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Founded in 1860, by artisan watchmaker Louis-Ulysse Chopard, the luxury Swiss maison Chopard has built its reputation as the ‘red carpet jeweller’, dressing the world’s biggest stars in its dazzling creations for the iconic annual walk down La Croisette by Gianfilippo Versari
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aving started life as a watch-maker, Chopard relocated to Geneva in 1937 but was handed over to Karl Scheufele III in 1963. It remains
in the hands of his children, Caroline and KarlFriedrich, who are Chopard’s current co-presidents. Between them, the siblings have evolved the maison into a luxury brand renowned for creativity, extraordinary craftsmanship, opulent gems and exquisite collections spanning dazzling high jewellery and exceptional watches. Chopard is now synonymous with red carpet jewels, unique sports watches, iconic moving diamonds and meaningful heart motifs. When the company celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2010, it owned around 100 boutiques worldwide and boasted estimated sales of €550 million, almost half which came from its watches. The brand’s partners include the Mille Miglia car rally (1998) and The Historic Grand Prix of Monaco (as the event’s official time-keeper). In 1998, Chopard was selected as official partner of the legendary Cannes International Film Festival and Caroline Scheufele was asked to redesign the iconic Palme d’Or trophy. The resulting long-standing relationship proved the perfect mix of glamorous jewellery, film and celebrity, and eventually saw Chopard launch its now-annual Red Carpet Collection of dazzling one-of-a-kind-jewellery. Worn by the likes of Angelina Jolie, Cate Blanchett and Julia Roberts, these collections are an enduring and glorious kaleidoscope of creativity, colour and high carats showcased, of course, on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival. ‘Chopard Loves Cinema’ was the theme chosen by the Maison to mark its participation in the 75th Cannes Film Festival in 2022, which was also its 25th year as official partner. Caroline Scheufele designed a masterful Red Carpet Collection of 75 Haute Joaillerie creations for this very special occasion: an epic saga inspired by cinema’s dazzling development from its
Ethics have always played an important
early black and white days to the glory of technicolour.
role in the brand’s philosophy. Since
Drawing on her own repertoire, Caroline created
1978, Chopard has had a closed-loop
magnificent models that brilliantly captured the
system that ensures up to 70% of its
watershed moment when contemporary cinema was
metal waste is recycled. It has also used
born and began to flourish. chopard.com
ethically-mined sustainable gold in its products since 2013
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THE NEW MILANESE BOUTIQUE: A HOME FROM HOME ON GLAMOROUS VIA MONTENAPOLEONE If the Devil wears Prada (quoting the title of the famous film), he most definitely shops on Via Montenapoleone. All designers yearn for a prized spot on “Via Montenapo” as it is affectionately known to the Milanese, but only the top luxury brands are fortunate enough to showcase their creations for the approval of the city’s shopaholics in its windows. The new Chopard boutique opens its doors at number 25 right in the heart of the famous Quadrilatero della Moda fashion district, just a stone’s throw from the Duomo. Gleaming with marble and hardwood, the 90 sqm store was inspired by the artistry of the great Milanese architects of the 1930s. It is a tribute to the city of fashion, a new jewel in the crown of Chopard boutiques that the Scheufele family designs as unique, welcoming and familiar: a home from home, in other words. Needless to say, iconic Via Montenapoleone, one of Milan’s four most expensive shopping streets, was the only possible address for the Scheufele family, for whom location is an absolute priority.
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