TOPIC

How luxury is made

How luxury is made
A look behind the scenes at the artisanal expertise that go into creating the world's renowned luxury goods
last updated:
9 September, 2024
Bella Hadid stars in Chopard’s campaign for the Ice Cube collection. Photo: Chopard
High Jewellery

Why geometric jewellery has always been timeless, as Chaumet and Chopard show

Luxury jewellery brands are incorporating hexagons, cubes and sleek lines in their contemporary collections.

High Jewellery

Zodiac jewellery is enjoying a resurgence – Rihanna and Hailey Bieber love it

High Jewellery

How jewellery brands are helping to preserve traditional crafts

Watch Edit

Watch Edit: Tudor adds a Formula One model to its long dive heritage

Metas-certified Black Bays add to the brand’s technical chops while the latest Pelagos maintains the proud lineage of models worn by the French Navy.

Today, Tudor’s Black Bay comes in colourways such as burgundy or black. Photo: Handout
Icons and Influencers

Cindy Chao marked 20 years of jewellery artistry with a retrospective in Taipei

Chao’s pieces have been displayed at prestigious institutions and earned her France’s Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters; creations on show in Taipei included a Sarah Jessica Parker collaboration.

Style Edit

Style Edit: Nicolas Bonneville created 3 new scents for Jaeger-LeCoultre

As part of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Made of Makers programme, Bonneville has created 3 extraordinary scents inspired by some of the Swiss watchmaker’s timepieces and ethos.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Jaguar Cars

With the Jaguar rebrand comes a question of identity for heritage brands

Heritage brands like Jaguar and Campbell’s possess an identity that makes an impression on the consumers that engage with them – so where does rebranding leave these iconic companies and their fans?

A still from Jaguar’s rebrand advertising video, Copy Nothing. Photo: Jaguar/Youtube
Style Edit

Style Edit: How Brunello Cucinelli SS25 blends Riviera charm with desert allure

The collection sees timeless classics such as blazers, skirts and trousers accented with new forms and functions, while matching sets combine the masculine and the exotic.

Style Edit

Style Edit: Graff’s I Wish campaign – dazzling jewellery for the holidays

Each piece in the collection embodies the brand’s commitment to exceptional craftsmanship – blending heritage with innovation to create timeless heirlooms for successive generations.

High Jewellery

Ahoy there! Van Cleef & Arpels’ new collection sets a course for adventure

The whimsical range is the brainchild of Nicolas Bos, group chief executive of parent company Richemont, which also owns Cartier, Jaeger‑LeCoultre, Vacheron Constantin and Piaget.

A clip, earring and ring from Van Cleef & Arpels’ Treasure Island high jewellery collection, unveiled in Miami, Florida, in November 2024. Photo: Handout
Style Edit

Style Edit: Van Cleef & Arpels unveils 4 stunning Rose de Noël pieces

The intricate designs, including grey mother-of-pearl and vibrant turquoise gemstones set in gold, are inspired by winter flowers and dedicated to the beauty of nature.

Van Cleef & Arpels’ Rose de Noël collection has been updated for the season with four new pieces. Photo: Handout
Style Edit

Style Edit: Swatch’s Mission to Earthphase offers a stunning view of Earth

Showcasing both moon and earth phases on its dial, the watch is a visual delight, with contrasts in the blue planet’s oceans, deserts and forest depicted in amazing detail.

Style Edit

Style Edit: How Richard Mille and Rafael Nadal broke horological boundaries

The series of groundbreaking timepieces has broken records with each iteration, from the lightest tourbillon to the most resilient, and the use of new materials.

Style Edit

Style Edit: King Fook Jewellery celebrates 75 years with a HK$1.8m lucky draw

The exhibition showcased the brand’s commitment to quality and craftsmanship through traditional and contemporary designs embodying the spirit of good fortune.

Hong Kong jeweller King Fook Jewellery is giving away 75 taels of gold bars for its 75th anniversary... in a lucky draw. Photo: Handout
High Jewellery

How colourful Y2K beaded jewellery is making a sophisticated comeback

Taylor Swift brought back the friendship bracelet, which millennials will remember from the playground – now, designers are creating luxe versions of the playful, nostalgic baubles.

