December 10, 2018 – From December 5 to 8, the Technical Museum in Zagreb hosted the first ‘Winter FairYtale’, a luxurious exhibition in a festive setting that prided itself on value. The organizers imagined the exhibition as the perfect stage to enjoy a lifestyle style characterized by hedonism: golf, high fashion, fine dining – a kind of luxury yacht in the middle of a city where you could see beauty and enjoy valuable things, hold inspirational meetings and meet dear people, and most of all, enjoy the best gastronomy and a specially designed music program.
The most prestigious brands in the world were represented through several thematic parts: cars, yachting, real estate, watches and jewelry, fashion, technology, cosmetics, design, tourism and art. Around 30 exhibitors and 50 brands were featured at the event, which combined quality and style. Among them was the first manufactured of only 55 Rolls Royce models, the Italian Holy Trinity: Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati, attractive models of Audi and Mercedes, and among the first in Croatia, visitors could also see the new Porsche model. Along with Frauscher’s sleek speedboat, also known from the James Bond movie, the Mennyacht and the prestigious Ferretti Group were also featured. Sea lovers and nautical enthusiasts enjoyed the Princess, Sunseeker, Azimut, Hallberg Rassy, and Martinis Marchi.
The guests in attendance learned about the new premium ACI marina in Rovinj. For the new trends in travel, hotels, real estate, home furnishings, cosmetics, Avcon Jet, Hotel Alhambra, Touch Adriatic, Terra Nostra, Era design, Armstark, Haby, Stories, and Premium Bliss stole the show… and diamond jewelry and the prestigious timepieces of Rolex, Omega, Hublot and Breitling even made an appearance.
The complementary part of the fair was also the events for visitors – fashion shows, the Advent gastronomic offer, gala dinners of famous chefs, music performances, and special FairYtale cocktails – all in cooperation with leading experts in their areas.
The FairYtale exhibition even had a humanitarian character and aimed to raise funds for socially vulnerable children with developmental difficulties.
With its original offer, ambiance and additional amenities, the Zagreb Winter FairYtale was extensively incorporated into Advent, which was named the best Christmas destination in Europe in the last three years. The inauguration day of this new Advent story was celebrated by the eminent team of Krešimir Mudronja from the restaurant on the island of Žut who presented Kornati tradition coupled with techniques and methods of high gastronomy.
On the first day, FairYtale delighted guests who had the chance to see the limited edition holiday collection by fashion brand Duchess, who was known as the partner of the renowned boat manufacturer Frauscher, while the boys of the SciFidelity Orchestra created an unforgettable atmosphere with an unplugged Christmas performance. However, the highlight of the first day was the culinary rhapsody of the famous Croatian chef Dina Galvagna. Chef Saša Pribičević from the Matsunoki restaurant (Hotel Bellevue, Mali Losinj) continued on the second day with a humanitarian dinner.
On the second day, the fusion of traditional Japanese cuisine and original Japanese food and Mediterranean/local foods with modern culinary techniques, combined with selected wines, was the event for top cooking enthusiasts. The Slovenian jazz trombonist and producer Žiga Murko led the musical part of the program, while the highlight of the evening was the fashion show by Slovenian fashion designer Matea Benedetti, who made her debut to the Croatian audience. Known throughout the world, she describes her models in three words: sustainability, innovation and luxury. The designer combines ecological spirit and a revolutionary manufacturing process, focusing on rare, precious and innovative materials. Her new collection is inspired by tropical fish, made from eco silk and discarded plastic bottles. Designs were also shown by Zagreb’s Boris Pavlin, while the men’s fashion was led by Boutique with Brands Karl Lagerfeld, Carl Gross Black Line and CG Club. Boris Pavlin brilliantly connected lace and uniqueness in each piece. Extremely romantic and delicate, feminine and gentle, made with the techniques of classic couture, his creations open the window to another, dreamy time, deprived of today’s mass production and cloned looks. Every garment is a fair little piece of art that is created after weeks of meticulous manual work.
Friday, December 7, saw the screening of Pink Wing 2018, a Super Funk Session concert, and for the humanitarian gala dinner, the Slovenian chef Ana Roš was at the helm, which needed no further explanation for true gourmet lovers. Ana was declared the world’s best female chef in 2017 and was chosen by her colleagues and professional chefs from all over the world. The Hala V Technical Museum became the world’s gastronomic temple for a couple of hours, where guests enjoyed the avant-garde approach to home-made seasonal ingredients from the Soča Valley.
The food by Ana Roš was a particularly emotional experience for all guests, and the chef came to the guests at the end of the evening and held an inspirational talk about Kobarid, where she hails from, to her glittering team of gourmet wizards from all over the world, and a book called Sun and Rain that should be released next year on the prestigious Phaidon. Ana Roš wrote the book between serving at her family restaurant Hiša Franko, holding 515 interviews, and the 150 trips and visits she had in the past year, which also included Istria.
“I like these pop-ups. Small, sweet guests. As Zagreb is somewhat close, I could literally transfer part of Hiša Franko to the fair. I hope people enjoyed it,” said Ana Roš.
Darko Šupuk, president of the organizing committee, said: “The Zagreb Winter FairYtale is an ambitious and imaginative project focusing on the beauty and value of life, reflected in premium products and lifestyle, and compatible with luxury. Today, luxury is quality time spent, which is served by products from different spheres of life. I’m proud to do something like this in Zagreb and Croatia!
One thing is certain; the Zagreb Winter FairYtale gives Zagreb a completely new category for a European capital.
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