Organisers of the Amber Lounge Monaco Charity Fashion Show have announced a partnership with Monte-Carlo Fashion Week and the Monaco Fashion Council, making this year’s event truly homegrown.
The 2021 Amber Lounge Monaco Charity Fashion Show will be held during the Grand Prix weekend, on Friday 21st May at the Grimaldi Forum. The event will showcase both local Monaco brands as well as international brands who pay tribute to Monaco with environmentally sustainable collections.
“We are delighted and proud to be working with Monte-Carlo Fashion Week and the Monaco Chamber of Commerce,” said Amber Lounge CEO and Founder, Sonia Irvine. “We are excited to work with their charismatic teams as well as designers both local to Monaco but also those who strive to design sustainable collections, a first for Amber Lounge. The show will truly be a dynamic show of fashion and motorsport combined.”
Designers include local favourites such as Inessa Creations Monaco, Beach and Cashmere Monaco, Laura Spreti and JFC Style Authority Menswear. International designers include Ymaginaria and Pasquini Roma.
The Fashion Show will also feature a charity auction that will benefit Caudwell Children who support physically and mentally disabled children and their families. Lots up for grabs include the chance to stay at the Hatt et SöNER where a personal champagne vintage will be created just for the winner, a stay at a magnificent Whistler Canada ski chalet for 12, a specially commissioned painting by artist Arunas Rutkus, an African Safari in Kenya, a Michael Schumacher 2021 one-kilo gold coin, and a regenerative health experience on a private island in Thailand, to name but a few.
Amber Lounge is a staple of the Grand Prix circuit, being widely regarded by many as a pioneer in F1 nightlife experiences.
TV Festival screening to launch debate on lion farming
This year’s Monte-Carlo Television Festival will host the premiere screening of Lion’s, Bones and Bullets, a hard-hitting animal rights documentary that reveals the underbelly of what the world thinks is ‘lion trophy hunting’ but, in reality, is the mass production, commercialisation and domestication of Africa’s wildlife for “traditional Chinese medicine”.
The Monte-Carlo Television Festival is known for being a showcase for talented entertainment-industry professionals who have, over the past 60 years, created some of history’s most successful TV programmes.
But it also puts the spotlight on more serious, environmental topics. This year it is animal rights, namely, the exploitation of lions on the African subcontinent that are being cruelly raised for slaughter to make traditional Chinese “medicines” and potions.
A documentary entitled Lions, Bones and Bullets, produced by Jagged Peak Films, will be premiered in June at the Monte Carlo Television Festival through a collaboration between the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and the Festival organisers. It will be screened at the Grimaldi Forum.
Told through an adventure story, producer and investigator Richard Pierce travels from lion farms in South Africa to dealers in Southeast Asia “to uncover the elaborate wildlife con”. After presenting the problem, the film explores realistic alternatives.
“Lion farming and the increasing sale of lion bones to Asia involve exploitation, cruelty, injustice, misconception, fraud and corruption and is a threat to wild lion populations,” says Richard Pierce. “It is mind-blowing in terms of the huge negativity involved and it has no redeeming aspects. Lions are a flagship species. What happens to lion populations will be a major factor in determining the future of wild animals in Africa.”
The investigative documentary claims to uncover an elaborate international wildlife industry worth nearly US$100 million a year. Producers say it reveals, for the first time, the link between lion farming on an industrial scale in South Africa, and the growing demand and utilisation of lion bones in Southeast Asia.
“Lions, Bones and Bullets is a story that needed to be told,” says Executive Producer Anton Leach. “I realised not enough people know that lion farming is not just an emerging industry, it is a booming industry.
“We are honoured to have the world festival premier at the 60th Monte-Carlo Television Festival and believe this is the best forum to start a global debate about lion farming and the future of wildlife conservation.” Lions, Bones and Bullets has benefited from support by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.
“By denouncing the lion bones trade hidden behind hunting, it is a clear and vital wake-up call that is sent to the world, inviting us to open our eyes and rethink our relationship with nature in the respect of wildlife,” says Olivier Wenden, Vice-President and CEO of the Prince Albert II Foundation. Lions, Bones and Bullets will premiere on Monday 21st June at 7pm at the Grimaldi Forum during the Television Festival.
“Our Festival has always put environmental issues at the forefront, notably through the Prince Rainier III Special Prize, awarded to the best documentary dealing with these topics,” says Laurent Puons, CEO of the Monte-Carlo Television Festival. “We are convinced that this important screening will expose the secrets of the multi-million-dollar industry of lion farming to the world and open up a wide-scale ethical debate on the issue.”
Photo from the documentary Lions, Bones and Bullets
Excitement set to return to Monaco with Historic GP
Monaco is revving up to host its first major public event since the onset of the Covid pandemic, the Historic Grand Prix. Tickets are selling out fast for the late April race amid uncertain health guidelines and ongoing travel restrictions in France.
