The Monegasque Rugby Federation is organising the Sainte Dévote Tournament later this month at the Stade Louis II and this time the youth international sporting event will take place over two days.
The Sainte Dévote Tournament is the benchmark Rugby Sevens event for young rugby players under the age of 12. It bears the name of the Patron Saint of the Principality, and this year the 12th edition has been expanded to take place over two days, from 19th to 20th April at the Stade Louis II.
Backed by the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation, the prestigious international competition will bring together 24 teams from 21 different countries. The Blue Bulls of South Africa will come to defend their title in Monaco against familiar countries including Mauritius, the United States, France, India, the Ivory Coast and Jamaica.
Beyond the sporting aspect, the tournament aims to promote the notions of generosity, solidarity and respect.
Antoine Zeghdar sponsor of the 2024 edition
This year, French Rugby Sevens international star Antoine Zeghdar is sponsoring the tournament. Last March, the Monaco native won the Los Angeles World Tour tournament with the Blues before taking out Hong Kong a few weeks later.
“I am very honoured to be the sponsor of the Sainte Dévote 2024 Tournament,” said Antoine Zeghdar in a statement shared by the Monegasque Rugby Federation, “this international competition for young people is a beautiful moment of rugby in which I participated for a long time as a volunteer and which allowed me to meet great players.”
Highlight: the Olympic Qualification Tournament
The Sainte Dévote Tournament will be marked by the draw of the Olympic Rugby Sevens qualifying tournament which will take place from 21st to 23rd June at the Stade Louis II. Here, 24 men and women’s teams will discover their future opponents for the Paris 2024 Games. Several personalities will be present including the Vice-President of World Rugby John Jeffrey alongside Antoine Zeghdar.
With Monte-Carlo Fashion Week on the horizon, Monaco Life speaks to Founder Federica Nardoni Spinetta about her motivation in creating the fashion event, its successes and its future.
Italian-born Monaco resident Federica Nardoni Spinetta founded the Chambre Monégasque de la Mode in April 2009 to federate and bring together Monegasque designers focusing on creativity and innovation. In 2013, she created the Monte-Carlo Fashion Week (MCFW), an annual event to showcase Made-in-Monaco brands and attract the participation of both well-established and emerging designers from all over the world to present their creations in the alluring vitrine of the Principality.
The upcoming12th edition of the MCFW, from 22nd to 26th April, promises to be captivating and responsible. It will feature a combined program of conferences, fashion shows, and the prestigious Fashion Awards Ceremony, which recognises trailblazers, creatives, and eco-friendly personalities for their outstanding contributions to the fashion industry.
Federica has a knack for scouting new talents and those with the most potential. Several emerging designers and budding fashion photographers who received the MCFW Fashion Awards were put in the spotlight and later gained worldwide fame.
Monaco Life spoke to Federica Nardoni Spinetta to learn about what inspired her to switch from a career in finance to the fashion industry, her plans for the 12th edition of Monte-Carlo Fashion Week, and how she encourages new designers to step on to the catwalk, encourage them to launch their first collection, and have the chance to be recognised by their peers.
Monaco Life: What are your plans for the upcoming 12th edition of the MCFW?
Federica Nardoni Spinetta: The MCFW 2024 will kick off with a cocktail reception at City Hall on Monday 22nd April. It will be followed by conferences at the prestigious Yacht Club of Monaco, including a ‘Face to Face’ with Italian businessman Federico Marchetti, founder of the Internet retailing company Yoox Net-a-Porter Group. Marchetti successfully combined the exclusive nature of luxury fashion with the full accessibility of the Internet.
Princess Charlene of Monaco and Princess Gabriella with Federica Nardoni Spinetta (left), and Rosanna Trinchese (right) at MCFW 2021. Photo credit: Daniele Guidetti
The highly anticipated MCFW Fashion Awards on the evening of Tuesday 23rd April will commence with a fashion show by Stella Jean, an Italian fashion designer of partial Haitian origin. Stella Jean returns to the MCFW, opening the runway shows program with her vibrant and energetic collection, which the awards ceremony immediately follows.
