Vanessa Paradis for H&M

Conscious Collection backstage

Vanessa Paradis is the face of Conscious at H&M this spring, wearing pieces in the campaign that are both on-trend and also more-sustainable. It is all part of H&M’s ongoing commitment to a more sustainable fashion future, showing that the best fashion can be made from Conscious materials.

The actress and singer wear pieces as a ruffle-edged yellow sundress, as well as an embellished zip-up utility jacket worn with botanical print trousers. The pieces are part of a collection full of optimism for spring, with romantic styles like a floor-length dress alongside sporty shapes such as a cropped jumpsuit and a tropical print T-shirt dress. There are accessories too, such as ankle-strap heels, and the entire collection is made from more sustainable materials, such as organic cotton, recycled polyester, and Tencel.

The full women’s collection will be available in H&M stores worldwide as well as online from end of March, alongside Conscious collections for Men - blazers, chinos, Ikat print shirts and shorts – as well as fun prints for kids and babies.

Vanessa Paradis says, “I like being part of something like the Conscious collection at H&M. I try my best to shop consciously, and vintage is very much part of my wardrobe. I love the style and it works in an eco-friendly way because I like to use and reuse old clothes.”

Coinciding with the campaign will be the launch of a Conscious garment collecting action at H&M. Customers will be able to bring any unwanted garments from any label to selected stores, and in return for each bag receive an H&M voucher, to a maximum of two bags per customer per day. H&M is the first store to encourage garment return on this scale, in an effort to prevent clothing from going to landfill.

Hollywood Hunk Gerard Butler hits the red carpet in Dubai

Gerard Butler, Natasha Tourish and Chanelle Tourish

Hollywood heartthrob Gerard Butler was in town to launch the Swiss watch company Roger Dubuis’ store at Emirates Boulevard last night. Dressed in a black tuxedo, the PS I Love You actor laughed and joked his way through the evening and happily mingled with fans.

Speaking at the Roger Dubuis launch, Butler talked about his upcoming movies, " I have the surf film Chasing Mavericks coming out in the US this weekend, then I have the comedy drama Playing for Keeps with Jessica Biel and Catherine Zeta-Jones. I was lucky you know because in the movie there was a lot of flirtation and I got the chance to hang out with the girls.  I also have a big action movie coming out called Olympus Has Fallen about an attack on the White House. Very apt for today given the elections. The film is by the director of Training Day and Morgan Freeman is in it along with Aaron Eckhart, it's been a nice time for me."

Watch this space....:) 

Modelling a Roger Dubuis watch

Undefeated: Jason Derulo and Sean Kingston

Ahead of their performance at Dubai Caribbean Carnival, I caught up with hip-hop sensations, Jason Derulo and Sean Kingston about recovering from their respective accidents last year and what makes them tick. 

Raised on the kings of pop, Prince and Michael Jackson whilst growing up in Florida, Derulo has been writing music since aged eight. 

"I always write music based on what my experiences are and what happens in my life," he explains. 

The poignancy of this statement is reiterated by the fact the singer suffered a severe neck injury last year and has channelled his emotions about the accident into his music. 


"I look at life a lot different, you know I'm living every day like it's my last. I'm just enjoying life, enjoying my family and enjoying everything that comes." 

The It Girl singer who attended the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York as a teenager admits that he would like to get into acting. 

"I want to be a chameleon. I don't want to do one specific kind of role. That would be very limiting, so I want to bounce around and do different kinds of acting roles whether it be comedy or action," said Derulo. 

At the age of 17, Derulo composed and sang Bossy for Southern rapper Birdman and soon became a sought after tunesmith. 

"It was almost like it became my life all of a sudden. I didn't really have a second to take it all in, every single day was all go, go, go. It wasn't until about a year ago that I got a chance to let it all really sink in and be like wow, all my dreams have really come true. I always have 'pinch yourself' moments, I mean when my first single got to number one that was crazy." 

The talented star has been dating American Idol winner, Jordin Sparks for one year and recently collaborated with her on his track, It Girl. 

"It was really cool working with Jordin, we are very different in the studio so we have our different methods and it was quite interesting seeing how one another work. We work very differently so I was a little abrasive at first but once we got into it, it was great. I actually used home footage and edited the video myself, with my cousin. It was a lot of fun," said Derulo. 

