I think that we love to tell stories. And we’ve seen in the last couple of decades the development of the digital world; while it has not really influenced the way we design and craft our jewels, it has given us many more opportunities to tell stories. There’s much more you can tell through movies, through digital content through a website, through all the social media opportunities than what you can do with only text and a few photographs. We have not really used VR so far, because we have not yet found the right moment, or content where it would really add something to the story that we are telling. So, while we’re looking at it with great interest, we don’t feel we are obliged to use everything that’s available. But we’re quite happy to pick and choose among the different technologies that are developing, the ones that we feel are valid for this company.

What were some of the biggest challenges that the brand has had to overcome when adapting to the digital age?
To maintain your identity and your differenciation. Because when you are within a store, or in a workshop, or at large-scale events, you can express an identity; we have a lot of facets that we can bring together to create an experience. But when you’re looking at a small screen the size of a phone, it’s difficult to make a piece of jewellery stand out from others; it’s difficult to tell a story that’s very unique if you have only a handful of words available. And so, that was the challenge, to somehow rewrite, or find ways to express that identity in frames that are sometimes a bit too small, a bit too restrictive. But that is the name of the game, and we find ways around that. We’re quite happy that we maintain consistency through expressions of the brand, whatever the format and the support. 

What are some of the more successful campaigns that you feel the brand has had?
[We’re] always focusing on consistency. So for instance, you know we love flowers as an inspiration, and we’ve created a few programmes around flowers; we try to make sure that the way we express that programme, the way we present that collection, is going to be very consistent from the website to social media to the store and to the events. And in order to bring some freshness to the way we present it, we love to work with artists, designers, illustrators [and] painters that will bring their own touch and their own view on flowers that we’re going to associate with ours. It’s a lot of work, a lot of exchange, a lot of dialogue, but I feel that we are succeeding.

What’s one key way you think people have changed with regards to how they want their storytelling or how they consume content these days? How have you tried to address that?
We are in a world where everything goes fast; where you want to have immediate access to information, but if you want to learn something, if you want to enjoy luxury, you need to take the time, to sit down with an expert or with a craftsman; you need to go and visit exhibitions, you need to be guided by an art historian. And this is why we created, 11 years ago, the school for jewellery arts. At the beginning, people might say, ‘No, no, I don’t have the time. How can I spend two to four hours [doing this]?’. But once they start, they never regret it. The physicality of the experience and the reality of the dialogue are even more important today, given the [direction] that digital media and the virtual world have taken, and a lot of our clients expect real contact with a real human person who is going to tell them about their history, their craft or expertise and are going to transmit something to them. And I believe it’s not going to disappear. On the contrary, I believe it’s going to become more and more important, and it’s up to us to organise such experiences.

What do you envision for the brand in the next five years, and where do you see it going?
Pretty much the same. Of course, now we have different services: we have ecommerce, we have online capabilities that have developed; but the core activity will be to serve the client and to design and craft jewellery. So, I’m focusing more on what stays and what remains than on what changes, and I think it’s something quite important when you’re in charge of a brand like Van Cleef & Arpels.

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