After it was forced to cancel the 12th Historic Grand Prix of Monaco in 2020, the Automobile Club of Monaco (ACM) is in full swing for this year’s event, with 170 competitors primed to compete and stands throughout the Principality ready to welcome fans.
It marks a major milestone for both the ACM and Monaco, with thousands of spectators set to fill the Principality, injecting some much needed energy into a country that thrives on hosting events.
But with less than 10 days to go, the government is yet to provide any specific health guidelines for spectators.
Meanwhile, France’s “light lockdown”, which includes a 10-kilometre travel restriction, is not due to be lifted until the first week of May. Therefore, it remains to be seen whether Monegasque authorities will actually prohibit French citizens from entering the Principality for the event.
It hasn’t stopped tickets from going on sale though and, according to the ACM ticketing website, there are on average only 10% of seats still up for grabs. Stands at Quai Albert 1er and Piscine Plongeur are close to sold out.
While it remains uncertain what health documentation spectators will be asked to provide, the ACM, when contacted by Monaco Life, suggested that negative PCR tests would likely be required, particularly for foreign visitors.
The Historic Grand Prix of Monaco will serve as a precursor to the Principality’s most famous and highly-anticipated event, the Monaco Grand Prix, which is set to take place less than a month later.
The 2020 edition of the Historic Grand Prix of Monaco was meant to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the creation of the World Formula 1 Championship. This year, the club will still pay homage and commemorate the first win for Ferrari in Formula 1.
For two and a half days, competitors will share their passion for competition at the highest level of motorsport, in real races, surrounded by the sounds and smells that characterise their cars.
Fans can expect a fight between “voiturettes” in the A Series; four iconic Maserati 250F models facing a diverse range of single-seaters with front engines in the B Series; a rich C Series with sports cars; and F1s from the 1960s in the D Series.
One third of the E Series will consist of cars powered by 12-cylinder engines, Ferrari, Matra and BRM, in addition to the F Series with three former Grand Prix drivers and a multiple winner of Le Mans 24 Hours.
Last but not least, the G Series will host more recent F1s in a large variety of colours.
There will be seven races in total on a street circuit that is 80% the same as it was in 1929.
The 12th Historic Grand Prix of Monaco will take place from 23rd to 25th April. Tickets can be purchased online here.
Organisers of the hugely popular local event Top Marques have made the decision to cancel this year’s show and return in June 2022 for what it hopes will be favourable post-Covid conditions.
In the third rejiggering of dates this year, the organisers of the Top Marques Monaco announced on Tuesday that the show will be pushed from September 2021 to 8th to 12th June 2022.
“It has obviously been a difficult decision to make, but as it stands, conditions are not in place today for the event to be held with total peace of mind,” Salim Zeghdar, CEO of Top Marques said in a statement. “The lack of visibility and international restrictions still in effect have forced us to reluctantly postpone the 17th edition of Top Marques Monaco until next year.”
The postponement is a disappointment to visitors and a blow to the Principality, as the event is a big drawcard, bringing with it large international crowds, good press and a lot of money. But organisers are looking at the setback as a positive, allowing things to settle down on the health front to allow a more “normal” post-Covid environment.
“This new date will allow us to welcome our exhibitors and our visitors, many of whom come from abroad, in the best possible conditions,” Zeghdar said.
“My team and I are already working on the organisation of what we hope will be an exceptional edition. We are looking forward to promoting the luxury transport industry and its innovations throughout the Principality and beyond. We are preparing a number of surprises, as well as working on several novelties for the event, it’s going to be an amazing celebration of the automobile.”
Top Marques has been a Monaco staple since its first edition back in 2004. Called “the most exclusive automobile show in the world” by the New York Times, it is an annual luxury and supercar event attended by many of the car industry’s heaviest hitters.
The event features not just one-of-a-kind gems, but is also a showcase for innovative vehicles that may just turn into the cars of tomorrow.
Ticket holders can seek reimbursement from the same channels that tickets were purchased through, namely FNAC Spectacles or direct from the Grimaldi Forum.
The Philharmonic Orchestra of Monte-Carlo (OPMC) is continuing with its busy spring schedule, although some changes have been announced due to health restrictions.
On 15th April, the popular Musical Happy Hour event, this time featuring chamber music, has been pushed forward to 4pm rather than 8:30pm. The concert features musical interludes by Debussy, Takemitsu, Bax and Mereaux and will be held at Maison de France.
On the 18th April, a free concert featuring works by Bach will be held at the Saint-Charles Church at 4pm. Peter Szüts will conduct the orchestra and violinist Sibylle Duchesne Cornaton will be showcased.
