The 2008 Cadbury Chocolate Couture Collection Fashion Show: A World of Chocolate: Financial News

The 2008 Cadbury Chocolate Couture Collection Fashion Show: A World of Chocolate
Thursday November 6, 2008 7:00 am ET

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(MARKET WIRE)--Nov 6, 2008 -- Editors Note: Photos and a video are included with this press release.

Cadbury, maker of one of the world's favourite chocolate bars, Cadbury(1) Dairy Milk(1), combined two things women love most: chocolate and fashion, at the presentation of its 2008 Cadbury Chocolate Couture Collection, unveiled during the fourth annual Fashion Show.

Ten outstanding Canadian fashion designers were invited to seek creative inspiration from select countries around the world that share a passion for chocolate and a love for Cadbury(1) Dairy Milk(1). The result, revealed on the runway at the Carlu in Toronto on November 5th, was a diverse array of highly delectable couture creations - each featuring 100 per cent pure Cadbury(1) Dairy Milk(1) chocolate.

Show-Stopping Couture

Award-winning designers, such as Eugenia Leavitt of Eugenia Designs and Philip Sparks, niche specialists such as Karyn Gingras of Lilliput Hats and Ines and Veronica Di Santo of Ines Di Santo and hot names, such as Andrew Majtenyi, Stephen Wong and Kirk Pickersgill of Greta Constantine joined veterans Farley Chatto, Izzy Camilleri, Jim Searle and Chris Tyrell of Hoax Couture Studios and Rory Lindo and Kelly Freeman of Damzels in this Dress, as the creative collaborators in this fantastic, fourth annual Cadbury Chocolate Couture Collection Fashion Show. Canadian fashion designers, whose delicious couture creations have graced the stage in previous years, include Wayne Clark, Pat McDonagh, Franco Mirabelli, Sunny Choi and Izzy Camilleri.

The delicious evening featured exclusive performances by Simone Denny and Measha Brueggergosman and - two critically acclaimed Canadian divas. Measha Brueggergosman has garnered praise for her voluptuous voice, sovereign stage presence, and intuitive musicality. Canadian powerhouse vocalist Simone Denny is a dynamic, soulful diva who is internationally recognized for her distinctive interpretation of all genres of music, transcending all boundaries.

The audience of chocolate-lovers, fashion insiders and media enthusiastically expressed their appreciation for the sensational runway presentation and reveled in the performances by the evening's surprise guests - renowned Canadian soprano, Measha Brueggergosman and Toronto-born Broadway vocalist, Simone Denny.

Cadbury: A Taste for Innovation

The Cadbury Chocolate Couture Collection Fashion Show is a unique expression of Cadbury's ongoing commitment to leadership and innovation. Canada's first and original chocolate fashion show, conceptualized by Cadbury and brought to life by an expert team of Cadbury chocolatiers, under the direction of chocolate artist Jenn Stone, continues to demonstrate Cadbury's dedication to delivering superior quality, premium taste and show-stopping excitement.

"Designers who have participated in previous collections continually try to surpass the work we have developed in previous years," says fashion designer Farley Chatto, curator of the Cadbury Chocolate Couture Collection since its inception. "Each year, new designers consistently come up with the most fantastic creations and innovative applications of Cadbury chocolate. This year, we were inspired by the theme of a universal love of Cadbury chocolate and we really challenged the chocolatiers to invent new chocolate techniques to bring our ideas to life."

Each of the ten exquisite ensembles was created with a minimum of 70 per cent pure Cadbury(1) Dairy Milk(1) chocolate in varying cocoa intensities, from the creamiest milk to the richest dark chocolate.

Chocolate artist Jenn Stone says the astonishing intricacy and variety in this year's designs demanded ingenuity and improvisation. "For the Greta Constantine outfit, we developed a new technique to create chocolate that is as translucent and delicate as blown glass. To get a believable fur effect for Philip Sparks' Courier de Bois, we piped and spun the chocolate into a sort of candy floss texture." In addition to the usual molding, dipping, sculpting, beading, airbrushing and appliqueing in chocolate, this year's collection also necessitated the creation of pliable ropes and strings of chocolate, which Stone has christened "chocolate licorice" and "chocolate pasta," respectively.

