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Day: 5 May 2022

Chanel reveals Cruise Collection 2022 at Monte-Carlo Beach

by: Cassandra Tanti
05/05/2022

Legendary fashion house Chanel presented its Cruise Collection 2022 at the Monte-Carlo Beach on Thursday, a series of designs inspired by the Grand Prix, tennis, and the glamorous Riviera.

Chanel on Thursday kicked off its first international Cruise show since Creative Director Virginie Viard made her debut at the head of the label in 2019.

Around 400 guests were seated on deck chairs at the Monte-Carlo Beach as models navigated a sandy catwalk to showcase 67 new looks from Viard, including the cornerstones of Chanel – tweed suits and two-tone shoes, but also outfits inspired by the Grand Prix – checkered patterns, flags, logoed pilot helmets, and F1-style jumpsuits; as well as chic tennis looks, and metallic trousers.

The Monte-Carlo Beach was the stage for Chanel’s Cruise Collection 2022 debut, image source: screenshot of Chanel video

Celebrity guests included actress Kristen Stewart, a Chanel ambassador since 2013, Vanessa Paradis, Tilda Swindon, Sofia Coppola, G-Dragon, and of course Charlotte Casiraghi, who has been an ambassador and spokesperson for the House since 2021.

Viard had invited Sofia and Roman Coppola to direct a film trailer of the collection. It was released publicly on Thursday to coincide with the runway show. It features actress and brand ambassador Lyna Khoudri, as well as models Blesnya Minher, HyunJi Shin, Mariam de Vinzelle and Vivienne Rohner. It showcases everything the Riviera is famous for – hot days by the pool, sunsets on the terrace, tennis matches and boat trips. It also features archival images of Gabrielle Chanel on the French Riviera, the brand’s campaigns imagined by Karl Lagerfeld in Monaco, Grace Kelly in a tweed suit, Princess Caroline on the Rock, Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington in sequined jackets, and Charlotte Casiraghi posing for Inez & Vinoodh.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CdLZtXsutVN/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

American designer Coco Chanel is credited with starting the concept of Cruise Collections in 1919, showcasing off-season fashion for affluent women who vacationed in places like the French Riviera in search of mid-winter sun. This region has since been a constant source of inspiration for the luxury French label.

The show was followed by lunch at the Maybourne Riviera, ending with a sunset dinner at La Vigie, the neoclassical villa once home to Karl Lagerfeld.

See the collection trailer below…

 

image source: screenshot of Chanel video

 

 

 

Video: Prince takes electric lorry for a spin around Monaco

by: Stephanie Horsman
05/05/2022

The recent Ever Monaco Salon took a decidedly regal turn as Prince Albert II made an appearance… at the wheel of an electric truck to emphasise his commitment to cleaner, greener transportation options.

The Ever Monaco Salon, which ran from 27th to 29th April, was in full swing when Prince Albert made a surprise appearance, traversing the streets of Monaco between the Place d’Armes, the Palace and Fontvieille at the wheel of Volvo FE Electric lorry. This playful move was a hit with attendees and the public, and showed just how committed to soft mobility options the Sovereign truly is (see video below).

The Ever Monaco Salon, this year held at the Big Top, is an annual event dedicated entirely to renewable energy, electromobility and more recently alternative powering of marine craft.

Running for 17 years, the 2022 edition attracted 60 exhibitors and 30 start-ups, inviting guests to join them in round table talks, problem solving, networking and even a “Ride & Drive” area where the latest e-vehicles could be tested out.

Some known brands released the latest from their factories, including the Yoyo Xev, an electric city car practically invented for Monaco. Nearby was the first hybrid retrofit of a vintage vehicle, a 1954 Sunbeam Alpine, a car immortalised by Princess Grace when she took the wheel of one in Alfred Hitchcock’s To Catch a Thief. There was also a retrofitted bus put out by REV Mobilities.

Retrofitting was a much talked about theme at this year’s Ever. A bit like recycling for cars, it means taking a vehicle that runs on an internal combustion engine and making it electric, a sensible idea in this era of skyrocketing petrol prices and uncertain sources.

There were also new models, with a big emphasis on working trucks. Alongside the Volvo driven by the Prince, there was also the Cogebat, a 100% electric model made by Renault. Renault also had the D E-Tech models on display equipped with four batteries, two on the right side and two on the left side with a range of 250km, or even more with some alterations. Electric rubbish trucks are now a particularly popular option for municipalities with 500 to 600 being constructed for delivery this year according to Franck Gaillard, pre-sales engineer at Renault Trucks.

