LuxuryActivist

LuxuryActivist is an international lifestyle webzine based in Switzerland. Get fresh news about luxury, arts, fashion, beauty, travel, high-tech and more. subscribe to our Happy friday luxury newsletter or follow us in social media.
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Israel’s Luxury Style

Luxury style The world in general and South Korea specifically may have Gangnam Style, however that doesn’t mean that the world isn’t ready for a different type of style; a style more...

The Beauty of Colored Diamonds

Over the past few years, fancy color diamonds have forged a path into the consciousness of the public, making up for the centuries whereby they have been the preserve solely of nobility,...

Fashion Roundup: RiRi Takes Over LFW and Marc Jacobs as Hunky Diet Coke Man

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Each week FashionTV rounds-up the most fashionable highlights of the week from the web: The best cover shot of the week, sexy trends, and amazing videos!

Cover Shot of the Week:Sarah Jessica Parker covers the March issue of Harper’s Bazaar China, but the question on everyone’s mind is whether or not she’s been photoshopped? In fact the shot is so strange that the fashion guru (as she is described in the article) is being compared to an alien?! Too harsh? Well we think so too, but it will certainly be remembered as one of the year’s Photoshop fails. (Examiner)

Hot in the News:The biggest event in fashion this week was London Fashion Week, and the most talked about show from LFW is Rihanna’s debut collection for River Island. Unfortunately the reviews are not living up to the expectations, with RiRi slammed for being an hour late as well as criticism of collection that has been described as “a wardrobe malfunction waiting to happen.” Nevertheless she helped stir huge buzz for the British brand -- even though she may have not actually designed the clothes! (Huffington Post)

Sexy Alert:If you have not yet seen Keira Knightley’s new Chanel commercial, then now is the time. The advert has been banned on children’s television networks by the ASA, as it is deemed “too sexy” for young viewers. Chanel defended the ad, saying it is “playful and sensual” rather than “overtly sexual.” Can Keira Knightley be too sexy? Judge for yourself… (Vogue UK)

Trend Spotter:This week on the trend spotter, we’ve seen a great collection of hot nails from London Fashion Week. From models wearing black nail polish at Moschino Cheap & Chic to the autumnal brown polish at Issa London. Take a look! (Bella Sugar)

Designer Special:Every fashion week, at least one brand will get a lot of attention for being technically innovative rather than for its fashion. This LFW it seems that Topshop got the most attention for announcing a partnership with Google+ for live streaming their Fall 2013 show on G+ Hangout. “What we need is infusion with technology,” says the brand. FashionTV has now been streaming live events from global fashion weeks for three seasons in a row! Is the future of fashion shows via the internet? (Bloginity)

Cool Video Spot:Marc Jacobs has been announced as the new creative director of Diet Coke for 2013. Jacobs has applied his skills to design the new line of Diet Coke cans and is starring in a new ad for the brand as the hunky “Diet Coke Man,” which is actually pretty adorable:

Closet Case: Chloe Nørgaard

Most models are at the disposal of a designer's vision, but there are a select few practically incapable of succumbing to it. And it's exactly what gets them booked. Judging by Chloe Nrgaard's performance this season – she walked forRodarte, Roksanda Ilincic,Moschino Cheap and Chic, PPQ, andAshley Williams at Fashion East –it won't be long before she's a mainstay in that cult clique. Actually, if Tumblr reblogs are anything to go by, she's the one leading it right now.

Watch thepsychedelic-haired newcomer voice her love of faries, mermaids, unicorns and grandma shopping in this latest Closet Case instalment.Catch Chloe in aModel Behaviour film, andfollow her with our#dazedmodelarmyproject, too.

Adidas Foot Truck in Paris for Americana re-edition

Adidas turned in years into one of the most fashionable sport brand thanks to the vintage and Adidas Original collections. This year it is the rebirth of a myth: The Adidas Americana of...

Iceage

They'd hate me for saying it, but Danish four-piece Iceage are the sexiest thing to happen to punk in forever. The band play loud and fast, with the violent, trance-like body-flinging of frontman Elias Bender Rnnenfelt seeming the all the more vital when backed with the understated stage presence anddeft musicianshipof Johan Surrballe Wieth, Dan Kjr Nielsen and Jakob Tvilling Pless. Iceage's new albumYou're Nothingis a wildly diverse and unexpectedly catchy ride through post-punk, hardcore and experimental noise with strikingly imagistic lyrics that hit like a bullet. In the remarkable new track 'Awake', Elias launches from throbbing riffs into an unsettling deeply-intoned monologue:"The walls began to crack/ They launched the guns at their sons heads."

