A chat with Caroline Scheufele, Co-President and Creative Director of Chopard on the brand’s long Journey to Sustainable Luxury.
1. What does it feel to you to be honored with the Designer of the Year Award at the Sustainable Style Gala?
I am pleased and honored to receive this award. It demonstrates that design and creativity can encounter with sustainability which is today a highly debated and increasingly covered topic. Chopard’s long Journey to Sustainable Luxury led the Maison to achieve 100% ethical gold supply chain and I am looking forward to deepening the work on the Journey to Sustainable Luxury and achieve many more milestones.
2. What does it mean for Chopard to be a pioneer in the industry (in sustainable jewellery and watches) to have been involved in a sustainable journey as much as you have?
As a family run business, ethics have always been an important part of our family philosophy. Naturally, we have always put ethics at the heart of the values of Chopard. 2018 was a special milestone for Chopard as we committed to use 100% Ethical gold for the production of all our watches and jewelry starting from July 2018. True luxury comes only when you know the handprint of your supply chain and I am very proud of our gold sourcing programme.
Being in a profitable business and practicing good stewardship of environmental and social justice is essential. I sincerely hope that more companies from our industry will join us in this movement and effort to sustainable luxury by putting ethics at the heart of aesthetics.
3. What was the biggest challenge that you faced during the journey to sustainability?
The most complicated step was the first step: the actual change. People are used to doing things in a certain way. They have a routine and it’s often hard for people to go out of their comfort zones. That was the hardest part, to convince everybody in the workshops about the change. We had to make them understand why we’re doing this because it’s them who have to do the job. It was a challenge, but we obviously proved that we could do it. I’m also happy to see that a few other actors from our industry are following. There are signs that even some of the Swiss banks might come on board.
4. From the client perspective how was the move to use ethical gold and stones received by Chopard clients worldwide? How interested were they in terms of mining, sourcing the gold, environmental impact?
Clients nowadays are more aware of sustainable issues as it is a global topic that concerns everyone but a lot of clients are not aware of what is going on beyond the boutiques. That is why communication, information and education are essential. The pieces made from ethical gold have in a way added value because they have the ethical feeling about them, especially in the luxury industry. I think the luxury industry should be the first industry that should be attentive to the cause.The ultimate luxury is transparency in particular with regard to the supply chain.
5. Did this move have any impact on the product prices? In what way?
Well with the use of 100% ethical gold, the cost has increased more or less about 10 percent, but we as a company absorb this so the consumer does not pay more for the ethical gold.
6. What is your favorite Basel 2019 novelty and why?
It is very difficult to answer this question. We have worked very hard to present all of the novelties… all of them are my favorite!
7. Tell us more about this year Red Carpet collection, what can we expect to see in Cannes this year?
I can tell you that Love is in the air! This will be the theme of our Red Carpet collection this year. We will be presenting 72 unique pieces for the 72th edition of the Cannes Film Festival. A pool of colours, materials and stories will shine through the uniquely inventive high jewellery pieces. During Baselworld, we have already unveiled a few pieces such as a set composed of a necklace, a ring and a pair of earrings with splendid heart-cut tanzanites, Paraiba tourmalines, amethysts and diamonds that meet and mingle inside light and airy circles made of 18-carat white gold and titanium. We also unveiled a set composed of a ring and pair of earrings shaped like astonishingly lifelike orchids.
8. The retail market is changing, what’s your thought on e-commerce in terms of jewellery and marketplaces?
With a quickly expanding internet audience, online stores have become a major revenue source for some businesses over the last years. Chopard is already active with e-commerce in the USA and the UK. Our e-commerce site is intended to service people outside of metropolitan areas who cannot visit a Chopard retailer. But before considering opening our e-commerce to other markets, we are watching this trend closely because the experience of going to a store, touching and feeling a product especially watches and jewellery, cannot be reproduced online. So definitely, e-commerce is a tool and it’s important, and we have to use it wisely.
9. How Chopard is benefiting from social media? What is the added value a luxurious brand like Chopard gets from it? Are you personally active on social media?
Social media is very aspirational; it’s useful for building broader brand awareness, rather than something that is particularly targeted to top-end clients.
It is nowadays a very important communication platform. I think it provides very immediate feedback and people are really amazed. Everything is alive. You don’t even have time to sit back and think, you have to be very proactive. I think also, in terms of the communications aspect, for the press, social media has changed the world. Because the exact day something happens in another part of the world, you know it’s happening. And yes I am active on social media.
10. Chopard has progressiveley moved into other sectors such as eyewear, hand bags and hotels, do you have other plans to expand into more territories?
Obviously, there are many opportunities which we can create, so why not. It is interesting and challenging to explore other territories within the luxury field to enlarge the Magic of Chopard.