It’s the A.G.E. of Shayne Oliver for COLMAR was launched to a host of industry, VIPs, influencers and the fashion cognoscenti at a glittering party and presentation to coincide with the launch of Milan Fashion Week on the 18th September 2018.
The fashionable and the tastemakers descended on the glorious Dazio di Ponente, Arco della Pace in the centre of Milan, with Barbara and the B2B Media team in attendance.
Following what can only be described as a surreal morning journey to Milan, which featured derailed trains, a fire evacuation from the airport and then fast tracking our way onto a then fairly bumpy plane, we landed in Milan and headed to our accommodation.
As Barbara and Michelle took the reigns with the global press lined up by B2B Media for exclusive interview slots and a private presentation of the collection with Mr. Colombo and Shayne Oliver, the wider B2B team explored the wonderful city of Milan, taking in the sites and a hearty Italian lunch of pizza and pasta (whilst in Rome/Milan and all that)….
Following a day of back-to-back interviews with the world’s leading fashion press, Oliver co-hosted the party of the season with COLMAR’S Colombo family.
The presentation was a departure from what you would expect from a luxury, heritage brand known for their impressive technical functionality, with Oliver and his wider creative team of James Garland and Ian Isiah injecting spectacle in the form of individual stages. One entirely mirrored room had A.G.E. clad models lounging and creating a kaleidoscopic image, snow was scattered on old carriage wheels, saddles, barrels and benches with models looking decidedly modern ‘Wild West,’ accessorised in cowboy boots and stetsons representative of the references that Oliver had drawn for the debut collection. Another futuristic room had glowing chairs and a monochrome vision which demonsytrated the construction of the out-of-the-park garments, which had been inspired by the Colmar archives, which go back almost 100 years. The versatility of the collection could be seen in the paired back styling, teaming jackets with jeans for a more casual look.
From the offset the party was bustling! Model Duckie Thot took to trying on looks directly from the presentation, with influencers Andrea Marcaccini, Linda Tol, Marc Forne, and Niki Wu Jie all taking in the occasion. Influencer and DJ’s Sita Bellan, Siobhan Bell, The Spaghetti Boys ensured that the guests were in good supply of sounds, whilst the mixologists created no-end of wonderful drinks (which one or two of the team may have over indulged in).
The reputation of the Italians was proven true with the event catering, which was delicious and never ending – we consumed delicate hotdogs, mini ‘cheese burgers’, nuggets of white chocolate, cotton candy and what, we think, was a burnt sugar candy.
The following day we headed back to London and into the office, full of delight from the night before.
Thank you to the COLMAR family for having us and to Barbara for flying us out and hosting us in Milan!
Team B2B.