Cadbury, maker of one of the world’s favourite chocolate bars, Cadbury* Dairy Milk*, combined two things women love most: chocolate and fashion, at the presentation of its 2008 Cadbury Chocolate Couture Collection, unveiled during the fourth annual Fashion Show.

Ten outstanding Canadian fashion designers were invited to seek creative inspiration from select countries around the world that share a passion for chocolate and a love for Cadbury* Dairy Milk*. The result, revealed on the runway at the Carlu in Toronto on November 5th, was a diverse array of highly delectable couture creations – each featuring 100 per cent pure Cadbury* Dairy Milk* chocolate.

Show-Stopping Couture

Award-winning designers, such as Eugenia Leavitt of Eugenia Designs and Philip Sparks, niche specialists such as Karyn Gingras of Lilliput Hats and Ines and Veronica Di Santo of Ines Di Santo and hot names, such as Andrew Majtenyi, Stephen Wong and Kirk Pickersgill of Greta Constantine joined veterans Farley Chatto, Izzy Camilleri, Jim Searle and Chris Tyrell of Hoax Couture Studios and Rory Lindo and Kelly Freeman of Damzels in this Dress, as the creative collaborators in this fantastic, fourth annual Cadbury Chocolate Couture Collection Fashion Show. Canadian fashion designers, whose delicious couture creations have graced the stage in previous years, include Wayne Clark, Pat McDonagh, Franco Mirabelli, Sunny Choi and Izzy Camilleri.

The delicious evening featured exclusive performances by Simone Denny and Measha Brueggergosman and - two critically acclaimed Canadian divas. Measha Brueggergosman has garnered praise for her voluptuous voice, sovereign stage presence, and intuitive musicality. Canadian powerhouse vocalist Simone Denny is a dynamic, soulful diva who is internationally recognized for her distinctive interpretation of all genres of music, transcending all boundaries.

The audience of chocolate-lovers, fashion insiders and media enthusiastically expressed their appreciation for the sensational runway presentation and reveled in the performances by the evening’s surprise guests – renowned Canadian soprano, Measha Brueggergosman and Toronto-born Broadway vocalist, Simone Denny.

Cadbury: A Taste for Innovation

The Cadbury Chocolate Couture Collection Fashion Show is a unique expression of Cadbury’s ongoing commitment to leadership and innovation. Canada’s first and original chocolate fashion show, conceptualized by Cadbury and brought to life by an expert team of Cadbury chocolatiers, under the direction of chocolate artist Jenn Stone, continues to demonstrate Cadbury’s dedication to delivering superior quality, premium taste and show-stopping excitement.

“Designers who have participated in previous collections continually try to surpass the work we have developed in previous years,” says fashion designer Farley Chatto, curator of the Cadbury Chocolate Couture Collection since its inception. “Each year, new designers consistently come up with the most fantastic creations and innovative applications of Cadbury chocolate. This year, we were inspired by the theme of a universal love of Cadbury chocolate and we really challenged the chocolatiers to invent new chocolate techniques to bring our ideas to life.”

Each of the ten exquisite ensembles was created with a minimum of 70 per cent pure Cadbury* Dairy Milk* chocolate in varying cocoa intensities, from the creamiest milk to the richest dark chocolate.

Chocolate artist Jenn Stone says the astonishing intricacy and variety in this year’s designs demanded ingenuity and improvisation. “For the Greta Constantine outfit, we developed a new technique to create chocolate that is as translucent and delicate as blown glass. To get a believable fur effect for Philip Sparks’ Courier de Bois, we piped and spun the chocolate into a sort of candy floss texture.” In addition to the usual molding, dipping, sculpting, beading, airbrushing and appliquéing in chocolate, this year’s collection also necessitated the creation of pliable ropes and strings of chocolate, which Stone has christened “chocolate licorice” and “chocolate pasta,” respectively.

“Now in its fourth year, the Cadbury Chocolate Couture Collection celebrates chocolate and fashion: two things women love most,” says Lesya Lysyj, Executive Vice President Marketing, Cadbury North America. “We continue to be amazed by the incredible imagination invested in the development of the Cadbury Chocolate Couture Collection and the boundless appeal of chocolate and cutting-edge design.”

Cadbury’s World of Chocolate

Inspired by the global passion for chocolate, ten of Canada’s top fashion designers applied their unique visions and their diverse design talents to the 2008 Cadbury Chocolate Couture Collection Fashion Show.

