HP MAGAZINE ARABIA
VOLUME 5 | JANUARY 2022
ELSA ALIJAJ BE YOUR OWN GURU
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VIANN MANSUR
High Jewelry Signature Collection Lion Gabrielle Chanel was born under the sign of Leo, her birthdate August 19, 1883. Like the lion, Mademoiselle was majestic, instinctive, radiant, powerful and fiercely protective of the things that were hers.
LION BROOCH A profusion of white diamonds creates a handsome frontal lion, while carefully calculated volumes ensure the most flattering portrait. Handcrafted in 18K white gold*, this High Jewelry brooch represents Leo, Mademoiselle’s zodiac sign. *White gold plated with thin layer of Rhodium for color.
HP In 1919, Gabrielle Chanel fled Paris to Venice, the city of the lion, devastated by the loss of her great love, Boy Capel. While there, under the watchful eye of the Lion of Venice, Coco found new inspiration and the courage to go on.
LION RING The ring's majestic pavé-diamond lion, handcrafted in 18K white gold*, stands boldly upon the summit of an internally flawless, custom 5.28-carat Marquise-cut diamond of radiant and staggering beauty. *White gold plated with thin layer of Rhodium for color.
“I’M A LEO AND LIKE HIM, I SHOW MY CLAWS TO PROTECT MYSELF, BUT, BELIEVE ME, I SUFFER MORE BY CLAWING THAN BEING CLAWED.”
Throughout her life, Mademoiselle always kept figures of lions, the emblem that would be engraved upon the buttons of tweed suits. Forever protecting Mademoiselle, the lion is the spirit of CHANEL High Jewelry.
LION NECKLACE A transformable lion necklace begins with a river of diamonds encircling the neck, creating a classic style when worn on its own. The detachable lion is added for a longer, bolder necklace, the Leo sign emblazoned with diamonds, amidst a constellation of pearcut, ovalcut and cushioncut diamonds and handcrafted in 18K white gold*. *White gold plated with thin layer of Rhodium for color.
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HP MAGAZINE ARABIA
VOLUME 5 | JANUARY 2022
Fashion
VERSACE PREFALL 2022
Beauty
Chanel’s latest N°5 collection
12. INTERVIEW 26. MAKO 29. TONY WARD 32. ESTEE LAUDER 42. ELFEN
viannkmansur.com.mx
𝙑𝙄𝘼𝙉𝙉𝙆𝙈𝘼𝙉𝙎𝙐𝙍
CLOTHES
2022 MEDIA KIT
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AN INTERVIEW WITH ELSA ALIJAJ BY HARSHIT PATEL
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FASHION
Hi, could you start by telling us a bit about yourself? They think of me that am a surrealist, but I am not. I've never painted dreams. I paint my reality. A kind man one day greeted me using the name Artist, from that moment I like to think that we are all artists with different stories to draw. Tell us about your journey so far? Right now I live in Dubai, I started alone initially because my instinct and my ambition pushed me every day to throw in something bigger than me. The fear of failure was there but it never stopped me. I have transformed my negative emotions into allied friends, trusting that everything happens for our greater good, with grace and ease. In my low moments, I do not deny that it was difficult to control my mind and emotions, I can say that my passion / holistic vision and Yogi has saved me so many times. The books, the conversations in front of a mirror, the great love of my family and Faith; this is what saves us the most. Tell me about your experience as a model. my first experience in modelling was Miss Universe Albania 2020.it was a beautiful and precious experience for me, I took it very spiritually. I can say that it woke me up in a part of me that not even I knew existed. I never thought I'd see myself in modelling or in any business/job that requires standards, and instead, it was one of the most important experiences of my life on a personal level. I knew I was in the right place when walking on my runway I saw only myself floating like light. Every problem disappeared, my whole body was in harmony, I felt my heart beating softly mixed with the controlled and liberating breathing, I felt pure magic and I just wanted to give positive energies to everyone I knew was looking at me. MUA Albania has left its mark on me and I know that I too have left it to them and to those who followed us. A lot of your influence comes from social media. That’s great because it allows you to control your image. But is it also limiting, because it’s so one-sided? everything that is limiting is not for me, I share my material with peace and tranquillity, I am not afraid of not being liked or not to be liked by anyone, nobody should have it. We remain ourselves, and we could spread our true and beautiful essence. How would you describe your talents to someone who doesn’t get it?
