Kristen Maldonado from Pentatonix at the Garo Cigars display. Photo: Claire Painchaud
LOS ANGELES, CA (LA ELEMENTS) 2/9/2023 – This year’s DPA Pre-Grammy Gifting Suite attracted an impressive array of nominees and winners. Among the musical luminaries who attended the private Grammy celebration at the Sunset Luxe Hotel on February 3rd and 4th were the following artists: Aynzli Jones (Songwriter of nominated Song of the Year, “Woman.”), Nova Wav (Winner Best R&B Song, “Cuff It”) Carmen Lundy (Nominee: Best Jazz Vocal Album Fade to Black) Gaby Moreno (Nominee: Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album Alegoría) Kevin Olusola, Matt Salee, Scott Hoying and Kirsten Maldonado of Pentatonix (Nominee Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album, Evergreen) Blush (Nominee for Album of the Year and Best R & B album, Good Morning Gorgeous, performing artist, Mary J. Blige)
There was quite the variety among the brand sponsors at DPA. From home décor to luxury travel, vegan skincare and more, VIP guests and select members of the media were treated to a memorable event. The outstanding gift sponsors included the following:
Ere Perz
Photo: Elva Zevallos for LA ELEMENTS
Ere Perez “This is a conscious line with sustainability in mind with clean formulations that are good on sensitive skin,” says the skincare line’s namesake and founder Ere Perez. “The brand was born in Australia and has Mexican flair because I was born in Mexico but I have been in Australia for more than 23 years”. “
“We have skincare and makeup. We have about a hundred products. It’s a beautiful range. All for the face and it’s for men and women. Boys and girls can wear the skincare. It doesn’t have any scents or essential oils so it’s really nice on sensitive skin.”
And what is the latest offering from this line?
“We just launched the white tea phytoretinol. So the retinol is applied morning and evening. But this is actually plant based, botanical. So you can wear it in the day as well. It’s for fine lines, it helps with discoloration, also pigmentation, acne prone skin.”
Adrina of Scent Si Bon
Photo: Elva Zevallos for LA ELEMENTS
Scent Si Bon Is there a luxurious and yet innovative way to do your laundry? Adrina, founder and CEO of Scent Si Bon has the answer. “We are all about luxury, innovation and sustainability. So we have laundry product that instead of using liquid laundry detergent, we actually just need one sheet to do your full load of laundry. It melts in hot water and cold water so all you need is one sheet to do a full load of laundry. We also have the matching dryer sheets as well in a sustainable box where people can actually replenish every time they run out. Our brand line is all about luxury and the nice part about it is that we are infusing our products with inspired by fragrances we all know and love. Chanel Number 5.”
“Exclusive yet inclusive for everybody’s household. Because, what do we do? We always do laundry. It’s travel friendly. People utilize the dryer sheets in their gym bags. In their suitcases when they’re traveling it keeps the clothes smelling fresh. And people utilize them in their drawers just to keep their clothing nice and freshly scented.”
Sabrina Castenetta of Rock n Kids Photo: Elva Zevallos for LA ELEMENTS
Rock’n Kids Sabrina Castenetta’s company can make your little rock star look like a little rock star with bejeweled clothing and accessories. Many items from Rock n Kids are decked out with Swarovski crystals. Castenetta herself is hands on with each design. “In our gifting bag we have one of our blingy headbands, they are also gifted with a pair of swim goggles for kids. We also have a t-shirt in there, a bib and a gift card in there. Customize designs are available.”
And for children’s birthday parties, mobile units are available!
Eva Varro (check out our cover) The company’s owner and namesake was on hand to gift selections from her popular women’s wear line. “We make everything in LA. It’s a four-way stretch jersey fabric. We do some leggings. Everything is washable. We design our own print. We design our own style.”
This company has been around for 18 years. If Eva Varro seems familiar it’s because popular retail stores such as Dillards carry her bold and colorful designs.
