1.
Tallinn
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Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland,80 km south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm, from the 13th century until 1918, the city was known as Reval. Tallinn occupies an area of 159.2 km2 and has a population of 444,591, approximately 33% of Estonias total population lives in Tallinn. Tallinn was founded in 1248, but the earliest human settlements date back 5,000 years, making it one of the oldest capital cities of Northern Europe. The initial claim over the land was laid by the Danes in 1219 after a raid of Lyndanisse led by Valdemar II of Denmark. Due to its location, the city became a major trade hub, especially from the 14th to the 16th century. Tallinns Old Town is one of the best preserved cities in Europe and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tallinn is the political, financial, cultural and educational center of Estonia. Often dubbed the Silicon Valley of Europe, it has the highest number of startups per person in Europe and is a birthplace of international companies. The city is to house the headquarters of the European Unions IT agency, providing to the global cybersecurity it is the home to the NATO Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence. It is ranked as a city and has been listed among the top 10 digital cities in the world. The city was a European Capital of Culture for 2011, along with Turku in Finland and it has been suggested that Quwri may have denoted a predecessor of the modern city. The earliest names of Tallinn include Kolyvan, which is known from East Slavic chronicles, up to the 13th century, the Scandinavians and Henry of Livonia in his chronicle called the town Lindanisa (or Lyndanisse in Danish, Lindanäs in Swedish and Ledenets in Old East Slavic. It has been suggested that the archaic Estonian word linda is similar to the Votic word lidna. According to this suggestion, nisa would have the meaning niemi, producing Kesoniemi, another ancient historical name for Tallinn in Finnish is Rääveli. The Icelandic Njals saga mentions Tallinn and calls it Rafala, which is a variant of the name Raphael, after the Danish conquest in 1219, the town became known in the German, Swedish and Danish languages as Reval. The name originated from Revelia Revala or Rävala, the adjacent ancient name of the surrounding area and it is usually thought to be derived from Taani-linn, after the Danes built the castle in place of the Estonian stronghold at Lindanisse. However, it could also have come from tali-linna, or talu-linna, the element -linna, like Germanic -burg and Slavic -grad / -gorod, originally meant fortress, but is used as a suffix in the formation of town names
2.
Estonia
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Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia, across the Baltic Sea lies Sweden in the west and Finland in the north. The territory of Estonia consists of a mainland and 2,222 islands and islets in the Baltic Sea, covering 45,339 km2 of land and water, and is influenced by a humid continental climate. The territory of Estonia has been inhabited since at least 6500 BC, in 1988, during the Singing Revolution, the Estonian Supreme Soviet issued the Estonian Sovereignty Declaration in defiance of Soviet rule, and independence was restored on 20 August 1991. Estonia is a parliamentary republic divided into fifteen counties. Its capital and largest city is Tallinn, with a population of 1.3 million, it is one of the least-populous member states of the European Union, Eurozone, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, OECD and Schengen Area. Estonia is a country with an advanced, high-income economy that is among the fastest growing in the EU. Its Human Development Index ranks very highly, and it performs favourably in measurements of economic freedom, civil liberties, the 2015 PISA test places Estonian high school students 3rd in the world, behind Singapore and Japan. Citizens of Estonia are provided with health care, free education. Since independence the country has developed its IT sector, becoming one of the worlds most digitally advanced societies. In 2005 Estonia became the first nation to hold elections over the Internet, in the Estonian language, the oldest known endonym of the Estonians was maarahvas, meaning country people or people of the land. The land inhabited by Estonians was called Maavald meaning Country Parish or Land Parish, one hypothesis regarding the modern name of Estonia is that it originated from the Aesti, a people described by the Roman historian Tacitus in his Germania. The historic Aesti were allegedly Baltic people, whereas the modern Estonians are Finno-Ugric, the geographical areas between Aesti and Estonia do not match, with Aesti being further down south. Ancient Scandinavian sagas refer to a land called Eistland, as the country is called in Icelandic. Early Latin and other ancient versions of the name are Estia and Hestia, esthonia was a common alternative English spelling prior to 1921. Human settlement in Estonia became possible 13,000 to 11,000 years ago, the oldest known settlement in Estonia is the Pulli settlement, which was on the banks of the river Pärnu, near the town of Sindi, in south-western Estonia. According to radiocarbon dating it was settled around 11,000 years ago, the earliest human inhabitation during the Mesolithic period is connected to Kunda culture, which is named after the town of Kunda in northern Estonia. At that time the country was covered with forests, and people lived in communities near bodies of water
3.
