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Monaco to go zero waste for the fifth edition of MonaCollecte

by: Kyriaki Topalidou
04/03/2026

MonaCollecte, the Principality’s popular recycling and reuse drive, returns for its fifth edition from 6th to 7th March. 

Organised by the Prince’s Governments and the Société Monégasque d’Assainissement,  this year’s event centres on the theme of ‘Zero Waste’ and takes place at the Chapiteau de Fontvieille.

MonaCollecte’s purpose is to bring together residents willing to embrace greener habbits through a mix of collections, hands-on workshops and awareness activities.

A workshop for every interest

Visitors can choose from an impressive range of activities across the two days. Aspiring chefs can discover zero-waste cooking through creative recipes designed to cut food waste, while those with a crafty streak can try making their own reusable bread bags, homemade cosmetics, or plant pots from empty containers.

There is also a workshop turning advertising banners into pouches, another creating art from reclaimed cables and computer parts, and one where participants build a small object from scratch using recycled plastic.

For families, a VR workshop offers an immersive experience inside a sorting centre to learn how to recycle correctly, and an outdoor circuit lets younger children sort waste while riding tricycles and scooters. A drawing competition on the zero-waste theme will also take place.

Ocean pollution is also set to take centre stage during the event. In one of the workshops, participants will be able to rescue mârché sea creatures trapped in symbolic waste.

La Mairie’s stand

La Mairie will host two days of activities. On Friday, the Médiathèque Caroline will run a workshop making bookmarks from reclaimed fabric scraps aimed primarily at schoolchildren from 9am, before opening to the wider public until 5pm.

Then, on Saturday, the focus shifts to repair. In partnership with the Repair Café de Nice association, the Mùnegu Repair Café will be on hand from 10am to 6pm to fix everyday portable object brought in by visitors.

Alongside this, the Médiathèque Caroline will display its collection of zero-waste resources, run a second round of the bookmark workshop, and invite people to donate clean, good-condition tote bags to stock its fabric bag lending library.

The event runs from 10am to 7pm on both days with free entry.

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Main photo credit: Société Monégasque d’Assainissement

Italian fashion brand Twinset to show at Monte-Carlo Fashion Week

by: Kyriaki Topalidou
04/03/2026

Italian womenswear brand Twinset has confirmed it will present a new collection at Monte-Carlo Fashion Week, choosing Monaco as the setting for what the company describes as a new direction for the brand. 

The show is scheduled to take place on the final day of the event, 18th April, in the Grande Verrière space of the Grimaldi Forum.

Twinset will present a Ready-to-Buy selection aimed at the Côte d’Azur market, followed by a final of evening dresses. The brand, which earlier this year showed alongside Vogue Café during Milan Fashion Week, has been working to raise its international profile under chief executive Gabriele Maggio.

“Twinset possesses a distinctive creative heritage and extraordinary potential,” said Maggio. “We are shaping a solid and visionary development path, aimed at further consolidating the brand’s prestige on the international scene.”

The company was founded in Italy in 1987 and is known for its accessible luxury positioning, with a focus on knitwear and ready-to-wear.

Federica Nardoni Spinetta, President and Founder of the Chambre Monégasque de la Mode, said the Principality offered designers a credible platform for global exposure. “Monte-Carlo Fashion Week today embodies a spirit of profound renewal,” she said, “confirming its contemporary, dynamic, and global presence.”

About Monte-Carlo Fashion Week

Monte-Carlo Fashion Week has in recent years sought to position itself as a complement to the major fashion capitals, attracting international labels looking for an upscale setting outside the traditional Paris-Milan-London circuit. Every year the event draws buyers and press from across Europe and beyond.

This year’s edition will run from 14th to 18th of April.

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Main photo of Federica Nardoni credit: Gabriele Rigon

Interview: Photographer Franck Solimeis brings Japan to Monaco

by: Kyriaki Topalidou
04/03/2026

Le Méridien Beach Plaza has opened a unique photography exhibition called ‘Japan Highlights’, by self taught Monégasque photographer Franck Solimeis. Running until June 15th, it forms part of the hotel’s ongoing cultural programme. 

The show capture’s Japan contradiction, since it combines ancient tradition with relentless modernity. “There are villages where a samurai might appear and you wouldn’t even be surprised,” Solimeis tells Monaco Life. “And then there are cities where robots might serve you. That’s a huge contrast.”