On Wednesday 24th April, fashion lovers can attend the fashion shows on the Observatory Deck of the Yacht Club of Monaco. The designers in the program are Gracey Owusu-Agyemang, Beach & Cashmere Monaco, Victoria Silvstedt Collection by Marli Dresses, A’Biddikkia, Leslie Monte-Carlo, Mami Oka, and Les Dessous de Monaco. The runway parade will culminate on Friday, April 26th, with a fashion show at the Salle Leo Ferre in Fontvielle with a fashion show by designer students from Central Saint Martins in London, with scenography by students from Pavillon Bosio, School of Fine Arts of Monaco, under the direction of Thierry Leviez.
Can you tell us about your professional career?
I was born in Alassio on the alluring Italian Riviera and have been residing in Monaco with my family since 1996. I have been actively involved in the economic and social life of the Principality for over 25 years. I graduated from the Bocconi University in Milan with an Honours degree in Economics and Management with Specialisation in Corporate Finance. My professional career started at KPMG Milan, where I worked with textile/fashion and oil enterprises. I have been a Financial Director and Member of the Board of an Oil Company for many years, and today, I remain a consultant.
Alberta Ferretti Fashion Show at the YCM, MCFW 2019, photo source: MCFW
What inspired you to venture into the fashion industry?
I have always been passionate about fashion. For me, fashion is an art form, as it allows you to express yourself as a designer or through your style with whatever you choose to wear. I started designing and creating clothes when I was 16-years-old, and at the same time, I did some modelling. In 2005, I founded the Monegasque brand Beach & Cashmere Monaco, reflecting the Principality’s cutting-edge, chic, and glamorous spirit.
Throughout the years, I designed sustainable collections such as ‘Save the Ocean’, produced with renewable fabrics and materials recovered from the sea, to raise awareness about the need to love and protect the ocean and, by extension, our ecosystem.
What were your objectives in creating the Chambre Monegasque de la Mode in 2009?
When developing Beach & Cashmere Monaco, I had the idea of bringing together the Made-in-Monaco fashion trademarks already existing in the Principality. In April 2009, collaborating with two other long-standing Monaco brands, Elizabeth Wessel and Banana Moon, we founded the Chambre Monégasque de la Mode, or Monaco Fashion Council, which I preside over. Today, we are celebrating its 15th anniversary, a significant milestone!
The mission of the Chambre Monegasque de la Mode is to position Monaco as an essential player in the world of fashion while highlighting the value of Made-in-Monaco designers along three axes: Circularity and Sustainability, Multiplicity, and Education.
R.Calcagno, Beatrice Borromeo, HR Alexandra Hannover, Tatiana Casiraghi, Federica N. Spinetta, Andrea Casiraghi, Celina Lafuente de Lavotha, Mireille Pietri, MCFW 2017
What inspired you to launch the Monte-Carlo Fashion Week (MCFW) in 2013?
I created Monte-Carlo Fashion Week, which became the official fashion event of the Principality, to reach the crucial targets we had set for the Chambre Monégasque de la Mode and establish Monaco as a relevant fashion stage. We are already in the 12thedition of the MCFW, which will run from 22nd to 26th April. It promises to be not only glamorous but responsible, offering a marvellous show of the latest trends in fashion by well-known and emerging designers from Monaco and the world over, who present their creations in the vitrine of the Principality.
Why did you dedicate the MCFWto the Resort, Cruise, and Capsule collections?
The MCFW follows the international fashion calendar, and Monaco is an attractive seaside destination. Therefore, we selected the Resort and Cruise collection and Spring-Summer Capsule SS2025.
You may call it Resort, Cruise, Pre-Spring, or Holiday, which are variations of the same term and refer to a particular set of garments you would take on vacation. Easy-going, lively, breezy fabrics, alluring bathing suits, pareos, and sun hats — simply put, a collection dedicated to the dolce far niente of the summer holidays. It is the chance for designers to use this intermediate season to reconceptualise their creative vision in a more wearable way.
We realised that many designers were keen to present a collection specifically dedicated to the Principality, inspired by the glamour of Monte-Carlo. We also decided to introduce the capsule collection, which consists of clothes with a specific colour palette that can be mixed and matched in different ways to create multiple outfits.