Much has been made of the supposedly fascist undertones the of the band's work:Wieth has a tattoo of equally controversial80s neofolk bandDeath In June's Whip-Handlogotheinterlocking letters of their ownband symbol form a cultish geometry.At Iceage gigs, collected fans pump their fists atRnnenfelt – as attendees of punk gigs have done at every show since1978.If Iceage's first albumNew Brigadewas their statement of intent in 2-minute throttling blasts, thenYou're Nothingis the sound of the band widening their view and finding just as much fear, hope, and lust. And while theirvision is often unpretty - even sinister - it's far from the F-word.

A lot of the time anger is directed inwards. But onYou're Nothing,for every lyric like"If I could/ leave my body then I would/ Bleed into a lake/Dashing away/ Disappear"there's an optimistic payoff, like in 'Ecstasy', where Rnnenfelt sings of being"adorned in carnal ecstasy… A mere blow of wind could turn me into light."There's an urgent and ever-quickening pulse beneath the bloody knuckles as they self-assuredly articulate their message. Iceage are a band to believe in - you can even buy the pinbadgeto declare it.

DD: Your new album's calledYou're Nothing. Who's that sentiment directed at?

Elias Bender Rnnenfelt: Both the way you see other people sometimes, but also how things can feel like nothing in a certain light. It's written from a personal point of view. It's not pointed at a specific person, it's more of an emotion.

DD: My favourite track on the album is 'Morals'. The use of piano is new for the band.

Elias Bender Rnnenfelt: I don't know how conscious it was. There's not really any boundaries when you write, and sometimes it goes in unexpected places. That song is inspired by an old Italian singer called Mina. I can't remember how I found out about her, but I was listening to a lot of old Italian music, and I found a song of hers, and 'Morals' is kind of based on the piano that song.I think she might be singing "someone like you", which is a lyric in the song.

DD: Do you think there's a lack of morals in society, or in people you observe?

Elias Bender Rnnenfelt: Yeah, just in surroundings. It's not necessarily written from a political view, but more of human view. It's more about self-respect, when people are insincere and stuff like that. I write most of the lyrics but we all contribute.

DD: I love the monologue in 'Awake' -"The fire broke out, we were running the night" -and then there's the sound of glass breaking.

Elias Bender Rnnenfelt: It's partly about society, but also that lyric is also very much about imagery. Those lyrics are quite theatrical. We were trying rock opera. [laughs] I guess it's our 'Bohemian Rapsody'.

DD: Is it tongue-in-cheek?

Elias Bender Rnnenfelt: No.

Dan Kjr Nielsen: I guess the lyrics are a bit about the walls of society, however that may sound.

Elias Bender Rnnenfelt: Just the boundaries and stuff. Not actual walls. The state, and institutions in general.

Dan Kjr Nielsen: If we need to smash a glass to have a revolution…? It's a big question to answer. We're not really a political band.

DD: I read that you refer to your fans as victims. How come?

Elias Bender Rnnenfelt: That's a thing that keeps getting misinterpreted again and again. We get asked about it a lot, but people don't really seem to get it. On a blog ages ago, there was a friend of ours who got pushed into a pit, and got seven stitches or something, and he had a picture there that said "Victim". It's not anything that we thought that much about. Obviously we don't see our fans as victims.

DD: Do you feel differently about this new album to your first,New Brigade(2011)?

Dan Kjr Nielsen: Yeah. I think there's more going on. We've tried to do more things, and not to be restricting ourselves.

Elias Bender Rnnenfelt: I think it's much better.

DD: Is it true that you took your name from the Warsaw song 'Living In The Ice Age'?

Dan Kjr Nielsen: No. We were brainstorming words.

Elias Bender Rnnenfelt: It sounded like a band name. We thought it was kind of stupid to call ourselves Ice Age, 'cause we don't wanna be associated with the Ice Age! So we spelled it in one word.

DD: Elias, your presence onstage seems quite trance-like. Does it feel that way to you?

