Purchase items like organic Ts by Luella Bartley while tracking which charities received donations from recent sales under the "What You've Done" section.
Taking its name from Sanskrit for "most pure," Amala skin and body products is made entirely from whole plant ingredients and contains no preservatives. Five percent of its profits are donated to the Amazon rain forest.
Founded by top hairstylists Leonardo Manetti, Marco Santini and Pasquale Ferrante, New York City luxury ION Salon is 85% green, from its products to its recycled and eco-friendly materials.
Sometimes it's the little things that add up. While the newly revamped Hotel Shangri-La uses important energy-saving fixtures like dual-flush toilets, the focus at this Art Deco-style hotel is on discreet changes like biodegradable packaging for bath amenities and recycled-paper stationery.
The 2010 Fisker Karma hybrid seems like any other luxury sports sedan, but with wood trim sourced from fallen trees, optional animal-friendly interior and a solar-panel roof, it goes the extra mile.
The French company famed for its modern furnishings is also a leader in sustainable design. Ligne Roset is a member of the Sustainable Furnishings Council and manufactures and compartmentalizes products in a way that helps facilitate the breakdown and reuse of each object at the end of its life cycle.
Water-based and biodegradable, Nautica Oceans cologne was inspired by the ocean-tinged scent of a racing yacht's sail and, fittingly, contains hints of sea-salt rose, lavender reef and teakwood.
Not only is Xtrema ceramic cookware made from natural minerals, but the manufacturing process produces no pollutants and uses recycled water. _____________________________________________
RENÉE ZELLWEGER Residence: New York City. Occupation: Actress. Age: 40. Personal Style: “No fuss.” Style Icons: Carolina Herrera, Anna Wintour, and Charlotte Gainsbourg. Favorite Fashion Purchase of 2009: Balenciaga metallic T-strap platform heels. Luxury Boutique: Hermès. Shoe Designer: Christian Louboutin. Bargain-Hunting Locale: The Brimfield Antique Show, in Massachusetts. Handbag: Rouge Hermès “Maharani” clutch. Sunglasses: Ray-Ban aviators. Watches: Rolex and a Cartier Tank. Causes: U.C.L.A.’s Jonsson Cancer Center Foundation, Revlon/U.C.L.A. Women’s Cancer Research Program, the Hole in the Wall Camps, and Not on Our Watch.
ARPAD BUSSON Residences: London and New York City. Occupation: Financier. Age: 46. Personal Style: Dark suits, crisp shirts, open collar. Cuff Links or Buttons: Monogrammed cuffs. Jewelry: Beaded bracelets. Watch: Rolex Milgauss. Cause: Founder of ark (Absolute Return for Kids).
MATTEO MARZOTTO Residences: “I spend 50 percent of my time in Milan, 40 percent in Rome, and 10 percent in the village from where my family originates, Valdagno, Italy.” Occupation: Entrepreneur and chairman to enit (the Italian state tourist board). Age: 42. Personal Style: “Solid, traditional, and Italian, with attention to detail.” Style Icons: Prince Charles and Robert Redford. Shirtmaker: “A Milanese shirtmaker called 18.” Jewelry: “I wear a little gold bracelet with my family’s motto engraved on the inside.” Watches: “I have a collection of wristwatches, my most cherished being by IWC and Patek Philippe.” Cause: Vice president and co-founder of the Cystic Fibrosis Research Foundation.
RELATED Luxury Files interview Over the last few years, the luxury market has changed its elite structure, transforming itself into a circus with no ticket to pay to get in. What do you think are the best ways to steer the luxury product back to its correct path? I don’t think that the luxury market is without obstacles, but would say that today the array of possible clients has been greatly widened and, as a consequence, so have the ranges of products and prices offered. Therefore, in the main, there are now segments within the segment. I think that it is important to have good knowledge of the brand that you are managing and, very fundamental, to understand its correct positioning in order to be able to carry through the most appropriate strategies, above all by virtue of what it is possible to do and not only what one would like to do with the product. I believe that, in truth to itself, the luxury market must accommodate truly exclusive products and should discriminate, being able to recognize what is today called “aspiration to luxury”, where it is possible to find products that are fairly easily accessible. The brands that can really aspire to the top segment of “luxury” are few, and are without doubt those that are today capitalizing on the most important positions.
MATTEO MARZOTTO: THE SHARP-SUITED PHILANTHROPIST Business success has not diminished Matteo Marzotto’s commitment to his greatest passion: a charity founded in memory of his sister
Scion of a famous Italian industrial dynasty, darling of the society pages, and Italy’s most eligible bachelor, 40-year-old Matteo Marzotto recently stepped down as chairman of fashion house Valentino SPA. But while he may be changing one job, he continues his commitment to another: the role of joint president of the Fondazione per la Ricerca sulla Fibrosi Cistica (FFC), the Foundation for Cystic Fibrosis Research, an organisation he helped found following the death of his beloved sister from the disease.
