Couture Designers Join With Silversea on the ‘Colour the World 2024/2025’ Itinerary Collection
Chanel. Dior. Balenciaga. The pulse quickens. Saint Laurent, Valentino, Westwood. The expectations soar. Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Manolo Blahnik. The heart hums. Masters of their craft, these designers made their mark by creating, innovating and inspiring.
With just such inspiration in mind, Silversea turned to a group of young designers from around the globe to share how their creative energy parallels the care and flair with which the ultra-luxury cruise line suffuses the itineraries for the “Colour the World: New Voyages Collection 2024/2025.”
The collection of voyages “is very similar to what fashion houses do with their new collections,” says Barbara Muckermann, Chief Commercial Officer for Silversea Cruises. “What fashion, travel and design all have in common is colour. You travel to understand all the colourful nuances of the world. “
The voyage, she adds, “is not really about getting somewhere. It is about designing that perfect experience.”
Like couture, the 2024/2025 Silversea collection of cruises was created with the same care, exquisite attention to detail and emphasis on originality that will be the hallmark of the 695 destinations in 120 countries. Silversea’s 11 ultra-luxury ships will include the Silver Endeavour, an expedition-class ship that will be introduced to the fleet in November, and the Silver Ray, the fleet’s second Nova-class ship, which will make its debut in summer 2024.
Having world-class ships is important, of course, but “we don’t think the ship is the destination,” Muckermann tells us. “We strongly believe that the destination is the main reason travelers travel. They choose us because we know the world, and we happen to do that in an amazing way.
“Our brand,” she adds, “has two souls: travel deeper and in luxury.”
Here is how fashion’s precepts and Silversea’s brand philosophy converge in the carefully curated voyages collections for 2024/2025.
Africa and the Indian Ocean
Designer: Fikile Sokhulu. Like many young designers, Sokhulu is concerned about fashion’s effect on the environment. She also is intrigued by the duality of women, who can be strong and fragile at the same time. Her feminine designs reflect that aesthetic.
Design influences: “I see Africa as a romantic woman. She gets her powers from the natural resources: water, the trees and everything. It inspires me to create organic shapes when I am creating and designing new silhouettes.”
What’s new in the region: Ports in the Vanilla Islands: Madagascar, the fourth largest island in the world, Mauritius, encircled by coral reefs, and the Seychelles, whose archipelago includes 115 islands. In Tanzania, you’ll learn the history of Kilwa Kisiwani, a city that dates to the 9th century and opens a window on Swahili culture, thanks, in part, to copious ruins.
And don’t miss: The Arabian Peninsula, the Persian Gulf and the Suez Canal, where you will see centuries of old mosques, colonial architecture and ancient wonders, including the Pyramids.
Choose your 2024/2025 cruise to Africa and the Indian Ocean: 19 voyages, 63 destinations, 23 countries, six ships.
Alaska and British Columbia
Designer: Irina Dzhus, a Ukrainian designer and stylist whose works are described as “transformative,” meaning pieces can be added and subtracted. Sustainability and the environment also are important in and to Dzhus’ work.
Design influences: “The elements. It’s so inspiring for me when I see the rain, the mountains, especially those layers. We are all made of layers.”
What’s new in the region: New 10- or 11-day itineraries take you to Juneau, the capital, which you cannot reach by road, and to the 12-mile-long Mendenhall Glacier as well as to Endicott Arm fjord, about 50 miles from Juneau. An 18-day Alaska expedition, plus “combination” voyages that allow you to link two seven-day itineraries on Silver Muse.
And don’t miss: Curious about Alaska’s itinerary as well as coastal ports, fjords and bays? Consider an add-on trek to Denali National Park and Preserve, home to the 20,310-foot Denali peak, the tallest in the United States. Another option? Embark on a train trip through the Canadian Rockies on the illustrious Rocky Mountaineer.
Choose your 2024/2025 cruise to Alaska and British Columbia: 31 voyages, 16 destinations, two countries, two ships, including Silversea’s new Silver Nova.
Antarctica, the Arctic and Greenland
Designer: Domenico Orefice. He is a native of Naples but moved to Florence, a city about a third the size of his birthplace. Orefice says the move, nonetheless, broadened his perspective in this city called the “cradle of art.” Italian Vogue said of his menswear, “It integrates the active attitude of technical clothing inspired by extreme sports with the excellence of haute couture for a new luxury….”
Design influences: “The curiosity to go beyond, never stay in one place or with a single thought but try to open up those drawers in the mind that are, perhaps, explored less often. And I try to open them up, look in and discover what’s inside.”
What’s new for Silversea in the polar regions: New Arctic itineraries offer a different kind of wildlife from that of Antarctica. Here, the star of the wildlife show is the polar bear. You’ll also see the Svalbard islands, an ancient whaling base reborn.