Pianist Arcadi Volodos will be performing on Sunday 2nd May, but instead of the concert starting at 6pm, it will now have a 4pm start. Volodos will be playing a selection from Brahms, Clementi, and Schubert at the Auditorium Rainier III.
Another Musical Happy Hour will be performed on 4th May at 4pm rather than 6:30pm at the Auditorium Rainier III featuring chamber music by Chostakovitch and Mendelsohn and performed by well-known violinists, cellists and violists in the Principality.
An evening of piano with Jorge Gonzalez Buajasan will now be an afternoon on Sunday 3rd May. The concert, conducted by Stanislav Kochanovsky and featuring works by Chopin and Tchaikovsky, will take place at 3pm at the Auditorium Rainier III.
Also at the Auditorium Rainier III, pianist and artist in residence Alexandre Kantorow will perform pieces by Russian composers Glinka, Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky under conductor Jérémie Rhorer on 16th May at 3pm.
On 29th of May, renowned Monte Carlo Philharmonic conductor Kazuki Yamada will lead Elisabeth Leonskaja on piano and contralto Marie-Nicole Lemieux performing a concert featuring Berlioz and Brahms highlighting the dawn and summit of Romanticism. The show starts a 8pm at the Grimaldi Forum.
Rounding out the month of May, on the 30th at 6pm, Kazuki Yamada again conducts soprano Mari Eriksmoen, countertenor Matthias Rexroth, Baritone Adrian Eröd and the City of Birmingham Symphony Choir perform works by Bartok and Orff. This unmissable event will be held at the Grimaldi Forum.
For more information and tickets, visit the Philharmonic’s website at www.opmc.mc
In six weeks time, the Principality will host its most anticipated, most extravagant event of the year, the Monaco Grand Prix – a weekend that is as famous for luscious parties as it is the challenging race itself.
But this will be far from a normal grand prix.
With travel restrictions, strict health guidelines, weary suppliers and a pandemic that continues to rage throughout Europe, how on earth is everybody planning to pull this thing off?
To gain some insider insight, Monaco Life spoke to one of the Principality’s most successful F1 events organisers, Sonia Irvine, who for almost 20 years has entertained race fans, royalty, celebrities and the F1 fraternity at her events including the star-studded Amber Lounge and the Charity Fashion Show.
But to understand where Sonia Irvine and her colleagues are today, we must first journey back to that terrifying moment in time when the world stopped.
Monaco Life: When did you first get a sense of the impact that Covid would have on you and your business?
Sonia Irvine: I think we were in a little bubble in Monaco and we didn’t actually realise what was about to happen to the world. I flew to Australia for the Melbourne Grand Prix as I always do, to see the race, meet everyone and get the drivers ready for the fashion show in Monaco. I arrived at 1am Thursday, went into the paddock, then at 10pm that night a team member tested positive for Covid. I rearranged my flight home immediately and flew out the next day along with a few of the drivers and team members. I spent the whole journey working out a survival strategy, because I thought this pandemic is going to be big; there’s no getting away from it. What happened when you returned to the Principality?
I returned home and the next day I met with various team members, advising them that I had to let them go. It was around eight consultants. As part of the strategy, I kept a core team of people who could multi-task, reducing our costs but still maintaining our capabilities to run events and concierge services.
We waited for an announcement about the Monaco Grand Prix, hoping and praying that things may improve. But eventually it was confirmed that the race was cancelled.
By that stage, mostly everything had been organised – the Fashion Show, Amber Lounge, race viewing yachts, the after parties… in reality we were ready to go. Then our job was to un-organise all of our production, but the priority was to advise our clients immediately as to how we were going to deal with their bookings. It was an extremely stressful time for us all, but I don’t believe we had one single complaint which rests with my team for their handling of things and our clients for being very supportive and understanding.
Next in line to be cancelled was the Singapore Grand Prix, and then Abu Dhabi – again un-organising things and looking after client bookings was the order of the day.
We then used our free time to develop the brand, rethink our business strategy and rebrand as the Amber Group to include all of the activities we do. We brought some policies more up to date and looked to the future, always trying to remain positive with all the negativity around. It was not easy, but necessary. How many events would you normally organise during the Monaco Grand Prix?
We have a ‘Tour with Legends’ involving ex-F1 drivers which starts in Italy and finishes at the Monaco Grand Prix. We have Thursday race viewing, Friday night Fashion Show, Friday yacht party, Saturday and Sunday yacht race viewing, Saturday night yacht cocktail, and then our renowned Amber Lounge dining and after parties on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. Amber Group yacht race viewing at the Monaco Grand Prix The cancellation of those events must have defined a gut-wrenching 2020 for you.Did you expect things to be different in 2021?
Funnily enough, I did think that when we finally moved into 2021, everything would be okay. We didn’t think the impact of the pandemic would continue as long as it has, and I think most people felt the same. Maybe its self-preservation, the need to have something to look forward to, something to hope for.
