FUSE  THE  WORLD’S  LEADING  ELECTRIC  VIOLIN  DUO  CELEBRATES  WGSN  AND  SWAROVSKI  ELEMENTS  GLOBAL  FASHION  AWARDS  

 

   WGSN,  the  global  authority  on  style  and  design  trends,  hosted  the  second  annual  Global  Fashion  Awards  in  New  York  City.    The  Awards  were  created  in  2010  to  recognize  and  reward  innovative  international  talent  and  achievement  within  the  fashion  industry.  The  Global  Fashion  Awards,  with  a  panel  of  judges  and  industry  tastemakers,  nominated  a  carefully  selected  shortlist  of  brands  and  designers  for  sixteen  categories.    Special  guest  presenters  announced  the  winning  nominee  in  each  category  at  a  celebratory  champagne  reception  and  gala  dinner  at  Gotham  Hall,  1356  Broadway,  New  York,  NY  10018.    The  world’s  leading  electric  violin  duo,  FUSE’s  Linzi  Stoppard  and  Ben  Lee  wowed  guests  with  their  stunning  brand  of  visual  and  musical  entertainment.  Linzi  and  Ben  are  the  only  violin  group  to  be  sponsored  by  Swarovski  Elements,  who  produced  an  exclusive  one-­‐off  pair  of  Swarovski  Crystal  violins  to  celebrate  the  release  of  FUSE’s  album.      

   “The  Global  Fashion  Awards  is  a  truly  global  event.  Attracting  entries  from  countries  such  as  the  USA,  the  UK,  Israel,  China,  Norway,  Australia,  Japan,  China,  India,  France,  Mexico,  Brazil,  Italy,  Sweden,  Spain  and  Hong  Kong.  With  an  impressive  judging  panel  this  is  the  only  award  that  celebrates  innovation  and  excellence  on  a  unique  peer-­‐to-­‐peer  platform.”  Lauretta  Roberts,  WGSN  Global  Fashion  Awards  Director.  

 SWAROVSKI  ELEMENTS,  as  a  committed  supporter  of  emerging  talent  and  creativity,  were  the  partner  of  the  evening  and  supplied  the  beautifully  crafted  Global  Fashion  Awards’  trophies  for  the  prestigious  2011  SWAROVSKI  ELEMENTS  Fashion  Award.      “Swarovski  has  always  recognized  excellence  in  fashion  and  design  right  from  the  time  our  company  was  founded  in  1895.  It  is  for  this  reason  that  we  feel  we  are  natural  supporting  partners  for  the  2011  WGSN  Global  Fashion  Awards.    We  are  delighted  to  be  able  to  continue  to  support  and  nurture  outstanding  emerging  talent,”  said  Nadja  Swarovski,  Vice  President  of  International  Communications  &  Creative  Director,  Swarovski.    Gotham  Hall  was  decorated  with  bespoke  installations  made  with  SWAROVSKI  ELEMENTS.  The  FUSE  performance  was  the  perfect  compliment  to  this  exclusive  event  performing  hits  from  their  rock  anthems  album.  The  FUSE  Signature  Swarovski  violins  are  the  most  expensive  electric  violins  ever  made,  each  violin  has  over  50,000  crystal,  individually  applied  by  hand.      Linzi  Stoppard  and  Ben  Lee  launched  these  incredible  works  of  art  to  the  world’s  media  in-­‐store  at  Harrods  at  a  press  call  where  the  stunning  instruments  were  later  displayed  in  a  bullet  proof  case  on  the  iconic  Egyptian  escalator  for  everyone  to  see.    

   The  special  guest  presenters  included  Whitney  Port,  Brad  Goreski,  Coco  Rocha,  Mary  Alice  Stephenson,  Ariana  Rockefeller,  Fern  Mallis  and  Eugenia  Silva  alongside  Nadja  Swarovski,  Anna  Sui,  Stephanie  Winston  Wilkoff  and  host  Robert  Verdi.  Liam  Gallagher,  Jessica  White,  Ann  Dexter  Jones  and  Charlotte  Ronson  were  just  some  of  the  evening’s  attendees.  Award  winners  included:    Most  Influential  Designer,  Womenswear:  Erdem  Breakthrough  Brand  or  Retailer:  Pretty  Green  Best  Etailer:  Net-­‐a-­‐Porter  Breakthrough  Designer:  Michael  Cinco  Most  Influential  Designer,  Footwear  and/or  Accessories:  Acne    For  further  information:    The  Global  Fashion  Awards  visit  www.globalfashionawards.com  FUSE  Swarovski  Electric  Violin  Duo  www.fuseofficial.com