One of the most glamorous events for any company to be involved with has to be the Festival de Cannes.
Sun splashed shores. Sparkling seas. Legends of the silver screen walking the red carpet.
Millions of fans around the world rapt with anticipation and attention.
This year Chopard celebrated its tenth anniversary as a partner of Cannes and the maker of the famous Palme D’Or (the Golden Palm). Ten years ago, Chopard was preparing to open a boutique on the Boulevard de la Croisette, right in the heart of Cannes. Caroline Gruosi-Scheufele, Co-President of Chopard, was approached by Pierre Viot, President of the festival, to redesign the Golden Palm award. This award, which has been presented to the Director of the festival’s best film every year since 1954, is reminiscent of the coat of arms of the city of Cannes. The award was entirely redesigned by Gruosi-Scheufele. The master craftsmen in the Chopard workshop produced the new concept and on May 24, 1998, the new Palme D’Or was unveiled for the first time.
This plant-like piece contains 19 finely veined leaflets; one palm leaf delicately placed on a crystal cushion shaped like an emerald-cut diamond. The crowning detail, a bevelled heart, rests at the end of the stem: a subtle allusion to the Chopard symbol.
Chopard was not content simply to redesign the existing trophy. With the desire to encourage young talent, Chopard created a new award to promote creativity in film. Since 2001, the Chopard Trophy has been given to honour the talent of the two young actors deemed Male and Female Revelation of the Year.
“Caroline and the family originally decided to get involved because it was a way to support the arts and emerging artists, who don’t typically have the studio financing,” Mark Hrushka, President, Chopard USA says. "It was also a great way to get our name out there in a more public way. It gives me a great sense of pride that we have been doing this for ten years, long before it was chic. The Cannes Film Festival was very European, but it is now international, and we have benefited from its growth and the coverage it gets. It’s not just a European event anymore; it’s now a global effort.”

The red carpet
Chopard dresses most of the celebrities in jewels and watches for every red carpet. They have been doing this for years and they are skilled and efficient at it. When Chopard first started at Cannes, it was just Caroline in her hotel room.
Now, there is a staff of more than 100 people and a suite of offices at the famous Carleton Hotel. “When the stars walk down the red carpet and up the stairs, they should feel great,” explains Stephanie Labeille, Public Relations Manager, Chopard USA, the woman in charge of working with the stars to make sure they wear what they want, “They don’t glow as much anywhere else as they do in Cannes. I don’t know if it’s the sea air, but there is something in their eyes. You have the stairs to walk up, so they are looking up, then when they arrive at the top of the stairs, they turn around and, this is something they will never forget, something they will never get at the Golden Globes or the Oscars, they have the crowd below them, shouting their names, and they dominate the scene.”
As for men and watches, many actors, directors and producers will choose a Chopard watch if they want to make a statement. “Men choose watches and cufflinks and studs for the shirt,” she details. "When people see the stars on the red carpet, they might not know what jewellery and watches they are wearing, so it is up to us to make sure they know. People want to know everything about the fashions at the Cannes Film Festival and Chopard is credited in all the magazines.” In 2007, nearly 4000 journalists were accredited to cover the event, and the pictures and accounts of the event go to every country around the world. The primary vehicle for the fascination surrounding Cannes is image: devastatingly stylish and decked out in their most splendid finery, the stars embody the dream of absolute glamour – and Chopard makes this happen.
Chopard sometimes takes its retail clients to red carpet events. "These are the festival premieres which we typically get tickets to,” Hrushka says. “The experience you can’t buy is walking up the red carpet, which is the longest in the industry. Just going up that red carpet, when I am with clients, I advise them to go very slowly and enjoy it, then get to the top and turn around. Thousands of people line up to watch people walk up the red carpet.”
Labeille from Chopard really enjoys the festival, even though it is filled with 20-hour days and intense pressure. "I love Cannes because this is the definition of glamour,” she says. “You experience glamour for twelve days, with three red carpets a day; it’s like the fireworks of glamour. People are happy. People want to look good; they are not shy about fashion and style. Either they want to do it all or they want to do it in a subdued manner, but they know it’s a crucial moment in their career.

The products
Chopard takes their entire collection of jewellery and watches to the film festival for people to choose from – security is tight and a security guard goes with every celebrity from the time they get their jewellery to the time they give it back. “This year, we are presenting a Red Carpet Collection for Cannes,” Labeille says.”For the opening ceremony, Caroline met with the Italian fashion designer Valentino and they decided to do something together. She made 60 special high jewellery pieces, called the Red Carpet Collection, to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the festival. Valentino designed ten special gowns to complement ten of the jewels.”
In addition to jewellery, Chopard has also made a special boutique-only watch, called the Happy Palme D’Or, which features the signature symbol of the film festival, which moves around under the sapphire glass. Chopard also made a new limited edition this year, which is a ceramic case with the floating Palme D’Or. Many companies are now lobbying to get involved in some way with the Cannes Film Festival, but Chopard was fortunate to get in on the ground floor and they aren’t about to give up their place.
Cannes has become such an international event with incredible exposure; it’s something that really serves Chopard well.

Source: Europa Star October - November 2007 Magazine Issue