Sandra‘s Closet

First of all, congrats to Net-à-Porter, my favorite shopping destination turns 20 this month and it never stops to amaze me. Last Thursday, I had the privilege too attend a very exclusive zoom meeting hosted by Net-à-Porter for their top clients to explore Masterpiece London, the world’s leading cross-collecting fair, before the official launch date today.

With Alison Loehnis to the right and Charlotte Olympia in the middle at another amazing Net-à-Porter event in London.

Our lovely host, Alison Loehnis, president of Net-à-Porter, was joined by experts from the art world for a virtual discussion on «Voyages of Discovery: journey, legacy and connection in art & design.»

Philip Hewat-Jaboor gave us some great insight into Masterpiece London.

Philip Hewat-Jaboor, chairman of Masterpiece and a distinguished collector himself of exceptional pieces from every category imaginable, including 18th-century and early-19th-century ceramics, marbles, furniture and antiquities, gave us a great introduction. What sets Masterpiece London apart from other art fairs is the juxtaposition of art and design from all periods and origins. It is the unmissable art fair at which visitors can view and buy the finest works of art, design, furniture and jewellery – from antiquity to the present day.

Emma Ward during the meeting in front of a Picasso painting.

«Art is incredibly subjective.» – Emma Ward

With almost 400 years of collective art world experience, Dickinson specialises in privately and discreetly handling rare Old Masters through to Impressionist, Modern and Contemporary masterpieces. Emma Ward, Managing Director, who runs the company, explained us how to navigate through today’s complex and fast-moving art world.

Stunning necklace by Fabio Salini

«I couldn’t find the perfect color combination. Therefore I divided the gems in two rows, into warm and cold colors.» – Fabio Salini

Gemologist and jewelry designer Fabio Salini worked for Bvlgari and Cartier before launching his own brand, creates original jewelry and events around the world. In 2004 he opened his Atelier in Rome, an elegant shop and design studio that has become the focal point of his work, representing the quintessence of his style. His keen interest in contemporary art as a form of expression and a source of inspiration has led to brilliant collaborations, like that with Fernando and Humberto Campana, rooted in a tantalizing mélange of jewelry, design and art. He sees himself as a contemporary artist, very much related to his emotions. He is a pisces, very moody, feelings change every single day.

Image of Rockefeller’s salon designed by Jean-Michel Frank in 1939, showing the Léger mural and Giacometti andirons.

«I believe that a less severe principle can be found—the mixing of styles. The noble frames that came to us from the past can receive today’s creations. The house that we build now can welcome ancient things of beauty.» – Jean-Michel Frank

Such a source of inspiration: Helena Rubinstein’s apartment.

«Re-editions can be problematic.» – Daniel Malarkey

Daniel Malarkey, art advisor, specialized in contemporary art and important design for collectors. I loved his advice and speech. He spoke about provenance and the designer’s work; how proportion, materials and form inspire contemporary design today: how then one commissions site-specific design for interiors and mixing 20th century with contemporary.

Van Cleef and Arpels Œillet handbag mirror. Unique piece, High Jewelry Collection, 2019
Yellow gold, rose gold, white gold, pink sapphires, rubies, diamonds. £300.000

If this preview has whet your appetite, you can go even further with this online. Navigate on your own, you can do this from every corner of the globe. However, without the conversation with the exhibitors, you might be stuck. If you find something you like, make a telephone call, talk to the dealer, get engaged and learn more about the respective piece. Masterpiece’s exhibitors span all eras and disciplines and include many of the world’s most distinguished art dealerships.

Shopping art and design is actually similar to shopping at Net-à-Porter, do your homework. Understand the fabrics and materials, buy books and learn about iconic pieces. Buy the best you can afford, instead of buying 25 pieces, invest in THE one. You should feel comfortable in spending money so that you would like to do it again.

Chairs, ca. 1930, by Jean-Michel Frank (1895-1941), Galerie Marcilhac

If you commission a piece, find a gallery, an artist or designer. Talk about the feeling of the house, work on the discussion and have an eye on proportion.