Supermodel
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A supermodel is a highly paid fashion model who usually has a worldwide reputation and often a background in haute couture and commercial modeling. The term supermodel became prominent in the culture of the 1980s. Supermodels usually work for prominent fashion designers and clothing brands and they may have multimillion-dollar contracts, endorsements, and campaigns. Supermodels have branded themselves as household names and worldwide recognition is associated with their modeling careers and they have been on the covers of magazines such as French, British, American, and Italian Vogue. Claudia Schiffer stated, In order to become a supermodel one must be on all the all over the world at the same time so that people can recognise the girls. Then I have had what I call the super model and you know the sort of man, he goes in for theatrical effect. On 6 October 1942, a writer named Judith Cass had used the term super model for her article in the Chicago Tribune, according to Model, The Ugly Business of Beautiful Women by Michael Gross, Gross stated the term supermodel was first used by Dessner. In 1947, anthropologist Harold Sterling Gladwin wrote supermodel in his book Men Out of Asia, on 18 October 1959, Vancouvers Chinatown News described Susan Chew as a super model. The term supermodel had been used several times in the media in the 1960s and 1970s, in 1965, the encyclopedic guide American Jurisprudence Trials used the term super model. American Vogue used the term super-model to describe Jean Shrimpton in the 15 October 1965 edition, Hemingway was again described as a supermodel in the 25 July 1977 edition of Time. Jet also described Beverly Johnson as a supermodel in the 22 December 1977 edition, Model Janice Dickinson has incorrectly stated that she coined the term supermodel in 1979, as a compound of Superman and model. During an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Dickinson stated that her agent Monique Pilar of Elite Model Management asked her, Janice, im a supermodel, honey, and you will refer to me as a supermodel and you will start a supermodel division. Dickinson also claims to be the first supermodel, lisa Fonssagrives is widely considered the worlds first supermodel. She was in most of the fashion magazines and general interest magazines from the 1930s to the 1950s, including Town & Country, Life, Vogue, the original Vanity Fair, Harpers Bazaar. Dorian Leigh has also called the worlds first supermodel, as well as Gia Carangi. In the 1970s, some became more prominent as their names became more recognizable to the general public. Lauren Hutton became the first model to receive a contract from a cosmetics company. Iman is considered to have been the first supermodel of color, donyale Luna was the first black model to appear in British Vogue
4.
Versace
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Gianni Versace S. p. A. usually referred to as Versace, is an Italian luxury fashion company and trade name founded by Gianni Versace in 1978. The Versace logo is the head of Medusa, a Greek mythological figure, the logo came from the floor of ruins in Rome that the Versace siblings played in as children. Gianni Versace chose Medusa as the logo because she made people fall in love with her and he hoped his company would have the same effect on people. The Versace brand is known for having flashy prints and bright colors, in 1972, Gianni Versace designed his first collections for Callaghan, Genny, and Complice. In 1978, the company launched under the name Gianni Versace Donna, the first Versace boutique was opened in Milans Via della Spiga in 1978. Versace was one of the few independent designers who was in control of everything about the brand, in 1982, the company expanded into the accessory, jewelry, home furnishing, and china industries. In 1993, Donatella Versace created the Young Versace line as well as Versus, in 1994, the brand gained widespread international coverage due to the Black Versace dress of Elizabeth Hurley, referred to at the time as that dress. Versace was often described as the Rock n Roll designer because they designed for many clients, including Elton John, Michael Jackson. Versace designed the costumes and album cover costumes for Elton John in 1992. Versace has also designed clothing for the Princess of Wales and Princess Caroline of Monaco, the