Chopard’s ethical Happy collections

Chopard Happy collections

Chopard Happy collections: Caroline Scheufele, Co-President and Creative Director of Chopard, sat down with “Day & Night” magazine during the 2018 edition of Baselworld to tell us what is new with the haute joaillerie and horlogerie marque…

How did the idea of using 100% Ethical gold come up?

It was at the Oscars that I met Livia Firth – the same year that Colin Firth won the Best Actor Award for his “King’s Speech” for which he wore a beautiful L.U.C timepiece.

She was telling me about the company she had set up, EcoAge, which was helping to make fashion more ethical, sustainable, and eco-friendly.

She then asked where our gold came from; by the time I finished explaining, I knew she was taking me on a new path. She then told me that her company is planning to work in other industries, such as gold, with Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM), and soon the first mine in Colombia would get its certification. She asked me if I would be interested in working with them. Without any planning or too much thought I agreed. Till then, I was quite ignorant – and everybody still is – about how the raw materials we use are sourced.

That was the beginning and, at that stage, it was difficult to pass on the message and convince all the production team of its importance. In the beginning we had little Fairmined gold, and so when we produced each piece, it was treated as a VIP piece; that is why it was used only in high-end jewellery and the L.U.C watch cases in the early stages. Now we are more advanced and we can stand 100% behind our message that by July 2018, all our production would be done by ethical gold.

Will you be able to source the required quantity?

Yes, we are definitely sure that between the Fairmined gold and the artisanal ethical gold our needs will be met. Artisanal ethical gold is also controlled and, similar to Fairmined gold, they also maintain standards – such as not using children in mines, no terrorist money involved, etc. Also we track the entire supply chain and can stand behind our message 100%.

What are your thoughts on another milestone for Chopard, the Happy Sport?

When I designed the watch 25 years ago, it was a revolution because it was the first steel watch to have diamonds; when I showed it to my dad, he said that I couldn’t put diamonds in steel.

I asked him where is it written that diamonds can only be in gold.

I did not expect it to become so important that it would be part of Chopard’s DNA. It is an important part of our watch collection and was the right thing to do.

Happy Sport has remained the same for 25 years, why?

Yes, it has stayed the same; it was round initially, it became a little flat in the second generation, and now it has become more round again.

In this year’s Novelties, we are presenting it with an automatic movement from our manufacture as this is very important for our Asian markets.

Obviously, we have done a lot of animation and the first Fairmined gold Happy Sport is on the market in a limited edition.

It is an iconic design and when you do it the first time, you don’t know whether it will outlive generations and time but with Happy Sport, we were able to do it.

When Chopard initially launched its sponsorship 30 years ago, did anybody in the family expect the Mille Miglia Races to be such an integral part of the brand?

No, we did not; similar to the Happy Sport, we did not expect the Mille Miglia to last for so long.

As my bother Karl-Friedrich Scheufele recently observed, almost all the major brands are linked to motorsports now, but at that time, it was something new and unusual.

The race is iconic, as is the watch. If you look at these beautiful old cars, you know that they will definitely be there forever, and so will the collection.

How has the feedback been for the Happy Hearts Collection that Chopard first unveiled three years ago?

It is very popular and we have introduced another great new piece that triple-twists around the arm – a very joyful, playful piece that can be dressed up or down, a perfect match to the Happy Sport.

How important is it to the brand that all your watches have an in-house movement?

It is very important; actually my brother is in trouble right now as he is not able to deliver the all the movements required for the Happy Sport, but it is a good problem to have!

It is not easy to grow the production of in-house movements; it is a very complex process, you need a lot of skilled workers, and it takes time.

But it is very important for our independence and for the quality of the pieces. Now our in-house movements are present not only in our L.U.C, but also in Mille Miglia, the Happy Sports, and all the mechanical ladies’ watches.

This is increasing because the Asian markets really want hand-wound or automatic Chopard movement in the ladies watches. So yes, our in-house movement in our watches is growing, but we have not yet achieved full production.

How has the feedback been for the “Rihanna ♥ Chopard” collection?

It is an on-going project, and she is currently in touch with us to know what pieces she can wear when she appears soon in Milan. It is an important part of our efforts to communicate with the younger generation; we have succeeded very well in reaching out to the millennials with our Ice Cube collection.

She is an iconic spokesperson – the way she dresses and the way she mixes things are very unusual but very fashionable and she has great style.

Rihanna is the right person and has the right personality to convey that jewellery can be fun, rocking, and cool.

She is a great character; I have had the pleasure of working with her and I have spent long nights designing with her.

One day, she took off her shoes and said that she wanted all those colours in a necklace; so that’s what we did! She is a big professional, if not the biggest, in her category.

How long will you be designing high-end jewellery? Do you still get the time to do it?

Yes of course, I still get the time.

Somehow I make the time; when I am on planes, I get the time.

I do not get inspired when I am sitting in my office, surrounded by piles of paper, in Geneva, but when I travel, I get the time. I get inspired when I go to museums, or am surrounded by Nature.