Invest in something you like. It might become an iconic piece. I am a collector myself, my collection of high end fashion pieces is my biggest passion that I have followed since over 25 years now. I buy what I personally adore and this is in general the best advice! In the meantime, my collection includes many museum-quality objects.

Do you remember the auction sale of the art collection put together by Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé that was held from February 21-25 2009? Yves Saint Laurent was a tastemaker of his own who also got inspired by art, as you can see perfectly in the creation of the famous «Mondrian dress». It was the first ever auction sale to be staged in the Nave of the Grand Palais. The event turned out to be memorable with even 34.000 visitors. Record-breaking items were: the Brancusi sculpture, Madame L.R. which fetched 28.1 million euros. The Matisse Cuckoos went for a spectacular 32 million, smashing the estimated figure of 12 to 18 million euros. Marcel Duchamp’s Belle haleine, eau de voilette fragrance bottle fetched 7.9 million euros.

Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé in their apartment with the famous dragon armchair.

Last but not least, a legendary item in the collection, Eileen Gray’s «dragon» armchair, defied all expectations, the sale price of 21.90 M€ being ten times the pre-sale estimate. This chair was absolutely different from her usual style, but you see how things can turn out surprisingly well.

Join Masterpiece Online (22 – 28 June 2020) for live panel discussions with leading cultural institutions, watch interviews and learn from experts, expert-led virtual tours or arrange a tailor-made private view for you and your friends.

Have a great start into the week.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht, Courtesy of Rockefeller Foundation, Net-à-Porter and Masterpiece

For its second artistic collaboration with the master of Storytelling Art, Hublot invites «Lipstick», Marc Ferrero’s most emblematic work, back onto the dial of its Big Bang One Click 39mm. In white or black, symbolising inseparable complementarity, it illustrates the universal duality of day and night. An essential white that is subtle and minimalist, seductive without being a seducer. A deep black that is audacious and magnetic. Two watches to remind us that the day without the night is not a day, and that the night without the day is not a night.

«I love the power of black and white. Shade and light. Yin and Yang. One is profound, unclassifiable, eternal. The other is subtle, ethereal, timeless. They symbolise antitheses and complementarity. Choosing black and white means getting straight to the point without an excess of tonalities. The black and white make ‘Lipstick’ even more graphic and its red lipstick more magnetic.» – Marc Ferrero

This time, the artist known for his typically colourful palette tells a story in black and white, in the form of two limited-edition numbered models in a run of 100 pieces. One, in satin-finish polished steel and resin, with a lacquered dial and calf and rubber strap, all in white. The other, in black ceramic with a lacquered dial and calf and rubber strap, in a pairing of black and white. Two opposites that attract and complement each other. Marc Ferrero conveys the message of a free woman in this iconic duo of watches, by affixing his work from the dial and extending to the strap.

Playing with contrasts, only the lipstick asserts itself in colour, in a flashy red, a reminder that, underneath the large black glasses, «Lipstick» is paying tribute to the woman of the 21st century. A heroine of modern times, multifaceted, assured and enigmatic. A woman who dares to do anything, directly, and without subterfuge.

If you are interested in the first collaboration from last year, click here please.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Hublot

Called the «last of the adventurers», New York photographer Peter Beard was an artist and a naturalist to whom the word «wild» was roundly applied, both for his death-defying photos as well as his crazy playboy-esque lifestyle. He photographed African fauna at great personal risk, and well into old age could party until dawn. He had been missing for 19 days when he was found dead yesterday in Montauk at the age of 82.

In a statement shared on social media, his family states: «We are all heartbroken by the confirmation of our beloved Peter’s death. We want to express our deep gratitude to the East Hampton police and all who aided them in their search, and also to thank the many friends of Peter and our family who have sent messages of love and support during these dark days.  Peter was an extraordinary man who led an exceptional life. He lived life to the fullest; he squeezed every drop out of every day. He was relentless in his passion for nature, unvarnished and unsentimental but utterly authentic always. He was an intrepid explorer, unfailingly generous, charismatic, and discerning. Peter defined what it means to be open: open to new ideas, new encounters, new people, new ways of living and being. Always insatiably curious, he pursued his passions without restraints and perceived reality through a unique lens. Anyone who spent time in his company was swept up by his enthusiasm and his energy. He was a pioneering contemporary artist who was decades ahead of his time in his efforts to sound the alarm about environmental damage. His visual acuity and elemental understanding of the natural environment was fostered by his long stays in the bush and the ‘wild-deer-ness’ he loved and defended. He died where he lived: in nature. We will miss him every day.»