Garo Cigars “Savor Every Moment” is the slogan of Garo Cigars. This father son business has been around for 27 years. From Winston Churchill to Michael Jordan, cigar afficionados are a fascinating lot, preferring their cigars on the classic side. Utilizing tobaccos from the Dominican Republic, Harout Bouldoukian explains what makes a Garo Cigar a Garo Cigar. “We don’t do gimmicky cigars. No flavors, no trendy tobaccos just kind of reminiscent of old Cuban.”
Table cloth and napkins by CASA BU ARMAANA Photo: Elva Zevallos for LA ELEMENTS
CASA BY ARMAANA “So this is my sustainable homewear line,” says CASA BY ARMAANA founder, Armaana Singh. “Everything is handmade in India and printed by a technique called block printing. The design is carved in a wooden block and actually made into a stamp. And they stamp it all by hand. For the colors we use natural dyes.
“Basically, this brand started off as paying tribute to my roots which is back in India. I love art and architecture and I love traveling. So I kind of wanted to make a product which is like telling my story because I’ve lived in different parts of the world. But then, I wanted to stick to my roots but incorporate other cultures and kind of put everything together and create a product which was kind of about me too but was something that people could resonate with because sometimes you don’t know where home is. And for me I’ve always had that, ‘Is it LA? Is it India? Is it London?’ I don’t know. But I used to have a cotton block print quilt that my mom gave me when I was younger, and I used that throughout college and I always felt at home with that piece. It was close to my heart. So, I felt like starting my own homewear line. My brand’s name is CASA BY ARMAANA so obviously “casa” means home in Spanish. But Armaana means “desire” and “want” in my language, Punjabi. So basically what I’m doing, I want people to choose or desire any product from my brand that makes them feel at home.”
Singh gifted artisan created tablecloths and napkins, to guests of DPA. “I wanted to actually provide and give people good quality products which are not so overly priced because I feel like sometimes things are highly priced and the quality is not good. Especially at home you want clean products which are handmade, sustainable, because your home is your sacred space. And you want clean energy. DPA is a great platform for me to be at already so I feel really blessed and I’m glad that Nathalie found me.”
Luxury getaways at this gifting lounge were a choice of a stay in Thailand at the Pimalai Resort and Spa, The Greenhouse in Iceland or le Taha’a by Pearl Resorts in French Polynesia.
Seanna Sears of Santa Barbara Sage Photo: Elva Zevallos for LA ELEMENTS
Mila and Chris from Carvery Kitchen Photo: Elva Zevallos for LA ELEMENTS
Seana Sears delighted guests with gifts from her organic and vegan Santa Barbara Sage skincare line. Chris and Milla from Carvery Kitchen were there to provide savory selections from their menu. They gave us the good news that Carvery Kitchen will now have a breakfast menu and extend their business hours to 8 pm. Entendre Cosmetics founder Jasmyn Hampton let us know that her skincare line is all about, “Clean beauty, vegan. Everything is from the earth.” The Stacker Shop is expanding their jewelry designs to include from the exotic (falcons, tigers, etc.) to the domestic. Yes, a dog and cat collection will soon be coming out. Michael Kondobekian and Christine Haratujian from Deluxe Laser Aesthetics gifted vouchers to their med spa offering services in laser hair removal, Botox, facials, Morpheus, Sculptra and fillers.
About Nathalie DuBois and DPA: A veteran in the production of celebrity events, Nathalie Dubois, President and CEO of DPA, has proven herself to be one of the most respected names in the realm of entertainment industry gift suites. Originally from France, Nathalie Dubois credits her success in part to her world travels and the exotic cultural influences of the products she picks for her exclusive gift suites. For more information on DPA and the brands mentioned in this article, please visit their sites.
Cover photo of Grammy nominee Gaby Moreno (Best Latin Rock, Alternative or Urban Album, Alegoria) with Eve Varo courtesy of Claire Painchaud.
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