Alessandra Ambrosio charms DSF shoppers and fans at City Centre Mirdif

Supermodel and designer Alessandra Ambrosio, well known for her work with international brand Victoria’s Secret, gave her fans in the region a rare opportunity to meet her on 30 January, when she visited Perfume Avenue at City Centre Mirdif, one of the main attractions of the Perfume-themed segment of the Dubai Shopping Festival 2016.

DSF organisers, the Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), an agency of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), has worked with its strategic partners to run activations that feature celebrities, influencers and experts, and one of the events organised under the Perfume Theme of DSF 2016 was the visit of Supermodel Alessandra Ambrosio to City Centre Mirdif, one of the malls of Majid Al Futtaim Properties, a strategic partner of DFRE.

Fans of Alessandra thronged  Perfume Avenue, City Centre Mirdif, as she made her way through the various sections of the DSF destination including the Pop-Up Perfume Market and the 10 Most Expensive Perfumes Exhibition.

At the 10 Most Expensive Perfumes Exhibition, she was greeted by Mohamed Jaber, Group Marketing and Communication Manager, Paris Gallery (also a strategic partner of DFRE) who showed her the Passant Guardant by Clive Christian, the world’s most expensive perfume which is a limited edition piece and a glorious work of art. As she admired the beautifully made perfume bottle dotted with gold and diamonds, Mr Jaber explained the concept behind the perfume.

Mr Jaber also showed her the ‘GREAT Britain’ by Roja Parfums, a perfume made by British Master Perfumer Roja Dove that was not only made of natural ingredients but also showed the attention to detail of the bottle design as well as the packaging – the cap is made of diamonds, amethysts and 18-carat gold while the packaging is in a hand-assembled alligator case embellished with diamonds and 18-carat gold.

The glamorous model then moved to the Pop-Up Perfume Market where she learned more about Dahn Al Oud and Bukhoor. As the lit incense wafted fragrant fumes into the air, she was shown the various type of agarwood as well as how the oil is applied.

Alessandra then made her way to the podium at Perfume Avenue to give a talk, surrounded by shoppers and  fans who gave her a  rousing welcome amidst the flash of cameras and smartphones. When asked about her impression about Dubai and the 21^st edition of DSF, she said: “Dubai is such a beautiful city with amazing shopping destinations. I am overwhelmed to see that major brands are all located in this city. I think that the Dubai Shopping Festival is a great way for people to enjoy the shopping aspect as well as bring tourists from all over the world who want to be a part of the DSF celebrations. I certainly loved shopping for my two kids and I’m sure if they were here with me, they would have wanted to buy more clothing for themselves. I have already experienced some aspects of what DSF and the city have to offer and I’m looking forward to tasting more of the same.”

Asked about how she got into modelling, she said: “I have always wanted to be a model since I was a child. I have modelled for various brands such as Christian Dior, Next and Ralph Lauren. I did my very first show for Victoria’s Secret in 2001 after which I became the Ambassador for Victoria’s Secret Pink line in 2005.”

Her best health regime is to stay active, stay hydrated by drinking a lot of water, and smile a lot. “I also love drinking fresh coconut water.”

As a mother of two, despite travel and work commitments, Alessandra said that she ensures that family time remains top on the list. “Some of the projects I’m working on include my lifestyle brand called ale by Alessandra and a swimsuit line.”

She encouraged aspiring models to believe in who they are, stay true to themselves and stay professional at all times.