Caribbean King: Sean Kingston 

Born Kiesan Anderson, the Miami native changed his name to Sean Kingston and was discovered as an independent artist on MySpace before he was signed. The singer who grew up in Jamaica released his first single Beautiful Girls in 2007 which reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks. 

"I started writing music at a very young age, so I knew I was going to be involved in music somehow. Growing up in Jamaica definitely influenced the sound of my music and my experiences there influenced my writing," explains Kingston. 

The 22 year old is now set to release his third studio album, Back 2 Life in early 2013. For Kingston, the urge to achieve the powerfully vibrant sound that permeates Back 2 Life was born during his recovery from a jet skiing accident in 2011. The singer crashed into a bridge and suffered a shattered wrist, broken jaw and had to undergo emergency heart surgery. 

"Back 2 Life is a reference to my accident, among other things. It's really just a reminder to live each day to the fullest. I plan to keep living life and making great music," said Kingston. 

The talented young artist has worked with some of the biggest names in the business and has teamed up with friend, Justin Bieber on the smash song, Eenie Meenie. 

"Me and Justin are a lot alike in many areas. We both like to have fun and we love what we do," said Kingston. 

The singer's latest album will feature artists such as T-Pain, Nicki Minaj, Kanye West and Dr.Dre. 

"Everyone was great to work with. I always have fun with Justin, and Nicki was a lot of fun. I really liked working with Wiz (Khalifa) though. He is very down to earth, humble and super cool and professional in the studio," said Kingston. 

The talented singer hit the spotlight at just 16 years old when he was discovered by producer JR Rotem who signed him to his Beluga Heights record label. But he insists he hasn't let fame go to his head. 

"I'm a pretty laid back guy. I just kept and still keep great people around me to keep me in line. Hopefully, I'm still making great music, and I would like to explore other aspects of entertainment (more acting), as well as have some business ventures going on," explains Kingston. 

Check it out on:
http://www.readme.ae/articles/interview/undefeated

SPREAD THE JOY WITH THE GIFT OF KIEHL’S

Kiehl’s proudly announces its high-profile collaboration with New York Pop artist Kenny Scharf. Kiehl’s invited Scharf to design its 4th Annual Creme de Corps Holiday Collection, with 100% of proceeds to benefit over 40 children’s causes around the world.

Considered the most hydrating body moisturizer in the Kiehl’s line, this super-enriched, nurturing body treatment is formulated with Beta-Carotene, Squalane and nurturing oils; is ideal for extremely dry skin. Leaves skin soft, smooth and elegantly hydrated.

That's what I call beauty with a purpose!

Fashionable Water: Diane von Furstenberg and evian® Celebrate Life

The Iconic Fashion Designer Joins Forces with evian® to Unveil a New Design for its 2013 Limited Edition Bottle Collaboration.

evian® Natural Mineral Water carries on its celebration of youth and purity with the release of the newest addition to its limited edition bottle collection by iconic American designer Diane von Furstenberg. evian’s latest limited edition bottle by Diane von Furstenberg is available in the Middle East now for a limited period, and reflects a playful celebration of life and features a nod to the designer’s iconic mantras with, “Water is Life is Love is Life is Water is…,” gracing the bottle in her distinct handwriting. 

Von Furstenberg drew inspiration from her personal relationship with evian® water and her own love of life. The result is a unique design that combines evian’s commitment to purity with DVF’s youthful and optimistic philosophy. evian’s limited edition bottle by Diane von Furstenberg is printed in organic ink and features the designer’s ubiquitous heart DVF logo in a special hue of red, created exclusively for the evian® collaboration. The bottle, composed of 100% recyclable packaging, is sealed with evian’s new screw cap design.

“I am so excited about this collaboration because I have always loved evian® and I think drinking water is one of the most important things we can do to love ourselves and love is life!” said Diane Von Furstenberg. “To me it is all about living life to the fullest and I am so proud to work with evian® to spread such an important message.”

Celebrities turn out to celebrate Maison Martin Margiela with H&M in NYC

Sarah Jessica Parker

Julianne Moore, Sarah Jessica Parker, Mena Suvari, Kanye West, Helena Christensen, Selma Blair, Alan Cumming and Chase Crawford were among the guests at a party last night in New York to celebrate H&M’s collaboration with Maison Martin Margiela. 

The unique event was held across many floors of 5 Beekman Street, a historical building in the city’s financial district. Guests were able to discover the collection in dance performances by noted choreographer Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker and through specially commissioned art installations, before DJ’s kept the party going into the early hours. The Maison Martin Margiela with H&M collection will be launched on November 15th in around 230 H&M stores worldwide.

