Bulgari opened on Wednesday its largest exhibition ever in Japan, at The National Art Center, in Tokyo.
Bulgari opens “Kaleidos” exhibition in Tokyo. – Bulgari
Dubbed “Bulgari Kaleidos: Colors, Cultures and Crafts”, the exhibition is the maison’s first in the country in a decade and brings together nearly 350 creations spanning high jewelry and contemporary art, staged as a kaleidoscopic journey between Italian and Japanese culture.
Visitors will encounter three thematic chapters — The Science of Color, Color Symbolism, and The Power of Light — each revealing the maison’s work. On view are pieces such as the legendary Seven Wonders emerald necklace, bold sautoirs of the 1960s, Sotirio Bulgari’s early designs, and newly commissioned works by contemporary artists Lara Favaretto, Mariko Mori, and Akiko Nakayam.
The exhibition debuted with a day of high-profile events including an international press conference, an exclusive vernissage, and a gala dinner held in the museum’s atrium. Extending the narrative beyond the museum walls, activations also took place at the Bulgari Hotel Tokyo.
The opening drew guests such as her Imperial Highness Princess Takamado, Yuriko Koike Governor of Tokyo, the Italian Ambassador to Japan Gianluigi Benedetti, Bulgari Brand Ambassadors Kim Ji Won, Jang Wonyong, Hikari Mori, and Tomohisa Yamashita, as well as acclaimed talents like Kento Nakajima, Haruka Igawa, and Aya Omasa, among others.
Dior has unveiled its latest flagship concept House of Dior Beijing, teaming up with a Pritzker Prize winning architect to create a unique façade for a boutique that retails the first looks by creative director Jonathan Anderson.
The striking façade of Dior’s new address in Beijing – AGENT PAY & Yumeng Zhu
A looming five story structure, House of Dior Beijing is located in the heart of Sanlitun, the most happening district in the Chinese capital for luxury goods and cultural effervescence.
From the VIP lounges to the Monsieur Dior restaurant run by the world’s most Michelin-starred female chef, Anne-Sophie Pic, it’s a path-breaking new retail space.
The store marks the latest Dior project designed by the great French architect Christian de Portzamparc, following on from the brand’s store launches in Seoul in 2015 and Geneva in 2024.
Inside Dior’s new Chinese retail space – AGENT PAY & Yumeng Zhu
The innovative sculptural building is fronted by petal-shaped shells, suggesting the movement of the toiles with which Monsieur Dior dreamed up the New Look. The vertical fronts are punctuated with handcrafted golden glass tiles: a colour traditionally reserved for royalty in China.
While the top floor, echoing the brand’s La Galerie Dior in its Paris flagship at 30 Montaigne, features a monumental spiral staircase and installation- by OMA- filled with white toiles, exemplifying the savoir-faire of the maison’s ateliers.
Ground floor windows feature suitcases that wittily become the settings for dream trips to Paris, with charming scenography, portraying miniature scenes.
The iconic Lady Dior bag is trumpeted in multiple artistic versions while Bobby, Monsieur Dior’s faithful dog, appears in unprecedented proportions.
A room inside House of Dior Beijing – AGENT PAY & Yumeng Zhu
Throughout the store, the design plays on the house’s codes and noble materials. Cabochon parquet flooring, reinterpreted Cannage, and refined touches of gold punctuate the space, alongside cutting-edge furniture and black-and-white photography. The decor is complemented by works of art by Wang Xiyao, Hong Hao, Franck Evennou, and Gio Ponti, echoing Monsieur’s life before fashion when he opened an art gallery in 1920s Paris.
It’s a flagship that retails the full world of Dior: including womenswear, feminine bags, accessories, and shoes- as well as fragrances from La Collection Privée – alongside jewellery, Dior Maison objects, timepieces, and menswear.
Among them all, a deep red ball gown stands alone, adorning the decor with the “colour of life,” in the words of Christian Dior.
Designed to be a house of dreams, the store tops out with a private terrace overlooking the city.
Safilo has confirmed that it will not make a binding offer to acquire British business Inspecs Group plc. The Italian eyewear group disclosed this following the announcement made on December 10 by Inspecs, noting Bidco 1125 Limited’s proposal to acquire it at a price of 84 pence per share.
Safilo
The Padua-based global eyewear company had expressed interest last October in acquiring Inspecs, making an initial approach to the UK-based eyewear designer, manufacturer, and distributor in relation to a potential acquisition of its Eschenbach Group and BoDe assets. Safilo subsequently made two possible non-binding cash offers to acquire the entire issued and to be issued share capital of Inspecs. Both proposals were rejected by Inspecs.
Today Safilo issued an announcement pursuant to Rule 2.8 of the Takeover Code. Accordingly, the company stated that, unless the Panel consents, Safilo (together with any persons acting in concert) will be subject to the restrictions set out in Rule 2.8. These restrictions include, among other things, that for a period of six months Safilo may not announce an offer or possible offer for Inspecs, nor acquire any interest in Inspecs shares that, in aggregate, would confer 30% or more of the voting rights in the British company.
However, Safilo pointed out that, pursuant to Note 2 of Rule 2.8 of the Takeover Code, it reserves the right to depart from these restrictions should certain circumstances arise: if a third party (other than Bidco 1125) announces a firm intention to make an offer for Inspecs; if Inspecs announces a proposed waiver of Rule 9 (relating to the obligation to make a mandatory takeover offer) subject to the approval of independent shareholders, or a reverse takeover (as defined in the Takeover Code); or if the Takeover Panel determines that there has been a material change of circumstances.
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NARS Cosmetics has revealed Kaia Gerber as its newest global brand ambassador, saying she’s a “beauty and fashion icon [and] a longtime collaborator” of founder and creative director, François Nars.
Kaia Gerber by François Nars
She certainly adds a newsworthy element to any brand she fronts having walked the runways for the biggest global designer labels as well as appearing on the covers of the world’s top glossy magazines.
She’s been in demand by high end and mass-market labels this year and in May was announced as Mango’s latest face in a deal that the retailer called a “collaboration” set to run throughout the year. Two months earlier she’d appeared with her mother Cindy Crawford for Mango’s rival Zara with the duo headlining a new session of its ‘Zara Streaming’ initiative.
She makes her debut for NARS with the launch of a campaign shot by François Nars for the new Afterglow Lip Balm. That product launches in January and continues the trend for high-end brands diving deep into a once-humble category and backing their launches with major campaigns.
Shiseido-owned NARS has been expanding in recent periods and only in October announced a strategic partnership with Indian giant Reliance Retail’s omnichannel business Tira to boost accessibility in the country. Gerber’s presence is likely to be a boost for its growth plans.
François Nars said of her: “Kaia is a true beauty, a supermodel of today who carries with her the spirit of another era. Working with her on this campaign felt like stepping back into the age of the original icons. Those supermodels were more than faces; what I always loved about them was their joy. They loved the camera, the artistry of makeup and hair, and fashion itself. Most importantly, they gave everything in front of the camera, pouring their energy into creating the most beautiful images possible. Kaia has that same spirit and photographing her was like reliving the magic—one of the very things that made me fall in love with this industry in the first place.”