Solimeis’ love affair with Japan was completely accidental. He first visited to see a close friend who had moved there, and found himself completely captivated, not just by the scenery, but by the social fabric. “They make small efforts that have enormous repercussions on their society,” he said. “For example, you don’t see cigarette butts on the ground. When you think about it, it makes complete sense.”

He has since returned three times.

One of his artworks, photo by Monaco Life.

Trains, temples, and long exposures

Among the works on show, his long exposure train photographs stand out. Taken over just a second or two, they capture light trails streaking through the frame — movement frozen in stillness.

“It’s a little experimental. You never quite know what result you’ll get,” he says.

However, the subject choice was deliberate: Japan’s railway culture is as iconic as its temples.

The train photograph, photo by Monaco Life.

In contrast to this modern approach, Solimeis has also photographed temples, capturing the unique silence that surrounds them.

Even on crowded days, visitors, locals and tourists alike move through these spaces with such respect that the calm never shifts or wavers.

The temple photograph, photo by Monaco Life.

The one thing, though, that sets his photographic style apart, is the respect he has when depicting Japan’s culture. It’s a photograph of a geisha, taken from behind, that truly transmits this message.

Uncomfortable with the way tourists typically crowd around geishas for close-up shots, he chose a different approach. “I never saw her face, and she never saw me. It’s a tribute to the beauty of how she’s dressed — the clothes, the make-up, the headdress. And a tribute to women, of course.”

The geisha photograph, photo by Monaco Life.

The exhibition also includes one work by his sister, Carole Micallef, a graphic painting depicting a figure blending Tokyo street style and geisha tradition.

The exhibition was also developed in partnership with Nicolas Dotta of Prime Estate Monaco.

Next stop: New York

For Solimeis, the exhibition is deeply personal. “I sometimes feel a pang of nostalgia here, missing certain places, certain dishes.” His next project, he hopes, will be New York. But Japan came first, and for good reason. “It’s truly my country of the heart.”

‘Japan Highlights’ runs at Le Méridien Hub until June 15th and with the opening reception taking place 10th March at 6pm.

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Main photo credit: Monaco Life

Polar science is advancing fast – but who’s paying for it?

by: Kyriaki Topalidou
04/03/2026

The science of the poles has never been more urgent. Ice sheets are shrinking, ocean currents are shifting, and researchers warn all of us that what happens in the Arctic and the Antarctic will impact life far beyond them. Yet for all the progress in understanding what is happening, there is a more awkward problem to address: money is running dangerously short. 

That was one of the most important challenges that emerged from this year’s Monaco Polar Symposium, held from 25th to 27th February at the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco.

“Conservation efforts, scientific research, and innovation in the polar regions come at a cost but remain significantly underfunded,” said Romain Ciarlet, Vice-Chairman and CEO of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, in his opening address. The figure he put on it was shocking: today, only 10% of polar research funding comes from private and philanthropic sources. The rest falls almost entirely on governments — many of which are tightening their belts.

“We have to make sure that private and philanthropic actors step up,” Ciarlet said.

Turning science into action

This current funding model is no longer sustainable. For that reason, the three-day event dedicated an entire working session to developing what it called ‘innovative funding models’ for polar research.

Then, a second session focused on something equally important: how to actually turn scientific findings into action once the money is found. Knowing what is happening at the poles and being able to do something about it, delegates advocated, are two very different things.

To that end, Prince Albert II referenced the Foundation’s Polar Donor Roundtable, an initiative designed to bridge the gap between, and help structure what he called “a continuum from science to funding, and from funding to impact.”

Whether that ambition can be matched with the appropriate funds remains an open question – and one that will only become more pressing as the countdown to the next International Polar Year, due in 2032-22, gets underway.

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Main photo credit: Monaco Life

Monaco United Women secure final four spot in Mediterranean Cup

by: Kyriaki Topalidou
03/03/2026

Monaco United Women pulled off a notable upset on Sunday, winning against FC Rousset to reach the Mediterranean Cup semi finals, despite competing two divisions below their opponents. 

The team kept a clean sheet for 90 minutes before edging through penalties, with goalkeeper Pauline Moitrel delivering an outstanding performance by producing two crucial stops as all Monaco United’s penalties found the net.