Harwell Godfrey beaded necklace with pendant. Photo: Handout
Style Edit

Style Edit: Chopard’s sustainably sourced Ice Cube high jewellery collection

Hadid was shot by British fashion photographer Charlotte Wales wearing the Bauhaus-inspired collection – its choker, bracelet and rings all featuring cubes of gold and diamond.

Fame and celebrity

The truth behind Trump watches: Rolex rivals or overpriced knock-offs?

The US president-elect’s latest venture – a line of luxury watches featuring his name, image and likeness – has sparked controversy, with experts questioning their price and manufacturing origin.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Style Edit

Style Edit: Going beyond the ballroom with Cartier’s Tuttitutti collection

Seeking to appeal to a modern generation, the rings, necklaces, bracelets and watches are playfully driven by a clash of unlikely materials and peacock hues.

Cartier’s Tuttitutti collection for modern daily wear retains the house’s historic design cues. Photos: Handout
Chow Tai Fook

How Chow Tai Fook is reviving ancient Chinese culture for the 21st century

The Guangzhou-founded, Hong Kong-based jewellery brand is honouring the traditions and craftsmanship of Chinese culture, while infusing them with design sensibilities resonating with modern consumers.

Style Edit

Style Edit: Hermès latest homeware collection embraces its equestrian legacy

Studio Hermès referenced modernist traditions with its Diapason d’Hermès chair, while other items draw from the brand’s heritage, using earthy materials and equestrian references.

Africa

Premium cigars from Africa? Why not? The tobacco grows there

Cigars made in Mozambique may sound surprising, but Bongani Cigars rolls thousands a day. Its founder talks filling a gap in the market.

A Mozambican man rolls a cigar at the Bongani Cigars workshop in Maputo. The company, which sells its premium cigars in Africa, the United States and Europe, was started after its owner wondered why African cigars didn’t exist. Photo: AFP
Style Edit

Style Edit: Richard Mille’s McLaren W1 is another masterpiece in excellence

This is Richard Mille’s fourth partnership with the British luxury car maker, which just launched the W1 – it builds on the legacy of McLaren’s F1 and P1 models.

The Richard Mille RM 65-01 McLaren W1 is the Swiss watchmaker’s fourth tie-in with the British supercar maker. Photos: Handout
Style Edit

Style Edit: Messika dazzles with high jewellery inspired by haute couture

At Paris Fashion Week, the maison showed how it is redefining and pushing the boundaries of high jewellery and haute couture with its daring visions.

Style Edit

Style Edit: Technology forms the core of Boucheron’s Quatre 5D Memory ring

The French jewellery house has a special something embedded in its Quatre 5D Memory – a recollection of a childhood by the ocean, in the form of audio data.

Jaeger-LeCoultre

Q&A | Why Jaeger-LeCoultre has debuted a scent collection by a self-taught perfumer

Consisting of 3 bold perfumes, the new collection is part of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Made of Makers portfolio, which sees the Swiss watch maison partnering with innovative creatives.

Nicolas Bonneville is the perfumer behind Jaeger-LeCoultre’s new perfumes. Photos: Handout
Style Edit

Style Edit: Bulgari’s Tubogas design gets a modern makeover in a new collection

The legacy design’s interlocking strips of gold, without any soldering, was a bold departure from the norm when it was launched in the 1940s.

The Bulgari Tubogas design made waves when it first emerged in the 1940s and has been updated ever since to remain a brand staple. Photos: Handout
Style Edit

Style Edit: Pomellato’s new Iconica jewellery line blends old and new

Putting a 21st century spin on Milan’s centuries-old tradition of goldsmithing, the new Iconica line by Pomellato features intricately crafted and beautifully wearable jewellery.

Style Edit

Style Edit: Louis Vuitton’s damier motif gets a diamond makeover

The legendary chequerboard pattern makes a glittering entry to the maison’s Le Damier de Louis Vuitton unisex jewellery collection.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement