FRANCE: Louis Vuitton, Cacharel, Gaultier amongst designers creating the perfect Christmas tree for charity

Record ID: 230968

  • Title: FRANCE: Louis Vuitton, Cacharel, Gaultier amongst designers creating the perfect Christmas tree for charity
  • Date: 19th December 2008
  • Summary: PHOTOGRAPHER TAKING PICTURE DETAIL OF DESIGNER CHRISTMAS TREE VARIOUS OF AUCTION TAKING PLACE (SOUNDBITE) (French) MICHEL NAVA, MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC, SAYING: "During this crisis period, this is a good way to forget all about it. If something like this didn't exist, poor people would be left on the side, and maybe I'm exaggerating but it would be very hard for them." VARIOUS OF AUCTION TAKING PLACE
  • Embargoed: 3rd January 2009 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: France
  • Country: France
  • Topics: Entertainment,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVA1XP0I7GNAZVH55E69O9O3BX03
  • Story Text: Famous designers design and sell their Christmas trees for charity.
    Every year before Christmas in Paris, designers and architects are called in to design and build their a christmas tree.
    Famous designers were asked to imagine and to create an art piece with the help of young architects which were displayed at the "Cité de l'architecture", opposite the iconic Eiffel Tower.
    The art pieces were then put up for auction and the proceedings went for charity.
    This year designers such as Louis Vuitton, Cacharel, Norman Foster, Versace and Jean-Paul Gaultier all had their own Christmas tree.
    Gaultier sticks to tradition when it comes to Christmas trees. He said, although his interpretation was made of plastic strings in his colours, white and blue, he loves the smell of the real tree:
    "The smell of the Christmas tree is fabulous you know, sometimes you can even not see the Christmas tree but smell it. No, the best smell is the smell of the money that it will give all those Christmas trees for Aids foundation." he said.
    This year, the total amount went to an association which cares for families and children hit by AIDS and HIV.
    Despite the global recession and the recent financial crisis, people were bidding away:
    "During this crisis period, this is a good way to forget all about it. If something like this didn't exist, poor people would be left on the side, and maybe I'm exaggerating but it would be very hard for them."
    said one participant, Michel Nava.
    The auction raised a total of 101,000 euros (148,000 USD), the biggest amount ever collected since this event was created 13 years ago.
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