Sandra‘s Closet

Today, I would like to show you a project that is very dear to my heart. One of my favorite animals on the planet are elephants. There are so many beautiful facts about this strong and beautiful creatures. Just like humans they can communicate through sight, smell, sound, and touch. They live in a strong family unit and the mothers are very protective of their babies, spending all day teaching and loving them. Being highly social animals, they meet every day and console each other in times of stress by «hugging». Elephants even mourn their dead.

They are highly intelligent and have a strong memory. If you do something bad to an elephant, he will always remember. One of the cutest facts is that baby elephants suck their trunks in the same way that human babies suck their thumbs. Unfortunately, elephants are highly endangered. Given all this evidence about the awesomeness and sensitivity of these animals, it’s obvious that taking them away from their families and locking them up is wrong, which is why we need to speak out for them when they are abused and exploited. Moreover killing them for ivory is just cruel.

When supermodel Doutzen Kroes visited Kenya, she fell in love with these animals. Coming back home, she was determined to make a difference and became the global ambassador of Knot On My Planet, a campaign to support the Elephant Crisis Fund.

To support this amazing campaign, LOEWE has joined forces with Knot On My Planet and its global ambassador Doutzen Kroes, to launch an exclusive limited edition version of its iconic ELEPHANT BAG (click here for a previous outfit post), that is featuring beadwork by the women of the Samburu Trust from Northern Kenya.

LOEWE will donate all proceeds of the sales to the Elephant Crisis Fund, helping to provide rapid, catalytic support for projects designed to stop the killing of elephants, thwart traffickers and end the demand of ivory.

Embellished with safety pins bursting with cascades of multicolor beads. Due to the handcrafted nature of the beadwork, each bag could vary, making every purchase unique and is exclusively available to buy on loewe.com.

So worth supporting! Bravo LOEWE and Doutzen!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Loewe
#LOEWEkomp – #KnotOnMyPlanet

Making history as the first black woman to headline Coachella, the famous California music festival, Beyoncé used the opportunity to celebrate the culture of historically black colleges with her performance. To do so, she hit the stage in several custom college letter sweatshirts designed by Balmain while singing her famous songs, such as «Run the World (Girls)». Immediately after, fans were searching the internet for ways to get their hands on these cool pieces. And now, we can all finally buy a BAK-lettered sweatshirt.

Printed cotton-blend jersey hooded top

The six-piece collection, an iconic collaboration for music and fashion, features three T-shirts and three sweatshirts offered in black, hot pink, and bright yellow, like the one Queen Bey wore to open her Coachella set and riffs on the signature varsity styles and legacy of America’s 37 historically black colleges and universities.

Proceeds from the collection, fittingly, will be used to help fund the impressive work of UNCF (United Negro College Fund), which helps thousands of students attend college, thrive, graduate and become tomorrow’s leaders.

Cropped embellished cotton-blend jersey hooded top

Me with Olivier Rousteing

In a statement, Balmain creative director Olivier Rousteing explained: «After experiencing that beautiful partnership, we weren’t ready to just walk away without adding gone final, perfecting touch. This collection of hoodies and tees, based on key designs from our Coachella efforts, responds to our need to repay an obvious debt for the inspiration we received from the signature spirit and legacy of America’s historically black colleges and universities(HBCUs). Which is why we are so very pleased to announce that proceeds from this collection will help fund the impressive work of the United Negro College Fund (UNCF)—helping to guarantee that tomorrow’s leaders will be able to attend college, thrive and graduate.»

Printed cotton-jersey T-shirt

 The Balmain x Beyoncé Coachella collection is available exclusively at Balmain’s Paris flagship store, at the House’s revamped digital platform and at NET-A-PORTER.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Balmain

Growing up in Germany, «Christiane F. – Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo» (1978) was a must-read. This non-fiction book portrays the drug scene in West Berlin in the 1970s. It is about 13-year-old Christiane Felscherinow who lives in a multi-story, concrete social-housing building in a dull neighbourhood in the outskirts of West Berlin. She’s sick of living there and has a passion for rockstar David Bowie. After meeting the wrong people, Christiane starts taking LSD in addition to abusing pills, and later heroin.

