Author: José Amorim
Top 6 UK Fashion Brands to watch for in 2017
Reading Time: 5 minutesThe United Kingdom is a gold mine in terms of fashion talents. From the prestigious Saint Martin School to the street pop creativity, the UK reveals each year several new fashion talents, some of them will definitely shape the future of the fashion business. Here is our top 6 UK fashion brands to watch in 2017. Martine Rose, from experimental to men’s elegance Founded in 2007, Martine Rose background comes from Men’s shirts. Her artistic exploration drives us towards exploration of individualism and yet belonging to a cultural group (for the reference). Martine Rose will choose amazing icons from the past in order to provide them with a contemporary context. Obviously the work of the fashion artist is to take those icons and offer them a new context that might be a quite subversive approach, questioning the former functionality or past popularity of certain aesthetics through their re-appropriation today. Have a…
Exclusive Interview – Nadja Axarlis, Founder of FUZZ
Reading Time: 4 minutesThe brand FUZZ is created in 2016 by Nadja Axarlis. She works first as a buyer for the famous Swiss department store Bongenie Grieder, which is why she knows the needs of modern customers. Like Nadja Axarlis, many of her friends wanted to take advantage of the fur assets, but they gave it up for ethical reasons. The mission of Nadja Axarlis is then clear; FUZZ had just been born. Quality, good conscience and fair production are at the heart of the concerns. The first collection is therefore in production and includes jackets, coats and waistcoats both trendy and timeless. They are made in Paris, the capital of fashion. Here is an exclusive interview from Nadja Axarlis for LuxuryActivist.com. Luxury Activist (LA) – How did you get to the idea of launching Fuzz? Nadja Axarlis (NA): The idea was born last autumn within a small circle of girlfriends where we discussed different…
Aura Mugler… only Mugler would dare. Full Review.
Reading Time: 16 minutesThere are brands who have shaped the history of fragrances and there are brands shaping the future. Thierry Mugler has since 1992 shaped the future of the fragrance market by bringing new standards. 25 years after the launch of Angel, the launch of Alien and Womanity, Mugler is back with a new strong female purpose: AURA MUGLER. By reinventing itself like no other brand and by daring to go where most would not even dream of, Mugler is back with a striking new fragrance. Here is the review. It all started with a lucky star… 1992 is a date in which all professionals in the fragrance industry remember. The year that Angel Eau de Parfum was launched. From a true ground-breaking fragrance to the ultimate icon of glamour, Angel was defined as a trend-setter. It has defined what are the gustative notes in modern fragrances. It also set the Mugler…
Fuzz (and not Fur) – Luxury with ethics.
Reading Time: 4 minutesWearing fur is nowadays a very sulfurous topic to talk about. Animal rights defenders will make you feel guilty to buy a fur coat as you might not have thought about the animal suffering that goes with the coat manufacturing. Well, a fur coat is made… of fur, meaning animal skin. Nevertheless, if you like the cosy, warm and stylish look of a fur coat, you need to discover FUZZ. A Swiss company designing their non-fur coats in Geneva and produce them in Paris. It is all false fur and they work very hard to give you the impression that it is as good as a true fur coat. Yet, it is all ethical as there is no animal involved. So FUZZ (and not Fur) will definitely conquer your heart of winter lover. While Fur consumption has increased since 2008, many names in the fashion industry as well in politics…
Roland Garros – Key numbers and new projects
Reading Time: 4 minutesRoland Garros is starting this weekend. The Tennis French Open is one of the most prestigious world tournaments. It is part of the major 4 grand slams: Australian Open Us Open Roland Garros Wimbledon The 21-acre (8.5-hectare) complex contains twenty courts, including three large-capacity stadiums; Les Jardins de Roland-Garros, a large restaurant and bar complex; Le Village, the press and VIP area; France’s National Training Centre (CNE); and the Tenniseum, a bilingual, multimedia museum of the history of tennis. As each year, while we wonder who is going to win the French Open, hundreds of professionals start preparing every single detail to make the 126 year tournament as sharp as never before. In order to give you an idea on how important the French open is, please see here below some key numbers and facts that will blow your mind. The Roland Garros Staff 250 Ball boys and girls between 12…
EMYUN, the elegant sport outfit designed in Switzerland.