PETER BEARD
I’ll Write Whenever I Can, Koobi Fora, Lake Rudolf, Kenya, 1965
It went for £55.200 at a Christie’s auction in 2008.

Peter Beard was world-renown for his beautiful and intimate images of Africa and African wildlife, and rose to fame for keeping diaries, filled with drawings, blood, and other materials, that were considered works of art unto themselves.

Young Peter Beard and Salvador Dalí

Born into privilege of railroad and tobacco fortunes, the extremely handsome young man led a bon vivant’s life, partying around the world, but always returning to his retreats in New York, including Montauk, as well as Kenya, where some of his most iconic wildlife photography was taken.
After studying at Yale University he went to Africa and documented the deaths of thousands of elephants and other wildlife in Tsavo National Park, which became the basis of his 1965 book «The End of the Game», which influenced a generation of artists as well as wildlife conservationists.

Sketches from the book «Peter Beard» that showcase how meticulously he kept his diaries.

In 1996, he was injured by a charging elephant that crushed him with its head. The incident left him with fractures in his pelvis and massive internal bleeding. After almost dying, he was put back together by Kenyan surgeons and eventually recovered.

Peter Beard & and his wife Cheryl Tiegs in the early ’80s

He was married three times, first briefly to Minnie Cushing Beard Coleman in 1967, then to supermodel Cheryl Tiegs from 1982 to 1986. He had affairs with Candice Bergen and Jackie Onassis‘s sister Lee Radziwill, babysat for John Kennedy Jr. and his sister Caroline, and was the man who discovered Somali model Iman, who went on to marry rocker David Bowie. He married his current wife, Nejma Khanum Beard, in 1986. They have a daughter, Zara Beard, who is 31.

PETER BEARD
Orphan Cheetah Triptych, 1968
It went for $662.500 at a Christie’s auction in 2012.

«I thought of Africa as a place where there was still plenty of room, where you could actually live life rather than have your life run by a world where you wake up in the morning to a traffic jam, rush to catch a bus, struggle to get to the office.» Peter Beard

Iman through the lens of Peter Beard

One of Beard’s most iconic photographs was of naked model Maureen Gallagher handfeeding a giraffe at his 45-acre Hog Ranch outside of Nairobi. He had wanted to use Iman but she bailed on him. One print sold for $662.500 in 2012.

Gallagher said she had a long affair with Beard, following the trip to Kenya. «I went there for three weeks and stayed there for three months,» she said. «I cancelled all my bookings. I was 22 and I was in love.»

PETER BEARD
Maureen Gallagher, Hog Ranch, 1987
It went for $43.750 at a Christie’s auction in 2013. 

PETER BEARD
Veruschka von Lehndorff and Galo Galo Guyn, Hunting Block 29, Capturing Rhino for ‘Starvo’ National Park, 1963-1964
It went for $27.500 at a Christie’s auction in 2012. 

Peter and Nejma Beard in Montauk in 2003. Photo: Mary Ellen Mark

One funny anecdote that only happened in 2017, when his third wife, Nejma, had him placed in a psych ward at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital after he brought two Russian prostitutes to their home at the age of 79. She claimed he was suicidal when he stumbled back to their Manhattan apartment at 6am after a night partying in the city’s Meatpacking District. I have to admit this is quite a move to educate your husband!

Young Peter Beard – Half Byron, half Tarzan (1950s)

Despite his vibrant character, he will always be remembered for his extraordinary works of art, from his well-known images of threatened African animals to his fashion photographs and elaborate diary pages. He leaves a legacy and will be missed.