Versace company is known for using the same models in their ads as they do on the runway. After the murder of Gianni Versace in 1997, his sister Donatella Versace, formerly vice-president, took over as creative director, donatellas daughter Allegra Versace was left a 50 percent stake in the company, which she assumed control of on her eighteenth birthday. The companys profits were in decline in the early 2000s, Fabio Massimo Cacciatori was hired as interim CEO to reorganise, Cacciatori resigned in December 2003 due to disputes with the Versace family. From 2004 Giancarlo di Risio, from IT Holding, was CEO of the group until his resignation in 2009 due to disagreements with Donatella, since July 2009, Gian Giacomo Ferraris, previously of Jil Sander, has operated as CEO for the group. In February 2014 The Blackstone Group purchased a 20 percent stake in Versace for 210 million €, as of August 2013, more than 80 boutiques operate worldwide, the first boutique outside of Italy was opened in Glasgow, Scotland in 1991. In 2006, Gianni Versace S. p. A. entered into a partnership with Automobili Lamborghini S. p. A. to produce the Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 VERSACE, the car had a Versace white satin interior with the Versace logo embroidered into the seats. The car was available in black and white, there were only ten units produced. The car was sold with a luggage set, luxury driving shoes. The Versace company teamed up with AgustaWestland in 2008 to create the AgustaWestland AW109 Grand Versace VIP luxury helicopter, the helicopter includes Versace leather interior and a design on the outside
5.
Yves Saint Laurent (brand)
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Yves Saint Laurent YSL is a French luxury fashion house founded by Yves Saint Laurent and his partner, Pierre Bergé. Saint Laurent Paris revived its haute couture collection in 2015 under creative director Hedi Slimane, the new collection, Yves Saint Laurent Couture or Saint Laurent Paris 24, Rue de L’Université is the French houses first couture collection ever since the retirement of its legendary founder in 2002. Founded in 1961 it has considered one of the worlds most prominent fashion houses and known for its modern and iconic pieces. Today Saint Laurent Paris markets a range of womens and mens ready-to-wear products, leather goods, shoes. Yves Saint Laurent Beauté also has a presence in the luxury beauty market. Competitors to Yves Saint Laurent include, among many, the houses of Chanel, Burberry, Dior, Gucci, Louis Vuitton. The eponymous brand was founded by designer Yves Saint Laurent and his partner, Pierre Bergé in 1961, some of his most memorable collections include the Pop Art, Ballet Russes, Picasso, and Chinese ones. He also started mainstreaming the idea of wearing silhouettes from the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s and he was the first, in 1966, to popularize ready-to-wear in an attempt to democratize fashion, with Rive Gauche and a boutique of the same name. Ambassador to the couturier during the late 1970s and early 1980s was London socialite millionairess Diane Vandelli, making the brand more popular among the European jet-set. The brand continued to expand in the 1980s and early 1990s with fragrances for men and women, having launched its cosmetic line in 1978. However, by 1992 the companys profits were declining and the share price had fallen. In 1993, the Saint Laurent fashion house was sold to the pharmaceuticals company Sanofi, in the 1998–1999 seasons, Alber Elbaz, formerly of Lanvin, designed three ready-to-wear collections. Pierre Bergé appointed Hedi Slimane as collections and art director in 1997, Hedi Slimane decided to leave the house two years later, and became head of couture menswear at Dior Homme. In 1999, Gucci bought the YSL brand and asked Tom Ford to design the collection while Saint Laurent would design the haute couture collection. In 2002, dogged by years of health, drug abuse, depression, alcoholism. Reflecting on his career and impact on the industry, Saint Laurent was heavily quoted around the world for stating, Chanel freed women. Saint Laurent also stated, I created the contemporary womans wardrobe, the prêt-à-porter line was produced under the direction of Stefano Pilati after Tom Ford left in 2004. His style was decidedly more French than the overtly sexy image that Tom Ford propagated
6.
Gucci
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Gucci is an Italian luxury brand of fashion and leather goods, part of the Gucci Group, which is owned by the French holding company Kering. Gucci was founded by Guccio Gucci in Florence in 1921, Gucci is also the biggest-selling Italian brand. Gucci operates about 278 directly operated stores worldwide as of September 2009, in the year 2013, the brand was valued at US$12.1 billion, with sales of US$4.7 billion. In the Forbes Worlds Most Valuable Brands list, Gucci is ranked the 38th most valuable brand, as of January 2015, the creative director is Alessandro Michele. With beginnings at the end of the 19th century, the Gucci company became one of the world’s most successful manufacturers of leather goods, clothing. As an immigrant hotel worker in Paris and later London, young Guccio Gucci was impressed with the luggage he saw urbane guests bring with them. Before leaving, he visited the manufacturer, H. J. Cave & Sons, upon returning to his birthplace of Florence, a city distinguished for high-quality materials and skilled artisans, he established a shop in 1920 that sold fine leather goods with classic styling. Although Gucci organized his workrooms for industrial methods of production, he maintained traditional aspects of fabrication, initially, Gucci employed skilled workers in basic Florentine leather crafts, attentive to finishing. With expansion, machine stitching was a method that supported construction. Together with three of his sons, Aldo Gucci, Vasco Gucci, and Rodolfo Gucci, Gucci expanded the company to include stores in Milan and Rome as well as additional shops in Florence. Guccis stores featured such finely crafted leather accessories as handbags, shoes, the company made handbags of cotton canvas rather than leather during World War II as a result of material shortages. The canvas, however, was distinguished by a signature double-G symbol combined with prominent red, after the war, the Gucci crest, which showed a shield and armored knight surrounded by a ribbon inscribed with the family name, became synonymous with the city of Florence. Aldo and Rodolfo Gucci further expanded the horizons in 1953 by establishing offices in New York City. Film stars and jet-set travelers to Italy during the 1950s and 1960s brought their glamour to Florence, movie stars posed in Guccis clothing, accessories, and footwear for lifestyle magazines around the world, contributing to the company’s growing reputation. Guccis distinctive lines made its products among the most frequently copied in the world in the early 2000s, pigskin, calf, and imported exotic animal skins were subjected to various methods of fabrication. Waterproof canvas and satin were used for evening bags, bamboo was first used to make handbag handles by a process of heating and molding in 1947, and purses made with a shoulder strap and snaffle-bit decoration were introduced in 1960. In 1964 Gucci’s lush butterfly pattern was custom-created for silk foulards, the original Gucci loafer was updated by a distinctive snaffle-bit ornament in 1966, while the Rolls-Royce luggage set was introduced in 1970. Watches, jewelry, ties, and eyewear were then added to the product lines
7.
Valentino (fashion designer)
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Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani, best known as Valentino, is an Italian fashion designer and founder of the Valentino SpA brand and company. His main lines include Valentino, Valentino Garavani, Valentino Roma, Valentino was born in Voghera, in the province of Pavia, Lombardy, Italy. Valentino then moved to Paris to pursue this interest with the help of his mother Teresa de Biaggi, there he studied at the École des Beaux-Arts and at the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne. His first choice for an apprenticeship, in Paris, was Jacques Fath and he found an apprenticeship with Jean Dessès where he helped Countess Jacqueline de Ribes sketch her dress ideas. He then joined Guy Laroche for two years, at Jean Dessès, Valentino sketched furiously, between helping with window dressing and greeting clients for the daily 2,30 pm private showings. Most of his sketches were lost. After five years, Valentino left Jean Dessès over an incident about prolonging a vacation in Saint-Tropez that still makes him uncomfortable today, rescued by his friend Guy Laroche, he joined his tiny, tiny fashion house. After discussions with his parents, he decided to return to Italy, in 1960 Valentino left Paris and opened a fashion house in Rome on the posh Via Condotti with the backing of his father and an associate of his. Valentino became known for his red dresses, in the shade that became known in the fashion industry as Valentino red. On 31 July 1960, Valentino met Giancarlo Giammetti at the Café de Paris on the Via Veneto in Rome, one of three children, Giammetti was in his second year of architecture school, living at home with his parents in the haut bourgeois Parioli section of Northern Rome. That day Giammetti gave Valentino a lift home in his Fiat, the day after, Giammetti was to leave for Capri for vacation and, by coincidence, Valentino was also going there, so they met again on the island 10 days later. Giammetti would shortly thereafter abandon the University to become Valentinos business partner, Valentinos international debut took place in 1962 in Florence, the Italian fashion capital of the time. It made such an impression that Kennedy contacted Ms. Schiff to learn the name of the ensembles designer, in September 1964, Valentino was to be in the United States to present a collection of his work at a charity ball at New Yorks Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Mrs. Kennedy ordered six of his haute couture dresses, all in black and white, from then on, she was a devoted client and would become a friend. Valentino would later design the white Valentino Gown worn by Kennedy at her wedding to Greek tycoon Aristotle Onassis, in 1966 he moved his shows from Florence to Rome where two years later he produced an all-white collection that became famous for the V logo he designed. 1990 marked the opening of the Accademia Valentino, designed by architect Tommaso Ziffer, the next year, encouraged by their friend Elizabeth Taylor, Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti created L. I. F. E. An association for the support of AIDS-related patients, which benefits from the activities of the Accademia Valentino. In 2002, Valentino S. p. A. with revenues of more than $180 million, was sold by HdP to Marzotto Apparel, Maison Valentino is controlled since 2012 by Mayhoola for Investments S. P. C
8.
