We are so excited to share the final campaign images from our Spring/Summer 2012 campaign shoot with Tommy Ton and Miroslava Duma. Which is your favourite?
Alessandra Rich Spring/Summer 2012 at Symphony, The Dubai Mall
Naeem Khan Spring/Summer 2012 at Symphony, The Dubai Mall
Luisa Beccaria Spring/Summer 2012 at Symphony, The Dubai Mall
Jason Wu and Charlotte Olympia Spring/Summer 2012 at Symphony, The Dubai Mall
Charlotte Olympia Spring/Summer 2012 at Symphony, The Dubai Mall
Rachel Zoe Spring/Summer 2012 at Symphony, The Dubai Mall
Shoot Credits: Shot by Tommy Ton | Starring Miroslava Duma | Creative Direction Salama Alabbar & Holly Williams | Hair and Make-up Kate Goodwin and Linda Velasco | Behind the scenes photography David Goff at Photo Solutions | Behind the scenes videography Rupert Chesman | Shoot Assistants Jose, Shanar and Cynthia at Symphony
It’s one of our favourite holidays…. Pancake Day and we can’t wait to make these super cute Rainbow Pancakes…
Ingredients – Serves 4
5 different food colouring
2 cups all-purpose flour, stirred or sifted before measuring
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups milk
2 tablespoons melted butter
Note: you have to make a separate batch of pancake mixture for each different colour.
Sift together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and 1 1/2 cups of milk; add to flour mixture, stirring only until smooth. Blend in melted butter. If the batter seems too thick to pour, add a little more milk. Cook on a hot, greased griddle, using about 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake. Cook until bubbly, a little dry around the edges, and lightly browned on the bottom; turn and brown the other side. Recipe for pancakes serves 4.
As some of you may remember: when we opened Symphony, The Dubai Mall back in 2010 we partnered with the amazing charity FACE Africa. Symphony’s star-studded launch event was attended by Camilla Skovgaard, Rupert Sanderson, Christian Siriano, Erin Fetherston, Raina Hein and Whitney Port. It was with Whitney that we collaborated on an inspiring charitable project in Liberia. Through a special auction at our private launch event we raised $10,000 and sponsored Whitney and her families trip to Liberia for FACE Africa to bring attention to their important cause. Whitney visited Liberia in October 2010 (more here). Watch this touching video of her experiences in Africa…
We wanted to share exactly what was achieved through the project and from your kind donations and support. The lovely lady behind FACE Africa, Saran Kaba Jones, recently sent us this update and we were really so touched and honoured to have been able to help. It is amazing to see exactly where the funds have gone and how they have helped so thank you so much Saran…
Current toilet facility under construction
“The Benetta’s Orphanage Home (formerly Help the Children Orphanage Home) was established in 1992 by Reverend Benedictus Kofa as a result of the Liberian civil war, which started 1989. Between 1990-1991 thousands of children were orphaned or separated from their families.
Rev. Kofa and his wife Sarah encountered many of these young children during the height of the war and established the Help the Children Orphanage (HTCO) in 1992 to house them. The home started with 130 children. A few years after the war subsided, the International Red Cross Committee started a family tracing program to reunite children with their families. HTCO signed up all 130 children with the program but only 75 were fortunate enough to be reunited with their families. Over the years, some of the children were either reunited with their families, or placed in other homes. Currently the HTCO is home to 35 children and young adults.
Like many orphanage homes in Liberia, the Help the Children Orphanage receives little support from the government and struggles for basic daily necessities. The children live in unhealthy and unsafe conditions with little or no access to safe water, adequate sanitation facilities and hygiene, medical care, mosquito nets, and nutritional meals. Many also are not in school.
The current WASH situation at the home is dire. There is a single outdoor toilet on the compound, open and without a roof that is used by all of children and administrators. The open toilet is directly behind the kitchen and due to pressure has begun to leak into the ground. This presents a host of sanitation and hygiene related issues.
There is an existing open well in the compound which runs dry during the dry season. According to Rev. Kofa the well water is only used for washing, bathing and cooking. There is a private hand pump in the community which is about a 15 minutes walk from the home and the children are mainly responsible for fetching water, which costs $50.00 Liberian dollars (0.75 cents to buy).
With a $10,000 grant from Symphony Dubai and support from Whitney Port and her family, FACE Africa implemented a full-scale Water, Sanitation and Hygiene project to bring improved access to clean water, sanitation facilities, and hygiene practices to the children and administrators of the HTCO. The project was completed in February 2012. Residents from the community will also benefit from the hand pump.
All hands on deck to lower the culverts
Specifically the funds were used to: * Hand dig a new well * Construct a Handpump * Construct a 2 compartment Latrine * Conduct Pump Mechanic Training * Establish WASH Service Management Committee
Messages from Libeira: “FACE Africa is extremely grateful to the generosity of Symphony Dubai, the Alabbar Family and the Port Family for their support. I am heartened to think how many lives will be changed with this single water project.” – Saran K. Jones, FACE Africa, Executive Director
“It is a wonderful feeling to know that the young children at the Benetta’s Orphanage Home and other community residents now have a reliable source of safe drinking water. We could not have completed this project without the support of Symphony and we want to thank them for their support. We look forward to working again with them on many more water and sanitation projects in the future.” – Emmett G. Wilson, FACE Africa, Program Administrator
“Thank you to the FACE Africa team and the donors who supported this project. Water is a life saving matter and without clean water, our children were getting sick all the time. We are now proud that we have a well and handpump in our compound and are also proud to have proper toilets. Thank you again for bringing to us these life changing facilities.” – Reverend Koffa, Benetta’s Orphanage Founder and Administrator.
Some of the kids at the orphanage
Thank you to each and every one of you that made this possible, either through spreading the word, donating, supporting – we can not thank you enough from the bottom of our hearts.
We are so excited to share this beautiful short film which takes you behind-the-scenes of Tommy Ton and Mira Duma’s trip to Dubai at the end of January 2012 as well as footage from the Symphony Spring/Summer 2012 Campaign Shoot – shot by Tommy Ton and starring Mira Duma. We hope you like it!
Shot by Tommy Ton | Starring Miroslava Duma | Creative Direction Salama Alabbar & Holly Williams | Hair & Make-up Kate Goodwin & Linda Velasco | Behind the Scenes Photography by David Goff at Photo Solutions | Behind the Scenes Videography by Rupert Chesman | Shoot Assistants Jose, Shanar and Cynthia at Symphony
Watch on YouTube on the Symphony YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/SymphonyDubai
Yesterday the Dancing Fountains at The Dubai Mall played this touching tribute to Whitney Houston. RIP Whitney.
Do you want to see your favourite song feature as a Music Monday? Tweet us the link or artist & song name with the hashtag #musicmonday @SymphonyTweets
Check out these images from behind-the-scenes of our Spring/Summer 2012 Campaign shot by Tommy Ton and starring Miroslava Duma….
Shot by Tommy Ton | Starring Miroslava Duma | Creative Direction Salama Alabbar & Holly Williams | Hair & Make-up Kate Goodwin & Linda Velasco | Behind the Scenes Photography by David Goff at Photo Solutions | Behind the Scenes videography (coming soon) by Rupert Chesman | Shoot Assistants Jose, Shanar and Cynthia at Symphony
Please do not use these images without first seeking permission. Email info@symphonystyle.ae
Disclaimer: The photos featured on this blog do not belong to symphony style llc (except the ones we personally shot). All photos are used for commenting reasons and no photos are used for commercial reasons unless specified.
