Chiara Ferragni is coming to town. The Italian influencer and entrepreneur behind The Blonde Salad digital platform and the Chiara Ferragni Collection of footwear and accessories, attended the lighting ceremony of Milan’s Christmas tree on Friday.
Wrapped in a red Dior gown, Ferragni was the fairy godmother of the event, as she is one of the international personalities fronting the holiday campaign of the Swarovski company, which has provided the Christmas tree to the city since 2013.
“When they asked me to star in their holiday campaign, I couldn’t believe it,” she said a few minutes before the ceremony. “We shot it back in February in New York with an exceptional cast,” Ferragni added, hinting at fellow testimonials from Karlie Kloss, Naomi Campbell, Jourdan Dunn, Ruby Rose, Boy George, Andrés Velencoso and Bryanboy, among others.
Located inside Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the lighting ceremony drew over 500 people around the 40-foot tree, which is embellished with over 10,000 decorations — including 1,000 Swarovski Christmas stars — and 36,000 lights. These were gradually switched on to the notes of Coldplay’s song “A Sky Full of Stars,” followed by the spread of fake snow in the venue and the live performance by a gospel choir.
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“To be able to light the Christmas tree, the very one in the Galleria, which is the most iconic of Milan and that I had seen thousands of times [growing up] and to take part in this celebration, is incredible,” said Ferragni.
Asked about what she would personally like to find under her Christmas tree this year, Ferragni explained she had left her letter to Santa blank. “I’m really [living] a blissful moment, I’m super-happy, and all my dreams are already coming true.”
Incidentally, Ferragni’s glow is currently enhanced by her pregnancy, which she revealed at the end of October through an Instagram post. Engaged to Italian rapper Fedez, who asked for her hand during a concert held on her 30th birthday in Verona, the entrepreneur revealed on social media that she is expecting a son, who will be named Leone.
As for the Milanese and tourists, they will find digital devices under the Swarovski Christmas tree. The company has implemented screens and applications at the base to enhance engagement with visitors.
In particular, a Selfie Wall corner displays the holiday campaign and enables users to pick their favorite image to star in through a selfie. Offering more traditional Christmas options, the Interactive Mirror features festivities-themed filters to create customized content to share on social media.
The Style Finder booth serves as a digital catalogue to search the items of Swarovski’s current collections, which can be also worn virtually through the Try It On dedicated screens.
In addition, an exhibition showcasing the Austrian company’s 120 years of history was added at the base of the tree. The display features exclusive items belonging to Swarovski’s private archives, including the different interpretations of the house’s signature crystal swan, which was introduced in 1989.
Before hitting the lighting ceremony, Ferragni hosted a two-hour meet-and-greet with her fans at the Swarovski store.
Supporters started queuing outside the unit at lunchtime, a couple of hours before the entrepreneur’s arrival. “[Fans] still manage to surprise me with their sweetness, because they really come from all over Italy and wait for hours just to talk to me for two minutes or to take a selfie,” Ferragni said of the hundreds of supporters showing up at the store.