After her 14th birthday, she even stops going home and spends more and more time at Bahnhof Zoo, a large train and subway station notorious for the drug trafficking that takes place in its underpasses and back alleys. Christiane also starts to prostitute herself. Eventually she recovered and is still alive today, but most of her cohorts either died or are still addicts.

In 1981, the film inspired by the book and directed by Uli Edel immediately acquired cult status (which it still retains today). It features David Bowie as both himself and the soundtrack composer, which gave the film a commercial boost.

Now, Raf Simons, previous designer at Dior and now Chief Creative Officer at Calvin Klein besides his own line, seeked inspiration from this sad story and will launch its collaboration with the story «Christiane F. – wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo». These exclusive pieces will be available at shop.rafsimons.com and in selected stores worldwide. With this project the designer will support organisations that help those in recovery from addiction.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Raf Simons

Paul Surridge, Creative Director of Roberto Cavalli, designed 11 footballs for the Pitti Immagine Uomo 94 project “Fanatic Feelings- Fashion Plays Football“, a broad multimedia presentation that will highlight the pioneering impact football has had on the world of men’s fashion, curated by Marcus Ebner, founder of German fashion magazines Achtung Mode and Sepp Football Fashion and contemporary art critic Francesco Bonami.  These unique “one of a kind” footballs will be sold for charity in the dedicated “Market” pop up store.

“Men’s fashion is going through crazy times where the worlds of tailoring, sports, active and street wear are one big melting pot. Football Fashion as an expression of style will be manifesting itself more and more. Why not wear your team’s jersey with a great suit? The show will give weight to this argument” says Markus Ebner who has been one the football fashion trail since 2002.

The 11 footballs by Roberto Cavalli represent the powerful language of graphics in sport, especially in the football world and these prints are part of the S/S 2019 men’s collection. The flamboyant designs are a craft of very graphic and camouflage effects along with the prominent Roberto Cavalli logos.

Paul Surridge’s first collection for Roberto Cavalli Men S/S 2019

The footballs are made out of genuine leather and exotic python skins hand crafted one by one by the Italian artisans within the Roberto Cavalli supply chain. They are aspirational luxury design objects rather than sport gears.

Some of the 11 footballs will be showcased and retailed in top Roberto Cavalli flagship stores such as Milan, Rome, Paris, London and Berlin to celebrate the Soccer World Cup 2018.

The generated revenues will be donated to The Foundation “Together To Go ONLUS”, supporting children with a free of charge rehabilitation program to recover from affects by Central Nervous System lesions in Milan.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Robert Cavalli and Pitti Imagine Uomo

MEET THE LATEST COLLECTOR’S CREAM
Adorned with shimmering sea fans and watercolor coral, LA MER introduces this year’s Blue Heart Limited-Edition Crème de la Mer, already a true collector’s cream, to commemorate WORLD OCEANS DAY! Inside the pot is the famous luxuriously rich cream that deeply soothes, moisturizes and heals away dryness. My skin looks naturally vibrant and feels restored to its healthiest center. The iconic Miracle Broth™ – the legendary healing elixir that flows through all of LA MER – infuses the skin with sea-sourced renewing energies. Available for CHF 490 (100ml).

LA MER has teamed up with Sea2See Eyewear to produce this pair of sustainable sunglasses, made entirely from sea-salvaged plastic and handcrafted in Italy.

WHAT IS LA MER OCEAN’S FUND?
The ocean’s beauty is reflected in everything LA MER stands for. The sea is the brand’s constant inspiration. Alongside a devoted community of advocates, explorers and scientists, LA MER advocates for ocean protection through charitable donations, awareness-raising initiatives, and supporting ocean conservation projects.

AWAKEN A SEA CHANGE
The sea in you is the sea in me – and LA MER seeks to honor and protect the living connection we all have to the Earth’s precious seas for generations to come. Through the LA MER Blue Heart Oceans Fund’s commitment to marine protected areas in the Azores Islands, Grenada and the East China Sea, the brand hopes to positively impact the future of our seas.

In the East China Sea, #LaMerBlueHeart supports the groundbreaking research development of global sustainable fishing strategies to bring harmony back to marine ecosystems.

BEACH CLEAN UP
Each year, LA MER team members around the world lead an effort to clean their local shores and beaches.