Click on the link below to see the video:

https://www.facebook.com/VolvoTrucksFrance/videos/1314682579017540

 

Photo source: Volvo Trucks

 

 

 

 

Prince Albert II Foundation appoints new director to Board

by: Stephanie Horsman
05/05/2022

Sally Yozell, an expert in linking environmental threats with national, regional and global security, has been appointed to the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation Board of Directors, it was announced at the annual meeting.

Sally Yozell is the Director of the Stimson Centre’s Environmental Security Programme. On 29th April during the 32nd Board of Directors meeting at the Yacht Club of Monaco, in the presence of Prince Albert, his Foundation confirmed her appointment to the Board.

“The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation has a long and impressive record of advocating for cleaner oceans, marine biodiversity, and the safety of communities threatened by climate change,” said Sally Yozell. “It is an honour to join the Board of Directors and I look forward to contributing my expertise, linking natural resource protection to economic, food, and environmental security for coastal communities and countries around the world alike,”.

Her research has focused on wildlife protection, ocean and climate security, and the impact of environmental threats on national, regional and global security. She has a history of working with the Prince’s Foundation, having done so when she was at the US State Department to work on getting concrete marine conservation commitments during the Our Ocean conferences as well as during the creation of the Ross Sea sanctuary in Antarctica.

Additionally, during Monaco Ocean Week 2022, the Stimson Centre and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, alongside the Ocean Climate Platform, co-organised the Sea and the City conference, dedicated to coastal resilience solutions to the effects of climate change.

The Board of Directors also confirmed funding for 11 new projects this year in areas of priority for the organisation. These new projects are added to the over 720 projects that have been supported by the Foundation over the years, exceeding €90 million in financial assistance.

In addition to the General Assembly meeting, Foundation Vice-President Olivier Wenden, Executive Director Romain Ciarlet, and Emmanuel Calça, Administrative and Financial Director, as well as the auditors presented the moral and financial reports for the financial years 2020 – 2021.

 

 

 

Roca Team go down swinging in Euroleague classic

by: Luke Entwistle
05/05/2022

AS Monaco Basketball, in their debut Euroleague season, came agonisingly close on Wednesday to causing one of the greatest upsets, ultimately losing their series against Olympiacos after a nail-biting fourth quarter (94-88).

History and experience counted against the Roca Team going into the fifth and decisive leg of their five-game series against three-time Euroleague winners Olympiacos. In their debut season, which has surpassed all expectations, the Roca Team would have to defy a daunting statistic – the home side have won each of the last 14 fifth-leg tie deciders. But as Sasa Obradovic pointed out pre-match, “Stats are made to be broken”.

Amidst a fiery atmosphere, quite literally at times, in the Peace and Friendship Stadium in Greece, defences reigned supreme in the first-quarter. If Monaco were to prevail, their big names would have to turn up. Mike James (24) and Paris Lee (14)  got on the scoresheet early-on, the latter particularly prolific in the opening two-quarters.

Taking a slender advantage from the first-quarter, Monaco looked to have the Greeks on the ropes in the second. The Principality side’s strength-in-depth once again revealed itself as Yakuba Outtara arrived on the scene, finding space outside the key and finishing with a ruthless edge.

Prior to the match, Outtara said that Olympiacos “will tremble” at their own court; the Frenchman took things into his own hands in ensuring that was the case. Having grown a lead of 11 points at one point in the second-quarter, Monaco were pegged back by a Thomas Walkup (17) three-pointer in the dying seconds, but still headed back to the dressing room with a seven-point advantage (41-48).

On the cusp of an upset, Olympiacos needed to respond, and immediately set about doing so in the third-quarter. Walkup was once again at the heart of everything that was good from Olympiacos as they reversed the deficit (55-56). Yet still, Monaco refused to lie down, Dwayne Bacon (12) and Danilo Andjusic (5) responded with hoops from outside the key, before a James three-pointer on the buzzer gave the Monégasques a cherished four-point lead to cling onto.

It is in moments of adversity that the great lean on their experience to prevail. Few have more experience than Kostas Sloukas (15), and his performance was pivotal in the dying stages. Monaco were still standing, but their punches were no longer landing and the Olympiacos onslaught was irresistible.

The depiction of a nightmare for any opposition: Sloukas, outside the key and with time, the ball launched, the hoop found, the game over. The stadium erupted, the relief palpable amongst the fervent home crowd. There may still have been time on the clock, but everyone in attendance felt it; that was the sucker punch (89-83).

Monaco’s valiant, daring effort ultimately ended in defeat (94-88). They may not have been able to defy the odds one final time, but they can hold their heads high.

