Nokia hosted Design Gala at Paris Fashion Week

Nokia has unveiled a new spring collection of Xpress-on(TM)colored covers for the Nokia 8210 fashion phone at a Nokia Design Gala in Paris. The Nokia 8210 made its way down the catwalk, flaunting its unique sense of style in 6 new vibrant colors, during a dramatic fashion show which featured new wearable accessories designed for the Nokia 8210 from the Nokia Design Center.

Also making a first appearance were creations by Nokia Young Designers, Sharon Wauchob, Maurizio Galante, Jeremy Scott, and Kostas Murkudis. Their innovative and stylish wearable accessories are the fruits of a collaboration Nokia began with them last year to give rise to a new style of expression relating to the use of the mobile phone in general, and to the Nokia 8210 in particular. While these young designers come from different cultures and represent delightfully diverse aesthetic approaches, they are unified in their awareness of the growing intimacy between fashion and mobile technology.

"The success of our fashion category launched last year in Paris is a clear indication that the mobile phone has become much more than a communication tool. Today it is a fashion accessory expressing the varying tastes and personalities of individuals all over the world. The accessories for the Nokia 8210 which we have introduced in Paris are a reflection of our pursuit of design excellence and our decade long effort to bring technology, style, and design together in an outstanding product range. Our support of the design industry extends naturally to fashion, and we are proud to be in Paris for Fashion Week again this year," said Frank Nuovo, Vice President, Chief Designer, Nokia Mobile Phones.

This is the second year that Nokia is a participant at Paris Fashion Week. This year Nokia is supporting international fashion creation by inviting a diverse group of upcoming designers, including Gilles Rosier, José Enrique Oña Selfa, Jean Paul Knott, André Walker and Gaspard Yurkievich, to show their collections at the Nokia Fashion Hall in the Petit Palais.

Nokia is paving the way to the Mobile Information Society with its innovative products and solutions. The company is the leading mobile phone supplier and a leading supplier of mobile, fixed and IP networks, related services as well as multimedia terminals. In 1999, Nokia's net sales totaled EUR 19.8 billion (USD 19.9 billion). Headquartered in Finland, Nokia is listed on the New York (NOK), Helsinki, Stockholm, London, Frankfurt and Paris stock exchanges and employs more than 60 000 people.

Further information:

Nokia Mobile Phones
Communications
Tel: +358 10 5051

www.nokia.com