yet softly tailored silhouette.

Subdued neutrals dominate the season’s palette, with a predominant focus on darker color. There are various tones of greys and greens, as well as paler neutrals such as sand and mist. For touches of color, there is dark aubergine, a burned red and chartreuse.Materials are warm, luxurious and sensual to the touch. Calf

suede, lambskin and shearling appear in various incarnations.

Woolens and knits in various gauges include cashmere, camelhair, flannels and English double-faced wools. At times the woolens are patterned, custom made in the form of checks, including a Glen plaid, that appear in traditional muted tones concurrently with untraditional color combinations. Coats are completely reversible; one side might be patterned, the other solid, making them versatile enough to go from weekday to weekend. The silhouette as a whole is shaped by the pant, which recalls active wear through its tapered leg and ribbed cuff, while constructed in expected as well as unexpected materials, including leather, flannel, suede or double-faced wool; always capped with a looser top. Other striking details throughout the collection resulting from the application of new techniques include unusual leather and suede inserts, pattern-on-pattern combinations, colored edging and dip-dyed elements.

In line with the informal tone of the collection, meticulously crafted accessories appear on the casual side to compliment the look with ease and sophistication. The bag of the season is a softly structured cross-body satchel with a wide strap and generous flap, in either waxed leather or washed ostrich skin. Shoes are rugged and masculine, some with metal hardware, lending a robust completion to the overall silhouette.

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Architect

Rem Koolhaas

Of the many firms headed by a celebrity architect, Rem Koolhaas’s Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) is unique in hiding the light of its famous founder behind an ostentatiously bland label. Even before “starchitect” became a bandied-about term, Koolhaas viewed the phenomenon with suspicion. That didn’t stop him from capitalizing on his reputation and designing some of the most flamboyantly distinctive edifices of this era, including the Beijing headquarters of the CCTV broadcasting company, with its two tilted towers joined at the top and bottom to frame a dramatic void. But even as Koolhaas was riding the wave, he was anticipating the undertow.

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If you made a flowchart of OMA, which would be a very Rem-like thing to do, you’d find that one of the most striking changes in recent years is that the trajectories no longer all lead to Koolhaas. OMA became less of a one-man show after a former banker entered as managing director in 2005 and restructured the firm. In addition to the headquarters in Rotterdam, Netherlands, OMA has four other offices—in Beijing, Hong Kong, New York, and Doha, Qatar. The staff has grown to 350, with more work than Koolhaas can oversee personally. (OMA currently has projects under way in France, Holland, China, the United Arab Emirates, and Russia.) There are five other partners, whose average age is 45, and while it would be a stretch to say all of them are equal, they each can operate with occasional autonomy.

Of course, there are some clients who might balk at the idea of hiring OMA and not getting Koolhaas, but he is committed to decentralization. Koolhaas turns 70 in November, and rather than slowing down, he is branching out. “If I ever want to do something different from strictly architecture or strictly building, it is really necessary to be in a partnership,” he says.

In the OMA headquarters in Rotterdam, Koolhaas occupies two perches. The corner office, which is behind transparent glass and is furnished with a large blond-wood table and several chairs, is where he meets with colleagues and clients. This is his public face. Two doors down, smoked glass shields his private office, containing a white metal desk and neat stacks of books. Here he writes. “Writing for him is like composing,” his partner and companion Petra Blaisse says. That is to say, he goes about writing as he approaches architecture, balancing the presentation of

Passion for Architecture: Perhaps one of the world’s most controversial of architects, Koolhaas happily takes on the role of tireless provocateur. Through his constant desire to shake up the establishment he has become one of the most influential architects of his generation.

ideas with the shaping of spaces. Like the buildings, his books (the most recent, cowritten with the curator Hans Ulrich Obrist, charts the achievements of the postwar Metabolist architects of Japan) require some effort on the part of the user. They unfold their surprises gradually.

As part of his branching out, Koolhaas is directing the 2014 Venice Architecture Biennale, which opened on June 7. To prepare, he demanded two years instead of the usual six months. He also stipulated that his Biennale would not be a display of contemporary architecture. “They had become more like art biennales, showing famous architects,” he says. Instead, he wanted an occasion for intellectual exploration. Supplying coherence to what is usually a sequence of disjointed spectacles, he is dedicating the vast space of the Arsenale to 41 exhibits. Each jumps off from a particular place in Italy to examine a general theme: hedonism, for instance, as enjoyed in three Capri villas.

If learning is what Koolhaas is actually about, it stands to reason that the Biennale program closest to his heart is the Central Pavilion. Normally farmed out to different architects to devise and underwrite exhibits, the pavilion in this Biennale is under the complete control of OMA. It will be devoted to an exploration of the most basic components of architecture—among them, the ceiling, door, floor, and toilet—throughout history and in different parts of the world. “I realized how incredibly limited my relationship with design is, because I had never considered these elements separately,” Koolhaas says. “You think of them, but always together—the door with the window.” Regarded in isolation, the components take on a different character. A ceiling changes its reason for being, as frescoes are replaced by HVAC systems. “You see the development

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of the false ceiling, which is ubiquitous now,” Koolhaas says. “You can see clearly how no one uses the ceiling anymore to create an aesthetic or deal with ornamentation, except in a very repressed way.” To manifest that historical transformation, an art nouveau ceiling, recently restored, will be half-covered by a drop ceiling.

Koolhaas’s early career ambition was to be a screenwriter, and upon entering his architecture, one feels like a player in a scripted performance. OMA’s two most recent Dutch projects extend the cinematic sense to a dolly-cam shot of the exteriors. Rather than design buildings as sculptures, to be regarded from different stationary sight lines, OMA reasoned that the most frequent view of these structures would be in motion, from the window of a car. The three towers of De Rotterdam, which opened late last year and make up Holland’s largest building, seem to project forward as you ride across the Erasmus Bridge into Rotterdam’s redeveloping wharf district. As the view changes, the towers—a hotel, office blocks, and a residential building, rising from a shared six-story plinth—separate and then merge.

Still, these all seem relatively tame compared with some of OMA’s projects in Asia and the Middle East, where flashy architecture is very much in demand. In Qatar, OMA is designing three buildings for an “education city,” including a determinedly iconic library, in which the floor plate tilts upward from each side of the entry to create an enormous open interior; in Taipei, an under-construction concert hall consolidates the technical facilities for three auditoriums within a translucent central core, from which the public spaces bud out with geometric boldness—a sphere, a rectangular box, a trapezoidal solid.

OMA’s most intricate game of preservation and intervention is being played out at the Fondazione Prada, an exhibition space in an industrial site south of Milan and due to open in 2015. OMA has been working with Prada for 15 years, on everything from fashion shows to store design. Although Miuccia Prada’s original concept for the Fondazionewas to create different centers globally, her husband, Patrizio

Bertelli, argued that it should be based in Milan, where the company began. Since they already owned a century-old defunct distillery complex, they asked Koolhaas if he would create a museum on that site.

Koolhaas eventually decided to demolish two structures that were judged to be without aesthetic merit and introduce three bold new buildings: a low, horizontal one with an aluminum foam skin; a concrete and glass tower; and a performance space with a polished-aluminum facade. The horizontal building, with rigorously controlled lighting and climate, can be used to display loaned art. In the tower, select works from the Fondazione will be on view. The old warehouses, offices, and vaults are to be used for all kinds of contemporary art, including performances and installations.

Despite receiving all the honors and recognition that his profession can award, Koolhaas still struggles. He thrives on struggle. He estimates that one-third of the firm’s work derives from competitions, and OMA wins only one out of every three or four it enters.

Often, he is vying with younger architects he once employed. Recently, for a coveted commission to build a headquarters for the Axel Springer media company on a site that was part of the Berlin Wall, OMA bested Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and Büro Ole Scheeren, both headed by former OMA architects. Last year, OMA triumphed over BIG in another contest, this one to design the Miami Beach Convention Center. (Illustrating the vagaries that bedevil architects, in January a newly elected mayor killed the OMA project.) Koolhaas seems to accept the Oedipal aspect of these conflicts with his former protégés. “It’s the natural order of things, so I don’t have a trauma with it,” he says. What irks him is the suggestion that a stint at OMA transforms an architect into a newly hatched Rem. “There is an assumption that there is a similarity of thinking,” he says. “For me, privately, the most pronounced difference is a wider cultural-political vision and a more precise anticipation of what the important issues are going to be. I am more interested in participating in moments of significant change—and in taking bigger risks.”

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Architect & Designer

Mies van der Rohe

The modern city, with its towers of glass and steel, can be at least in part attributed to the influence of architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Equally significant, if smaller in scale, is Mies’ daring design of furniture, pieces that exhibit an unerring sense of proportion, as well as minimalist forms and exquisitely refined details. In fact, his chairs have been called architecture in miniature – exercises in structure and materials that achieve an extraordinary visual harmony as autonomous pieces and in relation to the interiors for which they were designed.

Mies van der Rohe began his career in architecture in Berlin, working as an architect first in the studio of Bruno Paul and then, like Le Corbusier and Walter Gropius, for Peter Behrens. In 1927, a housing project called Weissenhof Siedlung in Stuttgart, Germany, would bring these names together again. Widely believed to be one of the most notable projects in the history of modern architecture, it includes buildings by Gropius, Corbu, Behrens, Mies and others.

In 1928, Mies and his companion and colleague, the designer and Bauhaus alumna Lilly Reich, were asked to design the German Pavilion for the 1929 International Exposition in Barcelona. The purpose of the Pavilion was to provide a location that could be visited by the king and queen of Spain during the opening of the Exposition. With that in mind, Mies designed a modern throne – known today as the Barcelona® Chair – for their majesties. In the following year, Mies designed another notable chair, the Brno, with a gravity-defying cantilevered base.

In 1930, Mies succeeded Walter Gropius as the director of the Bauhaus, where he stayed until the school closed in 1933. In 1937, Mies emigrated from Europe to the United States, and a year later became the director of architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology. The rest of his career was devoted to promoting the modernist style of architecture in the U.S., resulting in rigorously modern buildings such as the Farnsworth House and the Seagram Building, designed with Philip Johnson.

Passion for Design:More widely known for his stark architectural style of clarity and simplicity, I find myself personally drawn greatly to van der Rohe’s early- and mid-20th century furniture pieces. The passing years have stood testament to these, proving them as classic and timeless designs.

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Mies Van Der Rohe found architecture and furniture design closely related; the problems, principles, and even the materials involved in building a skyscraper may also be found in the design of a chair. Architecture, in fact, led Mies Van Der Rohe to his interest in furniture design. “People asked for furniture to go with our buildings,” he explains. “They thought they wanted a chair that someone else didn’t have.”

The Barcelona chair

The Barcelona chair was designed by Mies van der Rohe to seat the Spanish king and queen at the World Art Fair Exposition in Spain in 1929 and yet remarkably looks as though it could have been designed yesterday.

Demonstrating Van Der Rohe’s architectural background the chair is a considered blend of aesthetics and physics, the curved steel frame taking the weight of the user effortlessly whilst maintaining the ‘less is more’ principle that underpins all of his work.

MR Armchair

The MR Collection represents some of the earliest steel furniture designs by Mies van der Rohe. The material choice was inspired by fellow Bauhaus master Marcel Breuer, while the forms are thought to be modern derivatives of 19th century iron rocking chairs.

Whether or not you agree with Mies’ assertation that less is more, his contribution to the modern urban

landscape cannot be overlooked.

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Isfahan, it is a turquoise, glitter amidst a green fertile oasis near the vastness of the central Iranian desert. Isfahan, flashing with brilliant aquamarine mosaic domes, lofty minarets, and some of the world’s finest architecture, is a visual treat and the indisputable centre of attraction for everyone.

IsfahanThe Florence of the East

itself for an impromptu royal visit. It is a city of inspiring architecture, elegant mosques, churches, graceful palaces, beautiful gardens and gorgeous bridges, a city made for the refreshment of humanity as Robert Byron once said.

In Isfahan one can hardly find a street without a wide central pedestrian reservation of trees, fountains and flowers. Behind every corner you stumble upon spectacular remainders of rich past. In its heyday under Safavid dynasty when the city flourished and gave birth to its outstanding Islamic and Iranian architecture, Isfahan was a large city with a population of one million and owned many parks, libraries, public baths, shops and mosques that amazed western visitors, who had not seen anything like that at home.

One of the great works of Shah Abass in that period was ‘The Pattern of the World’ or Naqsh-e Jahan Square which is a real jewel in Isfahan’s crown. This majestic collection of buildings fits money, worship and aristocratic pleasures together in deliberate visual harmony.

Andre Malraux, the famous French author and adventurer said: “Who can claim to have seen the most beautiful city of the world without having seen Isfahan?”

Most of the buildings built under the Seljuks (11 A.D.) and the Safavids (16 A.D.) are still standing. On its fertile plain, blessed by a temperate climate and watered by the Zayande Rud river, the 16th-century Persian capital Isfahan is unquestionably one of the world’s great cities, and a UNESCO-designated Centre of Cultural Heritage. It lives up to its historic name, ‘Half the World’.

Visitors never fail to be captivated by the beauty of its ceramic domes and lavishly decorated mosques, and it is said of Isfahan’s countless medieval monuments that “the more you behold them, the more they will surprise and fascinate you.”

When you tread into the city it seems as if it has been preparing

Passion for DesignThe most important centre of Iranian and Islamic architecture and design, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site of such beauty it is known as the Florence of the East. Many words have been written of it, and many stories told, but its true splendour is only revealed to those who walk amongst it.

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Ali Qapu Palace Ali Qapu is 48 meters high and has got five floors, fronted with a wide terrace whose ceiling is inlaid and supported by wooden columns. It offers a wonderful perspective over the square and the best view of Imam Mosque. The interior of the building is decorated with naturalistic scenes by Reza Abbassi, the renowned Persian miniaturist and painter. On the upper floor the music room is also decorated with plasterwork, representing pots and vessels.

Imam mosque Imam mosque, formerly called the Shah mosque is one of the greatest architectural achievements of Shah Abbas I who built it to complete the magnificent central square of Isfahan. Work started on the outstanding entrance portal in 1611 and it was not until 1629, the last year of Shah Abbas’ reign when the mosque was completed, although minor decorations were added during the reign of his descendants.

The mosque is completely covered, inside and out with dazzling tiles. There are estimated to be 18 million bricks and 472,500 tiles in the building. The richness of its blue-tiled mosaic designs, the unity of the overall structure and its perfectly proportioned Safavid-era architecture form a visually stunning monument.

Chehel Sotun (Pavilion of Forty Columns) This building, now a veritable museum of Persian painting and ceramics, was a pleasure pavilion used for the king’s entertainments and receptions. It stands inside a vast royal park, but relatively near the enclosure, and was built by Shah Abbas II around an earlier building erected by Shah Abbas I.

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The pavilion opens onto the gardens by means of an elegant terrace, only a few steps high and supported by slender, delicate wooden pillars. In reality, there were never more than twenty columns, but they were reflected in the pool in the park, and so the Persian liked to call the building the “pavilion with forty columns” (besides, the number 40 had a symbolic meaning in Persia and expressed respect and admiration).

Two rows of water-spouts and fountains in the shape of stone lions at the four corners carried water to the huge, elegant rectangular basin. The terrace is a marvel of elegance. The slender pillars support a light wooden ceiling with wide fretwork louvers. Here we should note the influence of Eastern Asian architecture. Part of the sumptuous decoration has disappeared.

Shahrestan Bridge (Pol-e Shahrestan) It is the oldest of Esfahan’s bridges on Zayandeh Rud. Most of the 11-arched stone and brick structure is believed to date from Sassanid period prior to Islam and have been repaired and completed under the Dailamites and the Seljukids. The name Shahrestan comes from the village locating on the east of Esfahan which now is a part of the city.

Vank Cathedral Vank Cathedral, built between 1606 and 1655 with the encouragement of Shah Abbas, is the historic focal point of the Armenian Church in Iran. It is located in Jolfa, the Armenian quarter just south of the Si-o-Seh Pol. the church’s interior unlike its exterior is richly decorated with glorious and beautiful paintings and miniature works that represent biblical traditions and the image of angels and apostles.

Bazaar-e Bozorg The Bazaar of Isfahan, the heritage of the Saljuqid and Safavid era is one of the oldest and largest bazaars of the Middle East. It stretches between Imam Sq and the Jameh Mosque several kilometers away.

The bazaar can be entered at dozens of points along its winding route, but the main entrance is via the Qeysarieh Portal at the

northern end of Imam Sq. the high gateway is decorated with tiles and, higher up, frescoes by great Reza Abbasi, depicting Shah Abass’ war with the Uzbeks.

Hasht Behesht Palace (The Eight Paradise) The domed ceiling of the main reception room is painted in purple on a glittering gold base. Painted tile designs of birds, animals, and hunting scenes, found on the spandrels of the outer blind arches, enliven the facades of Hasht Behesht. the palace owes its fame , apart from its architectural and decorative merits , to the lavish use of marble slabs , stalactite vault decorations , excellent tile works dotted with scenes of animals (birds , beasts of prey , and reptiles) covering the building on the outside.

The Bridge of Allahverdi Khan or Si-o-se Pol (Bridge of 33 arches) The Bridge of Allahverdi Khan crossing the Zayandeh Rud is a continuation of Chahar Bagh, the principal street in Isfahan. Built at the beginning of the 17th century on the order of Shah Abbas, it is named after a famous general who was put in charge of the work. It is also called the Bridge of 33 Arches, or Si-O-Se Pol. It is said that the bridge originally comprised 40 arches however this number gradually reduced to 33.

The Bathhouse of Sheikh Bahai (Hamam-e Sheikh Bahai) The bath of Sheikh Bahai is located in a small street named after him in the southern section of the old bazaar close to the Masjed-e-Jomeh.the bathroom derives its principal fame from the story that it was warmed by a single candle, which was placed in a closed space and never needed renewing.

The Shaking Minaret (Manar Jonban) A mausoleum, covering the grave of Abu Abdollah, which dates back to the Safavid period. The minarets on both sides of the mausoleum Eivan and porch are the main attraction of this place. Because of the ratio between the height and width of the minarets, any movement produced in one of the minarets is automatically reflected not only in the other minaret, but also in the whole Eivan.

Beyond the red carpet

Festival de Cannes

A s the 67th edition of the Festival de Cannes came to a close at the end of May, the red carpet was rolled up and put away for another year. Founded in 1946, it is today the best-known and most prestigious film festival in the world. An annual magnet for the very best of movies, the chicest of fashion and for the most glittering of stars, we take a look at the Festival de Cannes and its recipe for success.

When it comes to red-carpet glamour, few events compete with the Cannes Film Festival for sheer sartorial spectacle and star power - the A-list arrive in abundance, the ballgowns are bigger and the jewels more lavish

Passion for Film:The most important film festival of them all, Cannes in May is the place the industry meets. The veneer may be one of glamour and celebrity - but the real heart of the festival is its enduring love of film. A place on the guest list is the movie industry’s most sought after ticket.

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The International Film Festival was created on the initiative of Jean Zay, France’s Minister for Education and Fine Arts, who was keen to establish an international cultural event in France to rival the Venice Film Festival.

The first edition of the Festival was originally set to be held in Cannes in 1939 under the presidency of Louis Lumière. However, it was not until over a year after the end of the Second World War that it finally took place - on 20 September 1946. It was subsequently held every September – except in 1948 and 1950 – and then has been held every May from 1952 onwards.

While early editions of the Festival were primarily a social event from which almost all of the films went away with an award, the appearance of stars from around the world on the Festival’s red carpet and increasing media coverage quickly earned it a legendary international reputation.

As the 1950s progressed, the Festival became more popular thanks to the attendance of celebrities such as Kirk Douglas, Sophia Loren, Grace Kelly, Brigitte Bardot, Cary Grant, Romy Schneider, Alain Delon, Simone Signoret, Gina Lollobrigida, and many more.

Awarded for the first time in 1955 to the film Marty directed by Delbert Mann, the Palme d’or replaced the Grand Prix, which had been awarded to the best film In Competition until then.

In the 1960s, two independent selections were created in parallel to the Official Selection: the Semaine Internationale de la Critique in 1962 and the Directors’ Fortnight in 1969.

Before 1972, the films that competed in the selection were chosen by their country of origin. From 1972 onwards, however, the Festival asserted its independence by choosing the films that would feature in the Official Selection for itself.

In 1978, Gilles Jacob was appointed General Delegate. That same year, he created the Un Certain Regard selection and the Caméra d’or award, which goes to the best first film presented in any of the selections.

The Leçon de Cinéma (Film Masterclass) was delivered for the first time in 1991 by Francesco Rosi. Since then, a number of other famous directors have taken their turn to talk about their artistic career and their views on film. Similarly, the first Leçon de Musique (Music Masterclass) was given by Nicola Piovani in 2003 and the first Leçon d’Acteur (Acting Masterclass) was delivered by Max Von Sydow in 2004. In 1997, on the 50th anniversary of the Festival de Cannes, the world’s greatest directors came together on stage to award the Palme des Palmes to Ingmar Bergman. In 1998, Gilles Jacob created the Cinéfondation, a selection for short and medium-length films produced by film schools from around the world. This entity grew in 2000 with the opening of the Résidence, a place where young directors can come to work and complete their screenplays. It expanded further in 2005 with the creation of the Atelier which helps some twenty directors to secure funding for their films each year.Important heritage films, which used to be screened as thematic retrospectives, have, since 2004, been presented at Cannes

Classics, a selection that presents restored copies, tributes to filmmaking and documentaries about cinema. In 2007, to celebrate 60 years of the Festival de Cannes, 33 of the world’s greatest directors were invited to take part in the anniversary film, To Each His Own Cinema, each shooting a 3-minute short film about the rooms in which films are projected in cinemas.