Lest we forget, Monaco will compete in the uppermost echelon of European basketball again next season, and Obradovic is already plotting how to take his team to the next level. “I am very proud of my guys, who played a huge match tonight. Naturally, we’ll need time to reach Olympiacos’ level, but we are only at the beginning of constructing something.”

If this is only the start of the construction process, then the end product could be a truly formidable force.

 

 

Photo source: AS Monaco Basketball

 

 

 

Self-employed workers are on the rise in Monaco

by: Stephanie Horsman
05/05/2022

Monaco counted over 5,500 self-employed workers at the end of 2021, a solid increase of 4.7% over the previous year. Men are heavily represented in this category, equalling over 70% of the independent workers in the country.

According to the latest report by Monaco’s statistics body IMSEE, the self-employed are on the rise. In the year 2021, 5,544 people were signed on as independent contractors in the Principality, a healthy increase of 4.7% on 2020.

The service sectors account for 94.2% of all independent contractors. The wholesale trade sector has the highest number of self-employed workers, accounting for 15.5% of the total, followed by the specialised activities sector, which includes designers, translators, photographers and the like with 12.9%, and management consultancy activities which comes in at 9.3%. In all three of these sectors, there was a climb in the number of people involved over the previous year equalling 37.7% of the total number of self-employed.

Even some of the smaller trades for freelancers, such as motor vehicle sales, which accounts for 1% of the overall, saw a 13.7% increases in the number of self-employed workers.

Men account for 3,966 of the self-employed, and women are 1,578 in number, making this type of employment overwhelmingly male dominated in 2021, though the proportion of women has steadily risen, going from 27.9% in 2018 to 28.5% in 2021.

The average age of a self-employed person is 50.7-years-old, roughly the same as in 2020. The 45-54 age group is the most represented at just under 30%. The gender breakdown suggests women are slightly younger, 48.7-years-old, than their male counterparts who average 51.5 years of age.

Over 80 nationalities make up Monaco’s self-employed, though the French are the most represented, followed by the Italians who are roughly a quarter of the total number. Monegasques are third, coming in at 14%. These proportions are similar to those of previous years.

Though women are represented less overall, there are certain activities where they dominate. Hairdressing and beauty are one such occupation, with 79.7% being female. Paramedical professions come up roughly evenly split with women having a slight advantage at 50.5%.

At the other end of the spectrum, taxi drivers and those in architectural and engineering activities are almost exclusively male at 90.6%, with motor vehicle sellers even higher at 92.2%.

 

Photo by Evgeniy Surzhan on Unsplash

 

 

 

ASM preview: “We’ve given ourselves the right to dream”

by: Luke Entwistle
05/05/2022

AS Monaco midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni told the press on Wednesday that Monaco have given themselves “the right to dream” at the end of the season, whilst Philippe Clement struck a wary tone.

The press assembled in La Turbie on Wednesday for a pre-match press conference ahead of Friday’s trip to reigning champions LOSC Lille.

Having fought back from the brink after a disappointing March, Tchouaméni admitted that he had doubts about bouncing back to launch an assault on the Champions League places, but is grateful to be in the fight for the podium.

The Frenchman told Monaco Life, “Honestly, every season has its own story. If you had asked me after the defeat against Strasbourg if we would have won seven in a row, honestly, I wouldn’t have believed you. Now, we have given ourselves the right to dream. We have three games left, starting with an important match against Lille. Away from home, that will be a difficult match.”

That is the objective for Tchouaméni, who has often been linked with a move away from AS Monaco, but who would nonetheless like to play Champions League football with the Principality side next season.

“The elimination in the play-off round last year stuck in my throat. Playing Champions League football with Monaco isn’t something that would displease me.”

Only three “finals” stand between Monaco and Champions League football next season. They are only outside of the podium on goal difference, whilst the two teams ahead of them, Rennes and Marseille, must still play against each other. In all likelihood – although it isn’t completely guaranteed – Monaco will qualify should they win their remaining fixtures.

Clement, however, is wary of Friday’s opponents Lille, who despite losing 3-0 against Troyes in an ill-tempered match at the weekend, are nonetheless the reigning champions of France. “I’m not too fond of facing teams when they have just lost a match,” admitted Clement.

“They will want to show a reaction. Lille are also strong at home, where they have only lost three times all season… so I’m mistrustful of this opponent.”

Clement will likely be able to count on the same side that won 2-0 against Angers on Sunday. Monaco Life was present at training in La Turbie on Wednesday and can report that Ruben Aguilar, despite seeming to come off with a niggle over the weekend, did train with the group. Gelson Martins and Cesc Fabregas are still absent, and neither will make the trip to Lille.

Tchouaméni says that the recent seven-game run has given them the “right to dream”. It is now in Monaco’s hands to make that dream a reality.