Canon Europe Press Release

LONDON, September 14, 2006 – Canon Europe, world-leader in imaging and information technology solutions, has recruited the talents of 100 of the world’s most influential style icons to reveal an insider’s perspective on the international fashion scene. The resulting photographic collection entitled The Other Side of Fashion will be launched across Europe in September at a glittering celebrity-led event in London and will be made available through a glossy magazine and public exhibitions across Europe. All proceeds from the sales of the magazine and charity auctions of the prints will go to Red Cross youth projects across Europe.

In celebration of Canon’s sponsorship of London, Paris and Milan fashion weeks, and the 10th anniversary of the iconic Canon IXUS, 100 style icons including Donatella Versace, Christian Lacroix, Roberto Cavalli, Helena Christensen, Manolo Blahnik, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, Julien Macdonald, Giles Deacon, Nicole Farhi, Jodie Kidd and Dita von Teese, were given a Canon IXUS 65 digital camera, itself a style icon, and asked to capture an image, or images, that reflect their personal relationship with the world of fashion. Each of these exclusive images reveals a unique perspective on the glamorous world these icons inhabit, through their own eyes.

The images will be on public display at exhibitions in Selfridges Department Store in London (16th September – 30th September), Galleries Lafayette in Paris (21st September - 14th October) and Palazzo Reale, Piazza Duomo in Milan, (21st September to 26th September 2006).  Images from the collection will also be available in an exclusive soft-back magazine, entitled The Other Side of Fashion, which will go on sale across Europe from 15th September.

The Other Side of Fashion is the next chapter of The Other Side of… projects created by Canon to raise funds for Red Cross Societies across Europe. Previous projects focused on football heroes (Other Side of Football, 2005) and cultural icons (On The Other Side of the Lens, 2003). Canon is an official supporter of Red Cross Societies across Europe, which is why all proceeds from the exhibitions, auctions and sale of the magazine will go to help support their youth projects across Europe. 

James Leipnik, Chief of Communication and Corporate Relations of Canon said, “Canon recognises the power of the creative image in the same way that the fashion world does. Our camera, print and colour matching technologies empower photographers and designers to explore their own imagination and enable them to capture sublime moments of fashion and artistic expression. The Other Side of Fashion project is the ideal celebration of this relationship and also complements Canon’s sponsorship of the London, Paris and Milan fashion weeks this year.  More importantly, this campaign is the perfect vehicle to raise more funds for the valuable work the Red Cross does across Europe.”

Sir Nick Young, Chief Executive of the British Red Cross said, “Canon and the Red Cross have a number of natural synergies – the inspirational work that the Red Cross does for European communities in need fits naturally with Canon’s ‘kyosei’ philosophy of living and working together for the common good. Following the overwhelming success of the previous ‘Other Side Of…’ projects that we have done with Canon, we are delighted to again be working with Canon on this spectacular third instalment which we expect will raise hundreds of thousands of euros for youth projects across Europe.”