Tom Schirmacher

Karen Walker Eyewear has announced its summer 2015 collection, and, in the brand’s inimitable style, sees Toast, a King Charles cavalier spaniel, as the model.
   Brands all over the world want celebrities with strong social media followings, and Karen Walker is no exception. The rescued “it” dog has 154,000 Instagram followers and has already donned shades on her account. Now as the spokesdog for Karen Walker Eyewear, she’s expected to be wearing her new brand on the streets of New York.
   In a release, Walker cheekily says, ‘We were after a model for this campaign who could fit with our caramelly colour palette and also someone whose hair would work with our three wind machines hitting her from every angle to create a slightly ’70s vibe. Toast ticked every one of those boxes.’
   The new campaign, hashtagged #toastmeetskaren, has been photographed by Tom Schirmacher, and creative-directed by Mikhail Gherman. Grooming for Toast was by Hannah Raymond, and hair by Gavin Harwin.
   The collection has five new styles, featuring two-tone patchwork with gold trim, dusty colours, and CR39 lenses for UV protection. The eyewear is double-polished and cured for strength.
   The company can claim Beyoncé, Rihanna, Scarlett Johansson, Lena Dunham, Gwen Stefani, Alexa Chung, Lady Gaga, Lorde and Florence Welch among its wearers. The range hits stores in February 2015.

Tom Schirmacher

A Lucire special promotion

Now that it’s summer, those nearest the South Pole have to take particular care when stepping out into the sun over the holidays. The knowledge that the ozone hole has been growing, while the ice caps melt, is not too far from everyone’s minds, especially when the weather forecast gives you “burn times”. It’s hardly relaxing when you have to time just how long you can lie down on one side while the sun beats down.
   Nivea Sun is launching a perfectly timed campaign for the upcoming days off for those lucky enough to have a summer holiday. It’s a great way to learn about how sun screen can protect your skin.
   Using an ultraviolet camera, you’re able to tell just how the sun can damage your skin. Normally, you can’t see sun screen because we want to look as natural as we can, so it appears to fade away. However, the ultraviolet camera reveals just how sun screen can protect skin: despite being invisible to the naked eye, it’s like a solid layer that coats the skin.
   Nivea’s Sun range has a wide range of products, from its Kids’ Sunscreen Spray with SPF 50 to an after-sun body lotion that helps moisturize and restore skin. Some are designed to be water-resistant for four hours for those who like to swim or even play in the ocean or the pool, while the Ultra Sport Protect Cooling Sunscreen Spray (aerosol or spray) gives protection for those in outdoor sports this summer. You should bear in mind that old sun screens are ineffective, and Nivea advises against using any that have been opened from last season.
   You can find out more from Nivea Australia’s Facebook this summer.

Post sponsored by Nivea

Model Chrissy Teigen and DJ Jack Guinness front Ugg’s winter 2015 marketing campaign, which débuted Friday.
   The campaign, called This Is Ugg, was shot in Iceland, and emphasizes the range’s weatherproof, waterproof and water-resistant qualities. It will run through February 1.
   The campaign is also designed to connect emotionally to consumers, and sees Teigen and Guinness “unplugging” in Iceland to reconnect to the environment and experiences, including discovering local treasures and reflecting on a snow-topped glacier, says the company.
   The women’s collection includes the Emalie boot, with waterproof leather and a water-repellent wool blend; the Simmens boot with a water-resistant shaft and a cozy lining; and the Adirondack Boot II with waterproof full-grain leather, cuffable suede shaft, and an exclusive Vibram outsole for snowy weather.
   The men’s collection sees the Munroe boot with oiled suede and waterproof leather, rated to –20°C (–4°F) and featuring the Vibram outsole; the Classic Mini Déco with a moisture-wicking interior and sophisticated stitching at the heel counter; and the Butte pairs with cuffable, waterproof leather and nylon, finished with the Vibram outside and moisture-wicking lining.
   Ugg has launched two videos already, including one entitled Soul Food, featuring Teigen indulging in food and beauty. ‘Life goes by so quickly so it is really important to create time and space for yourself. Sometimes you have to think of your surroundings and how blessed you are: Close your eyes, take it all in and be in the moment. In Iceland we were surrounded by so much beauty and so much simplicity­ it’s just food for the soul,’ she says in the video.
   In On the Rocks, Guinness reflects on the dramatic Icelandic landscape: ‘It’s rugged and magic. I want to meet the people, listen to the music that’s popular there, and learn about their culture. Does living in Iceland create a different outlook on life? An original æsthetic and way of looking at things? I want to drink and dance with the locals, and try and see the world through their eyes. It sounds cheesy but it’s true! I’m really, really excited … I’ll keep a diary while I’m out there, sometimes writing helps me share thoughts that would otherwise go unexpressed and be forgotten. I don’t just want to remember what I did, I want to remember how it made me feel.’

The $300 million budget set aside for Spectre, the 24th Eon James Bond film, will need a marketing bonanza. After Aston Martin revealed its DB10—10 cars built exclusively for the film and not general sale—and Jaguar Land Rover confirmed that they would be supplying a C-X75 and Range Rover vehicles, Belvedere Vodka is next, launching its global partnership with James Bond at the Bond in Motion exhibition at the London Film Museum last night.
   Guests included Lily Cole, Tinie Tempah, Amber Atherton, Pixie Geldof, Douglas Booth, Kim Hersov, Ella Catliff and Christophe Navarre, while Belvedere president Charles Gibb played host.
   Belvedere’s limited-edition bottles see the Belvedere palace replaced with an image of the MI6 headquarters from the film, while its trade-mark blue will be changed to green, on one. These will be limited to 100 bottles. The second change will be to Belvedere’s Silver Sabre bottles.
   The marketing programme commences in February, with point-of-sale promotions. Updates will be put on Belvedere’s Instagram account.
   Spectre, which is named after the fictional terrorist organization from the Ian Fleming novels, will première on November 6, 2015. Daniel Craig will return as the super-spy, and the cast includes Monica Bellucci, Léa Seydoux, Andrew Scott, Dave Bautista, Naomie Harris, Ralph Fiennes, and Christoph Waltz as the villain. Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson produce, while Sam Mendes (Skyfall) returns to direct.

A Lucire special promotion

While Lucire has traditionally talked about flash accommodation at luxury resorts, there is a whole market that many now prefer: short-term living quarters where everyday people can be a host to travellers, bridging the gap between Couchsurfing and a hotel.
   Started in 2007 by Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia, offering their own loft up for those attending the Industrial Design Conference that year. They turned their living room into a guest room, with three air mattresses, and gave a homemade breakfast. The site, Airbedandbreakfast.com, launched the following year after a third founder, Nathan Blecharczyk, joined Chesky and Gebbia. The name was later shortened to Airbnb.com.
   Now with 800,000 listings in 33,000 cities and 192 countries, Airbnb has reached a level of maturity, and débuted a new identity and tagline earlier this year. ‘Belong Anywhere’ reiterates what Airbnb is all about. As Chesky puts it, their first guests in 2007 ‘learned our favourite places to grab coffee, ate the best tacos in the city, and had friends to hang out with whenever they wanted. They were thousands of miles from where they lived, and yet they felt right at home.’ A house, he says, is just a space, but ‘a home is where you belong.’ The rewards to staying with an Airbnb property are personal, not financial, because people can connect, rather than have the bland experience of some of the mass-market spaces.
   They’ve even gone so far as to allow people to make their own Airbnb logos, provided they roughly follow the official symbol, and like all of the best ones, it’s remarkably easy to draw and identify. A revamped website and a new commercial have come as part of the rebrand, the latter showcasing the variety of places that a typical Airbnb customer might find on the website. Littered cleverly through the animated ad are Airbnb logos and, being an internationally targeted spot, all manner of homes and locations are suggested, from châteaux to beach bungalows.
   Chesky notes that since he co-founded the business, he has been invited to the wedding of one of his guests. One host who was trapped in his house during the 2011 London riots was fine—as seven of his former guests went to see if he was OK. And another offered up her home for free during Hurricane Sandy. These are all examples that Chesky says have made Airbnb far more personal than the mass-market experiences.