Do you regularly attend other Fashion Weeks like Paris, Milan, etc.? What helpful information can you learn from these events to apply to MCFW?
Going to shows during fashion weeks is essential and very enjoyable. My main objective is to consolidate the relationships with brands already in our network and connect with new ones while discovering emerging talent.
We work closely with Camera Moda Italiana and the British Fashion Council, so I am a regular at Milan and London Fashion Week. I also had the opportunity to participate a few times in the Paris Fashion Week.
Do well-known brands and emerging designers participate in MCFW?
The MCFW is a showcase for renowned international brands and young designers worldwide to display their latest collections.
Our team selects emerging designers based on their creativity, vision, and potential. We provide a comprehensive package to encourage them to show their first collection on the Principality’s runway and become visible to their peers and the public.
Federica Nardoni Spinetta, Naomi Campbell, Andrea Casiraghi, MCFW 2017
Could you tell us about new designers who launched their brand at the MCFWand later became famous?
We at MCFW have a defined mission to support young designers and have a knack for discovering new talents.
In 2018, we invited Rahul Mishra, a young and motivated designer from India, who was honoured with the MCFW Sustainable and Ethical Brand Fashion Award. During the India Couture Week in 2019, the designer unveiled his collection, which was dedicated to and inspired by the Principality, as a recognition of that award. Mishra has now become one of the most celebrated designers whose collections grace the catwalks around the globe.
In 2017, the young, brilliant photographer Nima Benati received the MCFW Emerging Talent Fashion Award, sharing the stage with Naomi Campbell, Andrea Casiraghi, and his wife Tatiana. In 2019, Benati entered the famous Forbes 30 Under 30 in the art and style section, and she is now a highly recognised photographer.
In 2018, we honoured Kazakhstani photographer German Larkin with the MCFW Emerging Talent Photography Fashion Award, recognising his talent and creative vision. He has now become renowned for his work as a social and fashion photographer for Vogue Italy and is one of the industry’s most influential and successful photographers.
How does MCFW promote responsible fashion?
I believe in responsible fashion, an approach to producing and using clothes and accessories to reduce the fashion industry’s negative impact on the environment and society. One of the main goals of my brand, the Chambre Monégasque de la Mode, and the Monte-Carlo Fashion Week is to focus on eco-friendly and ethical fashion and help raise awareness of the importance of protecting our planet and its life.
Through the MCFW, we proudly support Monegasque brands while offering international fashion designers and personalities of the prestigious Principality of Monaco with various venues to present their collections. We also provide a forum to discuss the importance of responsible and circular fashion, from design to fabrics, production, supply chain logistics, retail, consumption, and disposal strategy.
We launched the Sustainable Contest in 2020, and the winners to this date have been Desserto with his cactus-based innovations, ACBC, a leader in applied sustainability for the fashion and textile industries, Verabuccia, dedicated to innovative production processes to create a new material from the recycling of vegetal peel, and Regenesi, giving new life to post-consumer materials.
Beach & Cashmere Save the Ocean collection, photo source: MCFW
What else can you tell us about the highly MCFW Fashion Awards?
During the MCFW Fashion Awards Ceremony on Tuesday 23rd April, the designers and fashion personalities who have distinguished themselves with their ethical and innovative vision and lasting contribution to the fashion industry will be honoured. The winners’ names will be unveiled that evening, and they will join the ranks of past award recipients.
What are some some of the brands and celebrities in fashion who have received MCFW recognition?
During previous editions, the MCFW recognised many brands and personalities such as Naomi Campbell, Alberta Ferretti, Philipp Plein, Etro, Fausto Puglisi for Roberto Cavalli, Rahul Mishra, Stella Jean, Edward Enninful, Gilberto Calzolari, Genny, Chiara Boni, Matteo Ward, Sara Sozzani Maino, Desserto, Tommy Hilfiger, German Larkin and Nima Benati.
How do you see the MCFW evolving?
I believe MCFW still has considerable potential. Our combined program of conferences, fashion shows, fashion hubs, pop-ups, and awards ceremonies is creative and exciting. My dream is to organise a bi-annual edition of MCFW in the future.