Playing away against a Division 3 side, Monaco United created several clear chances in the first half but were repeatedly denied by the Rousset goalkeeper.

“I think given the chances we created and how we controlled the match, we fully deserved this victory,” said coach Marco Simone. “But football is like that — when you don’t take your chances, matches inevitably become more complicated.”

Celebrating the victory after the game, photo credit: Monaco United

Penalties settled the match

When it came to penalties, Monaco United were composed throughout. Moitrel’s two saves proved decisive, and the result reflected what was a disciplined collective display against a considerably more experienced opponent.

Jade Prault, one of the key performers of the game, reflected on the achievement: “What a pleasure it is to win a match like this against teams that are stronger on paper,” she said. “In the first half we had several chances that unfortunately we didn’t manage to convert, but we stayed solid defensively all the way through, the penalties were taken brilliantly by each of the girls, and Pauline made the saves we needed. It’s fantastic to come away with a result like this.”

Monaco United will now host Division 4 side Hyères in the semi-finals on 5th April. But first, they travel to Mougins next Sunday in a league fixture, where victory would keep them top of the table.

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Main photo credit: Monaco United 

Powher to spotlight sport and health for this year’s International Women’s Day

by: Kyriaki Topalidou
02/03/2026

Monaco’s Committee for the Promotion and Protection of Women’s Rights will host its annual Powher event on 6th March at the Espace Léo Ferré, ahead of International Women’s Day on 8th March.

For its eighth year, the event will focus on inequalities in sport and healthcare, tracing them through the different stages of a woman’s life.

Since its creation in 2018, the committee has run 15 awareness campaigns, supported seven laws passed by the Conseil National, published 14 studies through the IMSEE statistics institute, and trained 1,159 people in areas ranging from receiving victims of violence to preventing sexism in the workplace.

“The inequalities remain in these areas,” said Céline Cottalorda, the Interministerial Delegate for Women’s Rights. “And that’s what we wanted to put in the spotlight this year, because these 8th of March events are also there to take into account, to understand, and to move these issues forward collectively.”

Visitors will be able to move through eight interactive workshops, each representing a life stage from childhood to old age, and also take part in a treasure hunt, collecting clues at each station to unlock access to a centrepiece installation on the main stage.

The event will open at 11am, with members of Monaco’s women’s football and rugby teams present, alongside club representatives.

During the press conference, photo credit: Monaco Life (From left to right, Corinne Lorenzi, Mr One Teas, Céline Cottalorda, Chloé Boscagli, and Aurelie Montet).

Mr One Teas artwork as the centrepiece

At the heart of the stage will be an original artwork by artist Anthony Alberti, better known as Mr One Teas. The piece takes the form of a finishing-line arch, through which visitors who complete the trail are invited to pass.

“The idea is that when we pass through the curtain together it means we will have covered a few more miles towards equality between women and men,” he said.

A photo exhibition by photographer Le Turk, featuring local sportswomen from six disciplines including judo, athletics, gymnastics, football, basketball and rugby will also be displayed throughout the venue.

The workshops will be run in partnership with the Mairie de Monaco, the CHPG hospital centre, and a number of local associations including Pink Ribbon, Zonta Club and the Red Cross.

The hospital will focus on medical conditions affecting women, such as endometriosis and cardiovascular disease, which are the leading causes of death among women worldwide, though frequently under-diagnosed.

Gender equality in sports

On the issue of sport, Cottalorda noted that inequalities begin early. “There are sports that still remain gendered, some aimed more at girls, others more at boys, when fundamentally nothing prevents a boy from doing dance or a girl from doing boxing or football.” She added that the gap in media coverage also has knock-on effects: “Less coverage means less sponsorship, and therefore lower salaries.”

She also pointed out to the broader picture. According to the United Nations, women currently hold just 64 per cent of the legal rights than men do worldwide. At the current rate of progress, the UN estimates it will take another 286 years to close the gap in legal protections. “The road is still very long,” Cottalorda said.

The Powher event runs from 11am to 5pm at the Espace Léo Ferré on 6th March. It is also set to close with a youth eloquence competition at the Conseil National from 6pm. Entry is free and open to all ages.

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Main photo credit: Monaco Life