2021 is here and it’s a little bit better, but it’s still not what we thought it was going to be.
We have amended our marketing material for the 2021 events so many times, our designer must be pulling his hair out. But we’ve no alternative other than to keep trying and be flexible, to push ahead with what we can do at that moment in time. The Bahrain Grand Prix only sold tickets to vaccinated or fully recovered fans. Imola in Italy will not be open to members of the public, and the Portuguese and Spanish Grand Prix look poised to welcome fans amid rapid testing arrangements. So, what are you preparing for in Monaco?
With regards to Monaco, no one is sure. We have heard the grandstands will run at between 25% and 50% capacity, but no one is really sure at this stage.
What we do know is that the Principality is determined for the event to go ahead in some form with strong health measures in place. Our job is to plan and prepare for every possible scenario… yacht race viewing, yacht cocktails for on board guests, terraces, dining, cruises, drinks packages, etc.
One thing is for sure – we will not be earning any money this year. But we need to deliver products to our clients who booked in 2020 and who want to come in 2021, and also new bookings for those who want to experience the Monaco Grand Prix. Prince Albert at the Charity Fashion Show Has the Prince’s Government given you any indication as to when you might be told the final conditions?
We were told we were going to hear something in early March, but this date was pushed back. It makes it hard for event companies, but to be honest I don’t blame them. Covid changes daily and if they make a decision too early, the situation could be better than expected when it comes to the event date. It is the nature of the beast. Amber Lounge is your flagship event, arguably the biggest party of the Monaco Grand Prix. Is it impossible for that event to go ahead this year?
We have always known that it would be impossible to run a full-blown Amber Lounge. If you look at it logically, music or bar set-ups are not even allowed in restaurants. Currently, we do not even know if we can have music on our terraces or yachts this year. So, to answer your question, I would like to say ‘yes’, but it’s probably a ‘no’.
What we can run, however, is dining with our drinks packages and we plan to do this on Friday alongside our fashion show and on the Sunday night straight after the Grand Prix. Charity Fashion Show at Le Meridien How are you planning to pull the Fashion Show together?
We are clinging on to the hope that the Fashion Show will go ahead, and we will combine this with dining and our drinks packages.
We have had sign-off from the Grimaldi Forum to run the show, according to very strict health measures. For example, our models must be at a certain distance from the first row, and we have spaced out the seating so there is one free seat between guests. We actually have floor plans for every eventuality. The fact that the Grimaldi Forum has been at the forefront of hosting safe events must play in your favour in these uncertain times?
Yes, it was a big incentive in moving the fashion show (from Le Meridien), because we needed to have the reassurance that if we say we are going to run something, then we do. The staff at the Grimaldi Forum have been super-efficient to work with; they’ve also been very specific about how to run a safe event and we have collected data from other events on their working practices and amalgamated this into our own Covid health and safety manual. Photographers getting pictures of celebrities at the Charity Fashion Show How many people would you normally have at a fashion show?
We normally have between 250 to 300 media and 300 to 350 guests. We obviously will not be anywhere near that this year. We have been told currently we can run with 165 seated guests and there will probably be around 80 media, however we have to wait and see for the final numbers closer to the event. So, what can we expect from this year’s Fashion Show?
We have confirmed our charity as the Caudwell Children and funds raised will help the charity provide services, equipment, therapies and treatments for disabled children. For the first time ever, we have an online pre-auction this year where guests are welcome to pre-bid on all items which will go under the hammer on Friday 21st May at Amber Lounge Monaco in the Grimaldi Forum.
We have also just signed a contract with Monaco Fashion Week to work in collaboration with them to bring some great brands and elements to the show. Inessa creations, a Monegasque designer, will showcase her swimwear collection. The theme is ‘Made in Monaco’, I planned it for last year, but it was obviously made for this year.
Gulf Oil International and Oribe hair care are also partners and its fantastic to have their support. It’s been an incredibly difficult year, but everyone I speak to has their silver lining. What is yours?
On a personal level, it was incredible to be able to spend so much time with my family, something I have never been able to do. It had its own stresses, as we had to home school as well as work, but it was amazing.
I was also lucky enough to have my father stay with me for three months and he celebrated his 80th birthday with us. I would never have dreamed I would have been able to spend that time with him and I am eternally grateful for that precious time.
The work silver lining? Well, it gave us time to stop and think about things in a different way, to change direction a little. The team became stronger and more supportive of each other. As for the future, we have lots of positive things to look forward too: a beach party around the Dutch GP, the Singapore GP, the Abu Dhabi GP with a new venue, private parties and a wedding. So, let’s see where this year takes us…
Photos by Amber Group
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Monaco Life: When did you first get a sense of the impact that Covid would have on you and your business? 
