Swiss watchmaker IWC Schaffhausen hosts an exclusive bash at Cannes to celebrate its timepieces and the film industry and Hedi Slimane will shun a fashion show in favour of a showing to select buyers for his debut collection for Yves Saint Laurent.
Actors Robert De Niro, Ewan McGregor and Gerard Butler, along with model Karolina Kurkova and photographer Peter Lindbergh, were among the stylish guests at Swiss watchmaker IWC Schaffhausen’s star-studded Filmmakers Dinner, held during the 65th Annual Cannes International Film Festival.
The event was hosted at the iconic Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc – playground of the rich and famous in Cannes – and was attended by hundreds of celebrities from around the globe.
IWC’s Friends of the Brand, including ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ star Eric Dane, author Paulo Coelho and gallerist Tim Jefferies, were there to celebrate IWC Schaffhausen and its Hollywood heritage.
“Every director tells a story with his films. At IWC, storytelling is the basis or, to be more precise, part of the DNA of everything we do,” explained Georges Kern, CEO of IWC.
IWC timepieces, which are manufactured in Schaffhausen, have shared screen time with actors in Hollywood blockbusters including ‘Wall Street’, ‘Ocean’s 13’ and ‘RED’.
The watches, which have been produced since 1868, have also appeared on stars in hit TV series ‘Grey’s Anatomy’, ‘Private Practice’ and ‘Gossip Girl’.
Following the dinner, guests moved on to the Filmmakers Party, where another 200 personalities joined in the festivities.
Treating everyone to a private performance was soulful superstar Aloe Blacc, who also presented a duet with former Supertramp band member John Helliwell.
Continuing on was DJ Jack E from Saint-Tropez, who had guests partying till the early hours of the morning.
Check out RESCU’s photo gallery of the glamorous evening here.
Watch all the action from the night below, including interviews with the celebrity attendees sharing their thoughts on the IWC watches that grace their wrists.
The French designer – who was named as the French fashion house’s new creative director in March, replacing Stefano Pilati – has invited buyers to see his spring menswear and women’s cruise collections in late June/early July.
However, the public will have to wait until September for the launch of his womenswear spring/summer 2013 range at a catwalk show during Paris Fashion Week.
Paul Deneve, chief executive officers of Yves Saint Laurent, recently said Hedi’s appointment is the start of a ”promising new chapter” in the history of the company, but Pierre Berge, a former partner of YSL, has warned the designer has his work cut out at the fashion house.
He explained, ”It’s a great problem, very complicated, to recreate the work of a genius. Like trying to rewrite Faulkner. To put your stamp on the name of Yves Saint Laurent requires someone who has talent, conviction, rigor, a demanding nature and a great sense of colour.”
However, Pierre thinks Hedi is up to the task saying, ”He is a man of talent who can preserve the genius and legacy of Yves Saint Laurent.”
