Drake and Lenny Kravitz to Aid UNICEF, a Virgil Scholarship Is Developed, Armani on the Slopes
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POWER DUO: How can you top a live performance by Jennifer Lopez? Lining up a power duo of the likes of Drake and Lenny Kravitz could do.
The two artists will be the special guests and perform at the winter edition of the LuisaViaRoma for UNICEF charity gala to be held at Emeraude St. Barth on Dec. 29.
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This is the winter counterpart of the event the retailer hosts annually in the summer in Capri to raise funds in support of UNICEF’s projects across the globe. For example, this year’s edition collected around 8 million euros to donate to the organization and was the biggest yet in terms of expectations and attendance. The soirée was headlined by a special performance by Lopez, which drew around 900 guests including celebrities Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio, Casey Affleck, Jared Leto, Spike Lee, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Park, Haim and Ansel Elgort, among many others.
Now it’s Drake’s and Kravitz’s turn to generate the same buzz. Their involvement appears not only to attract fellow celebrities to the gala but also to put the event back in the limelight of social media, following the example set by former performers such as John Legend and Katy Perry, British electronic music band Clean Bandit and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, as well as Rita Ora, Ricky Martin and Ellie Goulding, to name a few.
In particular, the announcement of Drake’s and Kravitz’s attendance builds on a key moment for both artists. Drake and 21 Savage last week released their new joint album “Her Loss,” while Kravitz was presented with CFDA’s Fashion Icon Award Monday night.
At its second iteration, the LuisaViaRoma for UNICEF winter event will replicate the format’s formula combining music performances with a cocktail reception, a seated dinner and a live auction of exclusive luxury items, art pieces and fancy experiences conducted by Simon de Pury.
Last year’s seminal winter edition was also staged in St. Barth and headlined by Dua Lipa, who performed in front of guests including Dylan Penn, Izabel Goulart, Frida Aasen, Nina Agdal, Daniel Arsham, Bob Sinclar and Kygo, among others. The event raised more than 4 million euros.
“I am honored to announce our second edition of this gala in continuity with our efforts to raise funds to support children in need around the world. Our commitment and perseverance have shown that our union is strong and that we can achieve amazing results. We have been collaborating and working as a family for five years now, united by the same desire and goal,” said Luisa Panconesi , president of LuisaViaRoma’s event committee.
“We are more than grateful to everyone who has contributed to making this event possible,” echoed UNICEF Italia executive director Paolo Rozera. “Thanks to each and every one of our guests, partners and donors who will show up to make a difference for every child around the world. This incredibly special gala raises funds for UNICEF’s lifesaving work, it will help to defend children’s rights and ensure their education and protection everywhere.”
Mohammed Al Turki, chief executive officer of the event’s founding partner Red Sea Film Foundation, and UNICEF Italia fundraising chairman Tommaso Chiabra also underscored the “concrete impact on thousands of children’s lives” the event has had throughout its six installations so far. — SANDRA SALIBIAN
HONORING ABLOH: The Royal College of Art on Monday unveiled the RCA Virgil Abloh Scholarship, named for the late designer who served as a visiting professor at the London institution.
The scholarship will be offered to a talented, yet financially restricted, Black British student in any program at the RCA’s School of Design.
It will cover full tuition fees and maintenance support, totaling 35,000 pounds. The selected student will also benefit from industry experience and networking opportunities and will be supported by designer Samuel Ross and fellow creative industries partners throughout their studies.
The RCA, a graduate school that counts David Hockney, Tracey Emin, Ridley Scott, Zandra Rhodes and Christopher Bailey among its alumni, said this initiative aims to “recognize Abloh’s support for education, his careerlong ethos of using his practice to create social change, and his position as a renowned champion for equality of opportunity across the creative industries.”
The school said the scholarship will also “help break down barriers to education and support the next generation of visionary designers and innovators.”
The Virgil Abloh Scholarship has been established with the support of Shannon Abloh, the late designer’s wife and chief executive officer at Virgil Abloh Securities, and the team at the Fashion Scholarship Fund in the U.S.
Abloh, who died last year, founded the Milan, Italy-based label Off-White and served as artistic director of Louis Vuitton menswear. He became an honorary visiting professor at the RCA in 2021.
Jony Ive, chancellor at the RCA, said: “Abloh’s creativity and generosity will continue to have an impact at the RCA through this remarkable scholarship. I continue to be inspired by Virgil and believe that his curiosity and entrepreneurialism will live on, inspiring generations of innovators to come.”
Zowie Broach, head of program of MA Fashion at the RCA, added, “Virgil’s energy and intention was truly something else. This amazing legacy will offer young Black British designers an opportunity where I have no doubt they will feel his power, and continue forth to inspire and create even more change.”
Ross’ Black British Artist Grant Program will also receive funds from Shannon Abloh and the team at the Fashion Scholarship Fund.
He said, “Abloh’s drive has always been linked to bettering others, bettering society and communicating an optimistic future with grace, a radical spirit and intellectual prowess that operates on a diagonal, through all facets of society.
“Without a doubt, this philosophy will be expanded upon and continue to shift the behavior of the creative industry and physical spaces, whilst bettering key communities Virgil dedicated much of his time to support,” Ross said. — TIANWEI ZHANG
GIORGIO ON THE SLOPES: Giorgio Armani is clearly having a thing with winter sports.
