The Chopard Epic: In Dialogue with Simona Zito
We retrace it together with the General Manager Italy of the Swiss maison, founded in 1860 by Louis-Ulysses Chopard, still today an exemplary model for those who want to do business
What are the advantage points that have enabled the brand to span decades, fashions, crises and trends?
The factors that have enabled Chopard to continue to shine in the watch and jewelry firmament are first and foremost, the fact that it is a “family business” and it therefore enjoys remarkable cohesion and independence. Secondly, the ability to pass on, from generation to generation, the values of ethicality and passion that led the maison to be the first luxury company to approach the discourse of sustainability in 2013 with “The journey to sustainable luxury” project. In fact, since July 2018, all Chopard production has entailed ethical gold and every precious stone used by the maison bears a certification number. Lastly, the commitment, which continues through being a member of the Climate Group's Steel Zero initiative, to accelerating the transition to zero-emission steel. Lucent Steel, the special steel alloy used for our watches, is composed of 80% recycled steel to lower the incidence of carbon footprints as well as pollution produced by steel processing.
The brand’s pieces that have contributed to making high jewelry history?
Chopard’s Haute Joaillerie has always been a highly important segment, also thanks to the extraordinary initiative of Co-President and Artistic Director Caroline Scheufele, who, since 1998, has linked her brand to the Cannes Film Festival by becoming an official sponsor. Every year we create a themed collection, the Red Carpet, with as many pieces as there are editions of the event. The theme for 2024 was Contes de Fées, or Fairy Tales. As for pieces that have made history, we should obviously mention The Garden of Kalahari, a parure created from a 342-carat rough diamond of perfect color and absolute purity: The Queen of Kalahari, color D, clarity F. The discovery of this unusual diamond gave rise to a set of 23 diamonds – The Garden of Kalahari – five of which exceed 20 carats of perfect color and absolute purity. The other great work of art concerns an extraordinary emerald, the 6,225-carat Insofu, discovered a few years ago in the Kagem mine in Zambia. Defying convention, Chopard acquired the Insofu in its rough form in order to cut it at our Geneva and Jaipur workshops. In 2024, a capsule collection designed by Caroline Scheufele and Julia Roberts was presented, but the other creations will finally be unveiled in 2025.
What will enable the brand to continue through further new seasons and challenges?
Being true to ourselves and believing strongly in our brand mission is undoubtedly a solid base from which to start, to return to and to build successes and initiatives. Our claim is “the artisan of emotions since 1860”, which alludes both to craftsmanship, or rather, the ability and possibility to follow every stage in an item of jewelry or a watch’s creation thanks to in-house and independent manufacture, and to the emotion and passion that have always distinguished our collections. I would add “timelessness” or the ability to cross generations and continue to manage an international and family business at the same time.
What characteristics must a new company have in order to look to the future with confidence?
Once again, it is fundamental to have a passion, a dream, an idea. One must be strong in one's convictions. We live in an age of great frenzy and speed. We are engulfed by events, news, a proliferation of brands and stories. We obviously need to keep up with the times in terms of technological know-how, marketing and communication, but I am also convinced that we always need solid foundations without which it is impossible to lay the way to a lasting story.
The factors that have enabled Chopard to continue to shine in the watch and jewelry firmament are first and foremost, the fact that it is a “family business” and it therefore enjoys remarkable cohesion and independence. Secondly, the ability to pass on, from generation to generation, the values of ethicality and passion that led the maison to be the first luxury company to approach the discourse of sustainability in 2013 with “The journey to sustainable luxury” project. In fact, since July 2018, all Chopard production has entailed ethical gold and every precious stone used by the maison bears a certification number. Lastly, the commitment, which continues through being a member of the Climate Group's Steel Zero initiative, to accelerating the transition to zero-emission steel. Lucent Steel, the special steel alloy used for our watches, is composed of 80% recycled steel to lower the incidence of carbon footprints as well as pollution produced by steel processing.
The brand’s pieces that have contributed to making high jewelry history?
Chopard’s Haute Joaillerie has always been a highly important segment, also thanks to the extraordinary initiative of Co-President and Artistic Director Caroline Scheufele, who, since 1998, has linked her brand to the Cannes Film Festival by becoming an official sponsor. Every year we create a themed collection, the Red Carpet, with as many pieces as there are editions of the event. The theme for 2024 was Contes de Fées, or Fairy Tales. As for pieces that have made history, we should obviously mention The Garden of Kalahari, a parure created from a 342-carat rough diamond of perfect color and absolute purity: The Queen of Kalahari, color D, clarity F. The discovery of this unusual diamond gave rise to a set of 23 diamonds – The Garden of Kalahari – five of which exceed 20 carats of perfect color and absolute purity. The other great work of art concerns an extraordinary emerald, the 6,225-carat Insofu, discovered a few years ago in the Kagem mine in Zambia. Defying convention, Chopard acquired the Insofu in its rough form in order to cut it at our Geneva and Jaipur workshops. In 2024, a capsule collection designed by Caroline Scheufele and Julia Roberts was presented, but the other creations will finally be unveiled in 2025.
What will enable the brand to continue through further new seasons and challenges?
Being true to ourselves and believing strongly in our brand mission is undoubtedly a solid base from which to start, to return to and to build successes and initiatives. Our claim is “the artisan of emotions since 1860”, which alludes both to craftsmanship, or rather, the ability and possibility to follow every stage in an item of jewelry or a watch’s creation thanks to in-house and independent manufacture, and to the emotion and passion that have always distinguished our collections. I would add “timelessness” or the ability to cross generations and continue to manage an international and family business at the same time.
What characteristics must a new company have in order to look to the future with confidence?
Once again, it is fundamental to have a passion, a dream, an idea. One must be strong in one's convictions. We live in an age of great frenzy and speed. We are engulfed by events, news, a proliferation of brands and stories. We obviously need to keep up with the times in terms of technological know-how, marketing and communication, but I am also convinced that we always need solid foundations without which it is impossible to lay the way to a lasting story.