Since its creation in 2010, the new section entitled Cannes Short Film has grouped the Short Film Competition and the Short Film Corner in a complementary dynamic that aims to offer an overall view on the worldwide production of shorts.

When it opened back in 2000, the Village International, which showcases film industries from around the world, hosted 12 countries and 14 pavilions. Twelve years later, it accommodated 60 countries in 65 pavilions located around the Palais des Festivals.

Heading up the Festival

In 2000, Gilles Jacob was elected President of the Festival by members of the Board of Directors. He replaced Pierre Viot, who had been in the role since 1985 and who had himself taken over from Robert Favre-Le Bret. From 2001 to 2005, Gilles Jacob was supported by Véronique Cayla, the Managing Director, and Thierry Frémaux, the Artistic Director.

In July 2007, Thierry Frémaux was appointed General Delegate by the Board of Directors. On 14 January 2014, Pierre Lescure was elected President of the Festival de Cannes by the Board of Directors. He will take up his functions from 1st July 2014, taking over from Gilles Jacob, who has been appointed Honorary President.

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Honorary President of the Festival de CannesPresident of the Festival de Cannes, 2000 - 2014

Gilles Jacob

W ith a connection to the Festival de Cannes stretching back to his appointment as General Delegate in 1978 the current, and very successful, format of the Festival can be largely attributed to Gilles Jacob, his vision and foresight. As his tenure as President of the Festival de Cannes drew to a close we reflected with him on his years at Cannes, and his view of world cinema.

Men’s Passion: After 14 years in the role of President of the Festival you stepped on to a new role as Honorary President in July. What do you see as your legacy to the Festival de Cannes?

Gilles Jacob: What I leave the festival is a number of artistic activities such as the Caméra d’or, Un Certain Regard, Cinéfondation and Residence Cinéfondation. I also ensured the festival gained and preserved its political and financial independence. And I managed to secure the Festival de Cannes in the position as the premier global film festival.

MP: What is the secret to the enduring success of the Festival de Cannes?

GJ: The secret of the success of the Cannes Film Festival is through a number of balances; a balance between art and commerce, between the official selection and the open film market, and between the important commercial work of the festival and a lively holiday atmosphere. There’s also a balance here between three categories of directors; we have those with great heritage, those developing their experience and also the newcomers. Cannes is also the place where world cinema gathers as one every year, it’s an essential time and place for those involved to come to recharge their batteries and rediscover the pleasure of seeing, discovering and making movies. And finally, for 12 days every year, Cannes is the capital of glamour and home to the world’s biggest stars.

MP: What is your view of the cinematic world in 2014? People talk of the halcyon days of cinema having passed – we don’t believe that. What excites you at the movies today?

GJ: It is true that this is far removed from the golden age that was experienced from the 50s to the 80s, cinema in the world today is going through major difficulties arising from the decrease of audience numbers. The landscape in which we exist is changing and today we face the rise of many successful TV series – Mad Men and House of Cards for example – and viewing on computers, the use of social media and the popularity of video games and consoles. Fortunately though, nothing will replace the movie theater experience, one where young viewers still love to gather, and fortunately we are in an industry where new talent is popping up everywhere. But the continuing battle will be tough without a doubt.

TFKThe Fragrance Kitchen

TFK, The Fragrance Kitchen, is the latest chapter in the ongoing retail legend that began in 2005 by Sheikh Majed Al-Sabah. The Kuwaiti based fragrance house was borne of childhood memories and sensory memories that became associated with his beloved grandmother. Fragrance can be a translation of memories and Sheikh Majed has skillfully combined both via the use of Oud, Taif Rose, and burning Agarwood which were used frequently by his cherished grandmother.

Sheikh Majed’s grandma was no exception as she taught her grandson how to create scents by mixing oils bought at the souk markets with precious ingredients sourced from India. Discovering he had a ‘nose’ for perfume, he was able to take it out of grandma’s kitchen and in to his own ‘Fragrance Kitchen’.TFK is the culmination of a dream to create the “perfect” or dream perfume for each individual. Sheikh Majed has long been associated with the ultimate in luxury having been a member of the international fashion community for over 2 decades. Today, he offers you the chance to become memorable in your own individualized way. Long after you leave the room, your scent lingers.

TFK is made of up categories which directly relate to your particular lifestyle. For instance, the Signature Collection suits your everyday life with modern, fresh and innovative ingredients while the Exclusive collection takes you from your daytime routines into evening with its more seductive, potent and adventurous scents.

Although the fragrances are all unisex, some are more feminine and others more masculine.

As a brand, TFK was designed to build on Al-Sabah’s experiences in the fashion sector and apply that framework to the fragrance industry. “We wanted to be very much influenced by the fashion cycle, so we have a new product every month to stay fresh. Fashion stores have new merchandise every month, so why can’t the same idea apply for fragrances?” And given the in-depth cycles involved in developing and perfecting a scent, this is an ambitious goal.

And while TFK is intended to retain a distinctly Middle Eastern feel (with the exception of the manufacturing process, the brand is designed and managed regionally), Al-Sabah notes that his strategy has been to grow TFK as an international brand before growing it regionally. To that end, after launching the initial TFK boutique in Kuwait, Al-Sabah launched boutiques in Milan, Florence, and Moscow.

Passion for Fragrance:A personal passion of mine, surely inherited from my forebears, fragrance is one of my great loves. Through my establishment of The Fragrance Kitchen I’ve been able to play a role in seeing perfumes become part of the fashion cycle - whilst enhancing their associations with luxury.

To expand more rapidly, Al-Sabah is now partnering with retailers to distribute TFK fragrances, and signed with Bloomingdale’s at the Dubai Mall to launch a shop-in-shop. Some of TFK’s unisex perfume collections will be sold, including its ‘Signature’ and ‘Exclusive’ line of fragrances, which Al-Sabah conceived by blending traditional Middle Eastern ingredients with the century-old know-how of a laboratory in Grasse, France’s perfume capital. Al-Sabah likens the Signature and Exclusive lines to ready-to-wear and couture, respectively—the Signature line fragrances are cleaner and lighter, while the Exclusive line fragrances have more specific and expensive ingredients, bottle design, and packaging.

Aside from Dubai, the additional launches during 2014 are in Jeddah, Riyadh, London, the USA, Hong Kong, and Paris. In each location, TFK is in discussions to launch shop-in-shops with various retailers, including the likes of Selfridges, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, and Printemps. Based on success in these locations, Al-Sabah hopes to launch additional standalone TFK boutiques in the future.

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EspaiSucreSugar Space, Barcelona

The EspaiSucre restaurant and school, which Jordi Butrón, Xano Saguer, Guillem Vicente and Reme Butrón opened in February 2000, revives the restaurant dessert as an element that has its own personality and style. The school’s courses are targeted at people who view desserts as more than just a precise mathematical combination of ingredients. Its teaching method is based on three pillars: knowing the ingredient, knowing the technique (traditional versus modern) and knowledge to be able to manage all of that information. There are à-la-carte, three-month, one-year and specialist courses available. The team also provides a demonstration, advice and consultancy service both within Spain and abroad.

With our gastric juices flowing, and a tingle on our tongues, we spoke to Jordi and Xano about the concept behind their sweet delights.

Passion for Food:In the years since Jordi Butrón and Xano Saguer first opened EspaiSucre (SugarSpace) in Barcelona, they have restored the dessert to the epicurean top table. They’ve made the dessert a reason to dine. A must-visit in the city. A concept others have tried to copy, but never matched.

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Why do you feel desserts fell out of favour in the first place?Desserts have always been the ‘ugly duckling’ of gastronomy. Typically a Chef de cuisine does not care to like that part, it can often be due merely to ignorance of the required techniques. We do not think that it is a good excuse. But here at EspaiSucre we believe that desserts, as a distinct experience, are an important part of the gastronomic world. Little by little, and thanks also to other bakers and schools as passionate as us, we feel we have managed to dignify this profession and this part of the meal.

How did you come up with a concept of owning a dessert only restaurant?Jordi Butrón and I created EspaiSucre in 2000 because we realised that there are many people that would enjoy a completely sweet meal. We knew, however, we would have to deliver a well-balanced taste level. This idea grew within us accompanied by the idea for our school; to us it would have been impossible to create one without the other. We wanted to show a new way of understanding desserts and also develop this field as we did.

Opened in February 2000 the only dessert restaurant in the world What is your secret in becoming one of the role

models in the world of food?EspaiSucre is a recognised brand around the world thanks to the creative method we teach in our school. During the fifteen years of our existence we have been working on perfecting the EspaiSucre method, and we are now in the process of implementing it in culinary schools around the world. It’s a unique method that transmits knowledge, tools, and creativity allowing students to become professional creators of complex dishes designed within the EpaiSucre criteria.

What is your philosophy behind pioneering the concept of your food? We base our ‘Method EspaiSucre’ across three main elements:1– Flavour: There must be no compromise on flavour. The flavour is the primary objective of the dish.2– Technique: It is essential to know how to apply the technique to each of the selected flavours.3- The setting in scene: Positioning each item on the plate correctly requires the diner to eat in a set manner and in a specific order.

Espai Sucrec. Princesa 53, 08003 Barcelona+34 932 681 630espaisucre.com

TO BE ONE OF A KIND

DANANEER, ARRAYA CENTRE, GROUND FLOOR +965 22997663, KUWAIT

BRIONI.COM

Udaipur Lake Palace

Built by the Maharana Jagat Singh II in 1754 to offer a summer resort to the royalty of Udaipur, set amidst the scenic Pichola Lake with the imposing Aravalli Hils on one side and soaring palaces on the other, the white marble Udaipur Lake Palace is one of the most romantic locations on earth.

Throughout the centuries it has grown in reputation and renown, and as Udaipur and India evolved the hotel passed from the hands of the family to the Taj Group of Hotels. Today it represents a unique definition of beauty and luxury.

Consistently rated among the world’s best hotels by leading travel publications, Taj Lake Palace plays host to some of the most discerning travellers.

Seemingly floating on the tranquil lake, the hotel’s 66 rooms and 17 suites evoke a bygone era of sumptuous style. Exquisitely palatial, their frescoes and outstanding original features remain in abundance, all restored through the skill of today’s modern craftsmen yet never straying from their roots and heritage.

From the banks of Lake Pichola, to which one is delivered courtesy of a hotel provided vintage coupé, one needs to take a boat to reach Lake Palace in Udaipur, whereupon guests are welcomed with the hotel’s signature rose petal shower. The magnificent Palace stretches languidly across a four-acre island.

