“Bus, club, ‘nother club, ‘nother club, plane, next plane, no sleep,” Lady Gaga once said, referring to the madness of breaking through as a global artist. Harry Nuriev, not a popstar but also an artist, is all too familiar with the mantra, having boarded north of 100 flights in a single year—all in the name of art. Call it diligence; call it zeal; call it crazy. The Russian designer and founder of Crosby Studios is well acquainted with the hectic lifestyle bound to passion.
This past Friday was yet another boundary-traversing trip for Nuriev—except it wasn’t on a plane, ship, or train. Nestled between the emerald palms and ivory shores of Miami, The Standard Hotel was the vessel on a voyage headed straight for the future. Beneath lights of fiery reds and icy blues, Crosby Studios, Delta, and Highsnobiety welcomed 50 burgeoning small to medium business owners from the tech, art, film, and fitness worlds to celebrate SkyMiles for Business, a new loyalty program designed to help small businesses grow and spread their wings to the distant corners of the world.
Down in Miami, Nuriev’s whimsical tribute to globetrotting zoomed into a night of cheeky design. Land and sea flirted in gastronomical flings while libations were mixed with the nomad on the grind in mind (see: “Team No Sleep” cold brew martini). However tempting the offerings on its menu, the event wasn’t merely designed for consumption in the traditional sense. As the boarding passes in lieu of invitations and the dinner served on steel trays suggest, Crosby Studios inverted the archetypical dinner, with the real feast being the concept. With a Red-eye flight as the muse, a dinner became a flight, a circular table transformed into a globe from the view of an aircraft amid a night flight, its city lights twinkling candles among the table.
Just like the flight the event emulated, the journey, not the destination, is what defines a small business—turbulence and all. With Delta's SkyMiles for Business behind the steering wheel, it seems the next generation of innovators are prepared for takeoff. With clear skies ahead now, the only dilemma will be choosing between a glass of bubbly or bourbon–while you blast “Glamorous” by Fergie on loop for the remainder of your flight.
With attendees ranging from the likes of NYC-based indie designer Kim Shui and photography prodigy Sophia Wilson to burgeoning musician Selah Marley, the night was not only lit up by the candles expertly placed throughout the space by Harry Nuriev, but also by the guests. Get your exclusive, up close and personal look at the private event below.
To discover more on Delta's SkyMiles for Business program click here.
