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Wood Craft
Ben Wood
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Luxury store Louis Vuitton is known for charitable work
Louis Vuitton is well known for being one of the top luxury retailers in the world but the company is also known for its charitable works that benefit thousands of people who cannot afford to shop in its stores. Locally, LV is title sponsor of the Louis Vuitton Hawaii International Film Festival, and it holds an annual charity golf tourney that supports the Louis Vuitton Creative Arts Program at Rehab Hospital, among other charities. LV's latest endeavor is getting heavily involved in renovating the dilapidated historic Kakaako pumping station and cleaning up its grounds, which were a mess. The store held a posh dinner party at the site after having a reopening cocktail reception, catered by Indigo, at its renovated Ala Moana store Oct. 21. Among LV officials flying in for the event were the company's North America and Hawaii chief
Jean-Marc Gallot from New York, and from Paris,
Eleonore De Boysson, the chain's network director. LV Hawaii chairman
Kyojiro Hata flew in from Japan. Guests were not told of the dinner party site and were shuttled there in Lincoln town cars. About 160 attended, including Korean superstar actor
Lee Byung-hun, Chinese actress
Bai Ling and film critic
Roger Ebert. Bai did a wild dance with strolling Russian violinist
Dr. Draw, who was flown in along with two magicians who did tricks at tables.
Alan Wong and his staff prepared dinner that was served by Current Affairs' employees. Lee is overwhelmed by fans everywhere he goes. Star-Bulletin Style Editor
Nadine Kam was envied by his admirers because she got to sit at his table for dinner. "I felt sorry for him," Nadine said, "because every time he started to eat it seemed someone wanted to have a photo taken with him and he'd have to stand up again and again." Nadine admits she took a photo with him, too ...
Jerry Coffee will be honored Nov. 11
MidWeek columnist
Jerry Coffee, a retired Navy captain and former Vietnam POW, is the first recipient of the Navy League of Honolulu Council's American Patriot award. Jerry will receive the award appropriately on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, at Hilton's Coral Ballroom. Two other local residents who were POWs,
Ed Alvarez and
Jim Hickerson, will speak. Tickets are $150; call 422-9404 ...
Ben Wood, who sold the Star-Bulletin in the streets of downtown Honolulu during World War II, writes of people, places and things every Wednesday and Saturday. E-mail him at
bwood@starbulletin.com