On Wednesday night, some 200 guests a convened to Château Saint-Maur vineyard near Saint-Tropez for the Louis Vuitton gala. .Editors and celebrities were invited to this gala. British actor Phoebe Dynevor was also included.The collection will consist of 13 themes and 220 pieces. The first 100 pieces were a celebration of the transformative period in France.
It began with a presentation featuring high-end jewelry designs by Francesca Amfitheatrof, who serves as the artistic director for the jewelry and watch division of the brand. The models showcased these exquisite pieces alongside garments crafted by the studio of creative director Nicolas Ghesquière, with styling overseen by Ghesquière's longtime collaborator, Marie-Amélie Sauvé.
Enlivened Hands, Enlightened Minds’ might sound a tad enigmatic," Amfitheatrof shared with attendees prior to a dinner crafted by renowned chef Jean Imbert, alluding to the title of her sixth collection of haute jewelry for the maison. "Yet, it encapsulates a remarkable voyage through a century of French heritage. The 1800s witnessed an outburst of unparalleled creativity as the ateliers were unshackled post-Revolution. Conventional constraints dissolved. French craftsmanship experienced an unprecedented surge. The world turned its gaze to France, witnessing this remarkable renaissance of artisanal mastery."
The latter portion, Awakened Minds, delineates the latter half of the era: a surge of ingenuity in scientific exploration, engineering marvels, and architectural advancements. Paris emerged as the beacon of enlightenment, pioneering the adoption of gas and electric illumination across Europe. This year [2024], we commemorate France in all its glory. It's where Louis Vuitton established his legacy, laying the foundation for our ethos: the pursuit of excellence, exploration, innovation, and forward-thinking."
Pieces are being made in the atelier as we speak. As soon as they are finished, then they join the rest of the collection,” says Amfitheatrof. We have another occasion planned in China [scheduled for July]—an exciting opportunity—to introduce additional creations." With a grand total of 220 pieces, this marks Louis Vuitton's most expansive high jewelry collection to date.
“We have an incredible focus on breaking the rules. We buy stones that most people don’t always buy. Jewellery can be very traditional — pigeon blood rubies, certain types of sapphires. We’d love to propose something unusual. Mandarin garnet was a stone that we really put on the map, we put tsavorite on the map,” she adds.