Rest in Peace, Peter Beard!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Via Getty, Wire, and Courtesy of the Beard Family 

Prada presents images created by Thomas Demand for the new window displays for its stores across the world, a radically beautiful and colourful sequence of blossoming cherry trees that celebrates the arrival of spring.

Hanami – which means ‘flower viewing’ – is the centuries-old Japanese art of enjoying the beauty of flowers. The cherry blossom season, a highpoint in the year, marks the end of winter and represents the youth, zest for life and emotion embodied by spring, a truly universal image and a powerful symbol of energy.

Spread seamlessly across the shop’s windows, Demand’s floral images, entitled Blossom, give rise to a vibrant narrative which, inserted into the real world, creates a new dialogue with passers-by in cities around the world.

This work fits perfectly into the German artist’s oeuvre, which has the concept of photography as a global language at its heart. Demand is known for making photographs of three-dimensional models that look like real images of rooms and other spaces, often sites loaded with social and political meanings. He thus describes himself not as a photographer, but as a conceptual artist for whom photography is an intrinsic part of his creative process. Having studied sculpture under Fritz Schwegler at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf alongside Katharina Fritsch and Thomas Schütte, Demand began his career as a sculptor. In 1993, he began to use photography to record his elaborate, life-sized paper-and-cardboard constructions of actually or formerly existing environments and interior spaces, and soon started to create constructions for the sole purpose of photographing them. The photograph he takes of this model with a large-format-camera is the final stage of his work, and it is only this image, most often executed in an edition of six, that is exhibited unframed behind Plexiglas, not the models. On the contrary, Demand destroys his «life-size environments» after he has photographed them.

In this series for Prada, Demand once again rebuilds existing images and replaces them with an artificial version of themselves. In his collaboration with Prada, his work encounters and enters into a fruitful exchange with the world of fashion.

The installations, with a curved or box-shaped illuminated backdrop, are rounded off by steel display stands with a matte pink Perspex surface, or illuminated cylinders with the same floral pattern as the scenery.

Te display can be admired at Prada’s stores in New York, Milan, Paris, London, Tokyo, Singapore, Los Angeles and other selected cities starting this month.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Prada – © Thomas Demand

I truly adore the Miu Miu S/S 2020 collection, one of my favorites this season. Therefore I couldn’t resist this beautiful shearling-lined appliquéd suede vest below.

The ad campaign captures the sophisticated and playful mood of the runway perfectly. Imagine an artists’ colony. The colony is all female. The claustrophobic dramas of this colony take place within a sprawling, labyrinthine property; part stage set, part installation, part gallery, part home. Here, the events are hinted at, intimated and obliquely observed in the S/S 2020 Miu Miu campaign.

The house of Xavier Corberó: Casa Corberó

The mythology of the artists’ colony and its place within the past, present and future, is conjured at the Casa Corberó. Built by the Catalan artist Xavier Corberó, situated in Esplugues, close to the outskirts of Barcelona, his ‘casa sublim’ is characterised by elaborate, playful forms that still adhere to a certain strictness, discipline and utility.

These notions are reflected in the S/S 2020 Miu Miu collection itself, where creative freedom and expression – at times spattered and hand-painted, with mismatched buttons, ‘collaged’ ruffles, done and yet undone – is contrasted with the discipline of form, silhouette and utility found in the examples of workwear and the uniform, motifs Miuccia Prada turns to once again. Here it is ‘woman’s work’ that is reflected, both domestic and artistic, in the shape of pinafores, aprons and overalls.

TO SHOP MIU MIU ONLINE, CLICK HERE PLEASE.
I hope you like it as much as I do…

LoL, Sandra

CREDITS: Photos by Call This Number, Liz Collins, Lynette Garland
Creative Direction and Styling by Katie Grand
Models: Tomiwa Adeshina, Pia Ekman, Bo Gebruers, Bella Hadid, Tang He, Lea Julian, Jordan Leftwich, Lila Moss, Patrycja Piekarska, Alexis Sundman, Xiao Wen Ju, Kaila Wyatt
DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, we receive a commission.

