You have grown up with a strong love for cinema. How has that inspired your couture collection?

When I started 27 years ago in Cannes—redesigning the Palme d’Or and becoming an official partner—we didn’t have a lot of high jewellery. We had the Kashmir, perhaps, and some nice Happy Diamonds. But I said: “I’m not going to go on the red carpet with just that.” My father responded at the time, “You have no budget.” I said, “Alright,” and left Geneva. Honestly, nobody in the film industry knew Chopard at all, so I went to Cannes with 3,000 boxes of Chopard chocolates. I went to all the five-star hotels, put my name card on the boxes, and sent them out. But the problem was, everyone thought I was making chocolate! Anyway, the chocolates were amazing. Then I got my first phone call. In French, we say un panier de crabes—it’s like a big basket full of crabs, meaning it’s cut-throat. The first person I actually managed to meet with was Salma Hayek, and she loved the few pieces we had. She said, “I’m going to wear this because I love your chocolates.” I said, “Thank you.” It’s been a long journey, but long story short, that’s how I started with high jewellery.

Fast forward to four years ago, I was sitting at my own event where we showcased our red carpet Collection. I remember looking at a piece and thinking, This doesn’t go with the dress. And I work with great houses—Elie Saab, Saint Laurent, Dolce & Gabbana, you name it—but they don’t come from my world. They come from the fashion world. By the way, now they’re all trying to make trajectories into high jewellery, so I figured I might as well go the other way. I wanted to create something that goes together with my jewellery, something that makes a woman look chic and sexy but still elegant. Not an overkill where you see the £5 million necklace and nothing else. That’s how I ended up with my couture collection. 

The move from jewellery to fashion was rather natural for you. When you’re creating your couture collections, do you still have jewellery in mind? Or do you really have a different hat on?

I have many hats on, much like a diamond has many facets. So now I’m wearing the jewellery hat, the watch hat, and the couture hat. And who knows what’s next? But actually, I’ve always been inspired by fashion and architecture. When I finally saw the first pieces of Insofu, we were right in the middle of creating 78 haute couture looks for Cannes. It’s still a small team so far, but they’re very good. It’s not about quantity; it’s about quality. I said to them, “I think we need a small capsule collection for Insofu that we’re launching.” And they said, “In the middle of everything?” I said, “Yes, is there a problem?” They replied, “No.” So I told them, “I’ve got the sketches, I’ll send them to you.” We had one or two pieces planned in blue or red, so I just drew them in green.

What kind of couture house do you want to be? What makes Caroline’s Couture unique? 

If you asked me the same question about jewellery, I’d give you some names, and it’s the same for fashion. Yves Saint Laurent, Alaïa, Coco Chanel—definitely inspiring. It’s less couture, but I really like Ralph Lauren because it’s very well done and very well cut. Schiaparelli as well.

I look through magazines, which I have to, because I need to know whether we have nice articles in them. (laughs) So I’m always flipping through the pages. I used to focus on jewellery and watches, but now I look at fashion—though I try not to let it influence me too much. I don’t want to unconsciously re-create something I’ve seen. Obviously, I want to do something different. And then, of course, one big inspiration in everything I do is sustainability. I’m trying to bring that into the fashion world. Instead of producing 5,000 metres of fabric, I make five metres.

As a designer of couture yourself now, how do you define individuality and elegance in today’s world? How wild do you imagine your creations to be? What’s your process?

There are different women, different clients, and different needs. Some women can be very flamboyant, and they look chic. Others could wear the same dress and look completely ridiculous. It’s all a learning process.

When you create a catwalk show, you need some “wow” pieces. But I believe they should still be wearable—not just for a naked woman who happens to be a top model because that’s not for the other 99% of women in the world. I believe every woman has her own personality and her own style. If I can help, for example, by advising an actress, I might say, “This piece is maybe double the price of another, but I think it looks better on you.” I’d recommend the one that makes her friends say, “Wow, you look stunning,” rather than, “That doesn’t really suit you.” Because if she’s unhappy, she won’t come back. That’s the approach I’m trying to apply to fashion.

We adapt because everything we create is made to measure. We take the measurements. So far, we don’t have a shop anywhere—though we’re considering a small one in Paris—but I don’t think shops are necessary anymore. Instead, people come to Paris, or we travel to Asia. We already have the infrastructure for that. And with this approach, you can choose your own colour, your own buttons, your own details—just like in the old days, when things were truly bespoke. 

Couture and high jewellery are such celebrated art forms. How do you invest in couture craftsmanship in the same way that you do with high jewellery? How do you find the artisans, work with them, and realise the creations you envision?

That’s a good question, because in high jewellery—and jewellery and watchmaking in general—every millimetre makes a difference. I’ve been coming from this world forever, so stepping into couture has taken me slightly out of my comfort zone. But when I see the samples now, I say, “This needs to be just a little shorter here, or a little higher there,” and they look at me like, Really? But it’s because this is my background—I come from a world where precision matters I’m looking at every zip, every button, because the worst thing is when something doesn’t zip up. Imagine it’s a dress that costs a fortune, and you can’t even get into it because the zip doesn’t work, or there’s a slight misalignment somewhere, and it just doesn’t go through properly. Then you start getting nervous. Sometimes, you’re alone somewhere on a trip, and you end up calling room service to zip up your dress! So, I’m trying to design with practicality in mind. I’ve travelled extensively, and I’ve experienced all these little issues, so I’m doing my best to avoid them for others.

Who is your ideal client?  Who wears Caroline’s Couture? 

Somebody—somebody from anywhere in the world—who has personality, taste, and a sensitivity for quality. 

You’ve always loved art. How do you weave that love for creativity into your designs?

Well, there’s one red carpet collection, “Art”, which was inspired by the seven arts: architecture, sculpture, painting, music, literature, dance and cinema. If there’s one thing that inspires me more than anything, it’s art in all its forms. It’s difficult to explain sometimes. I mean, I go to art shows, and occasionally, I look at a painting and think, I don’t understand it. But art is such a big concept. It’s your mind, your soul, your heart—it’s whatever you feel.

I’m a big admirer of the old masters: Monet, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Picasso. I find it fascinating how they evolved. For instance, Picasso went from drawing trees to creating very abstract works. With him, you see the journey. Botero is one of my favourites. Chagall is also one of my favourites because his work is very dreamy and whimsical.

What’s inspiring you lately?

I haven’t really seen much art recently, but anything that inspires me always catches my attention. I’ve been to The European Fine Art Fair by TEFAF, which is a beautiful fair. I think it’s probably the best in the world because it showcases everything—the old artists, sculptures, and so much more. It’s held in Maastricht. I managed to make it on the last day because I wanted to see what we at Chopard could potentially do with them in collaboration around art.

I saw some incredible pieces—not just paintings, but incredible furniture, and an oak tree sculpture, actually. I’m currently redoing my apartment in Paris with a very nature-inspired theme, and I thought, Wow. One piece of wood I saw, for example, was made from this wood that stays submerged under water for—I don’t know how long—but it was truly inspiring. Another rising artist has made these big sculptures of apples and other objects. That’s the most recent art I’ve seen. But I always say, once I finish redoing my farm—hopefully soon—I’ll finally have a place where I can leave paints and everything set up to do my own work. Who knows? Maybe one day I’ll be at an art fair myself, sitting in a little corner somewhere with my paintings.