Christmas with the Delevingnes: Chloe, Poppy and Cara talk hosting, sisterhood, and the family business
Having conquered the worlds of fashion, health and Hollywood, we discuss bonding over business with the Delevingne sisters
Peruse the starry CVs of the Delevingne sisters and it would be fair to assume they couldn’t be more different from one another. The eldest, Chloe, founded a women’s health charity after completing a biomedical science degree at University College London, Poppy, the middle child, is an actress who has appeared in the likes of Kingsman, while youngest sister Cara is an international supermodel who has walked for Burberry, Chanel, and Marc Jacobs (to name a few). Success clearly runs in the family.
Given their differing careers and geographical locations – mother-of-two Chloe is based in the Cotswolds, Poppy in London, and Cara in LA – the sisters may appear to be the most unlikely of business partners, and yet they were spurred on by a very mutual love: prosecco. Launched in 2020, after two years in the making, the trio created a high-end tipple aiming to redefine perceptions of the drink as a champagne knock-off. A true family affair, created in collaboration with third-generation winemakers in Valdobbiadene, a town at the foot of the Italian Dolomites, sustainable vegan brand Della Vite was born.
Being part of the Delevingne clan means you have an innate entrepreneurial spirit. Born to property mogul Charles Delevingne and personal shopper Pandora Stevens, the three sisters were raised in Belgravia and have been open about their often turbulent childhood. Despite their age gaps – Chloe is eight years older than Cara, and Poppy recalls her little sister often sleeping in her bed when they were teenagers – sisterhood is what binds them. “I don’t know what I would do without them,” Cara told Porter magazine. “It would be horrifying. We have been through everything together… Put it this way, if one of them killed someone I would help bury the body.”
Earlier this year, Della Vite launched its first non-alcoholic prosecco, reimagining a sparkling French rosé bursting with flavours of cherry blossom, red berry, and fresh red apple but without the hangover. Cara in particular has been open about her sobriety and celebrated two years being teetotal earlier this year, telling The Sunday Times: “I feel like I’ve got my power back and I’m not being controlled by other things” – and says it seemed like an appropriate move for the Delevingne brand.
“Alcohol-free doesn’t mean compromising on taste, fun or new experiences,” says Cara. “I’ve wanted to create something like this with my sisters for a long time now but we were patient and finally found the right partners to work with. It was worth the wait. There’s no need to miss any party now, and you can show up 100 per cent at 0 per cent, whether it be at a family dinner, office party or gatherings with mates” We sit down with the sisters to discuss the Delevingnes’ family dynamic, Christmas traditions and how, as born-and-bred Londoners, they’d spend a day off in the capital.
Poppy: We’ve always had an incredibly close bond.
Cara: I don’t know what I’d do without them. They say there’s no one as similar to you in life as your siblings! My favourite memories of my sisters include us making up dance routines to the Spice Girls – us singing and dancing together is definitely a Christmas tradition.
Chloe: The amazing thing about going into business together is the new things that you learn about each other too. Poppy has always been really creative, but it turns out she’s a bit of a number cruncher too – who would have thought it?
Cara: We love a game so there’s a lot of fun competitive action in our family gatherings!
Chloe: Cheesy movies are a must. Della Vite, cheese, cosy onesies. And the Spice Girls, of course.
Poppy: We’re all in New York for Christmas this year and we can’t wait. The only thing on the agenda is really hunkering down, eating lots of delicious food and just enjoying being together.
Poppy: Baths, baths, baths. We are all bath fiends. Bubbles, candles, Friends on the TV – heaven. Oh, and some yoga where possible…
Poppy: We’d talked about it for quite a while, but nothing ever seemed to be quite right. We were all together at a family event, drinking prosecco and then suddenly, yes! We realised it was something that had always brought us together over the years, we love Italy, and we started to think about how we could make this work.
Chloe: We wanted to do something together as we knew we brought something different to the table: we have different personalities and skill sets. We thought that if we brought them all together something quite magical could happen.
Cara: I am really proud of our zero alcohol product, Della Vite Zero. I wanted to make sure it was something we would be proud to put our names to. I was so fed up that the only thing available on non-alcoholic drinks menus was packed with sugar – and sugar hangovers are real. I had tried many of the zero alcohol products on the market and I just knew we could create something better. We finally found a vineyard in Beziers that could work with us on a delicious drink.
Poppy: I was heavily involved in the design of the bottle. We found best-in-class designers and makers in Italy and are so proud of the end result. Every detail was important, from the shape of the bottle, to my handwriting being used in the Della Vite logo. I’m also a big at-home entertainer and love working out cocktail recipes that go best with DV.
Chloe: I’m chief taster. I’m also fascinated by the bar and restaurant industry and I tend to get stuck in with visiting the wonderful places that have decided to stock us. We recently started working with Ixchel on the Kings Road in London and I worked with their bartender to make a Paloma Bellini for Mother’s Day. We also launched across the Ivy Collection this year. However, what we thought we’d all be personally good at, hasn’t actually transpired. Setting up a business has shown elements of our personality that we didn’t know existed! It’s a real learning curve every day.
Poppy: Prosecco has always been a part of our lives since we came of age: family holidays, Sunday lunches, birthday parties, Christmas, there has always been a bottle on the table.
It has always felt less stuffy, more fun and free-spirited, less about the rules-based world of Champagne and more about spontaneity and la dolce vita. We did think there was a huge gap in the market for a really good prosecco. There are so many bad ones out there that have given prosecco quite a bad reputation as they’ve been made so cheaply.
Chloe: As the popularity of prosecco has grown, there has been an influx of a variety of different qualities onto the market, each with their merits, but there was not a stand out bottle that could match up to champagne. We wanted to change that. Our vision was to give prosecco the global recognition it deserves and show the world what they’ve been missing. Plus, Valdobbiadene in Italy is the most beautiful place in the whole entire world, and the rest of the world needed to hear about it!
Chloe Delevingne
Poppy Delevingne
Chloe: It translates to ‘of the vine’ in Italian. Our surname in French means ‘of the vine’, so we wanted the brand name to mean the same in Italian: Della Vite.
Chloe: Me.
Poppy: Me. I get a real kick out of hosting. Hosting should be fun and rule-free. Shoes off by the door and hopefully some dancing on tables to end the night.
Cara: Well, I’m hosting Christmas this year so let’s wait and see.
Poppy: A brightly coloured tablecloth, beautiful plates and linens, lamp light only with an abundance of candles, and various types of mismatched glassware. There’s always a touch of gold with a sparkly reindeer or mad decorations. The more creative, the more bonkers, the better.
Poppy: I’d start with a yoga or Pilates class at Form in Notting Hill. And to treat myself, a facial with Hadda Akrim.
Cara: I love any kind of new experience that London has to offer – whether that is a new immersive experience or a play on the West End. London is such a creative city and I love to discover what is new.
Chloe: Brunch at Langan’s for a proper British experience and DV on tap.
Poppy Delevingne
Cara: My sisters, of course.
Chloe and Poppy: Hear, hear!
Visit dellavite.com
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