After revealing that his Emporio Armani’s EA7 line will be the technical outfitter of the Italian Winter Sports Federation’s team, or FISI, his namesake company said the Giorgio Armani Neve collection will tour ski resort destinations in Europe this winter.
Touching down first on Dec. 10 in St. Moritz, the brand will stage a runway show to present Neve’s fall 2022 collection in the square overlooking the Olympia Stadium that hosted the Winter Olympic Games twice, in 1928 and 1948.
First introduced in 2021, the Neve collection comprises mountain-ready apparel and accessories, with a strong focus on outerwear and performance-geared sportswear as well as après-ski clothing.
The skiwear and high altitude-proof attire and equipment is expected to stand out against the 1927 building, which will be covered in mirror panels and metal details for the occasion.
In tandem with the show, the Giorgio Armani boutique in the Swiss luxury winter destination will mount a special set-up characterized by vertical mirror panels reflecting the wintery surroundings.
The St. Moritz event will be followed by an exclusive dinner. The Neve collection will then touch down in Megève, France, from Dec. 6 to March 20; Verbier, Switzerland from Dec. 18 to March 18, and Courchevel, France, from Feb. 11 to April 7. — MARTINO CARRERA
MARKING TIME: To mark the 20th anniversary of Louis Vuitton’s entry into watchmaking, a coffee-table book titled “Louis Vuitton Tambour” will be published on Nov. 25.
Written by veteran French journalist and author Fabienne Reybaud, a former watches and jewelry editor of Le Figaro, the 265-page volume retraces the ideals and process that led to the launch of the Tambour GMT Automatic watch in 2002 as well as the preeminence of its Switzerland-based La Fabrique du Temps atelier.
Throughout the book’s four chapters, more than 350 visuals help connect the dots between the earliest clock designs by the brand dating to the early- to mid-20th century, the birth of the first Tambour and the rising importance of its Switzerland-based La Fabrique du Temps manufacture.
The book also retraces key Tambour models and movements, including the Tambour Carpe Diem, which won the Audacity Prize at the 2021 Grand Prix de l’Horlogerie de Genève; the Tambour Horizon connected watch, and the Tambour Twenty collector’s edition issued for the anniversary.
There’s even an unusual addition in the shape of a model commissioned by a collector and based on the Tambour Minute Repeater, featuring dancing skeletons in poses inspired by the Kama Sutra.
Those who lent their faces, or rather wrists, are also well represented. Though Bradley Cooper, who was revealed as the first dedicated brand ambassador for timepieces, is absent from this tome, there’s no shortage of star power starting with Pharrell Williams, sitting amidst his luggage in 2006, Sean Connery, on a wooden pier in 2011 or a suave David Bowie in 2013.
More unusual, a handful of collectors, adroitly referenced as “Mr S.” from Brazil, owner of that special order timepiece, or “Ms C.” from Crans-Montana, Switzerland, are also featured through quotes and snapshots of their collections.
Published by Thames & Hudson in French and in English, “Louis Vuitton Tambour” will be available beginning Nov. 25 at Louis Vuitton boutiques before a wider release in libraries. — LILY TEMPLETON
ALL ABUZZ: Stephanie Shepherd, former chief operating officer of Kardashian West Brands and cofounder of online climate education platform Future Earth, has partnered with clean wellness brand Beekeeper’s Naturals as its first celebrity partner. Through the collaboration, the brand, which uses sustainable beekeeping, is launching energy lozenges, $12.99, infused with matcha and propolis, a resin-like compound made by bees.
Beekeeper’s Naturals, which has sold more than 300,000 units of lozenges since the launch last year, provides natural medicinal remedies primarily developed from honey and propolis, its hero ingredient. Shepherd’s commitment to wellness, her role as an advocate for the environment and her friendship with Beekeeper’s Naturals founder Carly Stein Kremer led to this collaboration.
“I have been friends with Carly Stein Kremer, founder of Beekeeper’s Naturals, for many years now and am always so impressed with her commitment to wellness and conservation of the bee population. In my career, I’ve prioritized working and highlighting brands who share a more holistic approach to business, like Carly. Our values align and it’s been really fun to collaborate with a friend,” Shepherd said.
“Steph’s personal passion of protecting the environment mirrors that of mine and Beekeeper’s Naturals’ mission. Reinforcing both our brands’ values through a limited-edition formula of a Beekeeper’s top-selling product, was the perfect pairing,” Stein Kremer said in a statement.
Matcha was a key ingredient when developing this formula, as it’s Shepherd’s go-to for sustainable energy. “I have to say I’m borderline obsessed with matcha, so that’s one of the many reasons I was so excited about this collaboration with Beekeeper’s Natural. I love that matcha gives me the caffeine boost I’m looking for without any caffeine jitters,” Shepherd explained.
As a part of the partnership, the brand is also launching limited-edition merchandise including an aluminum tin to store lozenges, a reusable tumbler and a Beekeeper’s Naturals x Future Earth T-shirt reading “More Bees Less Assh–es.” To reduce waste, the limited-edition apparel item will be sustainably made from pre-loved shirts.
The lozenges and additional merchandise will be available on the brand’s website Tuesday. — EMILY BURNS
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