Pichola Lake, Udaipur, Rajasthan

The Taj Lake Palace hosts four restaurants and further lounges, the cuisine of which – from traditional Rajasthani to western contemporary - compliments their transcendent locations.

The Jiva Spa Boat, which lays at anchor on Pichola Lake, offers signature treatments, Indian therapies, Indian aromatherapy, scrubs, wraps and beauty services

Lake Palace has a series of courtyards that are aligned with numerous columns, terraces, beautiful fountains and well laid gardens. Lake Palace also comprises several rooms by the name of Bada Mahal, Khush Mahal, Ajjan Niwas, Phool Mahal and Dhola Mahal that add to the beauty of graceful palace. These exotic rooms are decked with carved arches, paintings, crystal work, stained glass work and are inlaid with stones of pink and green lotus leaves.

Certainly Shyam Kaikini, General Manager at the Taj Lake Palace and effectively the current custodian of the 268-year old hotel, and his team excel through their delivery of an unparalleled and luxurious experience for even the most discerning of traveller.

Passion for Travel:A literal island paradise. One harking back not to days of the Raj, but to an era when travel was a most essential and truly exotic experience. The Lake Palace Hotel delivers the essence of luxury without the weight of ostentatiousness. It is a lesson in perfection.

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The City of Udaipur

Udaipur is a romantic land that was long the favorite place of the Rajputs. This beautiful city received and retains a rich cultural heritage.

The city is still inhabited by people of Bhil tribe, so you could see people dressed in typical Rajsthani dress with plenty of silver jewelry during your trip. Colourful festivals and fairs depict the cultural prosperity of Udaipur. The lakes, temples, huge forts and palaces boast the rich legacy of this city.

CuisineUdaipur cuisine comprises vegetarian dishes as the place is highly dominated by Jainism and Vaishnavism. Food is usually made from lots of vegetables and lentils. It is seasoned with a great variety of spices that are unique to the lands of Rajasthan.

PeopleLargely untouched by the pace of modern times, these desert people are simple and cheerful. Here, people usually prefer wearing bright colored clothes. The traditional attire of women is ‘ghaghra choli’ and for men, ‘angrakha’ and ‘dhoti’.

LanguageMewari is the primary language of Udaipur, yet Rajasthani, Hindi and English are also common in the city.

Find out more:Email: lakepalace.udaipur@tajhotels.comOnline: tajhotels.com

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Moroccan music sensationDJ Van

The name behind many of the biggest and most successful Moroccan music productions, DJ Van is a pioneer of current popular music from the Arab world.

Firmly cemented into the history of Moroccan music through his avant-garde style and his musical signature of originality and alliance between Moroccan folklore, ethnic sounds and modern sounds, these days he’s the man most likely to ignite Maghreb and international stages.

A native of the city of Marrakech , DJ Van has found his vocation as a disc jockey during his high school years, and he has gradually made a place in the world of the night. Building on his reputation, it wasn’t long before DJ Van began to devote more time to the musical composition that heralded a move towards production.

Having become an unrivalled player in new Moroccan music movement , DJ Van produced the first album of traditional Moroccan rap for Fnaïre. When the album ‘Laftouhe’ was released in 2004 it became an immediate hit.

With this momentum, DJ Van gradually expanded his production to other musical styles, both domestically and internationally. He never fails to make his acoustic signature shine through, highlighting the unique and singular spirit of his musical style.

Among the many artists who have collaborated with DJ Van to date, there are popular Moroccan artists such as H-Kayne, Bigg, Steph Raggaman Umm, Khansa Batma and big names of the international scene such as Cilvaringz and Salah Edin.

In addition to these mainstream initiatives, DJ Van also gives a opportunities to young talents. He oversees the development of the nascent scene by producing many young artists by helping to launch their careers in order to perpetuate the art of music .

As one of the most requested Moroccan producers , DJ Van continues to evolve Moroccan alternative music, and over the past decade, with his style and enthusiasm to constantly innovate.

In October 2013, he released his first solo album ‘Moroccan Touch’, to mark fifteen years career as a DJ / Producer . The album spent seven months at Number One in the Virgin Morocco charts.

Passion for Music:The current sensation of the Arab music world is Morocco’s DJ Van. Through his mix of traditional and contemporary arrangements with ethnic and diverse sounds, DJ Van has risen from the nightclubs of Marrakech to well-deserved acclaim across the Maghreb.

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Q: Do you feel Arabic music is accessible and relevant to international audiences? Is this important to you?

Arabic music can be accessible and relevant and can be exported internationally, and many artists have managed to do it and I›m proud to be among them. I presented to international audiences a Moroccan album called « Moroccan Touch ‘’ which knew how to delight them. It entirely depends on the quality of work done and that it must meet the standards of the international market, especially in presenting the Arab identity in a modern setting without destroying it.

Current Arab musicians and a new generation of artists have done this through uninhibited, inventive and open music. Today Arabic music is part of an overall aesthetic movement. Its ideas and genres draw on a classical musical heritage, as well as personal experiences and themes from Western music.

Q: Where do you get your biggest buzz – producing or performing?

Both! I need the two, every studio session or meeting the fans on the stage give me a different sensation.

I love producing! That›s why I have a studio in my home — to me a recording studio is a sacred and hallowed place because you›re looking for very, very spiritual and special moments in a studio. What ever my mood is, I need to be on the studio producing. I call it the ‘’me’’ time.

Performing in front of the fans is always a good experience too, it gives a nice atmosphere that you don’t usually get while producing. It almost makes you switch on that little bit more and focuses you. The best thing about it is to be able to engage with the people who support you. I always like putting faces to the cheers, and to see what it means to them – it’s a massive reality check. You realise how much it means to the fans.

Q: Of the artists you’ve worked with, which gives you the biggest kick?

Each artist with whom I worked gave me more in my career, a new elan - and it›s reciprocal. A collaboration gives birth to a song, a story and a relationship.

I can not choose a specific one - that›s the fun part! All my collaborations were a kick for me and my collaborators. You have to be open to ideas. I always say to the artists when we work together on a project “This has the chance to be everybody›s success.” And to me the most powerful hits come from a collective creativity.You get good records when you let all the people who work on it put their personality in their particular area, you get a lot of feeling and soul from all the people involved, in the end we get the success together and you all grow together.

Q: What’s the state of current musical talent in Morocco and through the Arab world?

The level is excellent in Morocco, there’s a lot of creativity. The problem that confronts these talents is the lack of a true music industry, this is something we try to be the first generation to establish. In the Arab world I find that there are remarkable talents who have the opportunity to evolve in a region that has a strong musical industry, such as Egypt or Lebanon, but what I have noticed is the lack of originality.

Q: You had a Number 1 in your native Morocco for 7 months solid. How does it feel to be a DJ-pinup?

I had a great year and I am so grateful for it. I feel the responsibility even more than ever now. I need to give the best of my best for my fans. I owe everything to them - the success of the album, the huge buzz of ENTY. The best is yet to come... I promise them!

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Apple iPhone 6

Regardless of the debate over which is the ‘best’ smartphone from a technological standpoint (and the truth is it’s rarely an iPhone – at least not for very long), Apple’s lead over all other brands in terms of style, design and user-friendliness appears, for now, unassailable. There may be better phones out there, but why would you want anything else?

For the first time in a while, Apple has been forced to play catch-up with the market. While other makers have been delivering ever larger screens, the Californians have stuck rigidly to the true pocket-sized unit. We’ve been confirmed disciples of their smaller screens – we weren’t too happy to see the 4S morph in to the taller 5S, but actually quite liked it in the end.

In this regard the 6 appeared a capitulation to other manufacturers. Was it possible that Samsung could have been right all along? We must make a grudging admission that, in fact, yes they probably were. The larger screen does give us more room to breathe while browsing, viewing and editing images and provides a workable platform for crafting emails. We’ll settle for the 6, the 6 Plus being a step too far for us right now – but we can see its appeal to other users.

It’s not a game-changer in the way that other Apple products have been, but it sets the gold-standard for design and usability.

We like: the way it feels in the hand, the curved casing sits naturally and comfortably. Excellent display. Great new camera. Better battery life. New vibrate motor – you think it won’t make a difference? Well it does.

We question: the size of the 6 Plus – straddling the link between phone and tablet is always going to be difficult territory.

Worth upgrading from iPhone 5S? It won’t change your life – once you’ve got iOS8 on your 5S you’ll see enough of a change to keep you happy. But if you’re in the market for one or the other – the 6 edges it comfortably.

Worth upgrading from iPhone 4S? Definitely. It’s about time, isn’t it?

After months of hype and hoopla September saw the arrival of the iPhone 6. In truth, there was little to surprise us – much of the phone’s tech and style having been leaked online prior to the launch. Having said that, there is little that can compare one for holding a new Apple product in the hand for the first time. The boys from Cupertino never fail to impress.

Passion for Technology:It’s seven years now since Apple first introduced us to the iPhone. Whilst smartphones from numerous brands are now ubiquitous, throughout these years the iPhone in its various guises has remained the most desired. Combining avant-guard technology with uber-fine styling is a trick Apple pulls off better than the rest.

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THE LUXE REVIEW

THE LUXE REVIEW

OurOur exclusive guide to the finest from the spheres of horology, automobiles, style, travel, design and much more.

In the Luxe Review we look at the best, and meet the people that are making it happen.

THE LUXE WATCHES

PiagetA visit to the heart of watch and jewellery excellenceat the manufactures of Piaget in Switzerland

It is at the brand’s manufacturing facility in Plan-les-Ouates that the movements created at La Côte-aux-Fées become watches. Within these walls 490 men and women work to create gold cases and bracelets, and to complete the various different phases of watch production and assembly, including gem-setting and casing up. Inside these workshops, the best of traditional craftsmanship co-exists side by side with the very latest cutting-edge technology to form a perfect complementarity in which the hand of man intervenes at every stage to satisfy the exacting standards dictated by our

“Always do better than necessary”: right from its very beginnings back in 1874, Piaget has remained faithful to this founding principle, which has guided its every step. Thanks to the complementarity between its two fully-integrated Manufactures – La Côte-aux-Fées for watch movements and Plan-les-Ouates for exterior watch parts and for jewellery – Piaget is one of the very few luxury watchmakers to design and produce its watches entirely in-house, from the initial concept through to the last finishing detail. This mastery of all aspects of watchmaking gives Piaget total freedom to express its immense creativity, placing its technical expertise at the service of a unique aesthetic style to give rise to truly exceptional timepieces.

determination to always do better than necessary.

Piaget is unusual in that it is one of the only watchmaking Manufactures to house under its own roof a fully-fledged jewellery workshop, and one that is among the largest in Geneva. Here, our watches and jewellery undergo skilled gem-setting and come to life in the expert hands of Piaget’s designers, gemmologists, gem-setters and jewellers. Delicately carved gold makes a perfect match for dazzling precious stones that meet the very highest standards of quality.

