Luxury Activist | Since 2010

Bianca Warren, South Africa fashion rocks.

Fashion

LuxuryActivist

-

23 August 2013

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Fashion turns around world capitals like Paris, New York, London or Milan. But more and more creativity rises elsewhere. Discover Bianca Warren, South African designer who proves fashion is where creativity, hard working and style sit. Durban in South Africa is definitely the place. Bianca Warren is our fashion designer of the month.

Bianca Warren was born in Johannesbourg and made all her education in Durban where she established her fashion house since 2010. The label is called Bianca Warren Design. She is definitely one of South Africa’s rising stars in the fashion industry. Her style is precise, it shapes women allure by giving a natural movement to the fabrics. Her fashion is sexy yet naturally fitting, and she gets her main inspiration from her travels.

And when you ask her what is the ideal “Bianca Warren Woman”, she declares that she is a “fun, vibrant proudly South African on trend”. A person who enjoys timeless elegance and a certain degree of exclusiveness. In deed all Bianca Warren designs are limited produced so not mass produced.

Check here an interview from Bianca Warren for TheSaltWaterGirl

Here are the 2 last collections presented during South Africa Fashion Week (SAFW)

We can see that being in South Africa, Bianca Warren is at the crossroad of cultures. By saying this, we can feel that she incorporates several cultures into her work, so that you see looks that hardly would be seen elsewhere. In the images above we can see influences from Africa, India and even far-Asia with some kimono’s printing. Amazing job.

2 stores in Durban to discover her amazing collections: White Summer, Lady and the Punk.

Being a new generation of fashion designers, Bianca Warren is a big fan of Social Media, so you can find her on Facebook and Twitter:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bianca-Warren-Designs
https://twitter.com/biancawarren

You can also find her on the official website: http://www.biancawarren.com

So now you know that fashion has moved to world culture.
LA

Info sourced at the brand official website, ramp1885.com, South African fashion week and biancawarren.blogspot.ch. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available.

Tatyana Ariyan Design, ethical fashion glamour

Fashion

LuxuryActivist

-

23 August 2013

1

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Very often Fashion does not really goes along with ethics. Nevertheless, a new state of mind is rising and proves that we can do fashion and yet keep things under a certain aim for fair trade and respect of workers throughout the manufacturing supply chain. This is the case of Tatyana Arian Design, member of the Ethical Clothing Australia association.

Tatyana Anderson is the founder and artistic Director of the Brand. She was born in Russia and you can feel and see in everything she does, we taste her russian influences, like a glamourous tzarine theme. She lives and works in Australia, where she has her studio in Melbourne. Her style is both structured, precise and opulent. Her collections for bedroom clothing is more and more famous, revamping this important segment in fashion. It captures all her passion and imagination which will transport you into amazing journeys. She designs and produces in Australia, following the quality chart of the Ethical Clothing Australia association. She also collaborates with international artists and artisans like Swarovski crystals. Tatyana is passionate about her new home country and her hand selected talented team of artisans. 6 collections reflect her work: Fortuna, Ziva, Tsovinar, Empress Dream, Venus and Lasa. Each one has a specific inspiration, from natural beauty to sophisticated sensuality. All fit all kinds of women and you can basically chose your bedroom dress depending on your mood. Here below some photos of our preferred looks.

Tatyana Ariyan Design is official invited to the International Fashion week in September. For this occasion, the label will present the new collection during the couture show on September 14th.
To discover more about this very feminine and glamourous brand, check the official website:
http://www.tatyanadesign.com

When the evening comes, there are more than 50 shades of grey…
LA

Info sourced at official brand press release and website. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available.

How to choose a short-term apartment in European cities

Travel

LuxuryActivist

-

23 August 2013

0

Reading Time: < 1

Sometimes finding where to go in Europe, it is hard. Many possibilities and not all are great. Check this interesting infographics that might help you making the best choice for you.

To learn more, check this complete guide: guide to picking luxury vacation homes

LA

Info sourced by the author for luxuryactivist.com. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available.

Hélène Grimaud, Brahms Concertos – new album

Music

LuxuryActivist

-

28 July 2013

0

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Hélène Grimaud is probably one of the most gifted pianist of her generation. And this fall, she is presenting a new album called BRAHMS CONCERTOS. Pure Romance. It is the perfect pretext to review the profile of this amazing pianist.