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INTERVIEW
If with Talent you mean something you have an ‘affinity’ for, action or ability that comes first from you that you can’t exactly teach except to say “it’s natural is for sure my entrepreneurial spirit for me nothing is impossible. Also, let me say that I am blessed for my Humanity, I hate force, and I tend towards defending my values through humanitarianism. That's why humanitarian work, volunteering, and cooperation are in my heart and I hope one day to get busy with something big where the purpose is giving people light and hope. 2020 has been the strangest of years, how did you find lockdown? Any lessons or discoveries? I was lucky because my family didn't have any problems, neither did I. We spent a lot of time at home altogether, it wasn't dramatic for me as I had everything I really wanted around me. I think this lockdown has brought a lot of reflection and a lot of spirituality into the homes of many people. What first piqued your interest in fashion and modelling? The sound of the camera working with talented artists, meeting new people, new realities, new places. What is the biggest highlight of your career so far? As in every job I aspire to the maximum of professionalism and to the maximum of my value. In modelling as in work, I aspire to not need to send my presentation, my CV, or my portfolio. I wish myself this, not needing to introduce myself and the value of my work to a brand or a company. I am working hard to get to the top in a softly quiet and lasting way. Do you have a favourite designer or high street brand? The famous fashion designer Coco Chanel for me is the true epitome of creativity. She is a self-made woman.
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VERSACE PRE-FALL 2022
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Mako
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TONY WARD
Beautiful your way. Double Wear Makeup 24-hour wear. No touch ups. With Double Wear, what makes you different is beautiful. The shade more than matches, it flatters you. Enhances your skin for 24 hours and stays colour true. Won’t look grey on deeper skintones. Transfer-resistant. Waterproof. Natural matte finish.
REVITALIZING SUPREME+ MINI
ESTEE LAUDER
Chanel’s latest N°5 collection
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BEAUTY
We’ve all heard the story: Marilyn Monroe is asked what she wears to bed, and she responds, fabulous and coy as ever, “Chanel N°5 .” With Chanel’s latest N°5-inspired collection, launched just in time for gifting season, it’s easier than ever to imagine how a single scent could fulfil your every need, no matter the occasion – bed, or otherwise. First developed in 1921 by Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel and Russian-French perfumer Ernest Beaux, Chanel N°5 is a cultural touchstone as well as a fragrance, notable for its celebrity fans as well as its ardent imitators. It continues to represent the epitome of femininity and allure, 100 years on. Now, the N°5 -inspired collection pays tribute to the fragrance's centenary of influence, by transposing its allure onto a series of products, from jewellery to beauty essentials. In the N°5 Holiday Makeup Collection, the golden tones of the fragrance's recognisable bottle are translated into shimmering dustings for eyes and cheeks, bringing out a natural glow. The Les 4 Ombres eyeshadow palette is reinvented with the N°5 aesthetic, with tiny bottles stamped onto the tonal hues. In classic form, new Rouge Allure lip colours are red, but are given dimension with cool blue undertones, or fiery orange tints. But deciding between all the options can be difficult: thankfully, Chanel’s advent calendar will whisk any decisions straight out of your hands. Shaped like a bottle of N°5, the calendar comprises 27 gifts numbered from five to 31: five for the perfume, and 31 for Coco Chanel’s Paris address on Rue Cambon. It also includes many of the new pieces from the N°5 holiday collection, including new shades in the Rouge Allure lipstick and Le Vernis nail polish, as well as trinkets like a snow globe, a bracelet, and a set of accessories created in homage to the iconic fragrance. But if it’s a purist’s view you’re taking, look no further. In partnership with Baccarat, Chanel has also created a monumental bottle of the perfume, containing exactly 2021mls of the precious liquid. There’s a mathematical beauty to everything: not only does 2021 refer to the year in which Chanel celebrates its centenary, but the digits in the year also add up to five. The auspiciously numbered bottle is paired with a Baccarat crystal wand, for precise application to the olfactory pulse points: the earlobe, the neckline, the wrist. A fragrance of this stature only deserves the best, after all.