Article sponsored by Airbnb

Backes & Strauss and the English National Ballet will continue their partnership for a second year, with the Ballet’s artistic director Tamara Rojo becoming the brand’s new ambassador.
   Rojo had endorsed Backes & Strauss’s Victoria collection last year. She will become the face of the Backes & Strauss in its 2015 campaigns.
   English National Ballet celebrates its 65th anniversary in 2015, while Backes & Strauss can lay claim to being the oldest diamond company in the world, founded in 1789.
   The ballet company has worked with Rudolf Nureyev, Sir Frederick Ashton, Natalia Markarova and Carlos Acosta, and Backes & Strauss sees this heritage and quality complementing its own brand.
   Vartkess Knadjian, CEO of Backes & Strauss, said in a release, ‘As a company proud of its British heritage we are thrilled to continue our partnership with English National Ballet and Tamara Rojo, the quintessential British dance company that through its creativity broadens the appeal of ballet throughout the world.’
   Rojo added, ‘I am delighted to be an ambassador for Backes & Strauss, and English National Ballet is enormously grateful for its support. I look forward to continuing our collaboration together to highlight our outstanding work.’
   Now part of the Swiss Franck Muller group, Backes & Strauss retains its London base.

Edward Enninful will receive the Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator at this year’s British Fashion Awards, the British Fashion Council announced today.
   Ghanese-born Enninful is a stylist and the current fashion and style director of W.
   In 1991, he became fashion director of I-D, at the age of 18, making him the youngest editor at a major international title. Seven years later, he became contributing fashion editor of Vogue Italia, and he held the same post at Vogue in 2006. In 2011, he took on his role at W.
   Enninful has also worked on campaigns for Gucci, Comme des Garçons, Christian Dior, Dolce and Gabbana, Celine, Lanvin, Mulberry, Giorgio Armani, Valentino, Jil Sander, Calvin Klein, Fendi, Alessandro Dell’Acqua, Hugo Boss, and Missoni.
   I-D founders, Terry and Tricia Jones, said, ‘When the wonderful Simon Foxton first introduced Edward into the I-D family, we had no idea that he would become one of the most outstanding stylists of his generation. He not only brought his own talent to the magazine, but started working with hundreds of other individual youngsters at the beginning of their careers. His fashion corner in the I-D office was always a mecca for ideas and supermodel diversity became one of his many contributions to the international fashion industry.
   ‘We are thrilled and super proud that I-D’s youngest-ever son has travelled so far in his career and feel very privileged to have known him as a teenager. Edward’s own individual talent, his absolute loyalty, his encouragement and promotion of other peoples’ careers, as well as his love and belief in diversity within the industry, is rare and quite unprecedented. We truly believe that Edward’s creative voice, experience and original inspiration fully justify this very prestigious award!’
   Supermodel Naomi Campbell said, ‘Edward is not only one of my dearest friends and brother, but he is also one of the most outstanding people I have ever had the pleasure of working with. His unique talent, drive and imagination are poured into his work, making him responsible for some of the most heart quickening imagery in the history of fashion.’
   Fashion photographer Stephen Klein added, ‘Edward has exquisite taste and precision and is both sensitive to the aim of the photographer and venue without compromising either.’
   Speaking for the British Fashion Council, Natalie Massenet, its chairman, said, ‘Edward’s creative energy and level of vision captures the mood of our times: his work is original, energetic, sincere and unforgettable. His creative journey may have started in London, but today his influence spans the entire globe intersecting the worlds of fashion, art and business.’
   The British Fashion Awards 2014 is sponsored by Swarovski, Canon, MAC, Toni & Guy, Vodafone, American Express, Marks & Spencer, Mercedes Benz, Penhaligon’s, and Rightster.

District notes that Kendall Jenner, the new face of Estée Lauder, wears a top from its range. The blush pink top retails for US$108. Blake Lively had also recently chosen District for a photo shoot for her new website, Preserve.


   Charlie’s wants New Zealand customers to try their Straight Up cola, and decide whether it should become a permanent part of its range. Kiwis are invited to post their feedback with a thumbs-up or thumbs-down selfie, or simply write a few words, at Charlie’s Facebook or Instagram, using the hashtag #straightupcola.
   Finally, Carrera y Carrera, the Spanish jewellery brand, has launched new visuals with model Alejandra Alonso as its new face. The campaign has been conceived by MAFIA, and features items from Carrera y Carrera’s new Seda Imperial range, as well as from Círculos de Fuego, Bambú and Ruedo. It will break in publications internationally this month.