Thursday March 21, 2013
Behind the scenes at Mercedes-Benz fashion shoot
By BERVIN CHEONG
star2@thestar.com.my
Roland Folger, president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Malaysia, strikes a pose with the new A-Class during the Mercedes-Benz Stylo Fashion Grand Prix 2013. The new Mercedes-Benz A-Class, the ‘star’ of a fashion shoot, turns heads with its impeccable form.
IT has been said that there is much similarity between fine fashion and a quality car. After all, the two offer impeccable designs in the most discerning way possible. The car you drive and the clothes you wear certainly define who you are – in more ways than you can imagine.
Drawing from this line of thought, Mercedes-Benz Malaysia recently scheduled a fashion shoot in collaboration with Stylo International. What was evident was the marriage of both style and substance: in the new A-Class car and apparel from designers featured during the Mercedes-Benz Stylo Fashion Grand Prix 2013.
If you don’t already know this, the new A-Class is a sporty, compact model from Mercedes-Benz. It is looked upon as the pulse of the current generation and the company hopes it will open up a fresh chapter for the compact car segment.
New endeavours
Roland Folger, president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Malaysia, explains: “The latest A-Class is a clear statement of the Mercedes-Benz brand’s new dynamism. In automotive development, it’s not often you get the chance to start with a clean sheet of paper.”
Folger goes on to emphasise that the model is completely new, down to the last detail. According to him, no other car in this specific segment comes close to being as expressive as the new A-Class.
Design and dynamism are obvious characteristics of the new A-Class – even at first glance. Thus, despite being a fresh model, you could say that the much-loved traits of a Mercedes-Benz manufacture are still present in the car.
Style-wise, all six of the models were clad in apparel by different designers. Folger states that AMG (a division of the company that engineers, manufactures and customises its vehicles) was involved in the development of the new A-Class right from the start.
“That says a lot about how they have lived up to their promise for quality, not only with regards to the car’s exceptional looks, but also in its equally exceptional driving dynamics,” he adds.
A super model
At the Mercedes-Benz fashion shoot which Star2 attended, we observed telegenic models posing with the new A-Class. Style-wise, all six of the models were clad in ensembles by various designers.
Amir Luqman, Ezuwan Ismail and Bon Zainal, plus selected labels from online fashion hub, Asia Fashion Inc were all featured in the visuals. While the three designers are from Malaysia’s foremost, apparel from Asia Fashion Inc hails from different countries across Asia.
The new A-Class will only be launched in Malaysia this September, but we had an exclusive sneak preview of the car. The visuals from the fashion shoot will be used by Mercedes-Benz Malaysia in its marketing campaigns during the official launch of the car itself.
The whole concept of the fashion shoot was to bring a young, fresh and edgy vibe to the unveiling of the car.
Dressed in good style: The shoot featured clothes by designers Amir Luqman, Ezuwan Ismail and Bon Zainal, plus selected labels from the online fashion hub, Asia Fashion Inc. One of the models, Justin Koit, 22, said that it was a very fun shoot.
“The whole experience isn’t like your normal fashion shoot in a photography studio,” enthused Koit, the only male model at the shoot. “With the presence of the car, it makes it all the more dynamic.”
Twenty-one-year-old Casandra Azman agreed: “I’m passionate about cars myself, so I found it to be extremely interesting. Besides, the clothes we all have on are absolutely gorgeous.”
Hairstyling and make-up for the models were provided by Shawn Cutler hair studio and Ling from Shu Uemura, respectively. In terms of location, the fashion shoot took place at the new Aloft Kuala Lumpur Sentral.
While Stylo has kept the locations of its past fashion weeks a secret before the actual dates, the hotel has been named in advance as the official venue and hotel for this year. Incidentally, Aloft will have its grand opening tonight, after the Mercedes-Benz Stylo Fashion Awards.
During the current Mercedes-Benz Stylo Fashion Grand Prix 2013, there was a special preview of the new A-Class on March 18. On that particular evening, guests were able to get a sneak peek at the car, brought into the hotel specially for their eyes only.
The models in action as they pose with the new Mercedes-Benz A-Class. > The Stylo fashion week, presented by Mercedes-Benz, celebrates the 15th Petronas Malaysian Formula 1 Grand Prix. Comprising galas, parties, competitions and fashion shows, it will run until March 23. The Star is the official media partner.
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