In this week’s Friday Fête, Whitewall is giving you a look at happenings like a summer party for Ballroom Marfa, the launch of Taste of Asia with D’USSE, David Grutman and Bad Bunny’s opening party for Gekkō in Miami, and more.
Photo by Mike Vitelli, courtesy of The Standard.
On August 2nd in New York, The Standard, East Village revealed the Ukrainian artist WAONE’s mural From Legend to Discovery with a celebration in The Garden. Positioned streetside facing the restaurant’s outdoor space, the 48-foot illustration honors the life, spirit, and resilience of communities in the artist’s home country through a surrealist composition pulling from Orthodox icons, references to the divine, and existential questions. Commemorating the reveal of the work, the hotel saw attendees like Sarah Morrison, PJ Mattan, Ana B., and Tariq Dixon joining in solidarity with the people of Ukraine for a night of art and music. Amid glasses of Frozé, hors d’oeuvres like tuna tartare tacos, and a set by the Ukrainian DJ Oleg Kondratenko, the night also raised funds for the Lviv-based charity, The Ukrainian Museum and Palianytsia.
Ballroom Marfa’s summer party, 2022, photo by Madison McGaw / BFA.
In Bridgehampton last Saturday, the Texas-based arts institution Ballroom Marfa threw its summer party. Held at co-founder Virginia Lebermann’s home, the magical evening— chaired by Lebermann and co-founder Fairfax Dorn—welcomed a guestlist of names like Jules de Balincourt, Rashid Johnson, Batsheva Hay, Tara Donovan, and Cynthia Rowley, who arrived in festive attire. To a soundtrack of Ecuadorean American musician Helado Negro, guests imbibed on Casa Dragones cocktails and cuisine by Yann Nury whilst seated under the tulip trees. Completing the whimsical experience, which was supported by David Yurman, was an outdoor aerial performance by Hamptons Fly.
Photo of Maluma, courtesy of Contraluz.
On Wednesday in Williamsburg, the restaurant Freehold Brooklyn hosted a party in honor of the latest endeavor of the Colombian musician Juan Luis, globally known as Maluma. Revealed first to his guests at the restaurant, which lends itself to a lively atmosphere, Maluma announced a partnership with mezcal makers Contraluz, joining the house in its first venture into Cristalino Mezcal.
Launch event for Taste of Asia 2022, courtesy of D’USSE.
Also that evening but in Manhattan, D’USSE Cognac’s Taste of Asia launched its second annual edition (taking place on September 28) with a night at the 3.1 Phillip Lim flagship in the NoHo neighborhood. Anticipating the tasting event held in celebration of the city’s AAPI communities and raising funds for Apex for Youth, City Harvest, and Madison Square Park Conservancy, the event’s chairs Simon Kim (from the Michelin-starred restaurant COTE), Philip Lim, Wen Zhou, and Michael Chung invited DJ Mona Matsuoka to set the mood for mingling and dancing. The stylish night at the boutique also encompassed signature pours of D’USSE XO Cognac and a preview of the event’s featured cuisine, including sample-size bites from the likes of Falansi and SEMMA.
Jameel Mohammed, Zoe Bradley, and Earlecia Richelle, photo by Sansho Scott / BFA, courtesy of ST~GERMAIN.
Last night, the makers of the Elderflower Liqueur ST~GERMAIN kicked off its “Fleuriste” pop-up with an evening of conversation and culture within the experiential location at 25 Howard Street. The collaborative effort of KHIRY’s Creative Director Jameel Mohammed and the paper artist Zoe Bradley, “Fleuriste” responds to the scarce availability of fresh flowers around the globe with a simple solution—paper flowers. Conceived with the model of a flower shop in mind, visitors (welcome by appointment on August 12 and 13) will find themselves swept away in a whimsical ST~GERMAIN experience of paper bouquets, floral installations, and special flowery sips. The opening party saw notable attendees like AnnaSophia Robb, Coco Bassey, Alvin Wayne, and Laura Jung partaking in an evening of signature cocktails, live jazz, and conversation led by Mohammed, Bradley, and Earlecia Richelle that touched on the inspiration that can be found in nature.
Joe Jonas, Bad Bunny, David Beckham, and Sophie Turner at the opening of Gekkō, courtesy of Groot Hospitality.
Meanwhile, Groot Hospitality’s David Grutman and musician Bad Bunny inaugurated their new Japanese-inspired steakhouse Gekkō in Miami with a star-studded party. The hospitality brand’s latest venture in the Brickell neighborhood, the eatery’s luxe jewel-hued interiors housed a lively evening with music from Zack Bia and Mario Duran, who spun their sets while guests like Lil Wayne, DJ Khaled, David and Victoria Beckham, Sophie Turner, and Joe Jonas nibbled on passed bites of steak and sushi and sumptuous red velvet cookies by Last Crumb.
