PARIS, VU DU 26 Celebrates the Freedom of Innovation at Boucheron

Hélène Poulit-Duquesne, CEO of Boucheron, explains the new collection celebrates the roots of the Parisian Maison by offering a new perspective on the city. In an interview with the Arabian Watches & Jewellery magazine, Poulit-Duquesne elaborates on how the renovation of the Maison’s boutique which opened in 1893 at the famous Place Vendôme has evolved into an integrated project. “Fortunately, Kering Group, the mother company of the Maison, owns the entire historic building and this is what has helped in convincing them that it is worthwhile to do a complete restoration,” observes Poulit-Duquesne. “A simple project has been transformed into a real workshop supervised by two architects commissioned by Boucheron, one of which is Michel Goutal, Chief Architect of Historic Monuments in France who has, among other projects, supervised the renovation of prestigious French landmarks such as the Louvre, Paris. The historic building which dates back to 1717 has preserved its majestic historical exterior, and in the interior we have redesigned each room individually. The result is a wonderful and true mirror of the city and its legacy, present and future of the Maison.”

Boucheron unveiled the “Paris, VU DU 26” collection last July, in conjunction with the Paris Haute Couture Week, which attracts a selection of the most important international fashion designers and an occasion which encouraged few years back some of the most admired French jewellery maisons to launch their high jewellery collections.

While the CEO of Boucheron focuses on the future of the house and its plans, Claire Choisne, Creative Director of the Maison, addresses the spirit of the collection and its different wonderful creations.

Poulit-Duquesne announced that Boucheron will be using 90% sustainable gold in all of its jewellery by the end of this year, after more than two years of efforts towards this goal. “We are working on acquiring high-quality diamonds directly from the mines in Canada, which means that we will be able to identify the source of all the diamonds we use. As for the colored stones, it is a different and more difficult process. However, we are working on a project with other companies under the Kering Group to monitor sustainable colored stones, in addition to other projects related to the mother-of-pearl and lapis lazuli.”

She pointed out the difficulty of disclosing the source of all the materials used in jewellery to the customer at the moment, but highlighted that Boucheron is moving in the right direction. In response to a question about sustainable luxury becoming a trend in the jewellery world, Poulit-Duquesne noted its importance, but not to the extent that it influences how Maisons operate. She sees growth and expansion of this notion in the future.

Regarding the challenges she believes are facing Boucheron, Poulit-Duquesne said that challenges are never related to the product “because we are characterized by strong and exclusive designs and iconic collections”. However, she added that “challenges might include the geographical distribution, especially in Asia, and the issue of e-commerce, which we are very much focused on today”. When asked about Boucheron's plans for e-commerce to attract the new generation to the brand, she revealed that there is a large number of millennials who are already customers of the Maison and that their interest in jewellery starts between the ages of twenty and thirty. “Jewellery, although expensive, does not mean that it is for the elderly only, and the evidence is that the majority of our customers in the Asian market are young. In addition, the Maison has further expanded its iconic Serpent Bohème collection and has given it more colors which makes it even more popular amongst the young generation in the Middle East. The greater the volume of e-commerce, the greater the importance of mono-brand boutiques, which pushes us to renew our boutiques to give our clients an exciting shopping experience. And this is exactly what Boucheron did.” She also stressed on the role played by social media to communicate with customers, pointing out that the house has now allocated about 60% of its advertising budget for online brand presence.

Regarding the future plans for the Middle East, Poulit-Duquesne explained that these markets are very important for Boucheron, especially Qatar, which ranks first for the brand in the region. In contrast, the number of boutiques in the area is sufficient, and the focus in the coming months will be on redesigning them in line with the new concept which was adopted in the flagship boutique in Place Vendôme.

Commenting on Boucheron’s offerings for men, Poulit-Duquesne mentioned the growing demand for men's jewellery, especially in Asian markets, and also the growth of the concept of gender-neutral products while giving examples like the iconic Quatre rings, some of the designs of Jack de Boucheron and the new Jack Box.

After eighteen months, the renovation and restoration of the Boucheron family home at 26 Place Vendôme in the center of Paris was concluded. A few months after the reopening of the historic boutique, a new high jewellery collection, PARIS, VU DU 26, was unveiled, celebrating this symbolic address and its spectacular workshop.

Going back to the new collection, “PARIS, VU DU 26”, Claire Choisne, Boucheron’s Creative Director, summed up the Maison’s codes, which are clearly reflected in the new high jewellery collection as a celebration of the freedom of innovation and creativity which in turn gives women the freedom of wearing their jewellery.

“All of Maison’s creations, like the Jack de Boucheron collection for example, clearly reflect Boucheron’s identity which focuses on luxury, vitality and freedom.”

Commenting with great excitement on the 26 V ring and necklace that reflect unparalleled creative freedom, Choisne added, “I wanted to create a new special stone by combining black onyx with rock crystal and cacholong in a three-dimensional structure featuring a mimic of a curved staircase which represents the heart of the Maison. The pieces were drawn first and then we created a 3D rendering using computer so we can help the artisans better visualize the idea. This was very challenging, but the result was impressive with unparalleled pieces. ”

The work on the “PARIS, VU DU 26” took almost three years by a fully dedicated team. The collection also features a Question Mark necklace, so called because it resembles the shape. Choisne explains that when she started working with Boucheron, she looked into the Maison’s rich archives and noticed the uniqueness of this design which she reinterprets often.

The group did not lose sight of the animals and included the asymmetrical earrings, NURI, which stands gracefully at its upper end and is crafted in lightweight titanium, yellow gold and studded generously with diamonds, aquamarines, sapphires and beryl. She also highlighted the cat Wladimir, one of the house's acclaimed figures, which was used in a 1981 advertisement, and now comes back to the forefront with two rings, one set with black sapphires and the other with diamonds. Remarkably, instead of using a green tsavorite stone for the eyes in these two rings, another technique was used, formulated from rock crystal, black sapphires and fancy cut tsavorites to make them look as real as possible.

The creative director refuses to place women within a specific context when it comes to taste and needs, but in turn praises the courage of women in the Middle East and especially Qatar in appreciating innovation, choosing and wearing large pieces.