THE LUXE WATCHES

The technical office It is in the technical office that ideas take shape, and the first concepts for future cases and bracelets are put into practice as the various operational constraints are taken into account. On the basis of a gouache drawing prepared by the designers and after choosing an appropriate movement, the production technicians create 3D virtual designs for the watch’s components, before building a resin model that enables numerous adjustments to be made with regard to both technical and aesthetic aspects. Then comes the prototyping phase, involving the machining of the part in its chosen material – this usually means in gold. Once the project has been definitively authorised, the manufacturing drawings are prepared for sending to the methodology office. Each component is defined in detail: the material, the dimensions, its shape, its weight, the cutting or stamping process to be used and the amount of time required. In accordance with these parameters, the tools are selected for the machining, inspecting and assembling of the parts.

The tool workshopPiaget, not content with being one of the very few watch Manufactures to produce the totality of its watches from A to Z, goes even further by manufacturing its own tools. These are usually made of steel. On average, between 50 and 70 tools are produced specifically for each new watch model produced in its workshops.

The bracelet machining workshopPiaget is one of the very few watch Manufactures to make its own bracelets in gold, which are used for nearly a quarter of its watches. Their production starts with the machining of the screws, links and other clasp components from bars of 18-carat gold. This involves tiny parts – sometimes over a hundred for a single bracelet – which need to be subjected to a meticulously precise milling or bar-cutting process. To achieve this, workshop technicians draw on all their expertise in micro-mechanics to direct state-of-the-art 5-axis computer-operated machines. The components are then calibrated to ensure that they are perfectly adjusted, before being subjected to a process of vibratory finishing in order to remove the machining marks and prepare the parts for hand-polishing.

The case machining workshopIn this workshop the cases are machined from a rough mass of gold, platinum or even titanium. High-precision machines remove material so as to obtain the definitive lines of the case middle, case back and bezel, which all go to make up the case. This workshop is also sometimes used to machine bracelet buckles, or even dials intended for gem-setting.

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THE LUXE WATCHES

The cases and bracelets finishing workshop Perfect in even their slightest details, Piaget creations are distinguished by particularly sophisticated finishes. Watch cases and bracelets are no exception to this rule, and undergo a whole series of traditional operations such as bushing, lapping, gumming-up, felting, polishing and buffing, which will bring out the unique aesthetic attraction of each part. Piaget also likes to alternate polished and satin-finished surfaces on the same component, however small it may be. All this requires a delicate craftsman’s touch that can only be achieved by working by hand. Movements of such minute precision can only be mastered through several years’ experience, and are transmitted from one generation to the next within the workshop.

The cases, bracelets and sapphire dials assembling workshopThe case backs, case middles and bezels will be brought together as components to form a single watch case in this workshop permeated by the absolute calm of total concentration. The different elements are assembled, guided by movements of total precision. Once assembled, the case is submitted to uncompromising quality controls both in terms of its water-resistance and of its aesthetic appearance. A gold ring receives a sapphire-crystal glass. This element is then attached to the watch movement. Piaget gold bracelets are also mounted in the same workshop (except for those created for the Tradition watch line). Here again, precision and painstaking attention to detail are the order of the day. Dozens of tiny parts are thus patiently assembled. This is followed by the insertion of movable components, such as clasps and additional lengths for bracelets.

The gold-carving workshop: adjusting the braceletAs a guardian of rare traditional skills, Piaget faithfully preserves a craft which it is the only Geneva watchmaker today capable of practising, since it is no longer taught in any school: the art of the chainsmith. These authentic “carvers of gold” apply the dexterity of their hands to make the bracelets for both cuff watches and traditional watches, thus providing what has been one of the brand’s signature features for over 40 years now. Recalling one of the Piaget icons that first appeared in the 1970s, cuff watches with their interwoven links showcase all the historical expertise of the Manufacture. Here, gold is literally twisted by hand. Oval links of gold thread (referred to in the trade as “nails”) are first fashioned and then turned and patiently inserted into very thin locking-pins. The chainsmith then proceeds to solder together over 600 component parts to create a single bracelet, which will finally come to hug its wearer’s wrist with infinite suppleness, revealing the full extent of its sensuality.The expertise brought into play for the bracelets of traditional watches is equally exacting. A “must-have” collector’s piece for lovers of vintage models, the “traditional watches” created by Piaget in 1962 are characteristics of the “Sixties spirit”. In fact the bracelet of traditional watches is the very epitome of Piaget chainsmiths’ expert skills. While its profile is initially set out in the form of the figure “8”, all the subsequent operations are performed by hand. The gold thread is then twisted by hand and soldered to the profile, while the links are cut out and then mounted in a chequered motif on locking-pins, before being soldered one by one to solidify the structure. The entire structure is then delicately adjusted. Perfectly integrated into the case, the bracelet of the traditional watch – consisting of over 400 parts! – can finally show all its exceptional suppleness. These hand-made bracelets are authentic tributes to the manual skills of the craftsmen of bygone times and represent not only a whole period of Piaget’s history, but also the brand’s determination to keep watchmaking traditions alive in all their unique charm.Once completed, each gold bracelet is cleaned and polished, before being subject to a range of tests.

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The gem-setting workshopAs a genuine benchmark of jewellery watches, Piaget loves to enhance the attraction of its creations by adorning them with diamonds. More than twenty gem-setters thus work with traditional gems and other stones in a dedicated workshop, where dexterity, discipline and concentration prevail. The various techniques of grain setting, baguette setting, closed setting and claw setting are applied, depending on the level of expertise of each craftsman, so as to adorn watches, and even their movements. A long operation performed entirely by hand thus begins. The craftsman performs with meticulous precision the different phases of preparation, creating the threads, breaking up the grains, separating the grains, placing the stone, circular-graining and checking the diamond’s grip. All the parts then undergo an extensive check, before being sent to the finishing workshop and later sent for mounting.

The Haute Joaillerie workshop It is a rare, if not unique, privilege to discover so many precious stones in this magical location within the Piaget Haute Joaillerie workshop, one of the largest of its kind to be found in Geneva. Gemmologists, gem-setters and jewellers all apply their impressive expertise here to create truly exceptional pieces of jewellery. On the basis of a gouache drawing, the craftsman concerned will first produce a life-size model of the piece. He will craft the structure in gold so as to give it its shape, while at the same time working the metal so as to make it as supple as possible for the wearer. From the choice of the gemstone to its placing in position, each delicate stage marks a step forward towards artistic excellence, performed with skill by craftsmen with the nimblest of fingers. The gold, expertly carved, adjusted, polished and buffed, reveals all the brilliance of the precious stones, placed with precision in a position where their beauty will be shown to its best advantage. Practised as a true art, the gem-setting process is undertaken in close collaboration with the designers, so as to determine the precise number and position of each gemstone and patiently carve the material accordingly so that it will form an exact fit for lodging the gem. Skilfully interchanging different types of settings and sizes of

gemstone, these masters of their art show amazing dexterity to give life to the unique, timeless works that are created in this workshop. The work of the gemmologist exerts endless fascination. It is they who seek out the finest stones and select them with enormous care and attention, whether it be in terms of their colour, shape, size and purity or in relation to their origin, in order to meet the most exacting international standards.

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The watch casing-up workshopActing as the final stage in the production of a watch, the casing-up workshop brings together all the external parts produced at Plan-les-Ouates and all the movements manufactured at La Côte-des-Fées. Here again, those working in this workshop participate in a long process involving the highest standards of quality and precision, and are subjected to “clean room” conditions so as to avoid the deposit of dust or other particles on the watch. The first phase in casing-up consists of positioning the dial on the movement and adjusting it to ensure a perfect fit. Then comes one of the most delicate stages, with the positioning of extremely thin hands on the dial. First the hours hand is put in place, followed by the minutes and seconds hands. All the hands must remain parallel to one another, without ever touching. Once the movement has been fitted with the dial and hands, it is inserted in the case, into which it must merge perfectly. Each fitting is conducted with great attention to detail and a thorough cleaning is carried out after each operation. Once the casing-up is completed, the final rate and water-resistance checks can start. Everything must be perfect so that the watches leaving this workshop are ready to be delivered to their lucky new owners.

The melting furnace At Piaget, the material most frequently used is gold. During the machining of the various components, shavings of precious metal fall from the part being worked-on and can come to represent up to two thirds of its volume. These very valuable remains are recovered so as to be remelted down into bars of gold. Piaget is the rare manufacture to have its very own melting furnace so that it can manage this transformation process in-house. After cleaning to remove any traces of residual grease resulting from the machining operation, the shavings of gold are deposited in the furnace’s receiving crucible. After the temperature has risen to over 1064°C, the precious metal melts, thus enabling it to be converted into a new ingot.

Quality control of the partsThe wide range of skills applied in each of the workshops at the Manufacture de Haute Horlogerie Piaget is matched only by the high level of care and attention paid to verifying the quality of each operation. Thus, after progressively taking on its new identity in the workshops of the Manufacture, each piece is meticulously inspected, as has already been the case upon completion of each operation. It is thanks to these successive inspections, carried out by specialised staff, that Piaget’s extremely strict quality requirements are met, since the brand will not tolerate the slightest imperfection. The process continues up to the final inspection after casing-up, which guarantees an optimum quality level and a perfect finish.

Strict quality monitoring: a strong point of the fully-integrated Manufacture The full range of activities undertaken at the Manufacture de Haute Horlogerie Piaget in Plan-les-Ouates, together with the wide variety of skills demonstrated in its interior, guarantee the full and total checking of the entire production process. This means that, both for watchmaking and jewellery, Piaget ensures the irreproachable quality of its original creations, thus guaranteeing that it is able to transmit to its staff the oft-repeated message that has accompanied Piaget’s development since 1874: “Always do better than necessary”.

Tissot Chemin des Tourelles Skeleton

The Tissot Chemin des Tourelles Skeleton takes its name from the place in which it was created. Chemin des Tourelles is the street on which the Tissot factory was built in 1907 and where the company still remains today. This watch takes pride in its origins and reflects more than 160 years of expertise. The art of watchmaking is clearly visible through its dial thanks to its skeletonised movement.

HeritageThe beauty lies in the revelation of its works, with further rich details demonstrating its legacy. The simple and fine hands may seem like a modern touch at first, when in fact, the blue tint, also seen on the Arabic indices, is a result of an ancient method used to protect steel from corrosion. This shows a certain tradition, while at the same time, adding eye catching details to the piece. Remaining on the vintage side, the counter at nine o’clock brings an original feature to the Tissot Chemin des Tourelles Skeleton. Tissot will be sure to please watch

enthusiasts with this piece. Features• Swiss made • Hand-wound mechanical movement exclusive to Tissot• Scratch-resistant, domed sapphire crystal with double antireflective coating• 316L stainless steel case • Water-resistant up to a pressure of 5 bar (50 m / 165 ft)• Black alligator pattern leather strap with folding buckle

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Jenson ButtonFormula One racer and TAG Heuer brand ambassador

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As he prepares for the finale to this season’s Formula One series in Abu Dhabi at the end of November, we catch up with McLaren Grand Prix driver Jenson Button – an easier achievement off the track than on it!

