Sandra‘s Closet

STELLA McCARTNEY AND VEUVE CLICQUOT COLLABORATE ON NEXT-GEN LEATHER ALTERNATIVE AND WORLD-FIRST LUXURY ACCESSORIES CRAFTED FROM GRAPE WASTE

Stella McCartney and Veuve Clicquot have collaborated on a pioneering grape-based alternative to animal leather – embodying both LVMH Maisons’ shared values and long-term commitments to sustainability, circularity and regenerative practices. The next-gen material is made from the by-products of Veuve Clicquot’s harvest and has been used to handcraft six Stella McCartney accessories, a selection of which debuted at the S/S 2024 runway show during Paris Fashion Week. Stella McCartney is additionally the guest of honour at Veuve Clicquot’s Bold Woman Award 2023 in Paris.

Both Maisons were founded by pioneering women who disrupted and drove change within their respective fields, with legacies rooted in craftsmanship, passion and innovations that created new, better possibilities. Stella McCartney is widely regarded as fashion’s conscience – inspiring others within the industry and beyond to pursue cruelty-free and sustainable alternatives, having never used leather or fur, whilst Madame Clicquot contributed to the shape of the modern champagne bottle and invented the riddling table, which is still in use today. Her innovations revolutionised the champagne industry, which additionally included the creation of vintage champagne and blended rosé champagne, and she has been recognised by her peers as ‘La Grande Dame de la Champagne’.

Continuing this legacy of innovation, Veuve Clicquot has been exploring next-generation materials for the past decade, with disruptive packaging made from vegetal waste since 2010 and now produces all its gift boxes from hemp, a soilregenerative and CO2-fixing plant. The by-product used in the new material consists of manually collected grape stems. These elements are sourced with full traceability from the environmentally certified Grand Cru vineyard of Bouzy in Champagne, which Madame Clicquot herself purchased 200 years ago.

«I AM SO THRILLED TO BE PART OF THIS FIRSTOF- ITS-KIND PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN A FASHION HOUSE AND A CHAMPAGNE MAISON – CONNECTED BY OUR SHARED PASSIONS FOR SUSTAINABILITY, CRAFTSMANSHIP AND INNOVATION. THIS COLLABORATION IS THE PERFECT BLEND OF MY CRUELTY-FREE VISION WITH VEUVE CLICQUOT’S INCREDIBLE NATURAL INGREDIENTS, USING WASTE TO CIRCULARLY CREATE A LUXURIOUS ALTERNATIVE TO ANIMAL LEATHER THAT CAN BE EASILY SCALED AND CHANGE THE INDUSTRY. YOU TRULY CANNOT TELL THE DIFFERENCE; THIS IS A BETTER WAY.» STELLA McCARTNEY, CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF STELLA McCARTNEY

The grapes are grown using regenerative practices, helping to restore local biodiversity, soil health and sequester carbon, and are handpicked to ensure the highest quality of the material. Stella McCartney has also pioneered regenerative agriculture in fashion, having supported the SOKTAS regenerative cotton project in Turkey since 2019, in partnership with LVMH. The Maison also launched the world’s first regenerative cotton luxury garment at its S/S 2023 runway show. Stella McCartney will use the Veuve Clicquot grape-based alternative to craft three iconic Frayme bags, a bottle holder housing a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label and two Elyse sandals, which additionally have a platform wedge made from recycled cork collected from Veuve Clicquot as a mix of pre- and post-consumer waste from its cellars in Reims.

The vegan accessories will be made available for pre-order soon, delivering in March 2024. The material solves for LVMH’s leading sources of greenhouse gas emissions, leather and winemaking, and was created in under 18 months – an incredible feat and speed in the innovation space. Multiple studies have shown that vegan alternatives can have less than half the carbon footprint of animal leather, which kills over 1 billion creatures annually (PETA) and is driving the destruction of key ecosystems like the Amazon (WWF). By creating a next-gen biobased material using waste, Stella McCartney and Veuve Clicquot are pioneering a better way that is kinder to animals, the environment and is both scalable and sustainable.

«THIS COLLABORATION WITH STELLA MCCARTNEY EMBODIES OUR COMMITMENT FOR A MORE RESPONSIBLE FUTURE. FROM THE VINEYARDS TO OUR PRODUCT INNOVATIONS, OUR DRIVING FORCE IS ARTICULATED AROUND SHARED, OPENED AND COLLECTIVE PROGRESS. REINVENTING A NEW CIRCULAR MATERIAL REUSING THE RESOURCES OF OUR VINEYARDS GROWN IN REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE IS ONE OF THE KEY PROJECTS THAT DEMONSTRATE OUR CLIMATE ENTREPRENEURSHIP SPIRIT.» –  JEAN-MARC GALLOT, CEO OF VEUVE CLICQUOT

Available for pre-order at Stella McCartney boutiques and Selfridges from December 2023, and for purchase in-store from March 2024.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Stella McCartney x Veuve Cliquot
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Between Milan and Paris Fashion Week I was briefly in Zurich, not only to repack but also to attend a very special dinner. Maison Veuve Clicquot invited me to Aurora restaurant to elect the 2022 Bold Woman Awardees. Since 1985, Switzerland is part of the Bold journey, that started in 1972 when Veuve Clicquot launched the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award to celebrate its 200th anniversary. For 50 years, the House has awarded businesswomen who have built, taken on or developed a business. To date, 350 women in 27 countries have been honored. In Switzerland 18 bold businesswomen were already awarded and in 2022, there will be more.

