Former Lucire stylist Illya Knight’s accessory brand, G.O.N.T. (God of Nocturnal Thunder) is something new and exciting to get behind. G.O.N.T. aims to enhance personal style and individuality through their edgy jewellery, menswear, womenswear, footwear and bags. Inspired by nature, power and strength, this new label delves into the concepts of glamour and power. Their eclectic pieces each make an original statement.
   Based in New York, G.O.N.T. is a start-up company which is constantly growing, where new pieces are being added online daily. Knight aims to create garments able to be flaunted in the day-to-day wardrobe where functionality meets quality and style.
   In looking through G.O.N.T.’s promotional imagery, what really stood out for me are the artistic photography and the luxurious-looking leather. The most distinctive piece is the ski-boot-style men’s leather boots. Opening at the sides, I have never seen anything like them. Their originality, incorporating ski-sporty with grungy, is something to be valued as mixing elements is not an easy task. Here at Lucire we also highly rate his rugged denim with its vibrant colours and creased exterior. Last but not least the G.O.N.T. leather mailbox bag is both luxe and grungy, I wouldn’t mind one if this myself! Check out G.O.N.T. for yourself at thegont.tumblr.com.—Anna Deans

Rindoff Petroff/Castel

Cartier: le style et l’histoire opens on December 4, showcasing the renowned brand in a retrospective organized by the Réunion des Musées Nationaux–Grand Palais.
   The Cartier Collection has been shown in 25 exhibitions worldwide since 1983, including the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the British Museum, Lisboa’s Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, and Beijing’s Palace Museum.
   The VIP private opening on Monday at le Grand Palais was attended by many of the names that Cartier has touched. Guests included HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, Archduchess Eleonore von Habsburg and her daughter Princess Francesca von Habsburg, Kristin Scott Thomas, Joely Richardson, Monica Bellucci, Tomo Kurata, Lea Weller, Ora Ito and Emilie Marant, Patricia d’Arenberg, John and Laviana Elkan, Hubert de Givenchy, V. V. Brown, Adelaide de Clermont Tonnerre, Guillaume Cerutti and his wife Marjorie, Henri de la Croix de Castries, and Maharaja Tikka de Kapurthala.
   The exhibition runs till February 16 at the Grand Palais, Paris, and features 600 creations, including high jewellery pieces, mystery clocks, watches and precious objects. Some will be shown alongside private loans, displayed for the first time. Archive material and documentation accompany the exhibition.

Rindoff Petroff/Castel

Pascal le Segretain

Above President of Réunion des Musées Nationaux, Jean-Paul Cluzel, and president of Cartier, Stanislas de Quercize. Kristin Scott Thomas and Joely Richardson. L’Archiduchess Eleonore von Habsburg and daughter Princess Francesca von Habsburg. Monica Bellucci and HSH Prince Albert II. Tomo Kurata and Lea Weller. Ora Ito and Emilie Marant. Patricia d’Arenberg. Archduchess Eleonore von Habsburg, Princess Francesca von Habsburg and John and Laviana Elkan. HSH Prince Albert II de Monaco, Archduchess Eleonore von Habsburg and her daughter Princess Francesca von Habsburg. Hubert de Givenchy. V. V. Brown. Adelaide de Clermont Tonnerre. Guillaume Cerutti, CEO of Sotheby’s France and his wife Marjorie. Henri de La Croix de Castries, 5th Comte de Castries, and his wife. Maharaja Tikka de Kapurthala and guest.

Rindoff Petroff/Castel

Dominic O’Neill

Mini knows it’s on to a good thing, especially when it has 2½ million customers worldwide for the fashion-led 21st-century models released under BMW.
   With the launch of the fourth-generation Mini, BMW has stuck with the fashion image, with Poppy Delevingne, fashion designers Henry Holland and Amy Molyneaux, Peaches Geldof, Ellie Goulding, Pips Taylor, Zara Martin, Laura Bailey, Made in Chelsea’s Kimberley Garner and Diego Bivero-Volpe, Nik Thakkar, Kelly Eastwood and Jaime Winstone, Lianne La Havas, Ella Catliff, and Sugababe Jade Ewen at the after-party, giving it some style cred.
   The earlier unveiling had taken place in Oxford at the BMW plant, where the original 1959 Mini was built when the factory was owned by the British Motor Corporation.
   The Monday night after-party at the Sorting Office in London saw 500 guests at the event, where Goulding even worked the DJ decks before Fenech Soler performed an hour-long set. Little Dragon DJ then took over through to Tuesday midnight.
   The party continues today in Los Angeles at the Kim Sing Theater, with 175 guests invited, and Passion Pit performing live.
   The finalé will take place in Shanghai, with 200 guests on Thursday at the Waterhouse in South Bund. Gossip and Beth Ditto will perform live.
   The global launch of the new F56 Mini will take place in the first quarter of 2014.