A timeless icon, the Lady Dior never ceases to reinvent itself, like today’s woman. For the fourth edition of Dior Lady Art, eleven artists from around the world have participated in the game of metamorphosis by rendering the iconic Lady Dior as a unique piece of art.

Below you can explore the amazing eleven artists and their breathtaking designs. Honestly, I love every single bag… true pieces of art!

LoL, Sandra

LADY DIOR ART BAG, JOANA VASCONCELOS

Joana Vasconcelos delivers a resolutely futuristic ode to love with her interpretation of the Lady Dior, featuring a beating heart illuminated by 300 LEDs.

€5000

LADY DIOR ART BAG, KOHEI NAWA

Like bubbling magma, Japanese sculptor Kohei Nawa’s kinetic creations for Dior Lady Art change in function of temperature and light. 

€6000

LADY DIOR ART BAG, WANG GUANGLE

Inspired by his ‘Coffin Paint’ series, Chinese conceptual artist Wang Guangle creates relief effects and textured movement in rainbow stripes on leather for Dior Lady Art.

€5500

LADY DIOR ART BAG, RINA BANERJEE

Sculptor Rina Banerjee transforms the Lady Dior into a spiritual message evoking universal peace. Her designs bring together organic materials to create a “cabinet of curiosities” for the fourth edition of Lady Dior Art.

€10.000

LADY DIOR ART BAG, JIA LEE

Korean painter Jia Lee transforms the Lady Dior into a pristine canvas imbued with her poetic, emotional vision of nature.

€6000

LADY DIOR ART BAG, RAQIB SHAW

The melancholic beauty of London-based Indian artist Raqib Shaw’s imaginary paradise is transposed onto leather and embellished with dazzling enamel charms for Lady Dior Art. 

€7000

LADY DIOR ART BAG, EDUARDO TERRAZAS

Eduardo Terrazas offers up a precious tribute to Christian Dior, who dreamed of being an architect before becoming a couturier. The Mexican architect drew on Amerindian folk art techniques for his intricate, graphic reinterpretation of the Lady Dior.

€ 4000

LADY DIOR ART BAG, ATHI-PATRA RUGA

African artist Athi-Patra Ruga explores society through the prism of art, crafts and pop culture. In this video, see how he transformed the Lady Dior into a self-portrait, with a spectacular play of embroidery and textured beading.

€12.000

LADY DIOR ART BAG, MARIA NEPOMUCENO

Evoking the joyful atmosphere of Carnival, Brazil-born artist Maria Nepomuceno painstakingly embroidered a heady mix of flowers and mouths on her sensual creation for Lady Dior Art. 

€ 8000

LADY DIOR ART BAG, MICKALENE THOMAS

For Lady Dior Art, American artist Mickalene Thomas creates a graphic landscape evoking Monet’s garden at Giverny. Take a closer look at her vibrant collage and discover how she conceived this dazzling patchwork of embroidered leather and intricate beadwork.

€14.000

LADY DIOR ART BAG, MARGUERITE HUMEAU

French contemporary artist Marguerite Humeau merges hi-tech and tradition with her 3D-printed interpretation of the Lady Dior for her sensual, wave-like work.

€5500

Photos: © Dior

PANTONE has declared its Color of the Year for 2020 to be Classic Blue, or Pantone 19-4052. So it’s time to blue something as we’re all about to be incredibly blue. The high court of color has chosen a shade which is probably the truest of blue. The closest description might be cobalt or royal blue, but it’s a little calmer than that, not as bold. Yves Klein Blue or Yves Saint Laurent would have surely loved this anti-anxiety hue.

Dry pigment and synthetic resin on paper mounted on canvas 62 x 111 1/2 inch
Centre Georges Pompidou – Musée national d’art moderne, Paris, France
© The Estate of Yves Klein c/o ADAGP, Paris

«Blue has no dimensions, it is beyond dimensions, whereas the other colors are not. They are psychological spaces; red, for example, presupposing a hearth releasing heat. All colors bring forth specific associative ideas, tangible or psychological, while blue suggests, at most, the sea and sky, and they, after all, are in actual nature what is most abstract.» – Yves Klein, Lecture at la Sorbonne, June 3rd 1959, Paris

This artwork is showcasing the «true blue» pigment in perfection: the 17th-century painting The Virgin in Prayer by Giovanni Battista Salvi da Sassoferrato.