Chanel
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Chanel S. A. is a French, privately held company owned by Alain and Gérard Wertheimer, grandsons of Pierre Wertheimer, who was an early business partner of the couturière Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel. Chanel S. A. is a fashion house that specializes in haute couture and ready-to-wear clothes, luxury goods. In her youth, Gabrielle Chanel gained the nickname Coco from her time as a chanteuse, the House of Chanel is known for the little black dress, the perfume No.5 de Chanel, and the Chanel Suit. Chanel’s use of jersey fabric produced garments that were comfortable and affordable, Chanel used colors traditionally associated with masculinity in Europe, such as grey and navy blue, to denote feminine boldness of character. An example of haute couture techniques is the woolen Chanel suit — a knee-length skirt. The complementary accessories were two-tone pump shoes and jewellry, usually a necklace of pearls, Coco Chanel thus could sell to them the hats she designed and made, she thus earned a living, independent of her financial sponsor, the socialite Balsan. Despite that social circumstance, Boy Capel perceived the businesswoman innate to Coco Chanel, because that locale already housed a dress shop, the business-lease limited Chanel to selling only millinery products, not couture. The First World War affected European fashion through scarcity of materials, in 1915 and in 1917, Harper’s Bazaar magazine reported that the garments of the House of Chanel were on the list of every buyer for the clothing factories of Europe. After the First World War, the House of Chanel, following the trends of the 1920s, produced beaded dresses. Originally, a bottle of No.5 de Chanel was a gift to clients of Chanel, the popularity of the perfume prompted the House of Chanel to offer it for retail sale in 1922. In 1923, to explain the success of her clothes, Coco Chanel told Harper’s Bazaar magazine that design simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance, business partners — late 1920s The success of the No. To that end, the businessman Théophile Bader introduced the venture capitalist Pierre Wertheimer to Coco Chanel, moreover, by 1937, the House of Chanel had expanded the range of its clothes to more women, and presented prêt-à-porter clothes designed and cut for the petite woman. Among fashion designers only the clothes created by Elsa Schiaparelli could compete with the clothes of Chanel. A. at 31 rue Cambon, meanwhile, because of the Nazi occupation’s official anti-Semitism, Pierre Wertheimer and family, had fled France to the U. S. in mid-1940. Later, in 1941, Coco Chanel attempted to assume control of Parfums Chanel. Occupied France abounded with rumours that Coco Chanel was a Nazi collaborator, her identity was secret agent 7124 of the Abwehr. At War’s end, upon the Allied liberation of France, Chanel was arrested for having collaborated with the Nazis, in Switzerland, the news revived Coco Chanel’s resentment at having been exploited by her business partner, for only ten per cent of the money. So she established a rival Swiss parfumerie to create, produce, in exchange Gabrielle Chanel closed her Swiss parfumerie enterprise, and sold to Parfums Chanel the full rights to the name Coco Chanel. As a post–War fashion that used some 20 yards of fabric, having decided to do business with Coco Chanel, Wertheimer’s negotiations to fund the resurgence of the House of Chanel, granted him commercial rights to all Chanel-brand products
