The Art of Gifting: Nathalie Dubois and The TIFF DPA Lounge

Celebs Love Sphatika, Frederic Fekkai, Pucci, Michael Kors

and Manitobah Mukluks

Nathalie Dubois-Sissoko, president of DPA, is the only celebrity of celebrity gifting. Forget gift bags full of soap and hairspray. We love Nathalie because she’s the only lounge producer on the circuit who gifts shoes and swim wear! She practically invented the concept as it is now practiced at celebrity events worldwide. Sting’s wife Trudie Styler picked out a fab pair of shoes at the DPA Venice lounge.

To Nathalie, it’s an art form - one that requires great curatorial taste, discipline and grace. Her suite enjoys exclusive priority profile on the Golden Globes, The Emmys, Cannes and The Dubai International Film Festival. And thus her client’s brand end up on the likes of Sharon Stone, Amanda Bynes and Charlize Theron.

DPA is in such high demand that the Intercontinental Toronto Centre Hotel invited her to colonize the Presidential Suites at TIFF, turning the top of the hotel into a sophisticated style maven’s retreat.

The DPA Penthouse suite showcases exclusive high-end products - couture gowns, handbags, sunglasses, African safaris vacations, jewelry and spa experiences. Everything is laid out like a jewel box, created specifically for the comfort of celebrities and their entourages.

AMC joins the impressive list of sponsors featured in the first DPA TIFF gifting lounge which offers A-List stars over $60,000 in gifts. Featuring celeb-adored line Frederic Fekkai, Canyon Ranch, Revitalash, and Biotene, the best in beauty is covered. The fashion trends space featuring French designers Blubretzel, Pull in, Parisian jewelery designer Oh dis le moi and accessories’ French Sisters.

A big hit with celebs? A luxurious pair of infamous Manitobah Mukluks! The perfect treat for stiletto-weary starlets. Made with exceptional quality and total exclusivity, these boots are a rare find in today’s fashion world.

Sophia Bush adored the Sodalicious tee shirts and the Urban Tree Salvage candles holders. Sport Illustrated’s Anna Kosturova swim wear also made a big splash, capturing fantasies of sun-soaked glamour. The emphasis is always on color, shape and details, whether she is inventing elaborate new crochet stitches or embroidery, bead work and appliqués. As a mechanical engineering graduate specializing in textiles, Anna loves the challenge of recreating patterns and textures found in natural world.

Georges Hobeika Atelier gifted select actresses certificates valued at $45,000 to redeem the haute couture dress of their choice. Hobeika is gifted Lebanese couturier who’s made a serious name for himself on the red carpet and in esteemed French couture circles.

A few festival VIPs left with dream safaris to Kenya. An amazing gift from Bora Ubora - 7 days on the coast of Kenya at Diani Reef and few days in the bush for a mini safari with Heritage group. A perfect destination to wear your DPA-gifted Pucci sunglasses for women and the Michael Kors sunglasses for men. Charlize Theron knows all about DPA “gift trips” from her time with Nathalie in Venice.

Sphatika founder Janet League-Katzin is a former actress who knows all about the premium society puts on one’s skin. “It’s the largest organ of our bodies. My philsophy: If we can’t eat a skincare product, it’s not good enough to be applied to the skin!” She created the line after a decade long search for the perfect rituals to balance our well-being. Celebs are being treated to the most divine facial treatments and foot massages. It’s a little kiss of heaven in a festival gone wild with late nights. The aromatic properties of the line and the expertise of the Sphatika staff create a blissful experience that goes beyond skin deep.

Present also in the DPA Toronto gift lounge are Americans Bluhorse, Eva Varro, David and Goliath bags, Juree Kim leather card holders and Flip and Tumble eco friendly bags.

AMC, exclusive sponsor of Special Presentations at TIFF, will have a strong presence in the DPA Toronto gifting lounge, celebrating the success of Golden Globe-winning show Mad Men.

We expect more great things from Nathalie, who just founded NDS Films, a new venture specializing in film production.