Despite an impressive media profile — which grew significantly while he was head of Valentino — Matteo takes a deeply conscientious and down-to-earth attitude to life. Words like responsibility, commitment, determination and mission often crop up in conversation with him.
“I come from a world of businesspeople where the concept of work has always been taken very seriously,” he explains in calm, well-modulated tones, “I’ve absorbed this atmosphere since I was very young, first watching my grandfather, then my father who taught me about rigour and commitment.”
Matteo also praises his uncle Pietro: “From him I learned that work can be a vocation and a mission, and that rigour can go hand in hand with a passion for what you’re doing.”
He acknowledges that he has been lucky with family influences: “Having them as role models has made a huge difference to the person I’ve become.”
The results of this family training were obvious in the professional life of the young businessman, who became chairman of Valentino in 2002 at just 34. Despite being one of the most prestigious luxury brands in the world, Valentino was not doing well. Matteo rolled up his sleeves and set to work to heal the “patient”, as he describes it.
“When I took on Valentino, I already had very valuable experience at Ferré behind me,” he says. However, he faced a more substantial challenge when it came to turning around a colossus like Valentino. “We had to carry out an immense restructuring and reorganisation process in terms of reducing costs, but on a much more fundamental level we worked on repositioning the product,” Matteo explains.
The tradition embodied by the designer Valentino himself, coupled with Matteo’s dynamic new vision, created an explosive success which filled the company coffers and restored the brand to its former glory. “The luxury goods market had changed a lot in recent years,” he says, “having an in-depth knowledge of the consumers we were trying to reach and diversifying the product were the keys to our strategy.”
Valentino’s trademark evening gown is no longer the fashion house’s trump card: “In order to reach a wider public and get away from a niche market, it was important to move into daywear as well,” says Matteo. The businessman and the stylist succeeded in their mission: “We balanced sales of the products which were becoming newly competitive on the luxury goods market. That was our main aim.”
But having achieved all this, the young executive began to consider his next step. “It took years of hard work and commitment, but at this point I think my contribution to Valentino has come to an end.”
Having stepped down from the clothing company, Matteo is looking for a new challenge. While he is reluctant to talk about his future plans, it will definitely be a project that will give his competitive nature the chance to express itself to the full: “I’ll stay in the fashion sector, I’m sure of that, but it’s too early to make a decision yet. At the moment I’m just looking around.”
One fixed point in Matteo’s life seems to be his role as joint president of the Foundation for Cystic Fibrosis Research, which he co-founded in 1997 and which has Myair.com as one of its main sponsors. This position is very close to his heart; in his early 20s, he lost his older sister, Annalisa, to cystic fibrosis, a genetic illness widespread in Italy but of which there is little public awareness.
“I would say that Annalisa was more than a sister — she was like a mother to me. I’m very grateful to her — she’s my guardian angel.”
Matteo has long been conscious of a duty to make the most of his visibility to promote the Foundation. “It’s a passion for me,” he says.
And in between all the work, social and charitable commitments, how does Matteo handle speculation in the scandal sheets about his private life? “I couldn’t care less. If I have a girlfriend or I have dinner with a female friend, you journalists are welcome to write about it. I haven’t got anything to hide. I live a normal life and I’m happy with myself.” www.fibrosicisticaricerca.it [Myair.com] Matteo Marzotto: I was joking when I said Naomi Campbell hit me Fashion tycoon insists he's still good friends with model
Naomi Campbell's ex has withdrawn comments he made on Italian TV about how she allegedly abused him during their 8-month relationship. 'You've got to be able to take her hits,' Matteo Marzotto told the Victor Victoria Show last week. 'She dealt me some terrible punches.' But now Matteo insists he was joking. 'Naomi never hit me or was violent in anyway,' reads a statement. 'We are very good friends and talk all the time.' Naomi, 38, who split from Matteo in 2004, is dating Russian billionaire Vladimir Doronin. [NowMagazine.co.uk - May 09]
The Vaio Zoom notebook concept takes everything we know about holographic technology and squeezes it inside a thin glass form factor. When off, the screen is completely transparent and the keyboard goes opaque. Turn it on and the touchscreen holographic festivities begin. Even the mouse buttons are holographic! It’s just a concept so there’s no info on important tidbits like tactile feedback, battery life, system stats, etc., but rest assured technologies like this are closer than you think. It may not come all at once but it’s coming. Designer: Eno Setiawan
COMMENTS I am so in love…Can I get a side order of future now with my reality?