Frédéric Genta, Monaco’s Attractiveness Minister, has begun a multi-stop tour of Asia, beginning in Macao, with the goal of promoting the virtues of the Principality among the continent’s community of UHNWI investors.
Genta is in exciting and uncharted territory. As Monaco’s first-ever Minister of Attractiveness, Development and Digital Transformation – a post created in 2022 – he is charged with broadening the horizons of the Principality beyond its borders and engaging a global interest in the workings and offerings of his home state.
Macao marks the start of a trip through the Asian continent for Genta. Photo credit: Galaxy Entertainment Group / Communication Department
Touching down in Macao, often referred to as the Las Vegas of Asia, on 16th April, Genta has begun a flying tour of prominent Asian destinations, including Hong Kong and nine Chinese cities in the Guangdong province, with the purpose of courting potential investors and building new business relationships.
WHIRLWIND TOUR
The first stop of the tour saw Genta meet with representatives of the mega-casino owners Galaxy Entertainment Group, a company that already has ties with Monaco through its 5% stake in Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer (SBM). The two entities are said to have explored new business opportunities, as well as cultural endeavours, together.
During the next stage of the visit, Genta will be partly joined by Monaco’s Ambassador to China, Marie-Pascale Boisson, and the pair are set to meet with key players in an array of Chinese cities.
When compared with other European nations, Monaco has a notably different approach to Chinese investors. The Principality has always shown itself to be open to new connections and has publicly embraced Chinese culture.
One perk or perhaps an incentive offered during Genta’s tour will be the opportunity to join the exclusive Monaco Private Label (MPL), a network of just 2,000 business powerhouses from 60 countries. This enticement will be very attractive to many Chinese investors, who are often excluded from these kinds of groups in the West.
“We hope Monaco can be a European base for many of them,” said Genta.
RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA
Galaxy’s billionaire owner, Francis Lui Yiu Tung, is particularly keen to establish stronger ties with the Principality, saying of the trip that it will, “bring our city-states closer through collaboration in tourism, technology, gastronomy and the arts”.
For the Chinese, the long and stable political and economic history of Monaco is a draw, as is the fact the nation is increasingly open to doing business overseas and domestically.
The digital industry is booming in Monaco thanks to an explosion of digital businesses setting up shop in the Principality in the last 10 years. More than 110 new digital companies joined the books in 2023, a year that saw the sector produce close to €1 billion in revenue.
Monaco’s dynamic digital economy is the focus of a new report by the Monegasque Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (IMSEE).
The study, which was published earlier this week, highlights the massive growth experienced by the sector in the past decade as well as its developing status as a major employer in the Principality’s private sector.
FAST-GROWING
There were 1,031 digital companies operating in Monaco in 2023, up over 4% on the previous year and nearly 75% more than there were 10 years ago. In real numbers, this means that 112 new digital businesses were founded in the Principality last year.
Around a half of Monaco’s digital businesses are dedicated to the fields of advertising and communication, owing to a big jump in the need for specialised design work in recent years. Nearly 40% represent information and communication technology (ICT), while content and media make up the rest.
Perhaps the most striking feature of the digital economy in Monaco is that it generated €947 million in revenue in 2023. That is a €19 million gain on the previous year, with ICT showing the strongest growth in revenue; it produced €598 million over the course of last year.
Content and media, though down by almost €19 million, recorded a turnover of €209 million, while advertising and communication noted growth of just over 8%, bringing in €138 million.
2,082 people were in employment in the local digital sector in 2023, 160 more than the previous year, with ICT leading the pack with 1,478 employees. Advertising and communication account for 298 people, and content and media businesses have 294 workers on their books.
The industry is male-dominated, with the typical profile of an average worker being a 41-year-old French man living in the Alpes-Maritimes.
In 2023, there were 1,480 men employed in the sector versus 602 women, making the digital sector nearly 10% more male-heavy than the private sector average.
Though nine in 10 of digital sector workers are recorded as living in France, with most coming from the Alpes-Maritimes, nearly 10% are Monegasque.
