THE TALK: Eyes Need Beauty
A Parisian designer with an eclectic, unmistakable and incomparable style but also the owner of one of the French capital’s coolest vintage jewelry stores: here’s how Lydia Courteille sees this particular historical moment
Is there a positive aspect in this particularly difficult historical moment?
Perhaps this interlude can be a moment to take the right time to create a jewel.
What does jewelry mean to you?
Jewelry is a source of pleasure. It is a sign of affection and taste that never loses its charm. That is why I always advise buying important and emblematic items.
What do you think about the recovery?
I think it will take a long time before we will be able to return to a new normality and that the more fragile businesses risk closure.
What is your situation at the moment?
My store is closed as are the dealers. I haven’t reduced my orders but, at the moment, I don’t intend to put in any more. As for my creations, the workshops are continuing to work as far as they can in order to produce the next collection that I had scheduled before the crisis.
Has your way of communicating changed in this period?
Jewelry is a dream and should remain as such. Seeing that we cannot deliver anything at the moment, I think it is pointless to communicate something that we cannot sell. We won’t launch the new collection until we return to a normal situation. We are also working on the brand image, speaking about the last collections we have already produced: luckily there are a lot. For the moment I am focusing on interviews and anecdotes that explain the details and taking care of my fabulous customers.
Your biggest fear?
That, in the future, customers realize they can live without jewelry, which would be an absolute disaster. I believe you can live well even without wearing jewelry but not without works of art. Someone once said «my eyes need beauty».
What is the challenge for the future?
Perhaps those who are used to traveling will be more afraid to do so and will stay at home. Distribution needs to be re-organized to find new ways of reaching them. We need to think about “re-localization” so as not to depend on an international market any more.
Perhaps this interlude can be a moment to take the right time to create a jewel.
What does jewelry mean to you?
Jewelry is a source of pleasure. It is a sign of affection and taste that never loses its charm. That is why I always advise buying important and emblematic items.
What do you think about the recovery?
I think it will take a long time before we will be able to return to a new normality and that the more fragile businesses risk closure.
What is your situation at the moment?
My store is closed as are the dealers. I haven’t reduced my orders but, at the moment, I don’t intend to put in any more. As for my creations, the workshops are continuing to work as far as they can in order to produce the next collection that I had scheduled before the crisis.
Has your way of communicating changed in this period?
Jewelry is a dream and should remain as such. Seeing that we cannot deliver anything at the moment, I think it is pointless to communicate something that we cannot sell. We won’t launch the new collection until we return to a normal situation. We are also working on the brand image, speaking about the last collections we have already produced: luckily there are a lot. For the moment I am focusing on interviews and anecdotes that explain the details and taking care of my fabulous customers.
Your biggest fear?
That, in the future, customers realize they can live without jewelry, which would be an absolute disaster. I believe you can live well even without wearing jewelry but not without works of art. Someone once said «my eyes need beauty».
What is the challenge for the future?
Perhaps those who are used to traveling will be more afraid to do so and will stay at home. Distribution needs to be re-organized to find new ways of reaching them. We need to think about “re-localization” so as not to depend on an international market any more.