Mmm… *futuristic gadget lust* I would pay an obscene amount of money for a laptop like this, and then light myself on fire when I scratched/dropped it. _________________________________________
Created in 2002 by co-artistic directors Victor Quijada and Anne Plamondon, RubberBanDance's focus is the exciting new wave of "intelligent hip-hop," which takes an intelligent approach to urban dance.
A woman breaks free of the physical and psychological binds of a stifling relationship. ____________________________________________
David Seidner: Paris Fashions 1945 In 1944, the war-battered French couture industry decided to revive its international reputation by conceiving a small exhibition entitled Théâtre de la Mode. The exhibition organizer enlisted the major fashion designers of the day, including Jeanne Lanvin, Lucien Lelong, Elsa Schiaparelli, and Pierre Balmain to create outfits for small wire-frame dolls just over two feet tall.
The exhibition of over 230 dolls, displayed in artist-designed sets, opened in Paris on March 27, 1945 at the Museum of Decorative Arts. It was an instant sensation, and traveled to London, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Vienna, New York, and San Francisco. With the return of the French fashion industry, the dolls had completed their work and were donated to the Maryhill Museum near Portland, Oregon, where they disappeared from view.
[photog: David Seidner] __________________________________________
Since arriving in New York, Leigh Pennebaker's work has been featured in the windows of Barneys New York, as well as Saks Fifth Avlenue, Calypso, Frock Vintage, Screaming Mimis, Fragments and Shreve Crump & Low...Her sculpture has adorned the Manhattan studios of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Her work is in private collections across the United States as well as Europe and South Africa.
"My sculpture deals with my lifelong fascination with fashion, women and beauty. I view my work as three-dimensional caricature through which I channel the spirits of southern belles, divas, vixens and ingenues.
To me, style is about so much more than fabric or fashion. It's about how something is worn, and even more importantly, why. With each wire dress I explore the presence of the female form and gesture without sculpting representations of actual female body parts. Instead, I allude to physical bearing, spirit and impulse through sculpted clothing." __________________________________________
Mirror mesh+Square bracelet (bag) by acrylic__€172
Masako Ban was born in Tokyo. After working for Shigeru Ban Architects, she was active as a graphic designer. In 2001, Ban began designing accessories through self-education in London and established acrylic in Tokyo, 2003. In 2005, her first collection was selected for the MoMA Design Store, New York, and in November of the same year, she opened "acrylic shop" in Tokyo. ____________________________________________
Admirers of Marc Newson’s streamlined furniture and crisp industrial design may be surprised to see his latest creation — a strikingly ornate diamond and sapphire necklace he conceived for Boucheron, the French jewelry house. The one-of-a-kind Julia necklace, which is being introduced at a couture-week party in Paris tomorrow evening, was inspired by Newson’s obsession with fractals — geometric shapes that can be subdivided into smaller versions of themselves, specifically the Julia Sets of fractals discovered by Gaston Julia in the early 1900s.
“Fractals are fascinating, complex and rich,” Newson says, “and gemstones really lend themselves to exploiting their beauty.”
The scientifically-spawned sparkler contains around 2,000 paved stones and took the company’s craftspeople 1,500 hours to realize using rapid-prototyping technology and a minimal three-prong setting, so the stones appear to float on the wearer’s throat. One thing that won’t be floating, however, is the price tag.
“I wasn’t thinking luxury at all, but the technical rigorousness of the piece, as well as the sheer number of stones that went into it will probably make this one of the most expensive necklaces Boucheron’s ever made.” [The Moment - Jul.09]
Everyone who has used an eraser would agree with the wish for an eraser with a comfortable and precise corner that never wears out. With the new Viss, Metaphys has given shape to this reality. [€56.50 / 15 pcs] ____________________________________________
A master at combining aesthetics and mechanics, artist Jonathan Schipper recently joined forces with fellow artist Amelia Biewald to create a stunning metal iPhone case that they've dubbed Exovault.
Made from solid aluminum, brass or titanium, the handcrafted cases lend a steampunk look to the device—a big step up from the plastic varieties that house most iPhones today. Over time, the lustrous surface will develop a uniquely exquisite patina, making the durable casing that much more appealing... The aluminum and brass versions run $95, while the titanium version will set you back $300. [Cool Hunting] _____________________________________________
Things to Improve Your Life Our 2009 global round-up of the people, places and pursuits to improve the way you live, work and rest. _____________________________________________
The Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative is an international philanthropic programme created to assist extraordinary, rising artists to achieve their full potential. It seeks out these artists from around the world and brings them together with great masters, for a year of creative collaboration in a one-to-one mentoring relationship. _________________________________________
No. 1: Sean O'Pry The Kennesaw, Ga., native had never even flown on a plane before he was discovered through his MySpace page at the age of 17. O'Pry has 2009 campaigns for Joop, H&M and Lacoste and has appeared in editorial spreads in magazines including Numero Homme, Details and Interview.
