Life & Style | Beauty & Fashion
The lap of luxury
Who better to take the world of luxury into the 21st century and beyond? Olu-Kemi Komolafe talks with jewellery brand Boucheron's president Jean-Christophe Bedos in Paris.
- By Olu-Kemi Komolafe, Gulf News Report
- Published: 00:21 February 4, 2008
- Actress Michelle Yeoh with Boucheron president Jean-Christophe Bedos.
- Image Credit: Supplied photo
Modern antiquity — the large four-tiered crystal chandelier hung in space, each tier separated by a fluorescent ring of blue light.
Nothing could have summed up the past and the present better. In the luxury jewellery brand's flagship boutique in the centre of Paris it's hard to image that it all started 150 years ago and yet on the other hand, it's crystal clear.
There is no magic formula. Boucheron's resounding success in an ever-changing industry has simply been as a result of sheer talent and creativity.
A significant proportion of the brand's clientele has changed; there are now more lifestyle choices and considerably less time at our disposal. Through engineering an interactive website under the guidance of the brand's president Jean-Christophe Bédos, Boucheron has made itself more accessible as well as being current for the people of today.
Exhibition
Just a few days ago in conjunction with the recent Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week and to celebrate the brand's anniversary, Boucheron staged an exhibition in a six-room maison.
There were sculptures, paintings and collages of modern applied art carefully placed around peripheral five rooms of the miniature mansion. In the sixth room, shaped like a submarine and encased by the other five rooms, were sumptuous pieces of Boucheron's jewellery collections.
The inner room where the jewellery was showcased was covered in rustic gold walls and a reflective metallic floor with seductive spotlights that channelled little rays of light down the space and along a continuous tubular glass display cabinet.
Placed within the glass were six or seven of the most sensuous jewellery collections. The mood inside the golden room was erotic but without being narcissistic; strong and yet reassuringly warm and comforting.
"You realise we at Boucheron are trying to do something different," explained Bédos looking back at the exhibition.
"What we're trying to do differently is to express the celebration of our 150 years by celebrating talent rather than just the past. Of course we want to celebrate history but not by putting up pictures of the Boucheron ancestors and recounting all the achievements of the past," he said.
Celebrating talent
Bédos viewed the anniversary as an opportunity to celebrate talent and creativity.
"We decided to celebrate it with other talented and creative living artists. It's the idea of presenting together the highest level of achievement in craftsmanship and applied art that you find in jewellery juxtaposed with the highest level of achievement and excellence that exists with best living artists of our generation," said Bédos.
Artists such as Jeff Koons and Damian Hurst are undoubtedly at the top of their game. Through the help of a great consultant, Boucheron was able to identity a list of the most successful artists — in terms of spirit not sales — and from that list boiled it down to the ones whose work struck a chord with the underlining message of the high jewellery brand.
However, inviting these artists to showcase their work alongside such stunning pieces of jewellery was potentially littered with pitfalls. Irrespective of whether the art took up half the space or not the poignant paintings, collages and sculptures would still have been reduced to mere decorations.
"You cannot decorate with art," stated Bédos adamantly. "Therefore we didn't try to illustrate our pieces of jewellery with pieces of art. The art was simply meant to express a message independent of any jewellery."
Humbling experience
When asked what the 150 year milestone meant to him, Bédos said: "I feel a real sense of responsibility. It's actually a really humbling experience.
"What we realise as we celebrate an anniversary such as this is that, we are all just here in passing. Boucheron existed before us and our responsibility and duty is to ensure that it will remain long after we're gone. It's our responsibility to pass the brand on to the next generation of managers who will then take it the next level and into the future," he said.
A brand such as Boucheron can only exist for 150 years if it remains true to itself and continues to promote creativity. The brand must also be relevant for the people of the time in which it exists. "Boucheron no longer sells to the people it used to sell to 20 years ago. We have to adapt in order to relate and communicate to today's generation," said Bédos.
There is a massive evolution of high-end luxury goods and particularly in the jewellery sector. As a high-end luxury brand, Bédos spoke confidently and enthusiastically about this new growing market.
Ultimate luxury
The French brand was created in 1858 with the idea of providing symbols of pure and ultimate luxury. These status symbols are still the same as they were 150 years ago but today people want individuality. The sense of belonging is gone. Today, it's about exclusivity.
"We are experts at fulfilling the demands for ultimate luxury," said Bédos. "That's Boucheron's know-how and level of craftsmanship. In terms of creativity and organisation — that's what we do best."
The brand's mandate seems to tally well with the expert development and wealth of creativity that's coming to fruition in Dubai today.
"Dubai, in my opinion is becoming an international platform, it's highly cosmopolitan. I think the economical and political strategy of this city is extremely savvy and clever," observed Bédos.
Test of time
Evidently Boucheron is not a flash-in-the-pan brand. Their vision of creating the highest level of luxury has stood the test of time.
Similar to Italian fashion house Bettega Veneta, Boucheron has become "very modern, very quirky, and with no compromise". Bédos counts the brand as being parallel with Boucheron in terms of talent and creativity.
In order to get to his highest level, Bédos enrolled for the Sloane's Fellowship MBA programme at the London Business School after ten years of professional experience at Cartier.
"For me, the MBA was an experience of complete re-packaging," he recalled, counting the one-year programme as a key factor in getting him to where he is today; the other main factor being having the opportunity to work with good people and great leaders who gave him a chance.
"The Pinault family, François-Henri Pinault, the president of PPR, and Robert Polet, the president of Gucci Group, gave me a real chance, and forever I'll never forget that," said Bédos.
Bédos talked about the new Boucheron's fragrance to be launched later this year.
"For me, the client who buys our fragrance for Dh300 or the client who buys a piece of high jewellery for Dh3 million, they buy Boucheron. They must both equally feel as though they've entered into a very special brand," he added.
"I really respect people like long-distance runner Edwin Moses. The fact that this man has been unbeaten in 400 metres hurdles for a decade is outstanding. You know, when you reach the highest level and then maintain it for ten years, for me, this is very inspiring," said Bédos praising the long-term achievements of great individuals rather that the short-cut, quick-fix easy way out.
"I also find Nelson Mandela one of the most inspiring men around today. In fact, I often quote him in my speeches to the Boucheron staff. My favourite quote was the one he gave just after his release from prison," reflected Bédos.
In that famous speech Mandela says that we are sons of God and we should not be shy about the light we have inside, rather we should let it resonate forth. "It almost brings tears to your eyes," said Bédos humbly.
The Bold and the Beautiful
Since its founding by Frederic Boucheron in 1858, the house has created exceptional pieces in the high jewellery and watch collections.
Throughout the history of the House of Boucheron, Frederic Boucheron was often a pioneer: he was the first jeweller to open on the Place Vendôme in Paris in 1893, he did successful experiments with diamond engraving, and was the precursor of the "nature" style by using snakes and other symbolic animal figures of 19th century Art Nouveau.
Boucheron today is one the most renowned French enterprises in the jewellery world and is celebrated for its creativity, its know-how and audacity.
Boucheron is also known for its perfume distribution; since 1988 the brand captured the spirit of its craft and transformed it into fragrances. The next fragrance will be launched towards the end of this year in honour of the brand's 150 years anniversary.
Boucheron is situated in Mall of the Emirates, Dubai. For more information log onto www.boucheron.com
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