Sunday, 13 April 2014  -  13 Jumada Al-Akhir 1435 H

SAUDI GAZETTE

Haute couture, cuisine & cars

Left: Italian Consul General Simone Petroni (right) talks during the “Fashion and Motor” event organized by the Italian Business Group. Left: IBG Chairman Bashar Jabban; Right, top: Saudi and Italian businessmen, diplomats and other guests had been invited to the evening-long celebration of Italian culture; Right, bottom: Luxurious cars were the centerpiece at the IBG “Fashion and Motor” show. — Courtesy photo

Selma RothSaudi Gazette

JEDDAH —  What better way to promote Italian culture than through fashion, cars and food? This thought must have crossed the minds of the Italian Business Group (IBG) board members when they decided to organize their first major event since the establishment of the group in July 2013. You could even say that after a nine-month pregnancy, the IBG has finally launched with a mind-blowing “Fashion and Motor” show that will stay in the memory of the approximately 300 people who attended the spectacle for quite some time.

Following months of preparation, the IBG stood firm at the event held in one of Jeddah’s compounds with an impressive list of sponsors, from prestigious Maserati cars to Manuel

Supermarket and from Jade Jewelry to Hatem Alakeel’s Toby thobes.

Chaos and lack of security personnel forced visitors to queue up to 40 minutes to enter the premises, but for most of them the show was well worth the wait. After all, you don’t get to see luxurious Lamborghini and Maserati cars as well as a world-class fashion show in one blink of an eye all too often, let alone in this country.

Patience, however, was rewarded with an array of colorful Lamborghini cars at the entrance. The company, represented in the Kingdom by Al Ghassan Motors, recently debuted its new, 610-horsepower Lamborghini Huracán at the 2014 Geneva Auto Show, which at $200,000 will be Lamborghini’s most affordable model once it is released at the second quarter of this year.

Competitor Maserati, represented here by FAST Auto Technic Co., stood right next to it with its fleet of luxury cars. The Italian manufacturer began a transformation last year to become a serious player in the premium sports car segment, while its flagship Quattroporte was the best-selling model in 2013 and Saudi Arabia as one of the region’s fastest growing markets.

The fashion part was taken care of by famous Italian designer Antonio Grimaldi, who had been flown into the Kingdom with his latest collection of evening gowns. His models, trained on the spot by ex-model Cristina Tamer, were accompanied by sleek gentlemen wearing stylish “Toby” thobes, designed by local star Hatem Alakeel. Makeup and hair had been professionally done by Toni & Guy. The whole show was hosted by Jeddah legend’s Bandar Mardini, who moved smoothly through the evening.

Invitations had been sent to people involved in Saudi-Italian business sector, Italian nationals, diplomats, and other selected guests for an evening-long celebration of Italian culture. Hence, some finely cooked Italian food could not be left out. Brand-new restaurant Porto Cervo was in charge of that job. Although it has yet to open its first branch in the Kingdom, on Jeddah’s Sultan Street, the restaurant’s Italian cooks were well-prepared to serve the most delicious lasagna, gnocchi and pizzas sprinkled with Parmigiano cheese especially brought in from Italy for the occasion.

The event, nonetheless, went beyond the slightly superficial food for the eyes  and stomach. (Or are we too skeptical to think cars and fashion are just that?)

Referring to the presently growing awareness that we need to promote a sustainable lifestyle to save the planet and human race, Italian Consul General Simone Petroni noted the participating companies’ acknowledgement that even high-end brands have to contribute to the creation of a better world. “So my idea is that the companies that are represented here tonight are responsible not only for shaping a society based on elegance, based on culture, based on style — all the things which made Italy famous in the last years; they’re also completely involved in this process toward a more sustainable or ecological and just world for all.”

He added: “I think this is the vision that we, the IBG friends, share as a powerful vision for the future and also as a mission worth to be engaged in.”