Reading Time: 4 minutesIn general when you are a sportsmen, you do not have much choice in terms of outfit. Either you want to be classy and comfortable and buy Lacoste, or you wish to be very technical and you might be tempted to buy Nike, Sorel, Moncler or even Napapijiri. Obviously an accomplished sportive gentleman should be able to find other qualitative choices. Here is when EMYUN plays an interesting role. Designed in Switzerland and produced in Italy, EMYUN is the first technical sportswear line inspired by the fashion world. Having teamed up with active wear studios, designers and Italy’s finest textile manufacturers, EMYUN is ready to go wherever you do. All with style and comfort. The aim for EMYUN is to remain classy and stylish while being comfortable and performing the best possible during a running or a workout session. With a very specific fabric, no more smells that permeate the fabric,…
Emmanuel Macron: en Marche but with the right shoes!
Reading Time: 4 minutesIt has been only a few weeks that the new French President, Emmanuel Macron, was elected. His movement is called “En Marche” which means in French “On the Move”. Mr Macron seems very dynamic and he wishes to bring back a certain dynamics to France. If Emmanuel Macron is stepping into the President’s shoes, he is literally following the longtime tradition of French Presidents to wear JM Weston. JM Weston, a long tradition of Presidents. When JM Weston was founded at the end of the 19th Century, everything was already gathered to propose the ultimate elegance for men. Their philosophy is to proudly claim the “Made in France” and the perfect “Excellence at work”. The beginning of the 20th century was also an important time that set a lot of principles in masculine elegance. The development of elegant sports and also the development of worldwide business men, set the legend…
MP3 is dead for good. A chapter of electronic freedom ends.
Reading Time: 6 minutesFriends from the 90’s and the early years 2000 be aware that MP3 is dead. In a world in which music streaming erased the “format” debate, it was just announced that the MP3 format is over by stopping its licensing. An entire chapter of digital freedom has concluded. What a ride ! The explosion of digital and specifically the world wide web allowed the dissemination of MP3. It liberated the audio format and made easier the sharing. Multi-device, multi player, multi OS system, the MP3 was a true revolution supporting the development of several businesses and digital usages. Before 1993, the MP3 had a scientific background The interest of MP3 was based on the fact that the human hearing has a certain limitation. This is what is called Auditory masking. So the audio data compression could be applied without a perceived loss of quality because we can get rid of…
Cannes Film festival, when stars “reveal” themselves.
Reading Time: 6 minutesThe Cannes Film festival is the place where new stars are born and accomplished stars get the ultimate honors. In any case, stars attend to the French film festival to be seen and in some cases they end up showing off more than they would have thought. Here is our best review on Wardrobe malfunctions at Cannes film festival, since 1955!
Kristen Stewart is the face of Chanel’s new fragrance: Gabrielle Chanel
Reading Time: 3 minutes2017 is the year of Gabrielle Chanel. As a reminder of how amazing Chanel’s founder was, the French luxury house decided to dedicate this entire year to Gabrielle Chanel. This year of celebration started with the launch of the Gabrielle bag. Later in September, you will discover the new fragrance and the new campaign starring Kristen Stewart. She has been an ambassador for the House of CHANEL since 2013. She has already served as the face of such dedicated campaigns as the Métiers d’Art collections, Paris-Dallas in 2014, Paris to Rome in 2016, and is currently featured in the campaign for the GABRIELLE bag by CHANEL. Kristen Stewart was also the face of the EYES 2016 and 2017 makeup campaigns, as well as the FALL 2016 • LE ROUGE • COLLECTION N°1. We do not know much yet about this new fragrance but as we can image will gather all the…
Larusée, Absinthe from Switzerland takes an acceleration in France
Reading Time: 4 minutesFor all French Absinth lovers, this is good news. Larusée has just signed a new distribution agreement with Hedon in France. This will allow to accelerate the build-up of the brand in the French territory. Larusée is a company established in Switzerland and produces Absinthe in the great Neuchâtel tradition. Larusée, a glamourous tradition of Absinthe, made in Switzerland Absinthe originated in the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland in the late 18th century. It arose to great popularity as an alcoholic drink in late 19th- and early 20th-century France, particularly among Parisian artists and writers. Owing in part to its association with bohemian culture, the consumption of absinthe was opposed by social conservatives and prohibitionists. Ernest Hemingway, Charles Baudelaire, Paul Verlaine, Arthur Rimbaud, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Amedeo Modigliani, Vincent van Gogh, Oscar Wilde, Aleister Crowley and Alfred Jarry were all known absinthe drinkers. A revival of absinthe began in the 1990s, following the adoption of modern European Union food and beverage laws that removed longstanding barriers to its production and sale. By the early 21st century, a…
Victorinox Spartan PS: black is the new black.
