Chinese designer Fanglu Lin astonished the jury of Loewe Foundation Craft Prize 2021

  This fourth edition of the Craft Prize is the most international since its inception. The LOEWE FOUNDATION announces the winners of the 2021 Craft Prize and presents its new digital platform: The Room. The LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize aims to acknowledge the importance of craft in today’s culture and recognize working artisans whose talent, … Read more

Important jewels, iconic handbags and fine wines land at Christie’s biannual Luxury Week

    Christie’s New York holds its biannual Luxury Week This May and June, Christie’s New York holds its biannual Luxury Week, during which the finest jewels, handbags, and watches converge at the storied Rockefeller Center galleries. From the Chrysler Diamond with its distinguished provenance and Surrealism-inspired Cartier Crash to the rare Hermès Faubourg Birkin, … Read more

Author of the Year: The possibilities to create your own Montegrappa Extra Otto just got broader

 

 

@Montegrappa Extra Otto Custom luxury pen

Author of the Year, Extra Otto Custom and other luxury writing instruments news from Montegrappa, the Italian manufacturing company of high-end writing tools.

Bold, solid colours come to the Extra Otto Custom pen silhouette with the arrival into Montegrappa’s Custom Shop of a new family of octagonal resins. Collectors and fans will use them to create contrasts of tone and texture, or to turn the most assertive statement pen into true trophy pieces.

The prospect of a return to international sporting competition this summer is a beacon after more than a year of frustration and false starts. All eyes will be on the European Football Championships beginning in three weeks, closely followed by the biggest sporting celebration on the planet. Team colours always look best when draped in gold.

Head to Montegrappa Configurator now to experiment with colours that articulate your pride.

@Montegrappa Extra Otto Custom luxury writing instruments

The possibilities to create your own Montegrappa Extra Otto pen just got broader – and bolder – with the addition of perfectly polished resins to the Configurator design dashboard. Select from eight flawless, solid colours to bring new shine to the famous facets of Montegrappa’s top-tier writing silhouette.

Eight angled surfaces and eight personalisation points await, with a vast array of high-grade materials, upgrades and engraving options at your disposal. Ten days is all it takes to turn your idea into reality.

A reverence for octagonal forms has been a constant of Montegrappa’s oeuvre for generations. In 1915, the tower overlooking Montegrappa’s Cà Erizzo estate inspired the owners of Italy’s first fountain pen manufactory to create the Reminiscence. The filigree found in the detailing of the 18K gold nibs echoes this landmark design, and the culture of bold innovation fomented by its creation.

Richard Osman, named Author of the Year at the 2021 British Book Awards; photo @thebookseller.com

Congratulations to Richard Osman, named Author of the Year at the 2021 British Book Awards.

The Montegrappa-sponsored prize was awarded at last week’s virtual ceremony – accompanied by Montegrappa’s Extra Custom fountain pen, decked out in celluloid shades inspired by the jacket design of ‘The Thursday Murder Club’.

The prestigious ‘Nibbies’ trophy caps a year of highs for the 50-year-old author and television presenter. Osman’s debut novel became Britain’s fastest selling crime book upon release, and has spent more than 25 weeks atop the UK fiction charts. Set in an up-market retirement home in Kent, the light-hearted crime thriller sees a group of amateur sleuths plunged in the middle of a live murder case. Film rights have already been snapped up by Steven Spielberg, and all fans suspect Mr. Osman has a great deal more writing ahead of him.

2021 British Book Awards Trophies; photo @thebookseller.com

Mercedes-AMG x IWC unveil performance inspired chronograph

  This luxury timepiece is the latest product to celebrate the partnership that has linked the Swiss luxury watchmaker and the German car manufacturer since 2004. IWC Schaffhausen and Mercedes-AMG have launched the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition AMG. The partnership between Mercedes-AMG and IWC has all the components that are needed for a successful and … Read more

To safeguard collectors’ interests, Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud limits new watch movements to 20

  Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud wants to achieve absolute excellence, a goal necessarily implying limited watch production. Only 20 examples of the new Régulateur Squelette movement will be produced and housed in a choice of round or octagonal cases. The calibre FB-T.FC-RS with tourbillon and fusee-and-chain transmission thus heralds a new approach for Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud, … Read more

Luxury perfume house aims to raise up to one million euros to help protect bees

 

@guerlain

Bees are increasingly under threat today, and protecting these sentinels has been at the heart of Guerlain’s initiatives for over a decade.

Forever linked to the beauty of nature, bees have become more than a symbol, guiding Guerlain’s commitment to
sustainability.

Guerlain is marking World Bee Day and the International Day for Biological Diversity from May 20 to May 22,
inviting its communities and the beauty & perfume enthusiasts to engage with the luxury Maison’s commitments and initiatives. The Perfumes and Beauty House aims to raise up to one million euros to strengthen the Guerlain For Bees Conservation Program, which spans six partnerships to help protect bees.

Bees have been inspiring Guerlain ever since they first alighted on its iconic Bee bottle in 1853. Now the symbol of the Maison, they continue to inspire Guerlain creations, adorning its most precious bottles and informing artistic collaborations.

Guerlain is committed to preserving biodiversity, to sustainable innovation, to taking action for the climate, to
creating positive social impact, and to protecting one of nature’s most precious wonders, the bee. These
commitments are driven by a duty to act and to pass on the legacy of the Maison to future generations, a pledge
pursued with conviction and humility by all Guerlain teams.

For three days from May 20-22, Guerlain will take action by donating 20% of its worldwide sales, plus 20 euros for every repost of the World Bee Day Instagram image posted by Guerlain with the #GuerlainForBees and
#WorldBeeDay campaign hashtags.

Designated World Bee Day by the United Nations, this symbolic date coincides with the birth of Anton Janša, an
18th century pioneer in modern beekeeping techniques.

“A fund-raising drive of this magnitude is unprecedented for Guerlain. Our goal is to go even further in our commitment to bees, these wonders of nature that inspire our creations and guide our commitments. This is an essential priority for Guerlain, and protecting bees figures at the heart of our Purpose,” says Guerlain Director of Sustainability Cécile Lochard.’

@UNESCO and @Guerlain empower women and support biodiversity through Women for Bees programme under aegis of Angelina Jolie;

The Guerlain For Bees Conservation Program spans six partnerships and initiatives dedicated to bees:

  • Since 2011, Guerlain has provided support for sustainability actions by the Ouessant Island Black Bee
    Conservatory (ACANB) in Brittany, including both financial aid and assistance for research and communication.
  • Since 2015, a partnership with the French Observatory of Apidology (OFA), created by Thierry Dufresne, has led to the development of hive stocks across Europe, along with promotion of careers in beekeeping.
  • In 2018, Guerlain teamed with the OFA to create Bee School, a youth awareness program that educates children about the importance of protecting bees. Bee School is expanding internationally in 2021.
  • Since 2020 Guerlain has run the Women for Bees program in partnership with UNESCO and in collaboration with the OFA. This beekeeping entrepreneurship program for women trains new women beekeepers, creates new beekeeping operations around the world within UNESCO biosphere reserves, and measures the benefits of
    pollination.
  • Also in 2020, Guerlain became a patron of the GoodPlanet Foundation, created by Yann Arthus-Bertrand to raise awareness among young people by creating artistic and educational spaces dedicated to the world of bees.
  • Guerlain has since 2020 supported the ELYX Foundation, co-created by artist Yacine Aït Kaci as part of the FACE Foundation to promote the values and texts of the United Nations, in particular the 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
@guerlain