A rare bottle of Evian natural mineral water, exclusively created and designed by world-renowned French fashion designer Christian Lacroix, has been auctioned for a record $23,000 at the Jumeirah Festival of Taste Gourmet Gala in Dubai.

The auction, held in the ballroom of Burj Al Arab, was attended by an adjudicator from Guinness World Records, who confirmed the world record for the most expensive litre of water.

The event was one of the highlights of the second biennial Jumeirah Festival of Taste, which has brought seven celebrity chefs to Dubai to prepare a spectacular array of food in awe-inspiring events throughout Jumeirah’s properties. 

James Martin, Jean-Christophe Novelli and Michel Roux, who took part in the first Festival in 2006, have all returned to the emirate and have been joined this year by Ainsley Harriott, Kerry Heffernan, Brian Turner and Cyrus Todiwala.

Evian, one of the Festival’s regional partners, made the exclusive Haute Couture bottle available to auction for the audience who had come to the event to enjoy a lavish five-course meal prepared by the participating chefs.

The bottle is a brilliantly original creation, taking its shape from the feminine form and resembles an ‘Ice Queen’.

Handmade and blown to shape by Robert Niederer, recognised as one of the best glass blowers in the world, the piece of art drew much interest from the Jumeirah Festival of Taste guests.

The bottle was purchased at auction by Dubai resident Shazzie Hoss. All proceeds from the auction, which took place in the Al Falak ballroom of the Burj Al Arab, have gone to support the Dubai Autism Center. 

“We were incredibly pleased to be able to offer such a fitting platform for the auction of this exclusive bottle,” said Marco Nijhof, Senior Vice President Middle East, Africa and South Asia at Jumeirah.

“The Jumeirah Festival of Taste Gourmet Gala event was supported by a number of significant sponsors and Evian’s role in raising money for such a worthwhile cause made the evening even more memorable,” he added.-TradeArabia News Service