Héléne Grimaud is french, she was born in Aix-en-Provence. She discovered the piano at age of 7 and since then it was a big love story between her and the beautiful instrument. After traveling quite a lot, she established herself in Switzerland and today she shares her time between her two passions: the piano and wolves! In deed she has been a passionate fighter to protect wolves from extinction. She is at the Direction board of the Wolf Conservation center in the US.

They organize several original activities to the public in order to create a reassuring proximity between wolves and humans. You can do “Yoga with wolves”, or “sleep with Wolves”… all activities to allow you observing and get close to wolves, one of the most fascinating animals in the forest. You can see more details on the official website: http://nywolf.org.

It is an interesting activity to know if you wish to understand Hélène Grimaud piano style. She definitely puts “wolf” on her play. Like the majestic animal, she is intuitive, alot of character and she follows her instincts. She is not afraid to follow an idea until the end. She has a very interesting style, her own, and she does no hesitate to re-interpretate certain notes while playing the classics. Passion is a must.

This is what the Glenn Gould Foundation says about her: “She has this willingness to take a piece of music apart and free herself from the general body of practice that has grown up around it.”

She is passionate about the classics, she played them all: From Beethoven, to Mozart, towards Ravel, Rachmaninoff, Schumann, Brahms or Chopin. She signed with the prestigious Deutsche Grammophon since 2003 and since then, she has worldwide exposure.

With this new album – Hélène Grimaud Brahms Concertos – the artist presents a double CD with the following tracks:

CD 1: Brahms: Piano Concerto No.1 In D Minor, Op.15
Johannes Brahms (1833 – 1897)
Piano Concerto No.1 In D Minor, Op.15
Hélène Grimaud, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Andris Nelsons

1. Maestoso – Poco più moderato 23:51
2. Adagio 14:23
3. Rondo (Allegro non troppo) 12:27

CD 2: Brahms: Piano Concerto No.2 In B Flat, Op.83
Johannes Brahms (1833 – 1897)
Piano Concerto No.2 In B Flat, Op.83
Hélène Grimaud, Wiener Philharmoniker, Andris Nelsons

1. Allegro non troppo 18:52
2. Allegro appassionato 9:25
3. Andante – Più adagio 12:44
4. Allegretto grazioso – Un poco più presto 9:17

Check this teasing video by the Deutsche Grammophon with chosen moments of Ms Grimaud’s interview:

What makes Brahms interesting for Hélène Grimaud? It is the fact that he was respectful of the classics but definitely a modernist and an innovator. His music was creative, elegant and very emotional. He was probably the most classical composers of his time, as he venerated a lot Beethoven. The Piano Concert n.1 has a lot of influences of Beethoven. Check Hélène Grimaud website for more information about her work:
http://helenegrimaud.com

The two CD’s features the amazing work of Latvian conductor,Andris Nelsons. He is passionate about his job, he invests a lot of energy on each concert he conducts and he is definitely the perfect match to lead the 2 orchestras behind Hélène Grimaud.

So this new album will be available in september 2013. To learn more about the album release and to listen to it in avant-premiere, you can connect to the Deutsche Grammophon dedicated page here:
http://www.deutschegrammophon.com

Can’t wait september.

LA

Info sourced at Deutsche Grammophon, Helene Grimaud websites, wikipedia,youtube. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available.

Sebastiâo Salgado at Musée de l’Elysée in Lausanne.

Art

LuxuryActivist

-

26 July 2013

1

Reading Time: 2 minutes

From September 29th 2013, the Musée de l’Elysée in Lausanne is holding a new exhibition about Sebastiâo Salgado called Genesis. It is a fantastic journey into our Planet Earth under the edgy eye of Salgado.

The exhibition presents Sebastiâo Salgado work from 2004 to 2011 in which he went to amazing encounters from mountains, deserts and oceans. All populated with animals and people who have escaped up to now from modern society. It is a long term exploration of all global issues. Sebastiâo Salgado aim is to push humanity to rediscover itself.

This work is completely in line with Sebastiâo Salgado profile as social documentary photographer and photojournalist.

salgado-genesis-book — Sebastiâo Salgado discovering the collector’s giant edition designed and edited by Lélia Wanick Salgado.

In Genesis, you can discover more than 30 trips, on foot, light aircraft, seagoing vessels, canoes or even hot-air balloons. The photographies are striking by their truth, their authenticity and a kind of purity on the eyes of people and animals that were photographed. Salgado succeeded to capture the sparkle of life in all the different shots of Genesis. Check here a video by Taschen with Sebastiâo Salgado himself.

