HP MAGAZINE ARABIA
VOLUME 11 | MARCH 2022
TOP 15 STYLE TIPS SECRET OF BEST DRESSED WOMEN JENNY PACKHAM DREAM COLLECTION
BEST LOOKS & TRENDS OF THE YEAR
NELE DE GROODT Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
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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 ARABIA
VOLUME 11 | MARCH 2022
Fashion
JENNYPACKHAM FALL 2022 READY-TO-WEAR
Beauty
Chanel’s latest N°5 collection
12. INTERVIEW 26. LOOKBOOK 32. TONY WARD 36. ESTEE LAUDER 46. ELFEN
viannkmansur.com.mx
𝙑𝙄𝘼𝙉𝙉𝙆𝙈𝘼𝙉𝙎𝙐𝙍
CLOTHES
2022 MEDIA KIT
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A DAY WITH NELE SE GROODT
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INTERVIEW
Hi, could you start by telling us a bit about yourself? Tell us about your journey so far? Hereby is my story outline of my past life as well as my future projects and ambition. My nationality is Belgian and I am 34 years old. I came to Dubai about 7 years ago. Before that, I was working in diamonds and gold for a jewellery company. However, my studies were completely different as I studied Criminology at the University of Ghent. I always wanted to become a detective, but at the same time, I like to be creative and come up with creative ideas. In my first 3.5 years, I flew for Emirates Airlines because I wanted to travel and see the world to achieve knowledge and cultures for the experience. In the background, I kept working on myself and my future goals. So I created my own jewellery brand as well as shoes that are called NELI. I also managed to set up my own company with a licence that gives me permission to work in fashion, events, beauty,... I have multiple brands that will be out this year and the next. I am also working on opening my own beach club in the future. I like to create innovations and adventures for myself that push me as an Entrepreneur. One of the other passions I have experience in is acting. It is one of my priorities as well and I have a few movie projects lined up for 2022/2023. I am very excited about this and I will also travel to LA, Belgium and New York to work on my projects there. Currently, I am working on an exhibition fight that is going to happen by the end of March with Floyd Mayweather and other athletes and artists on the Burj Al Arab Helipad and Coca Cola Arena. Next to focusing on myself I also like to stand up for people and animals who can't speak for themselves. Recently there are illegal dogfights being held as well as dogs being used as bait and targets for shooting in the UAE. And together with a local lady, we are planning to do something about this issue that most people don't know that is happening here. And I'm planning to do more within my power to make a difference to stop animal cruelty. Tell us a little about your audition. Were you nervous? I am not a nervous person I keep my emotions under control. Have you ever encountered push-back because you were a woman? If so, how did you overcome it? As a woman in a man's world, I have encountered push - backs and I am confident to say that I am not the only one. Today more and more women are standing up for themselves on any level. More and more women are opening their own businesses, are being seen in politics, etc. Along the way for myself, I never let that get to me. I think for myself and always learn to
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pick me up and continue my journey. I believe in myself no matter what anyone else says, especially men. Do you have any advice for women who want to become an anchor/journalists? I would say to keep going and to focus on points that matter today especially matters people don't want to freely discuss or getting it out there. I think it is important to fight for rights, freedom of speech and free writing. So I advise them to stay strong and continue doing what they believe in and not to accept any negativity from any corner. What kind of role do you want to do the most? I want to make a difference in today's world. I want to be an example of what is really important and to encourage people to never give up on their dreams and goals they believe in. And to embrace and love yourself. Who is your role model or ideal in the acting industry? I have always had great admiration for sectors and actrices who worked hard. Some of my role models are Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. I like how their acting is so natural and at the same time they are parts of projects to make a difference. Tell me about your best quality as an actress? I act very naturally. I can cry on the spot If I have to and switch to any other emotion real quick. When I get a part in a movie project, I don't only read the script and my lines, but I also imagine this person's life and I need to be "this person" to represent this person with honour. What are the tips to become a successful actress? Work hard, take classes and workshops. Learn new things. Read a lot. Practice a lot with colleagues. Work on yourself and believe in yourself and keep going. How will you handle your popularity? Actually, even though I like to act and do my own things I don't really focus on 'Fame". Because a lot of people want to be famous by acting, singing,.. that they lose the main goal is to be creative and to make art. I don't focus on popularity. If I am famous because of what I do, I believe that's a part of the job. But it's not my goal. However, I would be thankful for the fans because that means they love my work. What you have learned from your last acting career? To get where you want you need to challenge yourself.
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INTERVIEW
2020 has been the strangest of years, how did you find lockdown? Any lessons or discoveries? It was a test for me. The last two years had been really hard for me and most people but it made me hustle and work on myself even more because in the end if there is a problem, you need a solution. And I am not this type of person that waits and looks when the apple will fall from the tree. I love to work and push my boundaries and limits. People always say the sky is the limit and this expression is wrong. There is no limit. After the sky comes space and other planets and way beyond so don't let a pandemic or any other unfortunate event discourage you or take you to the limit. You have to keep going. No matter how hard the situation is, you will always find a way. Tell me about your experience as a model. I used to work full-time as a model but that was many years ago. Today my focus lies different as well as I am more into businesses and acting. I had good and bad experiences in modelling but I learned from it and of the biggest lessons I would like to say is that love yourself because there is only one you and every one is unique. It doesn't matter if you are skinny, curved, yellow, pink,... Just be yourself and embrace that. I'm happy that the modelling industry is changing and is more focused on people. Because define "Model". Everyone is beautiful and no one is better than the other. What first piqued your interest in fashion and modelling? The freedom of being creative and invent yourself. What are your goals as a model? right now my goal lies in acting not in modelling. But if any interesting proposal I would not deny it. What are your greatest accomplishments so far? I am a business owner today and I fought hard for that. And I am happy I listened to myself and kept fighting. So that makes me kinda proud of myself. If all people go right, I go left I am this type of a person if I believe in it. What’s the one habit you have that changed your life for the better? I used to defend myself and argue or convince people otherwise. Now I stay quiet observe and listen but in the end, I decide for myself. There is no point in wasting energy that you can use for useful things. What’s something people would be surprised to learn about you? Well , I am sure most people didnt know most of the things about myself that I am sharing with you today. I always work behind the scenes. What people dont know they cannot ruin.
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JENNYPACKHAM FALL 2022 READY-TO-WEAR
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Nele De Groodt
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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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