The Maldives was announced as one of the UK’s coolest brands at the exclusive CoolLive event held at one of London’s rare hidden gems – the ‘Gymnasium’ in King’s Cross.
As a CoolBrand, the Maldives as a destination ‘has become extremely desirable among many style leaders and influencers.’ The Maldives consists of 1,190 natural coral islands with white sandy beaches surrounded by clear turquoise waters. The 88 resort islands in the Maldives range from ultra-luxurious hideaways to properties which epitomise true barefoot chic. The resorts in the Maldives have an enviable reputation for trendsetting and recent developments in the Maldives – among them some world firsts – include an all-glass underwater restaurant, an underwater spa, an underground nightclub and an open-air cinema showing classic black and white films. The archipelago recently won Condé Nast’s ‘Traveller’s Reader Award’ for Best Island.
CoolBrands is an unprecedented initiative from the Superbrands organisation and is considered a key barometer of the nation’s coolest brands, people and places.
At its core is the CoolBrands Council who judge which brands have successfully created a cool reputation at this moment in time. This year’s council includes MTV presenter and Radio One DJ Trevor Nelson, designer Ben de Lisi and Dazed & Confused Editor Nicki Bidder. Adding a further dimension to the expert opinion and new for 2006, Superbrands has joined forces with YouGov, the UK’s most accurate research agency, to ask the consumers themselves which brands they rate as ‘CoolBrands’.
Stephen Cheliotis, Chairman of the CoolBrands Council for 2007 commented, ‘with ever-evolving trends and interpretations of what is ‘Cool’, this vital step forward makes the consumer knowledge and experience a fundamental part of the programme.’ CoolBrands ‘have a magic about them, signifying that users have a sense of taste and style.’
MTPB