Bicester Village Launches 'Celebrating India' With VIP Guests Waris Ahluwalia, Jodie Kidd and Donna Air

Desirée Bollier, Chair and Chief Merchant, Value Retail Management hosted guests including; Waris Ahluwalia, Jodie Kidd, Ruth Ganesh Trustee of Elephant Family along with Donna Air and Amandip Uppalbestselling cookery writer. Guests experienced first-hand the fashion-forward designs of India's most celebrated talent at the boutique opening, and later enjoyed a delicious Indian-inspired lunch at Café Wolseley.

"We are thrilled to be welcoming a new wave of India's creative talents to Bicester Village to commence the launch of our summer campaign 'All Things India.' Collectively the designers showcased at the Celebrating India concept store are leading the charge and affirming India's position on the international design agenda and, what more vibrant a highlight could we wish for than these five magnificent elephant sculptures honouring one of nature's most celebrated icons. The Bicester Village Shopping Collection is proud to partner with Elephant Family in support of its valuable work in protecting these endangered creatures." Desirée Bollier, Chair and Chief Merchant, Value Retail Management, operator of The Bicester Village Shopping Collection.

Elsewhere in the village, six magnificent life-size elephants supporting the ongoing work of Elephant Family are on display exclusively until 11^th June. The Asian elephants are carved from lantana camara, a plant that's destroying their natural habitat, and shoppers can donate in-village to the Elephant Family charity, founded by the late Mark Shand.

Also on display will be the work of world renowned travel photographer, Chris Caldicott. A collection of his striking work is on display in the Village from 17 May to 20 June.

The restaurants at Bicester Village are also offering an authentic taste of India. Award winning Curry Leaf Café are opening their first pop-up outside of Brighton for the duration of summer serving modern Indian street food. Café Wolseley has added The Delaunay signature chicken curry dish to their menu and will be serving a collection of Indian-sourced tea and bespoke elephant shortbread biscuits, all individually iced.

For shoppers wanting to introduce Indian flavours at home, Amandip Uppal's cook book Indian Made Easy, which blends traditional and contemporary methods is available at the Celebrating India pop up.

Celebrating India, a designer pop-up boutique, will be open exclusively at Bicester Village until 29^thMay 2019.

ABOUT BICESTER VILLAGE

Located in Oxfordshire, from 46 minutes by train from London Marylebone, Bicester Village is home to more than 160 boutiques from leading British and international fashion and lifestyle brands, with year-round savings of up to 60% on the recommended retail price. The Village's exceptional dining offering includes the recently opened Café Wolseley, from the same group as London favourite, The Wolseley. It also hosts an ever-evolving programme of art, music and retail theatre as a result of partnerships with the likes of Tate, among others. Bicester Village is a member of The Bicester Village Shopping Collection, 11 distinctive destinations across Europe and China, each within reach of many of the world's most important gateway cities: London, Paris, Shanghai, Milan, Dublin, Barcelona, Madrid, Brussels, Antwerp, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Munich, Frankfurt and Suzhou. The Collection, by Value Retail, is unique in its unprecedented brand mix, beautiful settings, cultural richness, and remarkable service and savings.

Elephant Family

Elephant Family is an international NGO dedicated to protecting the Asian elephant from extinction in the wild. In the last 50 years their population has halved and 90% of their habitat has disappeared.

A growing skin and tusk trade, along with the deadly and escalating conflict between people and elephants for living space and food, remain a constant threat. Elephant Family funds pioneering projects across Asia to reconnect forest fragments prevent conflict and fight wildlife crime. Since 2002 we have funded over 200 conservation projects and raised over £15m through public art events for this iconic and endangered animal.

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/889052/Celebrating_India.jpg
Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/889053/All_Things_India.jpg