Boucheron Kicks Off 20th Anniversary of Quatre Line With Paris Pop-up, Anja Rubik Campaign
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It’s party time for Boucheron, which is kicking off celebrations for the 20th anniversary of its Quatre jewelry collection during Paris Fashion Week.
The French jeweler on Tuesday will open a 2,500-square-foot space on Rue des Francs-Bourgeois entirely dedicated to the line launched in 2004.
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Until March 17, visitors can discover Quatre’s origins and codes with archival material and try on physical or virtual pieces, and a nail bar with French beauty brand Manucurist offering free manicures. There will also be nail art kits on sale, with four lucky buyers winning a Quatre ring.
After Paris, the Quatre pop-up will travel to Seoul in June, Shanghai in July and Tokyo come October.
Offering such an experience matched the spirit of playful experimentation Boucheron intended with the initial Quatre ring.
“We observe that [clients] like to experiment, mix and stack the pieces,” chief executive officer Hélène Poulit-Dusquesne told WWD. “For Boucheron, Quatre embodies the adventure of being oneself.”
Imagined as a juxtaposition of four motifs drawn from the archive, the design was executed in contrasting materials to honor different facets of the Place Vendôme cornerstone’s history.
Layered together into the very first ring were double godroon raised bands; Clou de Paris-inspired faceted squares that echo the city’s cobblestones; pavé diamonds, a classic in jewelry craft, and a ribbed grosgrain motif nodding to Frédéric Boucheron’s draper father.
She attributed the line’s initial success and continued appeal to a unisex and contemporary design “infused with the past [but] directed towards the future,” that appealed to both men and women.
“Quatre embodies our conviction that jewelry and high jewelry are genderless,” said the executive. “The ring and the entire collection are appreciated by individuals who are seeking less classical pieces.”
The younger demographic drawn to the bold design “also appreciate Quatre as an engagement ring: a ring that makes sense,” Poulit-Duquesne continued.
Over the years Quatre has grown into a 144-design collection spanning rings, bracelets, necklaces, earrings as well as different widths, colored or gem-set versions.
Creative director Claire Choisne also gave a high jewelry reading to the motifs, most recently with the graphic Quatre Aluminium cuffs featuring resin, aluminum and round diamonds, part of her “More is More” collection.
Launching for the anniversary are designs magnifying and multiplying the salient features of Quatre. These include a collar necklace composed of around 50 Quatre rings, a XXL spool that can be taken apart into two cuff bangles and 10 bracelets.
There will also be a gem-set edition featuring yellow sapphires and spessartite garnets with yellow, white and rose gold as well as a seven-piece ribbon-inspired variations which will include a belt and a hair jewel.
While the house did not disclose what proportion the Quatre collection represents or how many it has sold, the executive said it was “globally recognized across Boucheron’s strategic markets.”
Korea is the first market for the line. It also is the top collection across Asia, contributing in particular to cementing Boucheron’s high jewelry positioning in Japan, where the jeweler was initially seen as bridal-focused.
“We are experiencing growth in the Chinese market, notably thanks to Quatre, and the outlook for the future is good,” she said.
In markets such as the Middle East, where other collections are more prominent, the anniversary is “the perfect opportunity to raise awareness” about the 20-year-old design, continued Poulit-Duquesne.
Quatre will also be front and center in Boucheron’s next milestone: the opening of its first U.S. flagship, on New York City’s Madison Avenue, slated for the early summer. The French jeweler is currently present through nine doors across the country, through Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus and Saks.
Bowing on Monday is a new campaign featuring face of the house Anja Rubik. In the snapshots that will be rolled out in print and online, the model sports a chainmail-inspired capelet of 315 Quatre rings — and another clutch on her fingers.
She will also appear on billboards in selected cities including Paris, as well as capitals across Asia and the Middle East.
Further campaigns, featuring a number of house ambassadors including South Korean actress So-hee Han and China’s Dongyu Zhou are planned to roll out throughout the year.
In the meantime, the French jewelry house will mark Quatre’s anniversary with another pop-up: the first-ever nightclub on Place Vendôme — for one night only, during Paris Fashion Week.
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