Another great example in the art world is by Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer. His famous work from 1665, Girl with a Pearl Earring,  shows classic blue as the only bold burst of colour – in the form of a headscarf – among beiges, browns and a dark background.

You might be asking yourself, how did PANTONE land on this color? The color authority looks at trend forecasts, fashion, beauty, lifestyle, political views, media, street art, travel destinations, new technologies, and new textures — to name just a few of the categories they consider. Then it’s time to narrow it down to a color family, in this case it was a blue mood, «a reassuring presence instilling calm, confidence and connection».

This enduring blue hue highlights our desire for a dependable and stable foundation on which to build as we cross the threshold into a new era.

Imprinted in our psyches as a restful color, PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue brings a sense of peace and tranquility to the human spirit, offering refuge. Aiding concentration and bringing laser like clarity, it re-centers our thoughts. A reflective blue tone, Classic Blue fosters resilience.

As technology continues to race ahead of the human ability to process it all, it is easy to understand why we gravitate to colors that are honest and offer the promise of protection. Non-aggressive and easily relatable, the trusted PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue lends itself to relaxed interaction. Associated with the return of another day, this universal favorite is comfortably embraced.

On the S/S 2020 runways, Classic Blue was omnipresent in all sorts of variations. As we all know, there is not «one» blue. In the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada, Meryl Streep’s Miranda Priestly, gives a detailed speech about the varying shades of the colour blue, after Anne Hathaway’s Andy Sachs laughably questions how they could be distinguishable.

«… what you don’t know is that that sweater is not just blue, it’s not turquoise, it’s not lapis, it’s actually cerulean.»

This year marks the first time Pantone has introduced a multisensory approach to its Colour of the Year, partnering with several brands to showcase the taste, texture, scent and sound of Classic Blue.

Below you can shop some beautiful pieces in the Color of the Year 2020 –  time to get ahead of the fashion game. Just click on the highlighted text to be transferred directly.

LoL, Sandra

The Rockstud Spike medium quilted leather shoulder bag in Classic Blue by Valentino

Two-tone patent-leather sandals in Classic Blue by Miu Miu

Viola cropped embellished chiffon jacket by Jenny Packham

Quilted shell down jacket by Moncler

Intarsia wool cardigan by Gucci

Photos: Courtesy of the Brands, Artists, and via NY Post

Tuesday marked the preview of the Louis Vuitton Objets Nomades booth at Design Miami, where new designer Andrew Kudless presented the Swell Wave, his first Objet Nomade.

Louis Vuitton Objets Nomades is an ever-expanding collection of limited, collectible furniture inspired by the House’s DNA and by reinterpretations of its travel spirit.

Pieces from the collection have been imagined by some of today’s most creative designers: Patricia Urquiola, India Mahdavi, Atelier Oï, Atelier Biagetti, Barber and Osgerby, Fernando and Humberto Campana, Damien Langlois-Meurinne, Raw Edges, Zanellato/Bortotto, Marcel Wanders, Tokujin Yoshioka, Nendo, André Fu, and Andrew Kudless.

Louis Vuitton’s new pieces are presented inside the fair. You can discover the Maison’s savoir-faire until December 8, 2019 at Paradise Plaza, Miami Design District (by appointment only).

LoL, Sandra

Photo credit: Joe Schildhorn/BFA

I met Naomé Schenk through ASMALLWORD a few years ago and was immediately impressed by her energetic and positive charisma. Nothing seems to stop her. Not even her disease, Ullrich-Turner syndrome (TS), also known 45,X, or 45,X0, a genetic condition in which a female is partly or completely missing an X chromosome. Signs and symptoms vary among those affected. For Naomé, it meant not being able to walk anymore when she became a teenager. Today, she conquers the world in a wheelchair and plays E-hockey (Electric Wheelchair Hockey) enthusiastically.

Creative and daring, Geneva-based Naomé has always been an effective dreamer who wants to have a positive impact on the world around her. Passionate about fashion and luxury, she has been following trends for many years. She notes the growing concern of consumers of luxury goods about the meaning towards their shopping.

Bio-ethical Swiss cotton

Therefore she launched By Naomé, her own luxury fashion brand totally Swiss made which gives back all its benefits to charity. Each collection is the result of an encounter between By Naomé, a renowned artist and a charity. The T-shirts are organic and sewn with certified bio-ethical «Swiss Cotton», the most qualitative cotton in the world that feels like silk. By Naomé has been awarded the Butterfly Mark, powered by Positive Luxury, in recognition of being a sustainable, social and innovative brand.

This season, By Naomé joins forces with contemporary artist Hadrien Dussoix. The so-called «The First Date» collection is limited and consists of 5 emblematic works, available as artwork and T-shirt.  The Womanity Foundation and the Giving Women association have been chosen as the respective charity, so all the profits of the collection will be donated to them.

Naomé’s mission is strong and her vision is clear: through her actions, she wants to have a real positive impact in the world. She therefore wanted to create an ambitious project that was in line with her values: respect, sharing and boldness.

Me with the «Need Less Want More» T-Shirt by By Naomé

Naomé, you were diagnosed with the Ullrich-Turner syndrome when you were a little girl. Can you tell us a little more about it, how this has changed your life and how you have adapted to the situation?
Ullrich’s Syndrome is a rare disease that has affected less than 50 people so the core medical team never really knows what to do or what to advise. The disease is progressive but I am currently in a «stable» period. As a child, I had a lot of pain, vomiting and time spent in hospital – it brought me a lot in the sense that when you are stuck, limited and suffering, you quickly understand what is essential and how to live your life to the best of your ability to be happy, without losing time. These months spent in the hospital have allowed me to know exactly where I wanted to go. I finally saved some time thanks to this forced reflection.
Also my illness entails that I have caregivers who help me 24 hours a day, it is a strength and dependence sometimes very difficult to manage that has totally influenced me.

When did you launch By Naomé? What was your inspiration behind it? And how
much time did it take you to launch your first collection?
By Naomé is really my dream since I was a teenager, to have a positive impact. Passionate about fashion, art, luxury, I wanted to create a concept that could be an example of ethics, creativity, that would have a positive impact by making this concept a 100% charitable concept, because we give all the profits to charities! I first created the Caritative Actions By Naomé association in January 2018, in order to carry out this project. The production part, sourcing 100% Swiss made took time and was complicated, but then we had a wonderful launch at Globus in May 2019.

The T-shirts are designed by artist Hadrien Dussoix. How was this collaboration
born? How was your creative process? How were you involved?
A mutual friend introduced Hadrien and I to each other. When I saw his work, I was immediately inspired. Hadrien has had great success with paintings that showed strong, funny, provocative sentences in written… I immediately thought it would match my T-shirt concept perfectly and proposed the project to him. Hadrien invested himself a lot of time, totally voluntarily, and we had a superb, harmonious collaboration. Everything was very simple and efficient. Hadrien first created the paintings and then we decided on the T-shirts. I am very honored and happy to have collaborated with such a renowned contemporary artist as Hadrien Dussoix!

Will other artist collaborations follow?
Yes, of course! There will be at least one collection per year, each time with a new artist partner! Stay tuned!

By Naomé – all Swiss made

The T-shirts have an amazing quality, are made from bio-ethical fabrics. Where do
you produce and how did you find the right production place?
It was really a puzzle, because there are almost no more workshops in Switzerland. Manuela Soldati, a talented friend and stylist, helped me. We spent days contacting dozens of places. Finally we found a small workshop in Lucerne, where everything is sewn on site! The material is Swiss Cotton certified organic, one of the most qualitative materials in the world, a rare cotton that looks like silk to the touch. The whole thing is 100% Swiss made, it’s an integral part of the concept!

