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DJWE Promotes 20th Edition with Irina Shayk, Thierry Henry

Irina Shayk and Thierry Henry from DJWE's promotion film.
Irina Shayk and Thierry Henry from DJWE's promotion film.
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DJWE Promotes 20th Edition with Irina Shayk, Thierry Henry

Irina Shayk and Thierry Henry from DJWE's promotion film.
Irina Shayk and Thierry Henry from DJWE's promotion film.

The countdown for the Doha Jewelry and Watches Exhibition (DJWE) has started, and so have the preparations to host thousands of guests from the industry and around 500 luxury brands.

For over two decades, DJWE has emphasized its position, not only as a showcase of the world’s most exclusive jewelry and timepieces, but also as “a key driver of development and advancement, promoting Qatar’s position as one of the fastest growing tourism destinations in the region,” said Hessa Al-Thani, head of marketing planning at Qatar Tourism.

Running from February 5 to 11, the exhibition promises its visitors a wide variety of creations and special editions.

The preparation for the highly anticipated event started months ago. Visit Qatar unveiled its new “Jewelry Connoisseurs” campaign for the event, featuring supermodel Irina Shayk and iconic French football Thierry Henry.

Directed by Luca Caon and fashion photographer Rowan Papier, the film shows the two stars with an exclusive collection of extraordinary jewelry and timepieces with the support from the five biggest exhibitors of the event: 51 East, Ali bin Ali, Alfardan Jewelry, Al Majed and Bulgari.

While Shayk and Henry come from two different worlds, they are both passionate about fancy jewelry and timepieces, and this passion clearly manifests in the promotion campaign. The film shows the supermodel and footballer arriving at the exhibition and exploring what it has to offer.

“Throughout my career, I have always appreciated the best in design and luxury. I am a keen follower of the watches industry and admire the dedication, expertise and years of training required for the creation of a timepiece. I am really excited to experience the entire Doha exhibition and all that it has to offer and will be on the lookout for special pieces, designers, and craftsmen,” said Henry, commenting on his film debut for DJWE.

“I am happy and eager for more exploration, and I know their pieces will become family heirlooms to be passed down generation after generation,” said Shayk.

Acclaimed Director Luca Caon and photographer Rowan Papier created a masterpiece of beauty and intrigue. “What is very interesting about this film is that it is of a hybrid genre, between a commercial and fashion film,” said Caon.

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Fashion

80-year-old LL Bean Staple Finds New Audience as Trendy Bag

Gracie Wiener poses with some of her tote bags in Washington Square Park in New York, Wednesday, July 17, 2024, (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
Gracie Wiener poses with some of her tote bags in Washington Square Park in New York, Wednesday, July 17, 2024, (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
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80-year-old LL Bean Staple Finds New Audience as Trendy Bag

Gracie Wiener poses with some of her tote bags in Washington Square Park in New York, Wednesday, July 17, 2024, (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
Gracie Wiener poses with some of her tote bags in Washington Square Park in New York, Wednesday, July 17, 2024, (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

L.L. Bean created it 80 years ago to haul heavy blocks of ice. Now it's a must-have summer fashion accessory, The Associated Press reported.

The simple, sturdy canvas bag called the Boat and Tote is having an extended moment 80 years after its introduction, thanks to a social media trend in which they're monogrammed with ironic or flashy phrases.

New Yorker Gracie Wiener helped get it started by ordering her humble bags from L.L. Bean monogrammed with “Psycho” and then “Prada,” the pricey Italian luxury brand, instead of just her name or initials, and posting about them on Instagram. Then others began showcasing their own unique bags on TikTok.

Soon, it wasn’t enough to have a bag monogrammed with “Schlepper,” “HOT MESS,” “slayyyy” or “cool mom.” Customers began testing the limits of the human censors in L.L. Bean’s monogram department, which bans profanity “or other objectionable words or phrases,” with more provocative wording like “Bite me,” “Dum Blonde” and “Ambitchous.”

Social media fueled the surge, just as it did for Stanley’s tumblers and Trader Joe’s $2.99 canvas bags, which were once selling on eBay for $200, said Beth Goldstein, an analyst at Circana, which tracks consumer spending and trends.
The tote’s revival came at a time when price-conscious consumers were forgoing expensive handbags, sales of which have weakened, and L.L. Bean’s bag fit the bill as a functional item that’s trendy precisely because it’s not trendy, she said. L.L. Bean's regular bags top out at about $55, though some fancier versions cost upward of $100.
“There’s a trend toward the utilitarian, the simple things and more accessible price points,” she said, and the customization added to the appeal: “Status items don’t have to be designer price points.”

L.L. Bean’s tote was first advertised in a catalog as Bean’s Ice Carrier in 1944 during World War II, when ice chests were common. Then they disappeared before being reintroduced in 1965 as the Boat and Tote.

These days, they’re still made in Maine and are still capable of hauling 500 pounds of ice, but they are far more likely to carry laptops, headphones, groceries, books, beach gear, travel essentials and other common items.

Those snarky, pop-oriented phrases transformed them into a sassy essential and helped them spread beyond Maine, Massachusetts’ Cape Cod and other New England enclaves to places like Los Angeles and New York City, where fashionistas like Gwyneth Paltrow, Reese Witherspoon and Sarah Jessica Parker are toting them — but not necessarily brandished with ironic phrases.

“It’s just one of those things that makes people smile and makes people laugh, and it’s unexpected,” said Wiener, who got it all started with her @ironicboatandtote Instagram page, which she started as a fun side hustle from her job as social media manager for Air Mail, a digital publication launched by former Vanity Fair Editor-in-Chief Graydon Carter.

The folks at L.L. Bean were both stunned and pleased by the continuing growth. For the past two years, the Boat and Tote has been L.L. Bean’s No. 1 contributor to luring in new customers, and sales grew 64% from fiscal years 2021 to 2023, spokesperson Amanda Hannah said.

The surge in popularity is reminiscent of L.L. Bean’s traditional hunting shoe, the iconic staple for trudging through rain and muck, which enjoyed its own moment a few years back, driven by college students.