"Now in its fourth year, the Cadbury Chocolate Couture Collection celebrates chocolate and fashion: two things women love most," says Lesya Lysyj, Executive Vice President Marketing, Cadbury North America. "We continue to be amazed by the incredible imagination invested in the development of the Cadbury Chocolate Couture Collection and the boundless appeal of chocolate and cutting-edge design."

Cadbury's World of Chocolate

Inspired by the global passion for chocolate, ten of Canada's top fashion designers applied their unique visions and their diverse design talents to the 2008 Cadbury Chocolate Couture Collection Fashion Show.

Farley Chatto: "Milky Stardust" Glam Rocker

Whether dressing Chris Noth of "Sex and the City," outfits for CBS "Survivor" sweethearts Ethan Zohn and Jenna Morasca or haute couture gowns for his international clientele, Ryerson alum Farley Chatto always thinks big. Curator of the Cadbury Chocolate Couture Collection since its inception, he's become quite adept at thinking in chocolate.

This year, Chatto celebrates the glittery Glam Rock era of 1970s Britain with a tribute to David Bowie. His outrageous music man sports a sexy, chest-baring "cage jean jacket" made entirely of strips of chocolate boned leather and adorned with Swarovski Crystal snaps. His "chaps" are covered with more than 600 milk chocolate, dark chocolate and nougat paillettes edged in 24K gold leaf. The spines of his feathered headdress are coated in luscious Cadbury(1) Dairy Milk(1) chocolate and jeweled Swarovski Crystals. Cadbury to the last detail, this sexy rocker's briefs are Cadbury-gold and Bowie's iconic purple lightning bolt completes this rock star!

Andrew Majtenyi: Celtic Coquette

Andrew Majtenyi has a well-honed flair for the dramatic. Having studied at Sheridan and George Brown Colleges in Canada, as well as at London, England's famed Central School of Fashion, he's apprenticed with the likes of the Shaw Festival's Vincenzo Cardone and Tony Award-winner Santo Loquasto. He's designed costumes for everything from ballet to Bollywood. Currently dividing his time between Toronto and London, Majtenyi has shown his collections at Fashion Weeks around the world, including Dubai, Zagreb and Prague, as well as showing at London Fashion Week each season. He sells his designs at Shoesette as well as Le Trou boutique on Toronto's trendy Queen Street West.

Chocolate that's been hand-piped and stenciled into elaborate Celtic patterns makes Majtenyi's Irish step dancer the sweetest ever seen. Her pert frock is accessorized with Cadbury, from the milk and dark chocolate tartan of her stockings to the delicate chocolate buttons on her wristlets.

Eugenia Designs: El Toreador

A designer to watch, Montrealer Eugenia Leavitt bested a particularly strong field to win this year's New Labels competition, held by the Toronto Fashion Incubator. Hoping to capitalize on her new-found fame and extend the reach of her frankly feminine, detail-oriented clothes to more boutiques across Canada, Leavitt happily took time out to join Cadbury's star-studded cast of designers.

Leavitt's vision for the 2008 Cadbury Chocolate Couture Collection is the passes-and passions-of the corrida. Her toreador outwits El Toro; not in a suit of lights, but in a sexy suit wholly airbrushed in Cadbury(1) Dairy Milk(1) chocolate. Her fancy footwork are matched by the flourishes of her bolero-a variety of chocolate balls, beads and buttons. Hand-piped chocolate creates the intricate filigree of her pants. Her cap is completely dipped in luscious dark chocolate. And yes, her cape is airbrushed in Cadbury(1) Dairy Milk(1) chocolate, too. It's a deliciously daring look, enough to distract the grumpiest bull.

Hoax Couture Studio: The Maharaja of Cadbury

Though lawyer Chris Tyrell and architect Jim Searle just launched Hoax Couture Studio two years ago, this dynamic duo has been producing high-concept, custom-made clothing for men and women for decades. Their attention-getting designs, available in boutiques across Canada and around the world, have attracted a diverse range of star clients, from Diana Krall and Dennis Rodman, to Keanu Reeves, Jada Pinkett and Will Smith.

