Schiffer and Campbell open Fashion Cafe

JAKARTA (JP): Supermodels Claudia Schiffer and Naomi Campbell opened Asia's first Fashion Cafe here Saturday night before hundreds of glitterati from the worlds of politics, business and fashion.

Undeterred by the thunder, lightning and driving rain that washed out much of the outdoor entertainment, the two models jointly pressed a button that launched a cascade of streamers onto watching guests to mark the opening of the restaurant-cum- fashion museum.

They burst into the world's fourth such cafe through a paper curtain onto the catwalk that dominates the main room of the 1,700-square-meter venue on the ground floor of Wisma 46 in the BNI city complex, on Jl. Jend. Sudirman.

Entertainment for the VIPs, who included foreign minister Ali Alatas, tycoons Liem Sioe Liong and Ciputra and a galaxy of models and sinetron stars, consisted of a brief fashion show, an act by the evening's host, Singaporean entertainer Najip Ali, and American pop star Taylor Dayne.

Schiffer and Campbell, who own the Fashion Cafes with fellow models Elle MacPherson and Christy Turlington, told a press conference earlier that this would be the first of 11 Fashion Cafes in Asia.

Campbell, on her first visit to the Indonesian capital, said: "Jakarta is a fast-growing city where people like to shop, socialize, go out and have a great evening's entertainment."

She denied that any of the models saw Fashion Cafes merely as a means to add to their already considerable wealth. "We're not in it for the money, we're doing it for pleasure," she said.

Schiffer stressed that the models' involvement is much more than merely adding their glamorous faces to a restaurant chain. "We are co-owners and are involved in every part of the business, from selecting the memorabilia on display to helping choose the menus."

She added that the displays would be changed on a regular basis and promised to return to Jakarta in the near future.

Italian entrepreneur Tommaso Buti, who came up with the idea several years ago, said: "Jakarta is the fashion center of Asia. People here are really pretty aggressive as far as fashion is concerned and so it is a good starting point for our Asian operations.

"Fashion Cafes do not just provide a dining experience, it is a whole entertainment concept at a fair price."

Jakarta's Fashion Cafe follows others in New York, New Orleans and London. Buti predicted there would be 17 open by the end of 1998, making it the fastest growing theme restaurant in the world. (jea)