And don’t miss: Antarctica Bridge, Silversea’s six-day fly- cruise that lets you skip the time-consuming and often-rough Drake Passage, giving you the same number of days to explore as a longer voyage would. Longer expeditions depart from Chile’s Puerto Williams, the southernmost city in the world . A 12–day itinerary goes beyond the Polar Circle and includes remote South Georgia Island.
Choose your 2024/2025 cruise to Antarctica, the Arctic and Greenland: 39 voyages, 78 destinations, five countries, three ships.
Asia
Designer: Satoshi Kuwata is a citizen of the world, having lived in Japan, New York, Milan, Paris and London. He graduated from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London and trained on Savile Row. He has been a design consultant for Ye (formerly Kanye) West.
Design influences: “When I was young, classic [style] was for grandma [and] grandpa. As I get older, as I live in different countries, classic is the most important thing….I’m trying to mix a detail from each different culture [and} mix it together.”
What’s new for Silversea in Asia: The season can color one’s perception and understanding of a destination. In Japan, for example, itineraries will be offered in two seasons: fall, when the changing of the leaves can rival New England for fire and brilliance, and spring, when the cherry blossoms bloom like puffs of small pink clouds just as they do in Washington, D.C., whose climate mimics Japan’s capital. New destinations include Belawan for Gunung Leuser National Park in Indonesia; Port Blair, Andaman Islands; and Cheriyam and Tinnakara islands in India.
And don’t miss: Asian cuisines are among the most diverse in the world, and the culinary traditions will be part of your journey. Guests can learn and absorb more though S.A.L.T. (Sea and Land Taste) programs on Silver Dawn and Silver Nova. S.A.L.T. offers a range of authentic opportunities, from daily changing menus in S.A.L.T. Kitchen that reflect the port you’re visiting, to S.A.L.T. Experiences, culinary-influenced shore excursions that introduce guests to tastes and cultures onshore.
Choose your 2024/2025 cruise to Asia: 27 voyages, 68 ports, 17 countries, five ships.
The Mediterranean and Northern Europe
Designer: Francesco Murano is from Agropoli, Italy, and his work incorporates the dynamic design oppositions found in Italy’s notable historic eras. The textiles he uses in his designs are both rough and smooth, and his pieces are both tailored and fluid. Beyonce is said to be a fan.
Design influences: “I come from a region that is a social and artistic hub since the times of the first Greek colonies, all the way to the Etruscan and Roman ones. We’re surrounded by archaeological sites and landscapes that bring us back to these ancient civilizations. Definitely this artistic background has led me to use their shapes, materials and, above all, colors.”
What’s new for Silversea in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe: In “Colour the World 2024/2025” we’ve added departures for Israel and also expanded opportunities to visit the Atlantic Isles and North Africa.
And don’t miss: Silversea’s intimate ships give guests access to smaller ports, including Amorgos, part of the Greece’s Cyclades, and once a legendary producer of fabric. The queens of the Mare Nostrum– Athens, Venice, Rome and Istanbul – also get their due in various itineraries.
Choose your 2024/2025 cruise to the Mediterranean and Northern Europe: 100 voyages, 39 countries, 216 destinations, six ships.
The South Pacific
Designer: Cecilia Juarez Balta’s roots are in Peru and in Italy. Her grandmother, she said, worked in fabrics: “I was moved how she brought together colors, textures, different materials, how she created them from threads,” like the islands of the South Pacific: colorful and unique in their own way.
Design influences: “Nature is a fundamental part of my collection. When I travel, I like to go out and explore. I like finding out what stories a country has to tell. When I think of luxury, I think of craftsmanship, the importance of creating things made by hand, the craftsmanship of getting in there and touching your work with your own hands and leaving your mark on everything you do.”
What’s new for Silversea in the South Pacific: Fakarawa is part of the archipelago of the Tuamotus, and it’s a new destination for Silversea. It’s a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and boasts many ocean and land species found only there.
And don’t miss: Destinations in Melanesia, Micronesia and Easter Island. Some are well known – Bora Bora and Papeete, capital of French Polynesia – and others may be new to your travel vocabulary, including Aitutaki (Cook Islands), Raiatea (French Polynesia), Taipivai Valley (Marquesas Islands), each with its own traditions and cultures.
Choose your 2024/2025 cruise to the South Pacific: 13 voyages, 12 countries, 59 ports, three ships.
More highlights in Colour the World’s 2024/2025 collection:
Canada/New England: Guests can enjoy more time in Canada in the summer, including 12-day itineraries that give a deeper look at music, history and, of course, food (think lobster). And in New Brunswick, a special treat: the reversing falls rapids that do, improbably, exactly that. And, of course, there is the magnificent fall foliage as the air takes on a special chill.
Middle East: Two itineraries that depart/arrive from Doha, capital of Qatar.