Elias Bender Rnnenfelt: Sometimes. If it's a good show, I guess I sometimes forget about what I'm doing.

DD: There was a lot of body contact too, it seemed like an intimate experience

Dan Kjr Nielsen: We're working together. We have a brotherly relationship.

Elias Bender Rnnenfelt: We've known each other for a really long time. I started hanging out with these guys since I was 11 or 12 or something. We just grew up in the same neighbourhood.

Dan Kjr Nielsen: Johan was in my class since we were six years old.

DD: What were you listening to at six years old?

Dan Kjr Nielsen: Kids' music. Michael Jackson. Me and my mother shared a Spice Girls CD, but I would only listen to it when she put it on.

Elias Bender Rnnenfelt: I don't think I cared that much for music back then.

Dan Kjr Nielsen: My father taught me to like KISS, but I mostly just looked at them.

DD: Well, KISS put on a great show. Is it important to you to put on a great live experience?

Dan Kjr Nielsen: Well, if itisa great live experience! Sometimes it is pretty shit. We're not a band you can rely on. Sometimes everything falls apart and it's nothing, and sometimes it's like we're the greatest band in the world.

DD: Who's your dream band to play with.

Elias Bender Rnnenfelt: Ah, we like to play with our friends.

Dan Kjr Nielsen: (deadpans) KISS!

Elias Bender Rnnenfelt: We decided one time to do support shows for Fucked Up, but we weren't really into it. We'd rather do our own thing and maybe play for less people, but at least we're playing forourpeople.

DD: Elias, what your influences in terms of literature?

Elias Bender Rnnenfelt: I like writers like George Bataille, The Story of the Eye. There are a couple of references to that in our lyrics. I think I was reading it around these guys - we all took turns to read it.

Dan Kjr Nielsen: (grins) It's a pretty dirty book.

Elias Bender Rnnenfelt: Yukio Mishima, and Jean Genet is awesome. I've read The Thief's Journal and now I'm reading The Miracle of the Rose.

The Latest Investments: Qatar, Richemont & LVMH

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Richemont, Daimler, Furla and Bang & Olufsen cement ties with Chinese distributors, as Faberg completes its merger with Gemfields

Tory Burch’s recent runway show at New York fashion week has sparked rumours of an LVMH investment bid. Ms. Burch recently gained two new investors, settling the sale of half of Chris Burch’s stake in the company just before the end of 2012.

But it was the presence of Pierre-Yves Roussel – CEO of LVMH Mot Hennessy Louis Vuitton’s fashion division – front row at Burch’s show that caught the attention of WWD.

When asked if LVMH was taking an interest in the lucrative contemporary brand, Roussel remained coy. “I’ve got nothing special to say,” he said. “I like what she does. That’s the only reason.”

As Fashionista noted, “now would be the time to invest in Tory Burch: The company’s IPO seems imminent, and if Michael Kors’s record-breaking public offering is anything to go by, LVMH could stand to make a lot of money if it invests with her before she goes public.”

Joint Venture: Richemont, Chow Tai Fook

Swiss luxury goods group Richemont and the world’s largest jewellery chain, Chinese Chow Tai Fook, have agreed to create a joint venture. Each will control 50 percent of the new company, which will distribute watches made by Richemont brand Baume & Mercier in Mainland China.

The Chinese company already distributes a long line of Swiss brands, several of them owned by Richemont, including Cartier, Piaget and Jaeger-LeCoultre.

Source: Business Report

Increased: Qatar, Tiffany & Co

Qatar Investment Authority boosted holdings in Tiffany & Co. at the end of 2012, according to a regulatory filing. The wealth fund increased its stake to 8.7 percent, from a previous 7.8 percent stake, with a current valuation of about $700 million.

Source: Reuters

Stake: Daimler, BAIC Motor

Daimler has secured a stake in Chinese partner BAIC Motor ahead of a planned stock offering. Daimler will pay €640 million for a 12 percent stake in the Chinese automaker and get two seats on the board in a deal that signals the German company’s intention to reverse its flagging fortunes in China.

Daimler has agreed to raise its interest in their production joint venture, Beijing Benz Automotive Company (BBAC), by 1 percent to 51 percent.