What does it mean for you to be an F1 champion?Well, it’s the culmination of a dream I’ve had since childhood. But fighting for a championship is a draining, difficult and tiring experience. I remember the night I won the world championship, the whole team went out to celebrate, but I think I could only stay for one drink, then I had to go back to my room and just lie on my bed. I couldn’t quite believe it, and it took a long time to properly sink in.

Tell us about the team-work involved in F1 racing and how that applies to your personal outlook on life? Teamwork in Formula 1 is essential. Any driver is only as fast as the car he drives – equally, however, a driver can help to improve and refine the car, and his relationship with the team is also dynamic. A Formula 1 team is made up of hundreds of people, and a car is made up of thousands of components, but you can only really achieve success when you’re at one with the car, and when the team functions as a single, purposeful unit.

You’re always speeding on the racetracks, what do you do to relax your mind off the tracks?I get bored very easily, so I always like to be doing something. I’m usually training – Monaco, where I live, is a great place to train outside: you can literally get on your bike and be in the mountains in about 10 minutes. It’s great.

How do you evaluate your performance with your current team and your pervious performance during the last race?I really enjoyed my battle with Checo at Monza – it was a good, clean, fair fight, and it makes it all worthwhile when you can have a battle like that. Unfortunately, his car was very strong, and I couldn’t keep ahead of him, but it was a great battle.

Do you see yourself as a good guy or a bad guy?A good guy!

Do you believe in fate? I don’t really have any beliefs or superstitions, no. I think you have to work hard to achieve your success – I’ve never been afraid of working hard to get that.

You are travelling around the world all the time, Is there a particular place where you feel at home, peaceful or excited to be there?I love Japan: Tokyo is an incredible city, a real blend of ancient tradition and modern technology. It’s a place where you can really get lost. Away from the racetrack, I love Hawaii too – the

THE LUXE WATCHES

big island – it’s where I go at the end of each year to relax and recharge my batteries. It’s a great place.

You make a lot of sacrifices in your personal life. Do you still feel like you have your own personal freedom?I think you need to make room in your life for that, yes. Living in Monaco, people don’t really bother you, so I can get on with my life pretty easily. And in a place like Japan, my fiancée is more well known than me, so I’m typically the less famous person in the relationship. It seems to work for me – I don’t go out to put myself in the limelight.

Can you describe your temperament in 3 words?Focused. Dedicated. Er, smiley?

What is your biggest luxury?Probably private aviation. It’s a huge convenience, and it’s expensive, but it does give you the opportunity to get more personal time, so it’s something I’m willing to pay for.

What’s your personal fashion style? What are some luxury goods you like to indulge in? (Fine dining, fashion….etc)I usually wear pretty casual stuff – a good pair of jeans, a cool T-shirt, some quality knitwear. I’m lucky in that Jessica has a real eye for nice stuff, so she always looks out for me.

What do you like most about being an ambassador for Tag Heuer? i.e campaigns, photo-shoots…etcTAG Heuer is a great brand, and I think it’s great that they’ve been associated with motorsport for so long. The Carrera draws its name from the Carrera Panamericana road race in Mexico, the Monaco was made famous by Steve McQueen and the 1970 film ‘Le Mans’, the Silverstone is obviously named after my home circuit, and the Carrera continues to be one of the definitive sporting chronographs of the ages. As a racing driver, what’s not to like?!

How do you draw a parallel between the world of F1 racing and the world of Tag Heuer? How does the image of the brand match yours?We’re both obsessed with time. For me, my professional life is about how I can best shave tenths, hundredths, thousandths of a second off my laptime. But, equally, away from the track, you need time to rest and relax. And you always feel great when you have a classic timepiece on your wrist.

Which watch is your favorite model and why?The Carrera. Timeless style, rugged looks and brilliantly useful.

“TAG Heuer is a great brand, and I think it’s great that they’ve been associated

with motorsport for so long”

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Eberhard & Co. presents Tazio Nuvolari Automatic Three-Hands

Raya Abirached - new IWC Brand Ambassador

The Tazio Nuvolari collection, dedicated to the all time legend of motor sport and an expression of the historical bond of Eberhard & Co. with the world of vintage cars, is enriched with a “time-only” model, presented recently in the occasion of the prestigious Gran Premio Nuvolari. Eberhard & Co. is sponsor and official time-keeper of the event.

The new Tazio Nuvolari is an automatic timepiece with stainless steel case (ø 42.50 mm) and a distinctly sporty look, proposed with black dial with a “perlée “ zone hosting 12 luminescent Arabic numerals profiled in red. The central seconds hand is also red, as well as the driver’s signature and the initials “TN” in the white carapace situated on the opaque black central zone. The steel bezel is characterised by a steel circular insert treated in PVD, with relief indexes. Water-resistant to 100 metres, the new Tazio Nuvolari has a caseback fixed by 8 screws, with a “perlée” finish on the outer zone, personalised with an engraving of the Mantua pilot’s signature. The model is available with black alligator strap and red stitching or with “Charme” steel bracelet.

After four years of successful collaboration IWC Schaffhausen announced Lebanese television presenter, celebrity journalist and producer Raya Abirached as its new Brand Ambassador from the Middle Eastern region.

Raya Abirached is one of the most popular faces from the Middle East, well known as host for shows such as Arabs Got Talent and anchorwoman and producer of Scoop with Raya on MBC. Born in Lebanon, Raya began her career as a print and broadcast journalist before moving to the United Kingdom in 1999 where she unexpectedly found herself in the glamorous world of media. Since then, she has been travelling the world, meeting and interviewing A-class celebrities, entertainers, athletes, producers and directors.

Very passionate about her work, Raya has been involved with IWC Schaffhausen for the past four years, covering regularly IWC events in Cannes, Geneva, Zurich and Dubai. The most recent collaboration between IWC and the charismatic Lebanese TV host was the IWC Gulf Filmmaker’s Award during the Dubai International Film Festival where she was hosting the IWC Event.

“To be an official part of the IWC Schaffhausen family is a great honor for me. IWC stands for distinguished craftsmanship and beautiful timepieces and the brand has been a great and constant support to the world of film and filmmaking which is my true personal passion. I’m looking forward to now sharing an even stronger bond with this brand”, says Raya excited about being IWC Schaffhausen’s new brand ambassador.

Karoline Huber, Brand Director of IWC Schaffhausen Middle East & India adds, “We are thrilled to finally welcome Raya Abirached as our new brand ambassador from the region. Raya’s talent and magnetic personality have made her one of the most sought-after persons in the Middle East. The IWC family has found in Raya the perfect embodiment for the values of our brand.”

Casual Italian EleganceDolce & Gabbana’s Cruise Collection

THE LUXE STYLE

Dolce & Gabbana defines the new luxury – it is authentic and unconventional. A style that expresses new forms of elegance, presenting itself as a modern classicism, based on superior sartorial content and creativity. The strong identity of the Dolce & Gabbana brand has evolved over the years without ever forgetting its roots. An unmistakable style, which, season after season, combines strong innovation with the Mediterranean flavour of its origins. A brand whose essence lies in its contrasting features.

It’s not easy to encapsulate the Dolce & Gabbana universe within a definition.It is a world made up of sensations, traditions, culture and a Mediterranean nature.Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana have made a trademark of their surnames – one which is now known throughout the world, easily recognizable thanks to its glamour and great versatility.

These are two designers who have known how to make a unique virtue out of their Italian character. Two designers who have known how to interpret and impose their sensual and unique style across the globe. Two designers who address themselves to young people and who draw inspiration from them. Two designers adored by Hollywood stars who have made the duo their favorites. And two designers who dress the rock stars of the moment and who have elected them as their unquestionable leaders.

These are the designers of Madonna, Monica Bellucci, Isabella Rossellini, Kylie Minogue and Angelina Jolie, amongst others.

Who is the Dolce & Gabbana man?

He is a man at ease, a man who dresses for himself, a little hedonistic he pays considerable attention to details. He loves everything that doesn’t schematize him. He’s free and he’s successful.

He can go to the office wearing an impeccable pinstripe suit or equally with worn out jeans and blazer. Exuding charisma he’s a man who lays down the rules, he’s not subjected to them. He imposes his traditions by wearing the cap, the waistcoat and the timeless white t-shirt vest. Here’s MEN’S PASSION’s pick of the Dolce & Gabbana Cruise Collection.

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Louis Vuitton ShoesFiesso d’Artico

Just as it did with its leather-goods atelier in Asnières, France, and its watch Atelier in Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, the House found in Fiesso d’Artico the perfect balance between traditional savoir-faire, excellence in craftsmanship and cutting-edge technology. More than a simple Manufacture, Fiesso d’Artico includes departments for design, training and logistics, and even an art gallery, all in an exceptional setting. By integrating all of this under one roof, Louis Vuitton is signing the manifesto of tradition in progress. In 2009, Louis Vuitton chose to create its shoes Manufacture in Fiesso d’Artico, a town near Venice that sits on the banks of the River Brenta and has been the ancestral home of shoe-making since the 13th century. Just as it did with its leather-goods atelier in Asnières, France, and its watch Atelier in Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, the House found in Fiesso d’Artico the perfect balance between traditional savoir-faire, excellence in craftsmanship and cutting-edge technology. More than a simple workshop, Fiesso d’Artico includes departments for design, training and logistics, and even an art gallery, all in an exceptional setting. Here, Louis Vuitton shoes – from the most elegant ladies’ shoes to training shoes, as well as loafers and a made-to-order service for men – are envisaged, designed and created. It is about teamwork based on different talents and a shared passion, all with one ambition: to share with the House’s clients the artisanal savoir-faire that is also an expression of emotions. The presence of design and prototyping in the heart of the Manufacture also allows for a healthy and rich dialogue between designers and artisans, one that offers shoes of unbridled creativity that respond to the highest standards of comfort and quality.

Louis Vuitton chose to create its shoes Manufacture in Fiesso d’Artico, a town near Venice that sits on the banks of the River Brenta and has been the ancestral home of shoe-making since the 13th century.