Dominic O’Neill

While some designers strive to create an ideal vision of the perfect female customer, others choose to let their customer use fashion to define their own definition of perfection. Annah Stretton, now easing her way into to the US and other countries’ markets via her jaunty online boutiques, fits the second category and does it with the flair of one of her famously fitted jackets. I discovered this on my 2010 visit to Wellington when in town to cover the Cocktail World Cup (of 42 Below vodka notoriety).
   Soon after I purchased my first Annah-designed investment-piece jacket (which still turns fashionista heads here in LA three years on), Lucire publisher Jack Yan filled me in on her other accomplishments in publishing and public speaking. In 2013, she succeeded in getting my attention again, and not just because of all of the curve flattering frocks and expanded number of shops. Shortly after I arrived in Wellington, on the heels of covering the Food and Wine Classic (FAWK) in Hawke’s Bay, a cartoon incarnation of Annah peeked up at me from one of the stacks at the Lucire offices.
   Rock the Boat (her third effort), content-wise, is focused on a core readership of success-driven New Zealand women. The business leaders and movers-and-shakers, therefore, will be more recognizable to that group. However, from the perspective of an outsider (an American woman) looking in, this book is still a fun read with a lot of very positive messages and life lessons. Although it is obvious why she’s billed as the New Zealand answer to Oprah, one has to appreciate that she’s made sure her own larger-than-life persona does not overshadow the input and impact made by her “guest stars” (including the equally vibrant Cuisine publisher Ray McVinnie, who MCed several FAWK events, as well as World of Wearable Art founder Dame Suzie Moncrieff, and Saatchi & Saatchi CEO Kevin Roberts). This, in turn, turns readers not familiar with New Zealand personality, culture and industry to read on, learn and be genuinely inspired.
   From a design standpoint, Rock the Boat, like her spring–summer 2013–14 collection of frocks, tempts a reader to pick it up and try some things on for size. Though æsthetically some of this year’s dresses and this year’s book chapters may be a little too busy visually, other visually appealing chapters will fit and feel just right for an individual reader. Then again, that’s the beauty of the new generation of eclectic, self-help and motivational books aiming for a wide readership. Not every idea or message will be a fit, but chances are if you shop around—especially on this Stretton-led cruise—you will get some divine inspiration when charting your own course.—Elyse Glickman, US West Coast Editor

Although publicized at a ceremony in Auckland last night, DHL has lifted the embargo tonight to announce that Commoners has won its Fashion Export Scholarship.
   In a release, Jae Mills, Commoners’ designer, said, ‘The DHL export scholarship is very important to us as we see it as an opportunity to connect internationally. We are currently focused on growing our brand in the Australian market. This will be our focus for the next one to two years.
   ‘We have chosen this market as our main export market as we feel a strong connect with the culture and our brand has been received really well over the past six months. Also from a logistical perspective we share the same seasons so in these early stages, production and distribution can be easily managed. Once we have the right structure within our business we can look at northern hemisphere business in the future.’
   Fay Nwokobia, Head of Asia-Pacific at www.my-wardrobe.com, said, ‘The DHL Express Fashion Export Scholarship assists us in identifying new talent out of New Zealand, and we felt that the calibre of entries was outstanding. As a result, we’re interested in starting a conversation with not only Commoners, who were the worthy scholarship recipient, but also the other two finalists Blak and Meadowlark.’
   The competition was judged by Margi Robertson (Nom D), John Kelly (Max Fashions), Megan Wildermoth (DHL) and Paul Blomfield (FINZ).
   Robertson noted that Commoners was ‘brave. They’ve stuck to their guns in terms of their design æsthetic, which takes a lot of guts. They also have a strong, strategic marketing campaign which is very specific and reflects the clothes well.’
   Commoners receives NZ$10,000 worth of international freight and a meeting with buyers from www.my-wardrobe.com. The prize also includes coaching in freight and logistics, a tailored export mentoring package, and a year’s FINZ membership.

Andreas Rentz/Getty Images

Miss Universe 2012 Olivia Culpo walked the catwalk for designer Tony Ward at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia in Moscow at the weekend.
   Culpo was joined by 27 Miss Universe contestants from Australia, Singapore, Sweden, Venezuela, Great Britain, France, Japan, Spain, Canada, Russia, Thailand, USA and other countries for the show on Saturday evening, in cooperation with Crocus Atelier Couture.
   Ward is a Lebanese designer specializing in extravagant evening gowns, particularly suiting Miss Universe and this year’s contestants. He studied in Paris and had worked with Lanvin, Gianfranco Ferré at Dior and Karl Lagerfeld at Chloé.
   The Miss Universe final will take place on November 9 at the Crocus City Hall, Krasnogorsk, Moscow.
   Representing New Zealand, Holly Michelle Cassidy, of Auckland, joined the Miss Universe contestants on October 23. Her crowning on October 5 marked the competition’s return to television after 21 years, with a live broadcast from the Sky City Theatre.
   The itinerary for the Miss Universe contestants this week include video taping at a sponsor event and a resort day at Agalarov Estate. The 2013 contestants have already visited Red Square, the Kremlin and the Bolshoi Theatre as part of their tour.