Canua Island, a floating party destination designed to anchor off the coast of the French Riviera and host up to 350 guests a day at its restaurant, bar and onboard pool, finally looks set to launch in May.
The desired location for Marc Audineau and Tony Philp, who came up with the Canua Island concept more than four years ago, had always been the Bay of Cannes, but local officials were less than keen on the idea.
In March of last year, the longtime mayor of Cannes, David Lisnard, sent a letter to the then-French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, asking her to intervene in any way possible to stop the project in its tracks and prevent it from dropping anchor near the City of Film.
Environmental concerns, worries about visual and noise pollution, fears over safety issues due to the bay’s busy pre-existing shipping lanes and unease with the lack of regulations for this type of development were all cited by the city’s councillors as factors to consider. The City Council ultimately came together to vote unanimously against Canua Island.
Canua Island’s management were forced to postpone a summer 2023 launch and instead prepared to have their case heard at the Administrative Court of Nice in August.
The ruling went in Audineau and Philp’s favour, with an order coming down that the State must issue the required navigation permit. But this did not happen.
In November, a second ruling affirmed that the decision of the State to withhold this permit was illegal. According to the Nice Matin, State officials had refused to issue the authoristations on grounds “absolutely unrelated to the safety of the vessel and for reasons linked to illegitimate instructions from the Secretary of State responsible for the Sea”.
According to Le Figaro, Audineau claims that he and his partners are nothing more than the victims of a “political vendetta”.
Canua prepares to cast off
With the court rulings in hand, Audineau is reportedly preparing for an imminent launch.
“We will operate from May,” he said in comments published by the Nice Matin. “We are in the process of recruiting.”
A crew of around 100 will be needed to ensure the level of safety and service promised by the Canua Island team and its backers.
Although no precise date in May has been confirmed, nor a specific location, Canua Island is currently docked in a shipyard in La Seyne sur Mer, where it is undergoing a series of maintenance works to ensure it is ready for a summer of sailing.
The idea is that, in the future, Canua Island will welcome guests via tender for seven months of the year. The floating island will offer 1,750m2 of floor space, shared across a restaurant, rooftop bar and poolside deck.
Its designers claim the vessel has a carbon footprint three times smaller than a Vendée Globe yacht, conserves 100% of its wastewater and recycle all waste materials produced on board, is equipped with a desalinator to limit its reliance on water supplies on land, and will maintains the upmost respect for the Mediterranean’s flora and fauna by anchoring in suitable places away from important seagrass fields.
The rains and heavy snowfall experienced in the Alpes-Maritimes over the winter have given local groundwater levels a much-needed top-up, helping to ease fears of another summer of severe water restrictions.
According to a report put out by Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur authorities in March, there was considerably more precipitation than usual in the region in the first quarter of this year.
Data recorded by Météo France, the national meteorological service, indicates the same: 1,070mm of rain fell in the region during Q1, noticeably more than the average of 740mm.
The excess rainfall means that local water tables and watercourses are at higher levels than those seen in the past two years. At the Pont Napoléon III bridge, which crosses the Var River near Nice Côte d’Azur Airport, water levels are currently a full 500mm higher than this time last year.
The Soil Humidity Index, a tool used to measure the ability of soil to supply moisture to plants, is also reported to be above the norm, and now that spring is here, the snowmelt from the mountains to the north will also positively contribute as the runoff finds its way into the water tables further down the valleys.
Furthermore, the Alpes-Maritimes department has been able to lower its drought action plan level from ‘alert’ to the lower ‘vigilance’ stage, with no current plans to raise it. This contrasts to 2023, when the department was already at alert level by March.
Despite the optimistic outlook, state authorities remain cautious and are continuing preparations for another excessively hot and dry summer, which is being predicted by researchers from Météo France. As temperatures have been above average for much of April, the prospect seems realistic enough.
Among the measures being considered for later in the year are restrictions on water usage at local golf courses, which alone could help save 500,000m3 of water, the equivalent of 200 Olympic sized swimming pools.
Still, the most effective way to prevent water emergencies is the continued watchfulness of the population, with the public being urged to use water responsibly throughout the coming months.