The Manufacture’s artisans – the majority from the surrounding area – are the guardians of a savoir-faire passed down from master to apprentice. Fiesso d’Artico includes a department dedicated to Made-to-Order, which allows gentlemen to create pairs of personalised shoes by selecting the shape, leather and finish of their choice. This possibility, which requires extremely specialized skills, also aims to preserve and pass on traditional knowledge that is in danger of disappearing, such as the entirely handsewn Norwegian stitch or the art of the patina, skills which are also pased on in the workshop. Traditional does not mean frozen in time, however, and these long-established methods are part of a dynamic vision that aims to reinvent itself constantly and always go one step further. At Fiesso d’Artico, hi-tech equipment coexists with handstitching – technology is used to assist the artisan. Heritage is alive and well, brought up to date by a vision of the future and a passion which is also passed on in the region’s schools. With Fiesso d’Artico, Louis Vuitton has written a manifesto for a dynamic tradition that always has one foot in the future.

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FOUR WORKSHOPS

TAIGA Know-how: Classic mens shoes with leather solesSpecific features: traditional Blake and Blake Rapid lasting; hand-sewn Good Year lasting. A return to the purest tradition of classic footwear craftsmanship

NOMADEKnow-how: men’s and women’s rubber soled moccasins. Specific features: hand-sewn tubular moccassins. Complete intergration of know-how with a view to achieving exceptional quality.

SPEEDYKnow-how: men’s and women’s sneakers. Specific features: workshop that combines traditional and robotized operations. Robotised workshop with the latest generation lasting machines; exceptional ergonomics of the workstations.

ALMAKnow-how: elegant women’sSpecific features: pushing the standard of excellence to boundless limits through work with various materials, from leather to satin, and the realization of all technical innovations.

KNOW-HOW

At Louis Vuitton, the creation of a shoes department, launched in 1998, now represents one of the cornerstones of a strategy associated with the transmission of know-how. Regardless of the standardized settings, Louis Vuitton heavily relies on the intuition and expertise of the craftsmen which results in a unique sense of construction that a machine cannot replace.

Fiesso d’Artico enjoys a worldwide reputation as the “land of shoes”. As early as the 13th centrury, craftsmen from the Riviera del Brenta were providing shoes for the Venetian aristocracy. Like the fine leather goods workshop in Asnieres (France) and the watchmaking workshops in La Chaux-de-Fonds (Switzerland), we find here a skillful blend of traditional know how, exceptional craftsmanship and most advanced technology.

A variety of different know-how and numerous adjustments are required to create a single shoe, whether this involves pattern cutting, closing the uppers, covering the heels, assembling the soles and lasting the shoe… A multitude of expertise is required for the quality, innovation and creativity of this type of shoe. Rolls of material in abundance, exotic skins or leathers as soft as velvet, golden or fluorescent pink python rub shoulders with robots that would fit perfectly in a science fiction film….

Painting the edge with a brush, bias seams, buffing… Producing a pair of shoes demands an average of two days and 150 to 250 operations depending on the complexity of the designs, from assembling the pieces among themselves to the final addition of the label using two sticthes reminiscent of the saddle stitching of the fine leather goods workshop. Most of these operations are performed by hand, by craftsmen with an expert eye and infinite patience, the only guarantee of flawless symmetry, as perfect inside the shoe as outside.

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The New BMW X6

Armed with an even more potent design presence and outstanding performance, the new BMW X6 strengthens its position as a leading exponent of exclusive driving pleasure. The second generation of the Sports Activity Coupe, which has already posted global sales of almost 250,000, enjoys a special status among BMW X model rivals thanks to its irresistible allure, intoxicating performance attributes and innovative luxury.

A Sparkling Storm

The extrovert design of the new BMW X6 blends the robustness and versatility of a BMW X model with the sporting elegance typical of the brand’s Coupes. The interior combines generous space with model-specific sports features and a luxurious ambience, while attractive design and equipment packages further highlight the exclusive style of the new BMW X6. The Design Pure Extravagance equipment package adds striking, high-quality accents to both the interior and the exterior. The M Sport package, meanwhile, includes specially selected features that enhance the vehicle’s dynamic character to immediately eye-catching effect. Also available from launch are model-specific features from BMW Individual.

The new BMW X6 additionally comes with a suitably exclusive roster of standard equipment which goes well beyond that of the previous model: bi-xenon headlights, 19-inch light-alloy wheels, automatic tailgate operation and the 8-speed Steptronic sport transmission with steering wheel shift paddles are all included, as are leather trim, two-zone climate control, auto-dimming rear-view mirror and the Driving Assistant safety package from BMW ConnectedDrive. Lending functionality an extra boost are the 40 : 20 : 40 split/folding rear seat backrests, which allow load compartment capacity to expand from 580 litres to as much as 1,525 litres (75 litres more than the predecessor model).

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Majestic performance: noticeably greater dynamic ability, fuel consumption cut by up to 22 per cent, intelligent all-wheel drive permanently active. The line-up of engines available from the December 2014 launch of the new BMW X6 (fuel consumption combined: 9.7 – 6.0 l/100 km [29.1 – 47.1 mpg imp]; CO2 emissions combined: 225 – 157 g/km) consists of the latest-generation V8 developing 330 kW/450 hp for the BMW X6 xDrive50i, a 190 kW/258 hp six-cylinder in-line diesel engine for the BMW X6 xDrive30d and another straight-six diesel with three turbochargers and 280 kW/381 hp in the BMW X6 M50d. Ensuring that the noticeably increased performance of the new BMW X6 is accompanied by an up to 22 per cent reduction in average fuel consumption are BMW TwinPower Turbo technology, the standard-fitted eight-speed Steptronic sport transmission, extensive BMW EfficientDynamics technology, weight-saving optimisations and enhanced aerodynamics. In spring 2015 the BMW X6 xDrive35i (225 kW/306 hp) and BMW X6 xDrive40d (230 kW/313 hp) will be added to the model range.The standard – and permanently active – intelligent all-wheel-drive system BMW xDrive optimises traction, directional stability and cornering dynamics, as the situation requires. For improved dynamics, xDrive can optionally link up with adaptive suspension packages, including Dynamic Performance Control.

Chassis packages raise levels of sportiness and comfort, as desired. Dynamic Performance Control is offered together with Dynamic Drive active roll stabilisation as part of the Dynamic adaptive suspension package to deliver a targeted improvement in the car’s sporty handling attributes. Further enhanced ride comfort can be achieved courtesy of air suspension at the rear axle and Dynamic Damper Control, which are included in both the Comfort adaptive suspension package and Adaptive M suspension (standard on the BMW X6 M50d and part of the M Sport package for the other model variants), which also offers bespoke, sports-oriented suspension tuning. The Professional adaptive suspension package, meanwhile, combines the features of Comfort and Dynamic.

Innovative options and BMW ConnectedDrive features. Adaptive LED headlights, Comfort Access (including hands-free tailgate opening and closing) and other high-class options underline the innovative character of the new BMW X6. Driving pleasure and long-distance comfort, meanwhile, can be further enhanced by features including the Navigation System Professional with Touch Controller, Bang & Olufsen high-end surround-sound system and new Rear Entertainment System Professional.

The wide variety of features available through BMW ConnectedDrive includes a – in some cases – unique range of driver assistance systems and mobility services. Available on the options list are items such as the BMW Head-Up Display, Driving Assistant Plus with Traffic Jam Assistant, the BMW Parking Assistant, Surround View and BMW Night Vision with Dynamic Light Spot and Speed Limit Info, as well as all BMW ConnectedDrive services and Online Entertainment. The Intelligent Emergency Call function is part of standard specification for the new BMW X6.

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World first: three plug-in hybrid models from PorschePorsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid celebrates world premiere in Paris

Porsche celebrated the launch of its new Cayenne S E-Hybrid, with a world premiere at the Paris Motor Show on October 2. The world’s first plug-in hybrid in the premium SUV segment sets the standard among luxury all-wheel-drive vehicles and makes Porsche a market-leader in the production of plug-in hybrid cars. Together with the Panamera S E-Hybrid and the 918 Spyder, the Stuttgart-based sports car manufacturer is the only brand to offer three plug-in models.

Alongside the Cayenne S E-Hybrid, the company also presented model updates of the Cayenne S, Cayenne Turbo, Cayenne Diesel and Cayenne S Diesel in Paris. All new models feature increased efficiency, even more precise handling, streamlined design and an extensive list of standard equipment.

As a result of the brand’s advanced plug-in hybrid technology, the Cayenne S E-Hybrid has a fuel economy of only 3.4 litres per 100 kilometres and CO2 emissions of a mere 79 grams per kilometre, which are all impressive figures for an all-wheel-drive car. Global market reaction to models featuring the advanced hybrid drive concept has been positive. In the first eight months of 2014, the company delivered a total of 16,698 Panamera units, of which 1,513 units (9 per cent) were Panamera S E-Hybrid models.

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New Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupé

Abdul Rahman Albisher & Zaid Alkazemi Co has welcomed the highly anticipated S-Class Coupé to Kuwait. Stylistically self-assured presence, exclusive appointments and refined sportiness – the new S-Class Coupé from Mercedes-Benz combines the classic proportions of a large, sporty coupé with modern luxury and pioneering technology.

As a world première, the breathtaking two-door coupé can be optionally equipped with the MAGIC BODY CONTROL suspension system with curve tilting function. Additional technical highlights are the head-up display and the touch pad feature. The model is also available with expressive LED High Performance headlamps, each featuring 47 Swarovski crystals, to produce a uniquely striking appearance.

The two-door car is initially available with a 4663 cc V8 biturbo engine that delivers a rated output of 335 kW (455 hp), and torque levels that peak at 700 Nm. The sporty motoring experience is significantly enhanced by the emotional sound produced by the exhaust system.

Extremely low wind noise was a declared objective when developing the S Class Coupé, with the aeroacoustics experts implementing form optimisation measures as early as the design phase. Achieving success, the S Class Coupé is the world’s quietest series-production car in terms of wind noise.

“The arrival of the new S-Class Coupe in Kuwait reaffirms Mercedes-Benz position as an industry leader in the luxury car segment. Fitted with lush interiors and the latest in technological innovation, this is a car particularly well-suited for the discerning Kuwait market. Anticipation for this model is already high, and we expect to sell out of early deliveries quickly,” said Michael Ruehle, CEO of Abdul Rahman Albisher & Zaid Alkazemi Company.

The S-Class Coupé is characterised by typical rear-wheel-drive proportions, emphasised by the hallmark Mercedes dropping line. The long bonnet with pronounced lines and powerdomes, the low greenhouse with high beltline, the

The high-end coupé arrives in Kuwait

accentuated wheel arches as well as the large wheels (18- to 20-inch) and the broad visual effect created by the rear reinforce the S-Class Coupé’s exceptional automotive refinement. With a wheelbase of 2945 mm, the Coupé is 5027 mm long, with a width of 1899 mm and a height of 1411 mm.

Its convex and concave modelled surfaces lend the S-Class Coupé a sensuous character, its classic elegance forming a perfect symbiosis with the modern-progressive design idiom.