Source: Reuters

Joint Venture: Furla, Fung Group

Italian accessories company Furla and Hong Kong-based Fung Group recently announced that they have formed a joint venture to open more than 100 new Furla boutiques in Greater China. Furla will hold a majority stake in the joint venture, and will manage the existing network of 20 directly owned stores.

Source: Pambianco News

Finalised: Faberge, Gemfields

Faberg has completed its merger with Gemfields, a coloured gemstone miner and distributor. The merger was first announced in November by private equity mining giant, Pallinghurst, which owned a major stake in both companies.

Source: Forbes

Bought: Wanxiang, A123 Systems

A123 systems, electric battery supplier to Fisker Automotive declared bankruptcy in October 2012, after which Chinese auto parts supplier Wanxiang outbid a U.S. firm, Johnson Controls, for the pieces of A123 Systems.

Members of U.S. Congress blocked the sale on the grounds that it would deliver sensitive data into the hands of the Chinese, although Wanxiang excluded military contracts from its bid for A123’s assets.

Sources are now reporting that the deal has been approved, meaning that Wanxiang will acquire the non-defence related business of A123 Systems for a reported $257 million.

Source: Motor Authority

Joint Venture: Bang & Olufsen, Sparkle Roll

Danish luxury stereo and television maker Bang & Olufsen has signed a deal with Chinese partner Sparkle Roll to open more than 50 new stores in the country. Sparkle Roll will operate three Bang & Olufsen stores in three cities and more than 50 smaller stores across the country dedicated to its lower-priced “Play” products.

Source: Reuters

Speculation: LVMH, Sea Gull

LVMH is said to be interested in state-owned Tianjin Sea-Gull Watch Manufacturing Group, which has an annual capacity of 6 million mechanical movements for watches.

LVMH is interested in the production capacity of Sea-Gull’s mechanical watch business,” revealed Ge Wenyao, chairman of cosmetics maker Shanghai Jahwa. “I think the luxury group aims to expand its watch business but its production capacity for complicated watch elements is limited.”

Source: Global Times

License: Azzedine Alaa, BPI

Beaut Prestige International (BPI), a subsidiary of Japanese cosmetics giant Shiseido, has signed a 13 year exclusive licensing agreement for the creation, manufacturing and worldwide distribution of perfumes and cosmetics under the Azzedine Alaa brand. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Source: Premium Beauty News

Speculation: Qatar, Four Seasons Florence

Reports in the Italian media are suggesting that the Four Seasons Hotel Firenze, currently owned by Fingen Group and controlled by Marcello and Corrado Fratini, will be sold to Qatar’s investment authority.

The deal is also rumoured to include Palazzo Tornabuoni, a group luxury serviced apartments owned by Fingen Group and the in-development Four Seasons Hotel in Rome.

Source: CPP Luxury


For more in the series of The Latest Investments, please see our most recent editions as follows:

- The Latest Investments: Harry Winston, Marni & Labelux
- The Latest Investments: Aston Martin, Faberg & Christopher Kane
- The Latest Investments: Chanel, Marcolin & Orient Express

Dazed’s House Ball

To celebrate London Fashion Week and the launch of AnOther and Dazed's new issues, we threw a house ball. Guests gathered for dinner in Caf Royal's Grill Room for dinner, before walking through a visually dreamy environment created by installation artist Matthew Stone, to the Member's Club upstairs. There, guests enjoyed Belevedere on tap, and got down as NYC DJ/producer MikeQ and House of Trax's Fools and Rushmore played a thrilling and varied mix of ballroom house and R&B. Cries of "Can I get some fries with that shake," accompanied a catwalk invasion of vogue dancers, who dipped and clicked through the crowd. As NYC's ballroom revivalist DJ/producer MikeQ told us that night: "Voguing never really went away."

Dazed's favourite provocatrice rap princess Brooke Candy took to the stage around midnight, wearing her signature stacked trainers and gold armour as she performed 'Everybody Does' and 'Das Me,' to the assembled throng as revellers danced until the Ball closed its doors. We can safely report that no shade was thrown.

LuxuryActivist

LuxuryActivist is an international lifestyle webzine based in Switzerland. Get fresh news about luxury, arts, fashion, beauty, travel, high-tech and more. subscribe to our Happy friday luxury newsletter or follow us in social media.
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