Riffing on the limitless luxury and indulgence of India's Raj, the Hoax boys use hundreds of milk and dark chocolate discs to richly pattern their Maharaja's regal Cadbury-purple coat and Cadbury-gold pants. But the ultimate symbols of this potentate's exalted position are surely the giant chocolate jewels that stud his waistband and anchor his elaborate turban.

Greta Constantine: Thai Temptress

Greta Constantine is the "nom de mode" of two hot fashionistas: Kirk Pickersgill and Stephen Wong. Kirk Pickersgill, based in Italy, has honed his skills as a stylist for international designers including (transplanted Canadians) Dean and Dan Caten of Dsquared2. Also a guest teacher at Milan's renowned Istituto Marangoni, Pickersgill partnered in the business with Stephen Wong, a talented Torontonian who has created film costumes for "American Psycho", "Chicago" and "Hairspray." Together, they've dressed Nelly Furtado for the Grammys and their dramatically draped "real people" collection is available exclusively at Holt Renfrew in Canada.

Greta Constantine conjures dreams of golden temples and the gentle ting of cymbals with their graceful Thai dancer. The delicate breastplate is moulded in Cadbury(1) Dairy Milk(1) chocolate and decorated with solid chocolate studs and jewels. And surprisingly enough, six metres of beadwork-in pure dark chocolate-have gone into this sensuous siren's abbreviated "skirt."

Izzy Camilleri: African Queen

Having dressed "it" girls Nicole Kidman and Angelina Jolie, Toronto-based Izzy Camilleri is pretty much "the" designer when it comes to all-out glamour and luxe. Her clothes have been featured in leading fashion magazine, Vogue, and in the faux version of the magazine in the film, "The Devil Wears Prada". Sophisticated, paparazzi-proof clothes are Camilleri's stock-in-trade and she brings the full power of her fashion savvy-plus a fine sense of fantasy-to her fourth Cadbury Chocolate Couture outfit.

Tapping into the natural nobility of Africa's traditional tribes, Camilleri introduces her vision of an African Queen. Her elegant monarch reigns in an elaborate, chocolate-twig, midriff-baring bodice. The leather sarong, with ethnic patterned accents, is executed in milk chocolate. Her tresses, tinted with Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate, are topped with a woven chocolate basket. And all the jewellery-those rings, those stacks of arm and leg bangles are all dipped in Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate; it is, after all, the gold standard.

Damzels in this Dress: Harajuku Girl

The Damzels in this Dress label-the brainchild of Rory Lindo and Kelly Freeman-has developed a loyal following among celebs and "civilians" alike. Their signature sweet-yet-saucy designs reflect a shared conviction that fashion should be fun and boldly celebrate the flirtatious side of femininity. Often featured in fashion magazines such as Flare, Fashion, Seventeen and YM, Damzels in this Dress designs have been available in boutiques everywhere from North America to Japan.

And speaking of Japan, Lindo and Freeman draw on the inspiration of Japan's Harajuku girls-the young fashion-obsessed teens who haunt Omotesando, the trendy shopping venue often called Tokyo's Champs Elysee-for their contribution to the 2008 Cadbury Chocolate Couture Collection. Their punky/frilly frock, totally airbrushed in delicious Cadbury(1) Dairy Milk(1) chocolate, is piped with chocolate lace and punctuated with 30 chocolate bows shimmering with (edible) copper dust, as well as heart and star-shaped chocolate "buttons". Jenn Stone and the Cadbury chocolatiers had to improvise a new process to create the chocolate "pasta"-noodles of chocolate-braided into this Harajuku's hairdo.

Philip Sparks: Courier de Bois/Northern Trapper

Menswear designer Philip Sparks, a Seneca College grad, developed his sharp tailoring skills and an interest in period-inspired silhouettes, fabrics and techniques in the costume departments of the National Ballet of Canada, the Canadian Opera Company and the Stratford Festival. A relative fashion newbie at 26, Sparks has seen his collection featured on numerous style-conscious sites, including TheStar.com and Toronto.com.