Hoax Couture Studio: The Maharaja of Cadbury At Cadbury Chocolate Couture

Chris Tyrell and Jim Searle use hundreds of milk and dark chocolate discs to richly pattern their Maharaja’s regal Cadbury-purple coat and Cadbury-gold pants. The ultimate symbols of this monarch’s position are the giant chocolate jewels that stud his waistband and anchor his elaborate turban.

Lilliput Hats: Sydney Diva At Cadbury Chocolate Couture

Karyn Gingras presents a bikini-ed Aussie diva, clad in a soaring Sydney Opera House-inspired hat. The hat is solid Cadbury* Dairy Milk* chocolate, of course, encrusted in diamond-shaped chocolate tiles. The bikini is created in sexy chocolate leather. The diva is accessorized in elegant, elbow-length chocolate gloves and sandals tied with pretty ribbons of Cadbury* Dairy Milk* chocolate.

Greta Constantine: Thai Temptress At Cadbury Chocolate Couture

Greta Constantine conjures dreams of golden temples and the gentle ting of cymbals with the graceful Thai dancer. The breastplate is moulded in Cadbury* Dairy Milk* chocolate and decorated with solid chocolate studs and jewels. Six meters of beadwork—in pure dark chocolate—have gone into this sensuous siren’s abbreviated “skirt.”

Andrew Majtenyi: Celtic Coquette At Cadbury Chocolate Couture

Andrew Majtenyi’s dramatic collection has chocolate that’s been hand-piped and stencilled into elaborate Celtic patterns makes the Irish step dancer the sweetest ever seen. Her pert frock is accessorized with Cadbury, from the milk and dark chocolate tartan of her stockings to the delicate chocolate buttons on her wristlets.

Izzy Camilleri: African Queen At Cadbury Chocolate Couture

Tapping into the nobility of Africa’s traditional tribes, Izzy Camilleri introduces the African Queen in an elaborate, chocolate-twig, midriff-baring bodice. The leather sarong, with ethnic patterned accents, is executed in milk chocolate. Her tresses, tinted with Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate, are topped with a woven chocolate basket. The jewellery is dipped in Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate.

Eugenia Designs: El Toreador At Cadbury Chocolate CoutureMontrealer Eugenia Leavitt’s toreador outwits El Toro in a sexy suit and cape airbrushed in Cadbury* Dairy Milk* chocolate. A variety of chocolate balls, beads, buttons, and hand-piped chocolate create the intricate filigree of her pants. Her cap is dipped in luscious dark chocolate.

Damzels in this Dress: Harajuku Girl At Cadbury Chocolate Couture

Rory Lindo and Kelly Freeman draw inspiration from Japan’s Harajuku girls—the young fashion-obsessed teens who haunt Omotesandō. Their frilly frock, airbrushed in delicious Cadbury* Dairy Milk* chocolate, is piped with chocolate lace and punctuated with 30 chocolate bows shimmering with (edible) copper dust, as well as heart-and star-shaped chocolate “buttons”.

Philip Sparks: Courier de Bois/Northern Trapper At Cadbury Chocolate Couture

Philip Sparks’ Canadian lumberjack prowls in a traditional plaid jacket—very un-traditionally patterned with various tones of Cadbury* Dairy Milk* chocolate—and a pair of chocolate denim pants. The buttons, even the axe—are chocolate, too. The authentic-looking fur of the collar, mitts and hat is chocolate spun like candyfloss.

Ines Di Santo: Floribunda At Cadbury Chocolate Couture

The Ines Di Santos’ extraordinary bridal gown is made of hundreds of multi-toned, three-dimensional Cadbury* Dairy Milk* leaves, tendrils and vines. The bride’s headpiece consists of leaves and twigs sculpted in Cadbury* Dairy Milk* chocolate. The bouquet is a masterpiece of delicate chocolate filigree, beadwork and delectable chocolate flora.

Farley Chatto: “Milky Stardust” Glam Rocker At Cadbury Chocolate Couture

Chatto’s outrageous music man sports a, chest baring “cage jean jacket” made of strips of chocolate boned leather and adorned with Swarovski Crystal snaps. The spines of his feathered headdress are coated in Cadbury* Dairy Milk* chocolate.

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