Elfen Watches
ABOUT ELFEN A gentleman's choice of timepiece says as much about him as his Saville Row Suit. At ELFEN our aim is not just to create a watch but is to provide a unique experience to our wearers. ELFEN is India's first brand for premium wooden watches. All the watches have been made using 7 different types of natural wood namely Mahogany, Ebony, Pine, Oak, Zebra, Walnut wood and Sandalwood. The brand was founded with a belief that beautiful watches can be made from wood - a renewable resource with a significant advantage over other commonly used materials. We show the world how age-old craftsmanship can be used in modern-day products to form ethical and sustainable designs for the conscious yet stylish individual.
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ELFEN
HOW DID IT ALL START? Back in 2018, i was working in a corporate job, and my co-founder had his own Fashion-Accessories store in Pune. We always used to discuss starting up with something niche and unique, something which can provide a lot of value to Indian consumers. We realised that the watch industry is saturated with very limited designs and patterns, especially in India. All the usual brands were offering similar-looking stainless steel designs in watches, which are not only quite heavy on your wrist, but also not that versatile for every occasion. It's then when we came up with the idea of wooden watches. We thought why not try creating a watch from a renewable resource such as wood. Not only did the watches came out to be super lightweight, they were also the quite strong inbuilt quality and durability. We thought to take it big and take it to the entire Indian and global market and that's when the idea of ELFEN was born. We started operations on 5th August 2019, and by taking continuous feedback from our customers and working on those to improve our processes and end-product, we have been successfully able to create a product that is both supreme in quality and high on style quotient.
THE HURDLES? Well, the main challenge was to create that end product. With none of us having a background in production and manufacturing line, we had to go through a lot of failed attempts and iterations to finally develop our first successful prototype. It was a watch made of Zebrawood, and we are proud of the fact that we are a fully homegrown brand. The other major challenge was to take this completely new watch segment to the Indian market. We were very sceptical, how it will be viewed by the consumers and would they be actually receptive to the idea of a wooden watch? One thing that kept our belief high was the fact that everyone that we hadshown the watch to, absolutely loved it.
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We just had to position ourselves in a right and aspirational way to the Indian consumers. One thing we had very clear in our mind from the very first day, that we are not going to target every consumer in this country. We knew that our target customer will be a value-driven one who makes a purchase because he/she believes in that product, rather than buying something just because they are at a heavy discounted price. All our ad campaigns and social media strategies were devised to target that value-driven customer, and we saw some really great results. Till date, we are following the same notion of providing as much value to our consumers as possible for their purchase with us. Our packaging is one of the best in the industry, our product return rate is one of the lowest in the industry which clearly shows that despite all the hurdles we faced, we tried to learn from them and improve continuously. TREE PLANTATION INITIATIVE Our mission has always been to provide as much value to the our consumers as possible. We decided to give people unique experiences by introducing something as unique as a wooden watch. The majority of our products are handmade, with an emphasis on quality at affordable prices. As a responsible and sustainable brand, we have always believed in giving more to mother nature than taking away from it. Keeping up with our core principles, for every purchase you make we plant a tree in your name. ELFEN has partnered with TreeNation whose focus is on reforestation and the reduction of the most pressing threats to the diversity of life on Earth. Every time you buy an ELFEN Wood Watch, a tree will be planted in your name! As soon as you place the order on our website and make the payment, you will receive an email from Tree-Nation, with the details of the tree planted in your name. You will be able to see all the details of the tree like its LIVE Google location, the farmer taking care of it, the crop that it will be a part of the harvest, etc. Along with this you will also receive a tree - plantation certificate over e-mail. The link in the certificate will take you your tree with its details.
ELFEN
HOW ARE WE PROGRESSING?
We are glad to tell that we have been very well received by our customers and the indian market at large. Ours sales have been growing pretty well and most of our customers are repeat buyers. We provide custom Gift wrapping and messaging service, and lots of our customers prefer to gift it to someone everytime there is an occassion. We are growing at a very good pace, but our customer centric approach is something we would never want to compromise for growth.
FUTURE PLANS
Future seems very exciting. We are introducing 6 new designs as part of our new collection along with custom engraving services. Customers will be able to get their message or a picture engraved at the back of the watch. We are working on our packaging and are trying to create one of the best packaged brand in india. We are also planning to target global markets now like Europe and canada. In fact We have already started shipping to USA and UK.
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