Six finalists and two prices. First there is the Bold Women Award by Veuve Clicquot for which the candidate must be a woman who founded or has been CEO for more than three years of a company headquartered in Switzerland. The candidate must have made a significant contribution to the success of her company by instilling her sense of entrepreneurship. Furthermore, the environmental impact of the company plays an important role.

The finalists: Léa, Antonella and Sandra

The finalists for the Bold Women Award 2022 by Veuve Clicquot are:

Léa Miggiano – CARVOLUTION
Carvolution is a company offering car subscriptions.

Antonella Santuccione Chadha – WOMEN’S BRAIN PROJECT
Women’s Brain Project is a scientific organization addressing the influence of sex and gender on mental and brain diseases.

Sandra Tobler – FUTURAE TECHNOLOGIES
Future Technologies is an AI-based user-centric platform providing authentication and transaction confirmation.

The jury: Patrizia, Chantal, Stefan, Martina and Karina

The jury for this price consists of Karina Berger (Entrepreneur), David Degen (Soccer Star & Entrepreneur), Chantal Gaemperle (LVMH Group Executive Vice President Human Resources and Synergies), Martina Hingis (Tennis Champion), Patrizia Laeri (Economist & Business Journalist), Stefan Regez (Former Head of Consumer Magazines at Ringier Axel Springer Schweiz AG) and Madeleine von Holzen (Editor in Chief Le Temps).

The second price is the Bold Future Award by Veuve Clicquot for which the candidate must have founded or been CEO of a company that has been in existence for less than three years and is headquartered in Switzerland. The candidate must have made a significant contribution to the success of her company by instilling her sense of entrepreneurship and a significant innovation or contribution to the transformation of an existing market, as well have an focus on the environmental impact of the company.

The finalists: Carla, Fanny and Liliane

The finalists for the Bold Future Award 2022 by Veuve Clicquot are:

Liliane Ableitner – EXNATON
Exnaton is a software that enables the trading of solar power among neighbours and visualizes energy data in real time.

Carla Bünger – KORE TECHNOLOGIES
Kore Technologies is an IT company specialized in creating and managing blockchain certificates for digital assets (NFTs) and identities.

Fanny Queloz – ARTS & DESIGN MANUFACTURE
Arts & Design Manufacture offers exclusive artisanal creations in the realization of high-end watchmaking projects.

The jury: Bea, Barbara and Babette

The jury for this price consists of former Bold Women Award winners Olga Dubey (CEO & Co-Founder AgroSustain), Babette Keller Liechtli (Keller Trading & KT Home SA), Barbara Lax (CEO & Founder Little Green House) and Bea Petri (Entrepreneur). Bea won in 2012 and I went with her to Paris for a special event in 2013 to celebrate the trailblazing winners from 9 countries. For the previous post, click here please.

Both juries met the finalists for the first time and guests were able to get to know their entrepreneurial daring better. Each of the ladies presented herself, her company and entered a round of questions by the audience.

With the lovely Moët Hennessy Switzerland team, Sébastien Bergerat, Grégory Carrier and Christopher Siegenthaler.

Veuve Clicquot’s story is one of boldness, creativity and entrepreneurial spirit. In 1805, Madame Clicquot took the reins of the House after the death of her husband, at a time when women could neither work nor hold a bank account.

Over the years, Madame Clicquot revolutionized the field. The riddling table to achieve crystal-clear champagne? That was her innovation. The first-recorded vintage champagne? That was hers, too. She was behind it. Madame Clicquot had to face numerous obstacles before she was ultimately respected and called la grand dame of Champagne. The name is only fitting: this bold woman had big dreams for her House to transcend borders: «I wish my brand to rank first in New York like in Saint Petersburg.» – Madame Clicquot, 1831.

With Swiss supermodel Manuela Frey

This tenacious spirit, this determination, this desire to always go further is what united bold women around us. Women who redefine success on their own terms and go beyond the status quo – just as Madame Clicquot did two centuries ago.

On September 1, 2022, the winners will be announced during a special ceremony at Aura in Zurich. Stay tuned for more…

LoL, Sandra

With tennis champion Martina Hingis.

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht / ©Veuve Cliquot/ David Biedert Photography
@veuveclicquot #boldbyveuveclicquot #VeuveClicquotxWomen
DISCLOSURE: This is a paid collaboration. Drink responsibly!

KEEP FRESH & KEEP COOL WITH ONE OF THE MOST UNEXPECTED FASHION COLLABORATIONS. THE MUST HAVE SUMMER ACCESSORY.​ COMING FROM THE RUNWAY TO YOU.

Together, Veuve Clicquot and K-WAY® have reimagined the Clicquot Ice Jacket. 15 years ago, Maison Veuve Clicquot first innovated the stylish, high-tech isothermal jacket to enjoy champagne whenever and wherever you go.

Today, Veuve Clicquot surprises once again with a covetable creation, revealed at K-WAY® show during the Milan Fashion Week 2021.

At the centre of this collaboration remains the promise of the perfect tasting experience. Its special​ triple-layer design featuring the signature waterproof, windproof and resistant​ K-WAY® materials will keep your champagne cold for up to two hours. Come rain or come shine, you can brave the elements to share your bottle of Yellow Label with friends – anywhere, anytime.

In Switzerland exclusively available at Globus.
Veuve Clicquot Brut Yellow Label x K-WAY® Ice Jacket Limited Edition – CHF 60.00.

Stay tuned! I am on my way to Berlin today with Veuve Cliquot to visit the Yayoi Kusama exhibition at Martin Gropius Bau, one of Europe’s most important exhibition venues.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Veuve Cliquot
#veuvecliquot x #runway #veuvecliquotrunway #livecliquot
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