Kanye West

“We are happy to present the Maison Martin Margiela with H&M collection in New York with this event. Maison Martin Margiela believes in showing its work outside of the traditional context. This mix of installation and performance captures the spirit of the house, and allowed the artists to interpret the collaboration collection in ways they saw fit.” Maison Martin Margiela.

The derelict and raw nine-story building, housed around a glass-roofed atrium, was the perfect setting for the celebration of Maison Martin Margiela with H&M, decorated in the label’s signature white-painted style. The famed choreographer Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker created a unique and beautiful performance in squares of sand, which ran throughout the evening on different floors. Anne Teresa and her dancers removed garments from the collection while performing, thus creating live and spontaneous art installations.

Julianne Moore

The collection with H&M, a series of re-editions of Maison Martin Margiela garments and accessories from various seasons, was further revealed in special art installations on various floors: artists Daniel Arsham, Frederique Chauveaux and Noemie Goudal, created sculptures, projections and photographs exclusively for the event

“It’s an amazing collaboration! Margiela is a beautiful brand – arty, iconoclastic and always edgy. And the quality is always amazing with H&M. Fashion is great because it’s an expression of who you are”, says Julianne Moore.

Alan Cumming

“It’s incredible, so exciting to celebrate one of my favourite designers. They are mysterious and compelling and I’ve been a great fan of Margiela for many years. H&M, well, look at the lines of men and women lined up! It’s a great opportunity for people to have access to great designers. It makes luxury available to everyone. It’s very democratic and I’m all for it”, says Sarah Jessica Parker.

“I’m a huge fan of Margiela and I love H&M – it’s a great collaboration. I never get surprised by H&M’s choices, every designer they pick I’m interested in. I’m always standing in the queue with my mother in the early mornings. I’ve been a fan of Margiela since the start”, says Helena Christensen.

“I’m here to see the lovely Margiela collection. I love the way H&M is doing collaborations with other designers. It’s a great thing, to make clothes stylish and affordable. The collaborations are a great idea, they are really amazing!” says Alan Cumming.

Selma Blair

Mena Suvari

50 Cent launches his SMS Audio headphones at Gitex Technology Week

Image, Chanelle Tourish

Internationally-acclaimed artist, entrepreneur and humanitarian, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, launched his SMS Audio brand of headphones at Gitex Technology Week today. 

SMS Audio initially launched two main lines of headphones: “Sync by 50” (over-ear wireless headphones) “Street by 50” (wired in-ear  and wired over-ear headphones.

Some of the advanced features include high-end styling, professional studio sound, full on-board controls, and passive noise cancellation.

Summing up his future plans, 50 Cent stated: “The terrific start that our brand has had in the Middle East makes me really excited about our future prospects in the region. We now aim to build on that, because this launch is part of a wider evolution for SMS Audio. From a humanitarian perspective, as a conscious capitalist I’m excited about our partnership with Dubai Autism Center, where every SMS Audio product sold within a certain timeframe will contribute towards autistic children.”

Sara Ahmad Baker of the Dubai Autism Center expressed her gratitude for the corporate responsibility shown by SMS Audio and Shift LLC: “On behalf of the autistic children who we care for, I want to extend our heartfelt appreciation for SMS Audio’s very generous offer. 50 Cent has shown that despite all the fame and achievements, he is first and foremost a caring human being.” 

Image, Chanelle Tourish

50 Cent’s previous humanitarian endeavors have seen him pledging to feed a billion people over the coming years, through Street King, his energy drink, which funds one meal per purchase to children in Africa through the World Food Programme. A natural evolution from 50’s efforts saw SMS Audio partnering with Feeding America bringing the relief efforts to the United States where 250 meals are donated to Feeding America for each domestic purchase through www.smsaudio.com.

In the brand’s previous launches, SMS Audio has proved to be very popular in the US, Western Europe, Scandinavia and Oceania. Dubai’s quality-sensitive customers will now have convenient access to the sophisticated features offered by the brand.

SMS Audio is currently available at electronics retailers around the Middle East and South Africa, and customers have a range of fashionable colors and styles to select from. 

Stay tuned for a full interview with 50 Cent :) 

Catch him performing at the upcoming Atelier Festival on Friday October 19th at Meydan :)