The full-LED headlamps with their iconic eyebrows as daytime running lamps lend it an extremely self-assured and distinctive gaze. On the S-Class Coupé the eyebrows have been further refined with a semicircular counter-curve. In combination with the standard LED Intelligent Light System, unique headlamps with no less than 47 Swarovski crystals are available. 17 angular crystals form the flare-shaped daytime running lamps, with 30 round-shaped crystals making up the turn indicator lamps.

Lower transversal forces: active curve tilting functionMAGIC BODY CONTROL (optional extra), the first suspension system with the ability to “look ahead”, had its world première in the S-Class. With the curve tilting function the Coupé introduces a further world first for series-production cars: The curve tilting function makes the Coupé lean into bends in a manner similar to a motorcyclist or skier. The lateral acceleration acting upon occupants is reduced in a way akin to when driving in a steep curve, and passengers sit more firmly. On country roads in particular, the new curve tilting function enhances motoring enjoyment and comfort. The aim is not to achieve higher cornering speeds, but a new driving experience: the S-Class Coupé glides elegantly through bends.

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THE LUXE ARCHITECTURE

Three other major awards were awarded during gala dinner awards ceremony to mark the culmination of WAF 2014, and two inaugural prizes were also awarded during the evening.

World Architecture Festival

After three days of the World Architecture Festival in Singapore, the festival’s super-jury awarded the prestigious World Building of the Year award to The Chapel, Vietnam, designed by a21studio. The award was sponsored by UOL Group Ltd.

2014 Wrap

THE LUXE ARCHITECTURE

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THE LUXE ARCHITECTURE

1- Future Project of the Year (sponsored by Far East Organization): Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Canada, designed by 5468796 Architecture + number TEN architectural

3 - Small Project of the Year: The Pinch, China, designed by Two inaugural prizes were also awarded this evening:

5 - Wood Excellence Prize (sponsored by American Hardwood Export Council): Alex Monroe Studio, Snowfields, UK, designed by DSDHA

2- Landscape Project of the Year: National Arboretum Canberra, Australia, designed by Taylor Cullity Lethlean and Tonkin Zulaikha Greer

4 - Colour Prize (sponsored by AkzoNobel): Departments of Law and Central Administration, Vienna University ofEconomics and Business, Austria, designed by Cook Robotham Architectural Bureau

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THE LUXE YACHTS

Hodgdon launches carbon race boat

Hodgdon Yachts has launched their 100 ft. pre-preg carbon race boat. This mighty sailing race boat was launched at Hodgdon Yachts yards in East Boothbay, Maine on Saturday, September 27, 2014.

Next she will be towed to Newport Shipyard, RI where the rig and the keel will be fitted and then sea trials will begin, before making the voyage aboard ship to Sydney - Australia to compete in the famed Sydney to Hobart Race.

The success of large infused composite parts such as this are increasingly giving designers worldwide the confidence to specify advanced composites over other materials given their many advantages. “We are pleased to be one of a handful of shipyards in the world capable of executing projects like this, and to be a leader in this technology in the USA”, Tim Hodgdon, President of Hodgdon Yachts told us.

THE LUXE YACHTS

Tankoa Yachts Genoa based shipyard has revealedS701 at the Monaco Yacht Show 2014

The General Arrangement has a well studied passage regarding the flow of the guests and crew on board, all of the dedicated spaces were thought in order to fulfill an owner’s wishes.

The S701 has an unbeatable key point not to forget; its delivery time: 24/26 months!

Tankoa S701 is an open space designed to fit all the Owners desires. Thanks to her length of 70 mt, Tankoa S701 welcomes all the top luxury amenities. The large life areas are extended from inside to outside in order for you to live an experience with no boundaries. Tankoa S701 is the best choice if you wish large environments onboard and the freedom to customize each detail of a true cruising mansion.

S701 key points

1 - Sea Lounge Oversized beach club with bar and saloon along with two dedicated areas for the sauna and hammam with exclusive sea view and private balconies. 2 - Panorama Dining Dining area and alfresco bar and saloon with wind screen making this area suitable for every kind of season. 3 - Sky Lounge Touch and Go Eli-pad convertible into an outdoor “ready to party” dance floor. A big seized gym and massage area on this deck with full windows sea view.

A state of the art pool for relaxing and refreshing while getting kissed by the sun. 4 - Sun Tan Pampering A 360° full sun deck open sky space to enjoy the real sea environment with dedicated sun beds and sofas. 5 - Master State Room Almost 100mq with a 180° panoramic sea view enriching this luxurious space with a private studio, jacuzzi and terra- ce with sun beds to maximize wellness on board.

The S701 is features a large ‘sea lounge’ – a large beach club with a bar, saloon, sauna and hammam, as well as private balconies from which to enjoy the sea view. On the upper aft deck is a dining area, alfresco lounge and seating space with a wind screen, while sky lounge facilities include a touch and helipad that can be converted into a dance floor, a pool and a large gym. The yard believes that will help the young yard to develop a reputation for quality.Even further up is a sunbathing nook on top of the coach roof, offering 360° views from sun beds and sofas. The master suite, forward on the upper deck covers almost 100 square metres, with a 180° panoramic sea view, sitting room, spa pool and terrace.Our aim is not to compete with our Italian colleagues, it is to compete with Northern European shipyards,’ says Michel Karsenti, sales and marketing director of Tankoa. ‘There is a highly tangible reason why our price is higher. But our Italian business model and regulations mean that we will be more competitive than Northern Europe.’

A new 70m motor yacht concept, focussing on broad, open-plan living spaces that flow freely from indoors to outdoors. S701, which is close in being a sister ship to S693 now under construction has a different transom and a wide body upper deck.

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THE LUXE EVENTS

Team Kuwait at the MercedesTrophy World Finals

The Kuwait National Team returned home with memories of a lifetime after competing in the 25th annual MercedesTrophy World Finals held in Stuttgart, Germany last month. The three-man team, which comprised the top three players (also Mercedes-Benz Customers) from the Kuwait National Finals held earlier this year at the Sahara Golf & Country Club, was hosted by Abdul Rahman Albisher & Zaid Alkazemi Company, the exclusive general distributor for Mercedes-Benz in Kuwait.

The Team Kuwait comprised two nationals – Qatami Al Qatami and Wael Abdul Rahman Alwlayti – and Francisco Gracias, and were led by captain Sanjay Kaul. They were one of 33 teams from all over the world to compete in the prestigious annual event in Stuttgart and finished with an overall score of 158 points ahead of teams from Canada, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Italy and New Zealand. While all Kuwaiti team members showed great skill and sportsmanship, Wael Alwelayti produced particularly pleasing results, finishing equal fourth overall in singles net in the Class-C Handicap. Commenting on the Kuwait team’s participation, Michael Ruehle, CEO Abdul Rahman Albisher & Zaid Alkazemi Company said: “Abdul Rahman Albisher & Zaid Alkazemi Co. is proud to have taken part in this world-class event for the 17th consecutive year. Our goal is to support amateur golfers in Kuwait and enable them to compete on an international scale. This is a highly prestigious annual competition and creates sporting memories that last a lifetime.”

In 1989 when the first MercedesTrophy was held, six European countries took part. Some 25 years later, the MercedesTrophy is a global invitation-only tournament series for amateurs, and is staged in over 60 countries. There are now over 60,000 participants every year – and over the years nearly a million customers and fans of the brand have teed off at the MercedesTrophy. The Nations Cup at the 2014 anniversary event was won by the team from Latina with second and third places going to the United Kingdom and China Teams respectively. The Team Spirit Award, the winner of which is chosen by the participants, was presented to the team from Australia.

Mercedes-Benz brand ambassador Martin Kaymer, the face of the MercedesTrophy, came to Stuttgart directly from the Ryder Cup to present the trophies at the award ceremony. Brand ambassadors Bernhard Langer and Louis Oosthuizen also attended the World Final, taking part in special “Beat the pro” challenges against the participants and chatting with them in a series of “Meet & Greet” sessions.

Alongside their sporting activities, the participants were able to experience the brand and its products at close hand with guided tours of the Mercedes-Benz Museum, the Sindelfingen plant and Mercedes-AMG in Affalterbach, as well as test drives in the latest models. The highlight vehicle of this year’s MercedesTrophy

Team Kuwait – Sanjay Kaul, Francisco Gracias,Qatami Al Qatami, Wael Alwelayti Team Kuwait - Qatami Al Qatami, Wael Alwelayti, Francisco Gracias

THE LUXE EVENTS

Chucrallah Fattouhatat Dar al Funoon

Success for Kuwait’s Talal Al Muhanna

Kuwait’s Dar al Funoon continued its cultural season with an exhibition and visit from Lebanese artist Chucrallah Fattouh from the 13th to 23rd October.

Born in the coastal town of Monsef, in Byblos, he first experimented in art through the shape and color of the wonders of the sea. He joined the National Institute of the Lebanese Universities Faculty of Fine Arts and received his degree in Fine Arts with honors in 1983.

His paintings are exhibited worldwide including France, Cyprus, the UAE, Oman, and Russia along with Canada, Sweden and Denmark. He has also exhibited his work in the USA, Tunisia and Brazil.

Kuwaiti film producer Talal Al Muhanna was rewarded at last month’s International Television Festival in Prague for his role in the documentary film ‘Disportrait’.

The film - about Spanish choreographer Nacho Duato in Russia - was awarded two prizes at the prestigious International Television Festival in Prague, including the Grand Prix.

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THE LUXE EVENTS

IWC Schaffhausen and Behbehani Group celebrate reopening of IWC Boutique 360 Mall

Swiss luxury watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen and the Behbehani Group celebrated the reopening of the IWC boutique in Kuwait’s 360 Mall with a select group of VIP guests and press representatives on Thursday night. Held at the boutique in the mall, the event also heralded the launch of IWC’s new Portofino Midsize collection in Kuwait in the presence of IWC CEO Georges Kern, Behbehani Group President Ali Morad Behbehani and IWC Brand Director Middle East & India Karoline Huber.

Strengthening their partnership with every passing year, IWC Schaffhausen and the Behbehani Group first collaborated in 1998 with a presence in Kuwait at Laila Gallery and Souk Sharq. The reopening marked another milestone that strengthened the successful relationship in addition to allowing the brand to get

closer to its loyal clientele in the country.

“Since 1998, IWC and the Behbehani Group have shared a long and fruitful partnership and the refurbishment and reopeningof our boutique here at 360 Mall underlines the prosperity of our relationship and the importance of the Kuwaiti market to our brand,” says IWC CEO Georges Kern.

Ali Morad Behbehani further adds: “It is an honour to partner with IWC Schaffhausen, a true icon of the watchmaking industry. It has been our constant commitment to enhance the retail experience for our clientele and provide them with access to the most elegant timepieces in a state-of-the-art boutique where visitors can explore the unique world of IWC’s fine watchmaking and craftsmanship.”