Sparks' Canadian lumberjack prowls the fashion forest in a traditional plaid jacket-very un-traditionally patterned with various tones of Cadbury(1) Dairy Milk(1) chocolate-and a pair of chocolate denim pants. The buttons, even the axe-are chocolate, too. But the real evidence of the Cadbury chocolatiers' art lies in the authentic-looking fur of the collar, mitts and hat. It's actually chocolate that, through a newly-devised technique, is spun like candyfloss.

Lilliput Hats: Sydney Diva

For 17 years, Karyn Gingras, principle of Lilliput Hats, has been the go-to girl for fabulous millinery. This Sault Ste. Marie native has taught at Ryerson and the Haliburton School of the Arts and has topped the heads of such notables as Celine Dion, Whoopi Goldberg and Adrienne Clarkson. Her uniquely innovative hats-which have found their way into many theatrical productions and films, including Mamma Mia!, are sold at Holt Renfrew and at exclusive boutiques across Canada and the U.S.

Capturing both the fun-loving nature of the Aussie people and a world-famous cultural symbol, Gingras presents a bikini-ed diva, clad in a soaring Sydney Opera House-inspired hat. The hat is solid Cadbury(1) Dairy Milk(1) chocolate, of course, encrusted in diamond-shaped chocolate tiles. And the bikini? It's a tiny two-piece created in sexy chocolate leather. (Don't try this on Bondi Beach!) Our contemporary diva takes her bow in elegant, elbow-length chocolate gloves and sandals tied with pretty ribbons of Cadbury(1) Dairy Milk(1) chocolate.

Ines Di Santo: Floribunda

The Ines Di Santo label is recognized as one of the world's top-tier Couture bridal and evening gown collections. Mentioned in the same breath as Vera Wang and Oscar de la Renta, the Toronto-based couture company was founded by Italian-born, Argentina-raised Ines Di Santo. Today, Ines and her daughter Veronica, delight A-listers and brides alike with sumptuous designs that are sold at exclusive stores throughout Canada and the U.S., including Neiman Marcus' famed bridal salons.

It is fitting that the Di Santo duo has chosen New Zealand as inspiration for their 2008 Cadbury Couture Collection wedding dress. The two-island nation boasts a wealth of unique and exotic flora and the Di Santos' extraordinary bridal gown, the finale for this year's runway show, awes with an abundance of plant-life-hundreds and hundreds of multi-toned, three-dimensional Cadbury(1) Dairy Milk(1) leaves, tendrils and vines. The bride's headpiece is also a tribute to the wonders of the natural world, with leaves and twigs sculpted in Cadbury(1) Dairy Milk(1) chocolate. Who will catch the bouquet-a masterpiece of delicate chocolate filigree, beadwork and yet more delectable chocolate flora?

About Cadbury North America

Headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey with Canadian offices in Toronto, Cadbury North America is the Canadian and U.S. combined business unit of Cadbury plc - the world's top confectionery company.

In Canada, Cadbury is the country's largest confectionery company and the brand portfolio includes some of Canada's best-loved chocolate, Cadbury's brand portfolio includes some of Canada's best-loved chocolate, candy, cough and gum brands such as Dairy Milk(1), Caramilk(1), Mr. Big(1), Dentyne(1), Trident(1), Stride(1), Bubblicious(1), Halls(1), and Maynards(1). In Canada, some Cadbury "firsts" include the first 100 calorie chocolate bar (Cadbury Thins(1)), the first sugar-free breath freshening gum (Dentyne(1)) and the first liquid centre pellet gum with dual flavour combinations (Trident Splash(1)). Our people create brands people love with passion, dedication and drive. For more information visit www.cadbury.com.

(1) Trademark of or used under license by Cadbury Adams Canada Inc.

All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

To view the African Queen, by Izzy Camilleri, please visit the following link: http://www.marketwire.com/library/20081106-CADIZZY800.jpg.

To view the "Milky Stardust" Glam Rocker, by Farley Chatto, please visit the following link: http://www.marketwire.com/library/20081106-CADchatto800.jpg.

To view the video, please visit the following link: http://www.youtube.com/v/XBFNcHyr75k.