The Musée de l’Elysée, once again, is making reference to the pole of excellence it has been building year after year. As one of the world leading museums for photography since 1985, l’Elysée has been improving public understanding of photography through amazing and incredible exhibitions.
Sebastiâo Salgado, Genesis
From 20.09.2013 to 05.01.2014
Musée de l’Elysée
18, avenue de l’Elysée
1014 Lausanne
Tel: +41 21 316 99 11
website: http://www.elysee.ch

Reunite with humanity by discovering this beautiful exhibition soon.

LA

Info sourced at the Museum website, Wikipedia and Taschen. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available.

The return of the Gentleman by Givenchy

LuxuryActivist

-

25 July 2013

0

Reading Time: 2 minutes

In 1974, Givenchy declared that men were Gentlemen. It was the launch of its fragrance Givenchy Gentleman. With this Fragrance, Givenchy settled the modern man, as elegant as charismatic. It was also one of the first times a luxury brand would dare to add a bit of humour on its advertising.

The fragrance itself, it was a beautiful rich woody fragrance with notes of Vetiver and Patchouli. It is one of the most elegant fragrances for men and one of the best Patchouli too.

39 years later, the Gentleman is back with a new fragrance called Gentlemen Only. In this new opus, we see our gentleman again offering his umbrella to a very beautiful lady but the context is a little different.

What is interesting is that we see who is the man. In the 1987 advertising we only see a woman and the man’s arm. This time, it is the opposite ! It is like we found the lost piece of the puzzle. Check for yourself!

Here is the TV ad with Australian actor Simon Baker (The Mentalist, Judas Kiss, The Devil wears Prada).

In terms of fragrance, it is a good interpretation of the original. At the same time, with such an amazing base, Givenchy could only do something nice. The woody base is kept, though cleaned up for more modernity and youth. Green Mandarin and Pink Pepper, open the fragrance in a bright vibrant way, leading to a contemporary vision of men. This new intro keeps him a little away from the original and probably more into the market. The risk might be to be linked to other masculine fragrances with a kind of same start. Nevertheless, the base notes are just nicely orchestrated.

The flacon remained the same from the original Gentleman, only the top part was changed. The bright metal cap was replaced by a dark mate one. The colour is also quite good. A soft grey-lavender that unites good taste, timeless elegance and modernity.

You can discover more about Gentlemen Only in the dedicated website:

http://www.givenchyconversations.com/category/gentlemen-only

It is never too late to behave like a Gentleman…

LA

Info sourced at the brand official website, wikipedia, Fragrantica and Osmoz. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available.

EcoAkua, preserving the biggest luxury of all: water.

High Tech

LuxuryActivist

-

25 July 2013

5

Reading Time: 3 minutes

In history, there was always something very valuable that would rule the relationships between people or countries. Sometimes it was gold, or spices, since the 70’s it is Oil and lately Lithium. But the biggest luxury of all, that will probably become very exclusive, rare and almost elitist is…. WATER. Discover this month EcoAkua, a Swiss innovative brand that brings to the market a new ecological solution to save our precious liquid. When cutting edge technology protects our mother nature.

Interesting facts about water:

it covers 71% of our planet’s surface
96.5% of water is found in seas and oceans
Only 2.5% of the Earth’s water is freshwater
1 Billion people in our planet do not have access to safe-water.
Experts say that by 2025, 50% of world population will face water-based vulnerability
70% of fresh water used by humans goes on Agriculture.

Earth's_water_distribution

As we can see, water is, and will be more and more, the precious element of our lives. Even more than gold, diamonds or oil. Without water there will be no life. It is as basic as that. And until we find a way to explore the water reserves hidden under the surface of Saturn moons, we should probably start thinking intelligently about the water we have here on earth.

That is why EcoAkua dedicated its mission to bring you a reliable, sustainable and ecological solution for saving water. It is safe for the environment and for anyone.

The idea is simple. The Swiss company invested time and money to create a natural technology, biodegradable that will capture up to 300 times its weight of water. So all the water used to watering plants will not evaporate or vanish in the ground. It will remain close by your plants. This is an amazing breakthrough as you can save huge amount of water thanks to this process. On a small scale, this means you can go on holidays up to 4 weeks and your plants will not die thanks to the water reserve that EcoAkua product will provide.

