ROCKS AND FROCKS
20th March 2024
Chopard’s Caroline Scheufele took this year’s Cannes by storm with a 76-piece haute joaillerie collection and her first foray into couture. Words by Laura McCreddie-Doak
When it comes to collections, Chopard’s annual Red Carpet launch at Cannes is the very definition of opulent. This year, Chopard took “opulent” and redefined it. To celebrate the festival’s 76th year, Caroline Scheufele, the Maison’s artistic director unveiled 76 haute joaillerie masterpieces – the Maison always unveils a number of pieces commensurate to the number of years of the festival –inspired by the arts. Seven of them that Scheufele identified as architecture, sculpture, painting, music, literature, and, of course, cinema; all areas where Scheufele believes humanity shows its greatest creativity and nobility.
The starting point was Scheufele’s travel diaries in which she notes down her inspiration including everything from beautiful sculptures to the casual elegance inherent in nature. Feathers reminiscent of ancient quills become diamond-and-sapphire-set paeans to literature. Sculpture is celebrated with an incredible ring where a 127-carat yellow sapphire is supported by a collar of hand-carved gold classical-style statues like ancient gods touched by Midas. A matching necklace and earring set with diamond corrollas that gently tremble evoke the flutter of a ballet dancer’s tutu as she jetes across a stage. Even more diamonds, this time briolette cut form a choker whose stones resembles notes on a score. An artist’s use of colour and love of the natural world comes together in a luminous colourful butterfly ring, while architecture is interpreted through an elegant tanzanite necklace – all clean-cut symmetry and carefully constructed proportions. A moon pendant romantically hints at the darkness one needs in order to watch a film, and surrounding these seven totems are 71 other unique pieces of haute joaillerie and horlogerie through which these arts are explored.
This is also a place of innovation for the Maison. Titanium is used alongside Fairmined gold (Chopard’s commitment to ensuring its supply chain of both precious metals and stones is well documented), new stone cuts are experimented with, tradition and modernity blended. This year’s Cannes was also special for another reason. Scheufele announced her first foray into couture.
“I wanted to create a collection for women who, like me, want to dress in a way that is fully aligned with who they are today”, explains Scheufele. “Women in love with beauty – meaning true beauty, the kind that never goes out of fashion. Pure elegance. Clothes that can be cherished over time, worn in a variety of circumstances and in countless ways, without ever losing their value or relevance.”
To celebrate the festival’s 76th year, Caroline Scheufele, the Maison’s artistic director unveiled 76 haute joaillerie masterpieces inspired by the arts.
50 silhouettes have been created and were debuted at a star-studded party at Cannes where supers such as Naomi Campbell, Helena Christensen, Eva Herzigova, and Natalia Vodianova stalked the runway. Each creation has been designed to complement the jewels of the Red Carpet Collection. Being Scheufele sustainability is at the heart of this collection as well. Each dress is made to order so no fabric is wasted. Chiffon, taffeta, duchess satin, silk cady, lace, a large proportion of the fabrics is sourced from Jakob Schlaepfer in St. Gallen, a Swiss manufacturer that has become a worldwide reference and a supplier to Haute Couture since its inception. Some of the fabrics also come from the Gentili Mosconi workshops in Como, in particular the universally acclaimed jacquards, which have been worked and redesigned to meet the unique requirements of Caroline’s Couture. The embroideries are made in India by the best artisans of the Kalhtath Institute, which was set up by Maximiliano Modesti, a fashion entrepreneur, to preserve the embroidery techniques of Uttar Pradesh.
“When you are lucky enough to live a charmed life, it is only right to give back what you can for the benefit of others and thus create a virtuous circle,” says Scheufele. “The Kalhath Institute works to strengthen the skills of the artisans, to pass on this exceptional expertise within India and to put in place framework conditions enabling the craftspeople to earn fair wages and these are exactly the kind of steps we have been taking for several years at Chopard.”
Chopard watches are available online and at ROX Glasgow.
CONTINUE READING
LA BELLA OROLOGERIA
Enzo Ferrari described Italy’s spectacular Mille Miglia road rally as “the most beautiful race in the world” – and doesn’t Chopard know it.