John Christopher "Johnny" Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor known for his portrayals of offbeat, eccentric characters such as Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series, Raoul Duke in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and Sam in Benny & Joon.
Depp rose to prominence in a lead role on the television series 21 Jump Street and quickly became regarded as a teen idol. Uncomfortable with that characterization, he turned his focus to film roles that he felt were right. He initially came to film prominence as the titular character of Edward Scissorhands, and later found box office success in roles such as Ichabod Crane in Sleepy Hollow, Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series and his role as the quirky Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
He has collaborated with director and close friend Tim Burton in seven films, the most recent of which include Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) and the upcoming Alice in Wonderland. Depp has garnered acclaim for his portrayals of real life figures such as Edward Wood, Jr., in Ed Wood, Joseph D. Pistone in Donnie Brasco and George Jung in Blow. He plays John Dillinger in Michael Mann's Public Enemies.
Films featuring Depp have grossed over $2.3 billion at the United States box office and over $4.8 billion worldwide. Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor three times, Screen Actors Guild Awards four times and Golden Globe Awards eight times, Depp won the Best Actor Awards from the Golden Globes for his role in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and from the Screen Actors Guild for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.
People bio 1970-79: Depp's family settles in Miramar, Fla., when Depp is 7, living in a hotel until his father finds work. Prone to self-inflicted knife wounds – his arms still bear the visible scars – Depp starts smoking at 12, loses his virginity at 13, starts doing drugs at 14 and eventually drops out of high school at 16 to join the garage band, The Kids.
Quotes I despise those prick actors who say, "I was in character," and "I became the character," and all that stuff. It's hideous. It's just masturbation at the highest level. (Rolling Stone, 1998)
I see kids who are complete cynics. They're not dreaming. They're out there with high-powered weapons, smoking crack behind the 7-Eleven. They've seen it all. These kids are going to take us into 2000 and beyond. That's scary, man. (Rolling Stone, 1998)
The real movie stars were Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Spencer Tracy, Montgomery Clift. How could I put myself in the same category as Clark Gable?...Do I consider myself a movie star? I consider myself a guy with a good job, an interesting job. (Playboy, 2004)
I just don’t quite understand it [the press], really. I don’t understand the animal. It’s a strange, roundabout way of selling something; it leaves a foul taste... The thing that fascinates me is: who cares what an actor thinks? (Vanity Fair, 2004)
Artwork Johnny Depp is well known for his diverse acting ability. Many are aware that he came to acting as a means of support while he was working to get his career off the ground as a guitarist for The Kids. It is less well known that he is an accomplished artist.
Johnny has painted many famous people including Bob Dylan, Patti Smith, Kerouac and Marlon Brando. He also enjoys painting his children and partner, Vanessa Paradis. In an interview with Douglas Brinkley for Vanity Fair (July 2009), he stated, "What I love to do is paint people's faces, y'know, their eyes. Because you want to find the emotion, see what's going on behind their eyes."
photog: Annie Leibovitz__Vanity Fair
photog: Christophe d'Yvoire__doodle: Johnny Depp
CD cover art for Bliss, released November 7, 2000
GIVING BACK When he co-owned the Viper Room in L.A., Johnny Depp was known to hand out 50- and 100-dollar bills to the homeless huddled on the sidewalk near the club. (People.com)
This Academy Award nominated/winner A+ list actor doesn't get much publicity for all of the good he does, and so I thought I would share one of the things about him which he did for no reason other than being a great guy. While shooting a film our actor was introduced to a young girl. The girl had wanted to meet our actor for a very long time. Because she was dying of leukemia, her parents had asked Make-A-Wish to make it happen. For whatever reason they had not. Well, someone on the set heard about this little girl and asked our actor if it would be ok for her to meet him. He said sure, and the girl came. At the time she visited him she had a few weeks to live. When he asked about her medical treatment he was told there really wasn't any money. Our actor paid for all her medical bills and three years later she is still alive and still in touch with our actor. (CrazyDaysAndNights.net - Jne.09)
Johnny Depp's Great Escape Plunging deep into his roles—from the self-created (Edward Scissorhands and Captain Jack Sparrow) to the painstakingly re-created (Hunter S. Thompson, and John Dillinger in this month’s Public Enemies) — Johnny Depp can drive himself to the edge of the psyche. His decompression is as extreme: a 45-acre private Bahamian island, where he can snorkel among the barracuda. The author joins the 46-year-old star and friends on Depp’s 156-foot yacht, which flies the Jolly Roger, for a stay in this singular paradise.
