SPARKLE

Sparkle and glamour arrived in Siem Reap!

Or not. Let me rephrase. Senhoa, literally representing the Vietnamese word for a graceful lotus growing from muddy, murky soil, has been on the scene since 2010, however perhaps somewhat off the radar. Refusing to admit ignorance and certain elements of cave dwelling on my part, Google search and Senoha’s informative and well-structured website soon brought me up to speed with the background of this organization and all the current happenings.

Eric Raisina’s glamour, on the other hand, has long adorned the vitrines of various boutique shops providing me with the perfect stop for window shopping, admiring those gorgeous, bright, feather-like gowns, scarves, bags and other garments.

Marking the “coming of age” or better - a glamorous transformation of Senhoa’s presence  on the Siem Reap scene was the launch of their luxe jewellery line “Sparkle” on the 12th July in 1961 Co-Working Space and Art Gallery. 

The newly renovated space of the former Art Hotel provided the perfect environment to introduce the array of stunning pieces; combination of the highest quality materials, semi-precious stones, Swarovski crystals and the unquestionable talent of Senhoa’s women who skillfully put all jewellery together.

During the VIP cocktail reception preceding the main show I had the opportunity to mingle with the “who is who” of the event, sip on bubbles and even have a sneaky preview of what was to come later for all to admire – the Sparkling beauty of the new jewellery line and the dream-like gowns of Eric’s creation on one male and four female models.

The grin on the 1961 proprietors’ faces the next day revealed a great success all the way counting roughly 250 attending heads – although no official head count was ever carried out, with free admission there was a steady stream of comings and goings throughout the evening. Wine flowed and when the models left the catwalk, there was even some dancing and my feet hurt the next day.

Here is a record of the event in photographs, so put your sunglasses on as some serious “bling” is about to come your way. What did I love the most? The beautiful sparkle in Senhoa’s girls’ eyes showing the humble pride of their achievement and the warm and genuine recognition that they and the whole organization received that evening.

Senhoa’s website is a source of tons of valuable, factual information and much as has been written about this event in the Phnom Penh Post, so do your homework there if you want to know more what it’s all about. 

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