ITC. “Fashion of the Vine Project”. An Exclusive Event with Guy Lalibertè

Diana Del Monte (March 10, 2012)
The Italian Trade Commission’s Fashion of the Vine Project brought selected wines from Feudi di San Gregorio winery to Kiton’s atelier for an exclusive fundraising event: Astro-tourist and founder of Cirque du Soleil Guy Laliberté presented his book GAIA, the proceeds of which went to “One Drop Foundation,” Laliberté’s charity for sustainable access to clean water.

“It’s a privilege to go there. When I was up there, there was some very specific moment when I was looking at the Earth in perspective of the universe.”
 

These are the words in which Guy Laliberté, founder of Cirque du Soleil, world-class competitive poker player and first astro-tourist in the world, described his 2009 trip in outer space. Laliberté took 149 pictures of the Earth as seen from above with a basic Nikon D3X, using different types of lenses. His photo-album is now a book: GAIA.

The book is in fact more than a simple catalogue of images: “The notion of ‘curated’ was thought to put together something that will touch people, not only the picture but also text that has very fundamental value to humanity”.
 

Laliberté describes himself as the curator and not the author.
 Having paid $35 million for a 12-day trip to the International Space Station (ISS), Laliberté defined his experience a “Poetic Social Mission.” The extra-terrestrial sojourn of the “first clown in the space”, as he has been called since, was meant to raise awareness on drinking-water shortage.

Last February 9, the Italian Trade Commission joined the Italian fashion house Kiton, Whitewall Magazine and Assouline for a special event celebrating Guy Laliberté’s exhibition and book and Whitewall’s Winter 2012 luxury issue, which includes special features on both Laliberté and Kiton CEO, Antonio De Matteis.
 

The event featured a “Wines of Italy Bar” where wines from Feudi di San Gregorio presented by the Italian Trade Commission were available for degustation. The Italian Trade Commission’s initiative was a part of the “Fashion of the Vine Project,” fusing New York’s elite fashion houses and Italy’s wine top producers, in sophisticated sets including VIPS, celebrities and selected press.
 

The event was the occasion for the cherished Kiton clientele to celebrate the fine tailoring brand and to participate in a fundraiser for Laliberté’s “One Drop Foundation,” charity founded in 2007 to promote sustainable access to safe drinking water, while toasting Italian style and sampling specialty Feudi di San Gregorio wines.
 

Aniello Musella, Italian Trade Commissioner, explained the concept behind the “Fashion of the Vine Project” noting: “Italian Wine is fashionable. Those who value high quality, innovation, tradition and the creative process understand what MADE IN ITALY means whether it is presented on a runway or simply decanted.”

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