All life on Earth is connected to the ocean and its inhabitants. The more you learn about the issues facing this vital system, the more you’ll want to help ensure its health. Share your connection with the Earth’s ocean with #LaMerBlueHeart and mention @lamer for a chance to be featured.

TO SHOP LA MER ONLINE, CLICK HERE PLEASE.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © La Mer and © Sandra Bauknecht

The journey of Marni Market arrives in Paris, bringing the imaginative world of MARNI to 231 Rue Saint Honoré. For five months the space will be continually transformed, giving visitors the chance to discover the various facets of the MARNI universe and to buy a selection of special, exclusive products, immersing themselves in the lively environment of bright colours and graphic prints in three specific periods.

January 2018: MARNI VISITORS MARKET

The protagonists are the MARNI Visitors, fun, colourfully painted wood and resin marionettes, characters that are half toy and half sculpture, that seem to have arrived from another planet. Keeping to the traditional annual Christmas charitable donation, the proceeds of the MARNI
Visitors’ sales will go to the Piccolo Principe association, which, through the Orso Baloo community, helps children in difficulty aged 0 to 5 within the Province of Milan.

1 February – 12 April: MARNI PLAYFUL MARKET

The key word is play. The MARNI Playful Market is an invitation to forget rules and predefined structures interacting with the surrounding area and the elements it contains: toys to be showcased or to play with, extraordinary objects and furnishing sculptures that have cast practicality aside to embrace a more freely interpreted, playful side.

13 April – 18 May: MARNI HOUSE MARKET

The wood, metal and coloured PVC furnishing items hand-made in Colombia, which have garnered fame at various editions of the Milan Salone del Mobile, populate the space in celebration of the design month. They create a unique environment where hand-crafted workmanship and creativity find the peak of their expression.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Marni

After several months of renovation work, Louis Vuitton celebrated the reopening of its Zurich store located in the historic Peterhof building last September.

The store presents a complete restoration of the historic ceiling as well as the work of the Swiss painter Otto Pilny entitled «Seidenzucht im XVI. Jahrhundert» that was hidden behind wood panels before. The gentlemen’s universe now also extends to ready-to-wear, in addition to leather goods, accessories and shoes; the first floor of the store, featuring the historic mezzanine, is dedicated to women’s ready-to-wear and shoes.

My look was colorful and bold: Linen coat by Delpozo, Corely cold-shoulder ribbed-knit midi dress by Roland Mouret, yellow, magenta, powder pink leather Rockstud tote and matching pink Rockstud heels, both by Valentino. Tonda 1950 set clarity watch by Parmigiani Fleurier and earrings with pearls and tiger heads by Gucci.

On my wrist: THE SILVER LOCKIT by Louis Vuitton
This fall, Louis Vuitton has launched a new version of its Silver Lockit with color bracelets (yellow, blue unicef, pink, purple and black) in effort to continue raising awareness and funds for Syrian children facing the world’s most challenging humanitarian crisis. For each sale of the Silver Lockit Bracelet, $100 will be donated to UNICEF. For more information, click here. A great gift for a loved one for Christmas!

As a treat for the guests of the opening, French illustrator Yohann Propin drew them in the most fun way you can imagine. Personally speaking, I loved watching him as he finished its illustration in no time.

LoL, Sandra

Photos of me outside of the store: © Céline Luetolf – all others © Sandra Bauknecht
Photos of the store: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton

Singer and songwriter Sia has been announced as the newest spokeswoman for MAC’s VIVA GLAM lipstick. The cosmetic brand’s iconic campaign to raise awareness and money for HIV/AIDS was created in 1994, at a time when the pandemic was dramatically affecting fashion communities in particular as well as the wider world.

This year, the pop star’s debut lipstick is a warm and bright red shade named VIVA GLAM Sia. The color is meant to speak to the artist’s avant-garde style and boundary pushing persona.

All proceeds from the VIVA GLAM products go to ending HIV/AIDS and the campaign has raised over $470 million to date. Sia joins an impressive lineup of former VIVA GLAM faces, including, Nicki Minaj (2012), Miley Cyrus (2014/2015) Rihanna (2014) and Ariana Grande (2015/2016), among others.