In a large scale, imagine how many liters it is requested to keep a Golf field green? Especially in dry areas like middle east, Africa or South America. A part from activities like Golf, of course growing green plants in arid areas will be easier and less costly. So possibilities are huge.

So how does it works? EcoAkua just created a video to explain the process. It is very easy to use and it will last between 5 to 10 years without renewing the product.

You have all the details and how to purchase online this amazing technology on the brand official website:

The product is delivered in little protective bags. It is a very thin powder. Each bag costs 4€ which is a fair price for such amazing product.

You can also join the EcoAkua community on Facebook by clicking on the logo here below:

So do something on your daily life to protect your planet and save the precious liquid water. Mother Earth will thank you endlessly.

LA

Info sourced at Luxuryactivist exclusive interview of EcoAkua, wikipedia and the brand official website. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available.

Swiss Unlimited Energy, a blast of freshness for cool guys.

LuxuryActivist

-

23 July 2013

3

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Victorinox is continuously exploring different directions and try to surprise their customers with new original products. Discover the new men fragrance by the Swiss company called Swiss Unlimited Energy. It is fresh, young, modern and definitely gives you a burst of energy this summer.
After the launch of Swiss Unlimited, a new fragrance line for men, Victorinox continues on the quest of innovative thinking on what do men want. This summer, you can discover this new exciting product, all based in one single and strong idea: ENERGY. According to the brand, Swiss unlimited men’s fragrance Energy will trigger a desire in men to develop all of their potential, that deep, fundamental instinct for challenges and power…a power of seduction that allows for unlimited sensations.

The first striking thing is the Fragrance flacon. Inspired by the original Swiss Unlimited flacon, it was completely revisited in order to fit better the concept of energy on the move. The sophisticated rubber and glass flacon gives the place to an urban-practical plastic flacon with a very elegant carabine hook on the side. The built-in elements were assembled in a perfect way, so that you have the feeling to have one block. The on-off cap was kept for the useful pleasure of all men. The colour is also very appealing as this frost effect makes us think of a ice cube. The Flacon is a 150ml / 5.0 Fl.oz which a generous capacity for a generous usage.

The outer-packaging is completely transparent which highlights the impression of freshness and lightness. It highlights also the flacon, like a glorifier, so in the shops, this product will not be low profile. On the sides of the packaging we can read the words “UNLIMITED ENERGY”, which is a play-on-words between the name of the product and the claim of endless energy. It is written in a very dynamic way, so it matches the overall concept of the fragrance.

Concerning the fragrance itself, it capitalizes on a new approach of freshness. Rather than proposing a traditional citrus sparkling freshness, Swiss Unlimited Energy explores the fresh side of green and spicy notes. In the packaging you can read “Cologne Sensation” but it is definitely more than a Cologne. A distinctive Mint leaf note burst on your skin from the first seconds and it is wrapped up on a Grapefruit-Violet leaf accord. So it proposes a sort of contrasted effect with lots of vibrancy. After a while, we smell notes of Lavender and Absinthe that draw a clear masculine strength in the formula. The olfactory story ends up with a clean ambery and woody accord, extending the vibrant energy of the fragrance long-time after the first Pshiiiiitttt !

In order to capitalize on the new fragrance concept, Victorinox made a great video together with the Swiss Surfing association. Check it out:

The film was directed by Loris Mazzeo from Nero Beril Films for Victorinox Fragrances. The music is called Comet by the group called Hey Champ. In the movie we see a day snapshot of a surfer who crave for energy. Energy from the sea, from the waves, from the sun, from his board… and from his fragrance. Everything is made in an artistic contrast between action, softness and energy. To make this movie, Victorinox put on stage 2 Swiss surfers, members of the Swiss Surfing Association: Cyril Inauen and Matthieu Honegger.

We can see impressive scenes shot in the heart of the action. Some shots were done with the camera in the water and they also used a Hero3 fixed in the front of the board, to give you a more immersive experience. Victorinox and the Swiss Surfing Association (SSA) have a long story together. Victorinox has been their long lasting sponsor since the beginning of the SSA. They support them in international championships and are the main sponsor for the Swiss Surfing Team. Besides many other useful tools Victorinox produces the world famous Swiss Army Knife, which’s shape is similar to the shape of a surfboard…

The Swiss Surfing Association represents the national surfing champions. The best will represent Switzerland at international surfing competitions such as the ISA World Surfing Games. If you wish to learn more about the Swiss Surfing Association, check their official website: http://www.waveriding.ch
If you wish to know more about Swiss Unlimited Fragrance, just browse www.victorinox.com and look for it under Fragrances. It is a product you do not want to miss. Summer is here, so enjoy the sun.

LA

Info sourced at the brand official material. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available.

Vallure Vodka – The Gold standard of Vodka

Luxury

LuxuryActivist

-

23 July 2013

1

Reading Time: 2 minutes

What we like with the Fine spirits industry is that every single detail is at its maximum, so we see true luxury brands doing what they know at its best. Discover this month Vallure Vodka, a hundred years of know-how delivered in a 24 karat gold bottle. Impressive.

Inspired by a hundred years of Germany heritage in which precision and quality are key, Vallure Vodka is the ultimate luxury spirit. It has a high level multi-distillation. It follows a genuine triple-gold-filtering process. Vallure Vodka is produced with uncompromising quality and strong requirements.

The Vallure bottle is crafted with the integrity of high-end jewelry and Vallure Vodka prides itself in maintaining the only ‘Gold Standard of Vodka’, ensuring every 750mL of Vallure Vodka is represented by a gold bottle.

The Vallure bottle is packaged in a two-part black shell with a red velvet interior, a design greatly influenced by the last two centuries of aristocratic Eastern Europe. The packaging fits firmly around the Vallure bottle and is secured by the golden Vallure seal.

In order to value and highlight the amazing luxury process to obtain such exquisite Vodka, the brand placed the precious liquid in a true 24 karat bottle. It makes it as the most impressive luxury experience. The world of luxury Spirits is a multi-sensorial world in which all senses are stimulated.

Vallure’s founders, Andre Stahmer, Axel Stahmer and Q Ladraa declared: “They represent some of the nation’s top spirits and luxury products.”

The Vallure Distillery is located in Berlin, Germany and has been producing vodka for over a hundred years. At the turn of the twentieth century the distillery produced vodka for the Czars, who were the highest-ranking officials in Russia and known for their connoisseurship in vodka.

Tasting notes: It is an incredibly smooth and subtle spirit, with a wisp of natural herbs and a soothing, simple aftertaste.

To learn more about this amazing brand, visit the official website here:
http://www.vallure-vodka.com

LA

Info sourced at the Brand official presentation kit. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available.

Carmen Dell’Orefice, oldest top model in the world.

Fashion

LuxuryActivist

-

19 July 2013

0

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Carmen Dell’Orefice is the oldest top model in the world. She has been modeling for more than 40 years and she is still on track!

Carmen Dell’Orefice was born in June 3rd 1931 in New York city. She is today 82 years old and she is worldwide known as the oldest top model still working. She was on the cover of Vogue at the age of 15. At that time she had her first contract for $7.50 an hour.

At the age of 50, after a bad marriage, she was obliged to get back to modeling for financial reasons. And she has been modeling since then.

Here are 2 videos during latest fashion weeks. She is just amazingly sparkling.

In 1985, she co-wrote her biography called Staying Beautiful – Beauty secrets and attitudes from my forty years as a model. In the book she gives several beauty tips to keep on shape.

In 2011, she celebrated 80 years old and an exhibition took place in London with all her Vogue Covers.
Here is one of the latest ads of Carmen for the Italian Vogue last month.

Carmen Dell’Orefice is an inspiration, a fashion icon and an U.F.O.

LA

Info sourced in wikipedia, Vogue.com and Dailynews. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available.

Luxury ActivistSince 2010

Luxury ActivistSINCE 2010

Bianca Warren, South Africa fashion rocks.

Tatyana Ariyan Design, ethical fashion glamour

How to choose a short-term apartment in European cities

Hélène Grimaud, Brahms Concertos – new album

The return of the Gentleman by Givenchy

EcoAkua, preserving the biggest luxury of all: water.

Swiss Unlimited Energy, a blast of freshness for cool guys.

Vallure Vodka – The Gold standard of Vodka

Carmen Dell’Orefice, oldest top model in the world.

Green Notes

The Hidden Carbon Cost of the Cloud: How Streaming, AI and Data Storage Are Heating the Planet

Why Every 0.1°C Matters: The True Cost of Climate Change.

Green Friday: A much better option for the planet.

Swiss Blog

Passionate Swiss Art exhibitions You Must See This Autumn.

Estelle Revaz: A Dazzling Journey Through Music and Public Service

Figaret Paris Opens its Doors in Geneva: The French Shirt’s Refined Revolution.

Top Categories

About us

Follow us