'CNN Style' launches on CNN International on April 9

CNN's new home for arts, design, fashion and luxury show, hosted by best-selling author and journalist Derek Blasberg, goes on air at 2030 hours HKT on Saturday

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Delhi | April 7, 2016

'CNN Style' is coming to television screens, 15 years after the iconic Elsa Klensch was last on the network. The show on the arts, design, fashion and luxury, comes in the wake 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, anchored 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 television interview in almost two years, the undisputed queen of the art world,Sheikha Al MayassaBint 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,CaiGuoQiang,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 1990'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, showcases his dancing robot, “Ada Project”, in an unexpected location. Pop star Rita Orapassing  through Hong Kong to collect the Chinese Music Award for best international artist, takes some time off to discuss how Chinese culture influences her creativity and style with Blasberg.

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 around with the intention of enhancing his collection.In the coming months, 'CNN Style' will be at New York's Met Ball, Milan Design Week, the Venice Architecture Biennale, among other locations.

'CNN Style' is more than a television 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 on prime time shows,'CNN Today' and 'The World Right Now' with HalaGorani. Beginning April 20, CNN viewers will get a glimpse of the personal workspace and headspace of the world's most celebrated creatives, the homes they design, the runways they furnish and the exhibition spaces they fill.

The return to television shows follow 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 and commissioned stylized content for CNN digital platforms and direct to social media. It has attracted a range of luxury advertisers and built a large audience with an average of 5.5 million unique users every month.

Ellana Lee

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.”

Airtimes for 'CNN Style' first episode:

Hong Kong/ Taipei/ Beijing/ Singapore/ Kuala Lumpur/ Manila

Saturday April 9 at 1800 hours

Sunday April 10 at 1100 hours

Wednesday April 13 at 1500 and 2200 hours

Saturday April 16 at 1100 hours

Sunday April 17 at 1800 hours

Instagram Videos:

Derek Blasberg: http://bit.ly/1PHlPdF

Rita Ora: http://bit.ly/1pN08Un

Tracey Emin:  http://bit.ly/1SAQo9s

Promo: http://cnn.it/1TkBjes

Info@BestMediaInfo.com

Info@BestMediaInfo.com