Friday 16 November 2007

Gucci's Lucky Star

Madonna tapped to host New York flagship store opening

(NEW YORK) From Material Girl to champion of world causes, Madonna has come a long way. And on February 6, the global pop icon will join forces with Gucci to host a fundraising event to celebrate the opening of the Italian fashion brand's largest store in the world, the new flagship on Fifth Avenue and 56th Street.Co-hosted by Gucci creative director Frida Giannini, the evening will benefit Raising Malawi, the organization dedicated to ending extreme poverty founded by Madonna in 2006 when she adopted her son David Banda, and also UNICEF. Joining Madonna and Giannini as co-hosts for the affair will be Salma Hayek and her fiancé, PPR chief executive officer François-Henri Pinault, Adrien Brody, Téa Leoni, Lucy Liu, Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, Gwyneth Paltrow, financier Arpad Busson, and economist and Columbia University professor Jeffrey Sachs."I am grateful that Gucci is joining forces with me to bring attention to a country with millions of children in desperate need of our help," said Madonna. "Raising Malawi has already done tremendous work in helping these children. But we have much more to do and this event will surely bring us closer to our goal."The celebratory evening will consist of dinner, followed by a guest speaker, music performance, and an after-party, details of which were not released."We are honored to have Madonna host this very special event with us, celebrating the opening of our New York Fifth Avenue flagship store while generating funds for Raising Malawi and UNICEF," said Mark Lee, CEO of Gucci, the evening's sole underwriter. "At this significant moment in Gucci's history, we are proud to continue our commitment to a cause of great importance to the company."Gucci and Madonna, both of whom share a commitment to the fight against AIDS and to supporting underprivileged children, first joined forces in 1997, when the singer served as honorary co-chair of the record-breaking Gucci fundraising event for AIDS Project Los Angeles. Gucci aligned itself with UNICEF in 2004, initiating several special holiday campaigns and products--including this year's limited-edition Indy bag--with a portion of proceeds benefiting UNICEF programs in Malawi and Mozambique.

CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Awards Top Prize to Rogan Gregory

3.1 Phillip Lim & Philip Cranji named runners-up
Friday, November 16, 2007(NEW YORK) The American fashion industry has anointed three of its best and brightest.Rogan Gregory's career received a hefty boost Thursday night, when his namesake fashion brand, Rogan, won the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Award, a cash prize of $200,000, a Lexus vehicle with a full year of prepaid parking, and a year's worth of mentoring from a senior industry executive. The evening's runners-up were jewelry designer Philip Crangi and Phillip Lim of 3.1 Phillip Lim, each of whom will pocket $50,000 in addition to receiving business tutelage. Each of the winners also received a Bulgari timepiece.The 2007 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Business Advisory Committee has also been named, all of whom will mentor and provide support for the finalists. The committee includes Calvin Klein Inc. president and chief operating officer Tom Murry, Cole Haan chief executive officer James Seuss, NRDC president Richard Baker, Diane von Furstenberg chief financial officer Paul Aberasturi, and David McTague, Liz Clairborne Inc.'s executive vice president of partnered brands.The winners of the fourth installment of the fund, which have set a new benchmark for recognizing rising talent and paving career paths, were revealed at the 7th on Sale black-tie gala, which took place in the 69th Regiment Armory and benefited the CFDA/Vogue Initiative for HIV/AIDS.Previous winners of the fund, underwritten by Barneys New York, Nordstrom, Theory, Vogue, Juicy Couture, Kellwood Co., and Coach, include Doo-Ri Chung, Trovata, and Proenza Schouler's Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough. Runners-up are Derek Lam and Thom Browne, and Rodarte's Laura and Kate Mulleavy and Thakoon Panichgul for Thakoon.A record number of applications were submitted for this year's fund, and in addition to the winners, this year's finalists were: Erin Fetherston, Michael Bastian, Victoria Bartlett of VPL, Lisa Mayock and Sophie Buhai of Vena Cava, Scott Sternberg of Band of Outsiders, Nunthirat Koi Suwannagate of Koi, and Threeasfour's Gabriel Asfour, Angela Donhauser, and Adi Gil.Those charged with reviewing the nominees and making the final decision were a selection committee consisting of CFDA president Diane von Furstenberg, executive director Steven Kolb, and associate director Lisa Smilor; Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour and fashion news/features director Sally Singer; Barneys New York vice president and fashion director Julie Gilhart; Theory president and founder Andrew Rosen; Jeffrey president Jeffrey Kalinsky; Gap executive vice president of design Patrick Robinson; and Coach president and executive creative director Reed Krakoff.JIM SHI

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