In Switzerland, the lipstick will be available for CHF 28.00 at all MAC locations from January 28th and online here.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of MAC Cosmetics
#VIVAGLAM

October is breast cancer awareness month and this year marks Estée Lauder‘s 25th anniversary of the iconic Pink Ribbon collection, a special range of beauty products with 20 per cent of the profits donated to research. A movement that started with one woman, Evelyn H. Lauder in 1992, The Estée Lauder Companies’ Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign was born when the visionary became troubled by the lack of awareness, funding and resources necessary to overcome the disease.

Evelyn H. Lauder co-created the pink ribbon 25 years ago.

In the beginning, the brand started the campaign by handing out pink ribbons at its beauty counters around the world, and one year later, Lauder went on to establish the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF), a non-profit organisation, to generate funding that would be solely dedicated to the study of the disease. A quarter of a century later, The Estée Lauder Companies’ beauty brands – among them La Mer, DKNY, Jo Malone London, Tom Ford Beauty just to name a few – continue to create a breast cancer-free world by raising funds.

Interesting to know is that a touch of blue in the design represents the less than 1% of men who are diagnosed with breast cancer. For more information on The Breast Cancer Campaign, visit bcacampaign.com.

For more information on the Pink Ribbon products, click here please.

By shopping one of the specially created products, you can support the campaign. Moreover for every post on Instagram or Twitter with the hashtags #PinkRibbon25 and #ELCdonates @bcacampaign until October 31, 2017, The Estée Lauder Companies will donate $25 to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) to fund a half-hour of breast cancer research. The goal is to finance 500 hours worth $25.000.

Time to end breast cancer!

LoL, Sandra

My Instagram post with my beloved Advanced Night Repair in pink by Estée Lauder.

Photos: Courtesy of The Estée Lauder Companies and © Sandra Bauknecht

This week during the Kering 2017  Talk at the London College of Fashion, GUCCI President & CEO Marco Bizzarri unveiled the brand’s new ten-year «Culture of Purpose» sustainability plan with two major announcements. One is very surprising to me, the house’s pledge to go fur-free beginning with the S/S 2018 collection by joining the FUR FREE ALLIANCE. According to a statement, GUCCI will no longer «use, promote, or publicize animal fur» in its collections and will be organizing a charity auction of remaining animal fur items with proceeds to benefit LAV and THE HUMANE SOCIETY.

Gucci President & CEO Marco Bizzari at the Kering 2017 Talk

Building on its long term CHIME FOR CHANGE campaign for gender equality, Gucci is donating € 1 million as a Founding Partner of UNICEF’s Girls’ Empowerment Initiative, which underpins the company’s approach to creating a more responsible business.

This will help UNICEF reach more than 50,000 girls directly with programs aimed at empowering them, and indirectly reach 150,000 more.

Gucci’s bestseller: the Horsebit-detailed shearling-lined leather slippers.

Following Kering’s sustainability framework, the plan is focused on three pillars:

Environment – Gucci is committed to reducing its environmental impacts and is setting ambitious targets to create a new standard in luxury retail, e.g. guaranteeing the traceability of 95% of our raw materials.

Humanity – Gucci recognises the value of its employees and is dedicated to enhancing the lives of the people who make its products as well as supporting communities, e.g. responsible and innovative management of the supply chain (Gucci was recently awarded with the Green Carpet Fashion award for Sustainable Innovation), gender equality (59% women senior manager, campaigns to support girls and women empowerment), diversity and inclusion (membership with Parks).

New Models – Gucci is developing new solutions by applying technical innovation to improve efficiency in its production and logistics. e.g. setting up an incubator and start-up environment to foster innovation within the company.

A look from the Gucci S/S 2018 that will obviously not be produced!

Explaining the origins of GUCCI’s progressive approach, Marco Bizzarri attributed dynamic change to the unified vision he shares with the brand’s creative director, Alessandro Michele, «In selecting a new creative director I wanted to find someone who shared a belief in the importance of the same values. I sensed that immediately on meeting Alessandro for the first time. Together, by committing to a culture of purpose, taking responsibility and encouraging respect, inclusivity and empowerment, we want to create the necessary conditions for a progressive approach to sustainability.»

To a better future!

LoL, Sandra

This Resort 2017 fur coat with snake intarsia will probably become a museum piece.

Photos: Courtesy of Gucci, © Getty/Gucci