The packages, the hanger, there are so many details that are outstanding. Are you
behind all of this? Can you tell us a little more please.
Thank you very much! It is clear that I am 100% present in both, the concept and the realization, I like to have control over everything and do everything in detail, and this is essential when you want to do something of high quality. I have always loved beautiful things, big brands, so I take inspiration from them and try to do the best I can! I still have lots of ideas and opportunities for improvement, however!

How much of the proceeds of the sales go to charity? Can you please tell us a little why
you choose the respective charity.
100% of the profits go to the charities we support! So our only costs are production, the rest goes to the associations. Each collection has a theme, a cause. For this first collection, Hadrien Dussoix and I have chosen the cause of women – that is why we support Womanity and Giving Women, two Geneva-based associations that support poor women around the world. It is also a process because I ensure that associations are transparent and do an effective job – I have met members personally and am aware of their daily actions.

Please also tell us a little bit more about the upcoming charity event in November.
What is your idea behind it? It is not the first time you are doing such an event?
Could you share some details of the program with us please?
Yes, we are organizing a Charity Gala on November 13th at the Baroque restaurant in Geneva. We have organized 5-6 events since the launch, but it will be the first of its kind. Honestly, everything started to get organized barely 2 months ago, I was very keen to do it, so I contacted some friends, and everything accelerated and was set up very quickly. We are honored to have Kristina Bazan give a private concert, Anish @watchanish who will be our host, partners such as Bulgari, Perrier-Jouet, Newby, Marini etc…. Honestly it was crazy, but when I want to do something – I do it all the way and I don’t pay attention to the «standards».
Everyone told me that we had to organize such an event at least 1 year in advance, and now, in just 2 months – we are almost SOLD OUT! I am really looking forward to it!

You are now 24 years old. You seem to be unstoppable and know what you want from life at such an early stage. Do you think that the circumstances you were born with made you stronger? What would be an advice you gave to your younger self. Something you wished, you knew before.
Yes, I am 24 years old and I can’t even imagine who I would be or what I would have done if I didn’t have this disease. It’s unimaginable. The advantage of being limited allows you to focus, and it is very hard in our time full of distractions, of being able to focus, especially for young people. One advice I could give is to take a lot of time for yourself, it must really be your priority, personally I love spending time alone and thinking, viewing my future, thinking about who I am and what I want. You have to know where you’re going if you want a chance to get there! One piece of advice I could give myself is to be less trusting and much more cautious.

Naomé in three words!
Passionate, ambitious, positive.

Thank you so much, Naomé for giving us such a deep inside in your personal life and your beautiful project!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © By Naomé, via Instagram @iamnaome @bynaome and © Sandra Bauknecht

Yesterday evening, I went with friends for the first time spontaneously to the Zürcher Theater Spektakel. It was a fun and welcome alternative to an usual Saturday evening in Zurich, different, alternative and mind-opening. Founded in 1980 as an annual meeting of independent theatre groups, it quickly evolved into a cultural event of international appeal. Today it ranks among the most important European festivals for the contemporary performing arts, a popular venue for both renowned and upcoming theatre and dance companies from all over the world.

Walking to the festival already feels like being on vacation again.

The festival is spread over 18 days at the «Landiwiese». It feels like being somewhere else in the world. This superb, park-like site, located directly on the shores of Lake Zurich, hosts various different sized activities during the festival. Onsite restaurants and bars, performances under the open sky and versatile ad hoc events offer all sorts of entertainment to enjoy the open-air season.

Here are some of my photos that I took last night. Enjoy!

«Nieder mit den Alpen» (down with the Alps)…

… «freie Sicht aufs Mittelmeer» (unobstructed view of the Mediterranean), an initiative of the Social Muscle Club…

… that celebrated «ein Tisch für alle» (a table for everyone) last night.

All sorts of live acts attract the open-minded spectators.

People of all ages enjoy the atmosphere outside… watching the people themselves is already a spectacle.

You can even get open-air massages…

… relax on the beautiful shores of Lake Zurich…

… or buy some arts and crafts.

For the festival’s schedule, click here please. It goes on until September 1, 2019.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht