CNN Style is coming to TV screens – 15 years after the iconic Elsa Klensch was last seen on the network, and on the back of style being reimagined for the digital age in 2015 with the launch of cnn.com/style.
The first 30-minute monthly CNN Style show will air on CNN International from April 9 fronted by journalist and author Derek Blasberg. With exclusive access to the biggest names and events, Blasberg will bring the worlds of art, luxury, fashion, autos, architecture and design to life for CNN’s global audience. He will build on the unique legacy of style on CNN – epitomized by the iconic Elsa Klensch who defined style for viewers around the world for over 20 years.
In 2016, CNN Style will be at the definitive events in the style calendar – biennales, expos, fashion weeks, design festivals. The launch episode focuses on the contemporary art world, set against the backdrop of Asia’s pre-eminent international art fair, Hong Kong Art Basel.
In her first major international TV interview in almost two years, the undisputed queen of the art world Sheikha Al Mayassa Bint Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, sister of the Emir of Qatar and Chairman of the Qatar Museums, speaks to CNN about her role in preserving and growing the family’s extraordinary collection of art. In recent years she has made bold moves to bring some of the world’s greatest contemporary artists to Qatar – Damien Hirst and Takashi Murakami among them. Now, she’s turning the spotlight to China – enlisting the country’s most explosive artist Cai Guo Qiang to curate an exhibition of 15 contemporary Chinese artists in the Qatar Museum Gallery al Riwaq.
From Doha to Beijing, CNN Style travels to discover the art scene in China – with painter Li Songsong, who emerges from the same group of trailblazers as Ai Weiwei.
The best of British art is on show in Hong Kong, with Tracey Emin (the Young British Artist who changed the face of contemporary art in the 90’s with her Turner Prize entry “My Bed”) opening her first exhibition in Greater China. Conrad Shawcross, British sculptor whose moving sculptures caught Saatchi’s eye in 2003, is showcasing his dancing robot “Ada Project” in an unexpected location. Pop star Rita Ora is passing through Hong Kong to collect the Chinese Music Award for best international artist – she takes a moment with Derek to discuss how Chinese culture influences her creativity and style. Over a bowl of the best local noodles, CNN Style speaks exclusively to F1 superstar Lewis Hamilton about his new found passion away from the track: contemporary art. ‘CNN Style’ accompanies him around the fair as he looks to grow his collection.
In the coming months, ‘CNN Style will be at New York’s Met Ball, Milan Design Week, the Venice Architecture Biennale and more.
CNN Style isn’t just a monthly TV show – its multi-media content will feature right across the CNN International network, with new segments and reports all under the CNN Style banner. The first of these will be The Invitation – a regular feature that will air in prime time shows CNN Today and The World Right Now with Hala Gorani. Starting on April 20, CNN invites viewers to experience the personal workspace and headspace of the world’s most celebrated creatives, the homes they design, the runways they furnish, the exhibition spaces they fill.
The return to TV follows the successful launch of ‘CNN Style’ on digital in July 2015. Since then, cnn.com/style has become a global destination that has collaborated with guest editors from Olivier Rousteing to Daniel Libeskind and Glenn Lowry, commissioned stylized content for CNN digital platforms and direct to social media, attracted a range of luxury advertisers and built a large audience with an average of 5.5 million unique users every month.
Ellana Lee, senior vice president, CNN International, said, “We are taking inspiration from CNN’s rich past in style and reverse engineering the DNA from our hugely successful digital product to bring CNN Style to TV viewers worldwide. With Derek Blasberg at the helm, our mission is to interview the most interesting people at the definitive events. This will be a surprising and elegant journey through the concepts and worlds of style.”
Derek Blasberg said, “Style is so much more than getting dressed, or looking at pictures on a wall. Artistic expression comes in a variety of mediums and is an international, multi-billion dollar a year industry. What I’m excited about with CNN Style is peeling back the layers of the worlds of art, architecture and design, and taking hard looks at the fashion, luxury and automotive industries to show how they affect the world at large. My career has introduced me to creative people from all walks of life, and it’ll be a pleasure to bring them to viewers around the world.”
CNN Style premieres at 8:30 p.m. on April 9.