Frédéric Grangié, Chanel's president of watches and fine jewellery, on some of the brand's biggest blockbusters – including the new Reach for the Stars collection
Haute Joaillerie Sport
'I love the process,' says Grangié in an interview in Kyoto, Japan, on the day of the unveiling of
Reach for the Stars , Chanel's latest high jewellery line. 'I have always worked with designers my whole life, including when I was in fashion, and I was fortunate to work with some of the greatest ones. But I believe that my essential job is to make sure that what they create – whether it's Patrice or [director of the Chanel Watchmaking Creation Studio] Arnaud Chastaingt – I will make it a reality. Whatever we develop in terms of technique or in terms of craftsmanship is only at the service of creation. The technique is here to serve that.'
Wings of Chanel necklace in white gold, platinum and natural polished diamonds with a cushion-cut padparadscha sapphire. Photo: Handout
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A veteran of brands such as Goyard, Fendi and Louis Vuitton, Grangié believes that creativity and innovation reign supreme at Chanel. The Parisian house is first and foremost a fashion brand, which means it doesn't have a long-standing, jewellery-first heritage like traditional houses founded primarily as jewellers. This, however, can be an advantage and a way for the brand to write its own history.
'Our configuration is a bit different from some of the other houses with a much longer history,' explains Grangié. 'What we are building today is a living patrimony for tomorrow.'
While Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel designed one high jewellery collection in her lifetime in 1932 – Bijoux de Diamants, a diamond range that introduced key motifs such as the comet – the modern era of Chanel's high jewellery only dates back to the early 90s.
'I think there are no cons,' says Grangié about the maison's relatively recent entry into haute joaillerie, as the French call it. 'It's in our DNA to bring new themes, new stories, new ideas on a constant basis. But at the same time, we are adding layers to these foundations. I think that today the foundations of high jewellery at Chanel are already quite strong, but we're still in the process of adding layers.'
Chanel Reach for the Stars Five Wings brooch in white gold, sapphires and lacquer. Photo: Handout
Passionate about the product and also very involved in the creative process, Grangié believes that there is a sort of magic formula when it comes to high jewellery – what he describes as 'the golden triangle'.
'These are three must-haves to be a pure player in high jewellery: a creation that is unique, and in our case uniquely Chanel;
the greatest savoir faire , greatest expertise, greatest workshops; and the greatest, rarest gems, precious stones,' he explains.
Grangié points to Reach for the Stars as an embodiment of all of those key elements. He calls it one of Chanel's 'most important collections ever' and 'a new foundation, a building block' in the history of Chanel high jewellery.
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