Editor's Picks
Omega & Crawford: An Ambassador, an Exhibition and Two New Models
Editor's Picks
Omega & Crawford: An Ambassador, an Exhibition and Two New Models
During this pre-Internet era, the rites of passage from childhood to adulthood seemed a lot less demanding. Sure, we spent far too much time on the phone (landline, of course) discussing the hottest new productions on MTV or what to wear to the next edition of the Reverberation Club (the name of my hangout du jour), but trolling was yet to be invented and peer pressure to acquire the latest disposable goods was a lot less prevalent. As we turned 18, among my group of friends at least, the standard gift from parents was a piece of jewellery or a wristwatch, and the default brand for the latter was Omega. It, therefore, seemed a natural fit when, in 1995, the model of the decade became the first ambassador for the company that launched a bunch of wannabe Cindy Crawfords into the adult world.
The New Age
And indeed, twenty-two years on, Crawford’s parallel values, as well as her dedication and involvement with the company’s image and philanthropic activities have resulted in her becoming Omega’s longest-serving ambassador. She refers to the partnership as: “An incredible relationship — in fact, I’ve been with Omega longer than I’ve been married.” Along the way, the brand has entered the lives of Crawford’s entire family, with husband Rande Gerber and children Presley and Kaia joining her on official trips to the Olympics and Kaia visiting Peru to witness first-hand the work of the Orbis International Flying Eye Hospital that Omega sponsors. It, therefore, came as a natural progression when on 29 September this year, during Paris Fashion Week, Crawford’s children were announced as Omega’s latest ambassadors.
With a solid roster of long-term partners ranging from Nicole Kidman and George Clooney to Eddie Redmayne and Michael Phelps, 18-year-old Presley and 16-year-old Kaia are clearly charged with bringing a new generation of potential watch buyers to Omega. The hottest runway star of 2017, Kaia who matches her mother in terms of physical beauty, is set to be a leading light in modelling. Confident and articulate, she is also one of the more refreshing role models to have emerged from the fashion world in recent times.
The announcement of the partnerships, was made by Aeschlimann and accompanied by a new set of portraits of the family taken by Peter Lindbergh. During torrential rain and an electric storm that lit up the skies of Paris, Crawford used the launch event to introduce the latest edition of Omega’s Her Time exhibition celebrating more than a century of women’s watchmaking by the Bienne-based manufacture. Highlights included the “Medicus” from 1935, specifically designed for doctors and nurses, several tiny Art Deco cocktail pieces, some crazy 1970s watches and jewellery and exquisite pièces uniques designed for the brand by Andrew Grima and Gilbert Albert.
Blast from the Past
Days prior to Omega’s announcement of the two new brand ambassadors, Crawford took to the same Milanese runway as her daughter Kaia when, in tribute to the late Gianni Versace, Crawford closed the Versace show, along with fellow 1980s/90s supermodels Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell, Helena Christensen and Carla Bruni. The event and its subsequent publicity brought back memories of the famous and game-changing, plunging red Versace dress that Crawford wore to the Oscars in 1991 when she accompanied her then boyfriend Richard Gere.
Her Time is on display at the Hôtel de Sully from 30 September – 15 October 2017