Reading Time: 4 minutes2017 is almost half way and Victorinox is delivering amazing new launches. This time we took a focus on a new great launch around the Spartan collection. It is called Victorinox Spartan PS. Delivered with black or white scales, the new Spartan has all stainless steel elements in black thanks to a process known as Polispectral. The result is super classy. Victorinox Spartan, ultimate Icon of Design From a construction point of view, we can easily identify the well known Victorinox Spartan. 13 functionalities for the perfect essential companion for any occasion. From the far end of a forest to the cosiness of a New York office, The Victorinox Spartan will never let you down on those moments you need the most. toothpick tweezers lanyard blade, large blade, small can opener screwdriver 3 mm bottle opener wire stripper screwdriver 6 mm reamer, punch and sewing awl corkscrew key ring The…
La Prairie White Caviar Illuminating Pearl Infusion, Hyper-luxury
Reading Time: 6 minutesLa Prairie has a strong know-how in luxury skincare. The caviar collection became the ultimate icon in terms of hyper-luxury. There is no doubt that La Prairie invented the ultimate luxury in terms of cosmetics with the Skin Caviar collection. Back in 1998, La Prairie settled the foundations of what would become a true icon in the cosmetic industry: the Skin Caviar Luxe Cream. Based in the cutting edge technology developed since 1987, La Prairie established all the codes for a luxury cosmetic product. From colors to texture, scent, active ingredients it was a true revolution in the old powdery cosmetic market. Modern cosmetology was born. 19 years later, the caviar collection developed very well. The extension towards the White Caviar collection allowed the Swiss brand to tackle a very important growing market: Skin enlightening. For years, products were old in this segment and there was not much to say in…
Victorinox Forester Wood 2017, full review.
Reading Time: 3 minutesVictorinox is one of the Swiss biggest ambassadors in the world. The Swiss company represents the strong values of quality, design, functionality and innovation. All these four pillars allow Victorinox to create new products since 1884. This year they reveal a new addition to the pocket tool collection: the new Victorinox Forester Wood. A Victorinox pocket knife is the perfect companion of each occasion. Obviously its natural habitat is outdoors but actually it can also be a useful tool in your day-to-day life. Its style and compact design will fit perfectly your daily life, no matter if it is in the heart of a big city or in the middle of a forest. With the new Victorinox Forest Wood, you will discover a great pocket tool, with essential functionalities that will serve you well. Ten functionalities as essentials for your life: blade, large bottle opener Screwdriver 5 mm, lockable wire stripper…
Sisley Izia, a fragrance for all the facets of a woman
Reading Time: 5 minutesWhen Sisley launches a new fragrance, it is an outstanding moment for the brand. Each Sisley fragrance has a specific story and represents a personal chapter of the French brand story. Izia tells the story of five women united by one irreducible fragrance. Along with Isabelle d’Ornano, Amandine Clerc-Marie, Christine d’Ornano, Quentin Jones and Sonia collectively created Izia as one would sketch a work of art. With Izia, Sisley draw a magnificent garden filled with extraordinary roses. Izia, pronounced Ijia, is a Polish diminutive for Isabelle. Handwritten letters signed by Isabelle d’Ornano to members of her family are peppered with these two sing-song, childlike syllables. Here the video explaining the project. Isabelle d’Ornano reveals her passionate story for Roses and deep written from her family roots. Sisley is a true family business as all members are involved. To represent the new face of the new fragrance, Isabelle d’Ornano has chosen Sonia…