Andreas Rentz/Getty Images

Kristina Nikishina/Getty Images

As we near the 10th anniversary of H&M’s designer collaborations, the Swedish retailer went all-out in Paris last night to celebrate the launch of the Isabel Marant pour H&M collection.
   Celebrities included Audrey Tautou, January Jones, Alek Wek, Freida Pinto, Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, Olga Kurylenko, Alice Dellal, Mélanie Doutey and Lou Lesage, with live performances by Melle Mel and Rappers Delight, originally of Sugarhill Gang.
   The event’s theme was early 1990s Paris, with shop fronts and street vendors re-created at the Parisian venue, with images and films from Marant’s career displayed on the set.
   The collection hits H&M stores online and at 250 locations worldwide on November 14.
   In a release, Marant said, ‘We wanted to present the collection in a way that felt real and casual, not a red-carpet extravaganza: this is how I see my work. I design for everybody and am constantly inspired by the world I see around me, so it felt natural to have an urban setting as the backdrop of the event. And it had to be Paris, because the city is part of my DNA.’
   Margareta van den Bosch, H&M’s creative adviser, said, ‘This street celebration was the perfect way to launch a collection that oozes the energy of cool Parisian style. It felt optimistic and real: a reflection of Isabel Marant’s knack for urban sophistication and bohemia. I think the collection for women, men and teen captures her spirit and I hope our customers are as excited as we are for the launch’
   January Jones said, ‘I just think she appeals to many women because there’s something very sexy and bohemian and chic—clothes than can transform from day to night and it’s very cool.
   ‘I think it’s really cool when a high-end designer does a collaboration like this and makes their designs easily accessible to everyone. The pieces are awesome—and coveted. I know many people that will be waiting in line on the 14th, it’s exciting.’
   Actress and former Bond girl Olga Kurylenko said, ‘I’m just really excited to see the collection. I’ve seen lots of things already and I think it’s fabulous. I’m just here to have a good time and celebrate the new collection.’
   Model Alek Wek said, ‘I think it’s right for every woman. It’s comfortable, it’s chic, it’s quite bohemian. You can mix and match and I think at the end that’s what really style is.’
   ‘This is the second H&M collaboration that I’ve attended. I feel it’s important to collaborate with designers who young girls aspire to, but it’s also for girls like me who love shopping at H&M—to make fashion that is not just beautiful and classy but also affordable,’ said Freida Pinto.

Andreas Rentz

Bunte’s annual New Faces Award Fashion during Düsseldorf Fashion Week has seen some very deserving winners in fashion, accessories and shoes.
   In the Best Fashion Label category, Achtland, a Berlin label by Oliver Lühr and Thomas Bentz, took the honours. They were awarded red panther statuettes and prize money of €10,000.
   Tom Zauke won in the Best Accessories Label category. Marion Henry, on the jury, said, ‘The pieces by Tom Zauke are very reminiscent of works of art. They are both visionary and sustainable.’
   Best Shoe Design went to Joachim van Kann for his innovative shoe designs, and took home a cash prize of €5,000.
   The jury also included Eickhoff owner Susanne Asbrand-Eickhoff, Fashion Net Düsseldorf’s Wolfgang Johannes Hein and Bunte editor-in-chief Patricia Riekel.
   Furniture company Kare Design partnered with Bunte. Kare created a space in an Ibiza style, furnished with floor cushions, benches and lanterns, at which Bunte honoured the best up-and-coming designers.
   Celebrities and guests attending included Kriemhild Siegel, Alexandra Polzin, Julia Schönhofen, Olivia Schönhofen, Nazan Eckes, Martin Obermeyr, Manuel Cortez, Frauke Ludowig, Guido Maria Kretschmer, Kena Amoa, Kai Ebel and Milla Wiegand, Thomas Rath, Sandro Rath, Jasmin Schwiers, Thomas Hayo and Jorge Gonzalez, Luca Gadjus, Aleksandra Bechtel, Franziska Knuppe, and Liz Baffoe.
   Düsseldorf Fashion Week sees some 1,000 guests, including celebrities, and was considered by Kare to be an opportunity to show its trend-setting style.
   Bunte holds the awards annually.

Andreas Rentz