EXCERPTS Welcome to Deppville. It’s a place where the off-kilter meets off-road serenity, where pure spontaneity meets fastidiously manicured fantasy. I’ve joined my suave-hillbilly friend for a week in the tropics to escape the bad noise of March. With Wall Street plummeting and Detroit sliding toward the abyss, a seafaring adventure in the Atlantic feels somewhat sinful. But so what? I’d just finished writing a 900-page book on Theodore Roosevelt and needed a spring break. And so, when Depp called to insist that I join him, he had me, hook, line, and sinker. [...]
Depp insists on one rule for his roles: the personalities he plays must be his imaginative creations. Throughout his career, he has brought a string of otherworldly characters to life: Edward Scissorhands, Ichabod Crane, Jack Sparrow, Willy Wonka, Sweeney Todd. Next year he will appear as the Mad Hatter in a screen version of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (in what will be his seventh collaborative project with director Tim Burton). Each portrayal has sprung from deep within his psyche. Moreover, many of his characters exist at a remove from civilization, in some parallel Little Hall’s Pond, where fantasy, not reality, has the upper hand.
And yet when Depp plays an actual person—such as Ed Wood, George Jung in Blow, Sir J. M. Barrie in Finding Neverland, and the iconic Dillinger—he tries to honor their true biographies, right down to their aftershave brands, believing he might actually summon a semblance of his characters’ souls. “There’s a certain responsibility playing a guy, even Dillinger,” Depp says. “You want to do him right, ya know. You don’t want to let him down. He may be watching. So I don’t want to water down the integrity of the person I’m playing. I want to find its essence. Sometimes (period) music helps me channel.” [...]
As our voyage gets under way, Depp speaks of the need for escapism in a world gone wrong. How does the individualist, he wonders, find dignity and purity in a plastic culture and a polluted world? “Little Hall’s Pond is my decompression,” he says. “It’s my way of trying to return to normalcy. There is a period once you finish a guy—a character—when you’re looking to go back to yourself, and sometimes it can manifest illness. I mean, after I made The Libertine“—in which Depp plays the debauched Earl of Rochester—“I was in bed for two weeks. When you’re working, you don’t get sick, then suddenly it hits you like a two-by-four. After Dillinger, my head was done in. I needed to escape. So being able to get on the boat and move allowed my head freedom again. Escapism is survival to me.
"Somehow", he says, "the mathematics led me here to my island. I don’t think I’d ever seen any place so pure and beautiful. You can feel your pulse rate drop about 20 beats. It’s instant freedom. And that rare beast—simplicity—can be had. And a little morsel of anonymity." [...]
From time to time, the individualist in him gripes about the political correctness of modern-day Hollywood. He pines for the old iconoclasts. “Where is our generation of Dean Martins and Frank Sinatras?” he asks. “And the Georgie Jessels and Walter Brennans?”—referring to two of the town’s arch-conservatives of yore. “I want Tiny Tim and Bix Beiderbecke back.”
But turmoil is hardly the attraction here. Instead, it’s the way present and future, light and distance, space and darkness all bend and blend together. “The truth is,” Depp says, “you want to come here and read Finnegans Wake until you understand it.” [...]
“Nobody is going to ever ruin the Land and Sea Park,” Depp later insists. “It’s like a rare gem, a diamond. I look forward to my kids growing up on the island, spending months out of the year here … learning about sea life and how to protect sea life … and their kids growing up here, and so on.” [...]
“Theoretically,” Depp says, “this place can add years to your life.” Then he quotes the old adage: “Money doesn’t buy you happiness. But it buys you a big enough yacht to sail right up to it.” [...]
At sea Depp wears a blue-and-white-striped Rasta-man cap to hold back his hair. His frayed T-shirt has cigarette burns—souvenirs of a wayward youth. This is his last chance to indulge in genuine scruff before facing the movie cameras. Throughout the passage, Depp is in his element, pleased to be waterborne, choppy or not. [...]
The next morning, an hour before I depart for my flight home, Depp has a fitting send-off. It is 10 a.m., but he sees no reason for us all not to share a bottle of ’89 Haut-Brion. Depp does the decanting. We all raise glasses to our great escape, which is now but a fading daydream. [...] ____________________________________________
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