The queen of Cannes
There’s barely a star who doesn’t highlight their appearance at the Croisette with her designs - Caroline Scheufele, artistic director and co-president of Chopard, on the glamour of the film festival, chic inspirations, childhood memories, and great cinema.
Let’s go back in time: As a little girl, you made your first watch as a present for your parents - out of aluminium foil?
Even before I knew the alphabet, my father taught me how to read the watch - on a Mickey Mouse watch he brought me from America. That was my first contact with watches. Then I took all sorts of things - including paper and aluminium foil - to make my own timepiece. I only made one mistake, which had to do with my piano lessons: I wrote “Chopin” and not Chopard on the dial!
Chopard is one of the few family-owned companies in the watch industry today. What influence did your family have on you becoming the woman you are today?
What I love most about Asia is that families there are so close to each other and maintain traditions - for example, eating Sunday dinner together or children spending a lot of time at home. This is also very important in our family. We not only live close to each other but also work very closely together. I have always shared an office with my brother. Chopard is a familymanaged and independent company. This is one of our greatest strengths and a true blessing in many ways.
You never leave home without a sketchbook. Is creativity part of your character, or is it a talent you have to work on?
I think it’s a bit of both. On the one hand, creativity never takes a break, but on the other hand, as a designer, you are constantly looking for something new. You can’t just press a button and then you’re creative. Rather, it’s a constant process that always accompanies you. That’s why I always have my sketchbook with me. At night, it even lies next to my bed so that I can capture an idea or a dream and not forget it the next morning.
Creativity is a good keyword and brings us to the almost historic partnership with the Cannes Film Festival, which shows your love for film.
Ever since I was a little girl, I loved going to the cinema. It has remained that way to this day. The beauty of a movie - whether it’s romantic, exciting or educational - is that it takes you into another world for two hours. That was what originally brought me to Cannes. I followed the festival from afar for a long time and one day I had the idea to open a boutique for all the celebrities who are in town during the festival. I went to Paris to explore the possibilities and met with Pierre Viot, the festival president. He was very charming and asked me to redesign the Palme d’or for the 50th anniversary. That’s how it all started. 24 years after the presentation of the new “Palme d’or” in its current design, this love story still continues. Chopard belongs to Cannes, and a little bit of Cannes belongs to Chopard.
This is also reflected in the appearances on the Red Carpet - it is considered etiquette to wear Chopard in Cannes ...
Many celebrities and actresses have also become loyal friends of our house over the years. Each actress has her own personality and style, and the jewellery is chosen accordingly. It happens to me from time to time that even while designing these Haute Joaillerie pieces, I think of a celebrity who might wear them on the Red Carpet.
The red carpet of the Cannes Film Festival is a guarantee for spectacular fashion moments, such as that of the model Bella Hadid, who naturally chose Chopard jewellery from the House of Schiaparelli, to complement her Haute Couture creation. Not only the longstanding collaboration, but also the fact that the brand presents its annual “Red Carpet Collection” of Haute Joaillerie pieces there is partly responsible for this.