“I am the reverse of a hypochondriac. Unlike some of my friends who have been paralyzed for a year, I’m not afraid of the virus, it helps a lot. And then, basically, I’m a real optimist. ” During this year of pandemic, Charlotte Chesnais has not been idle: she has created a minicollection of high jewelry, another with freshwater pearls – “My diamond dealer made me meet the Pope of the Pearl, I could not resist” – and a series of enamelled pieces, introducing color into its offer.
New turned wood packaging has been manufactured in Normandy and in the Bay of Somme. And then, on November 30, 2020, in the first days of the second deconfinement – a coincidence of the calendar and a happy omen – she opened her first store, rue d’Alger, in 1er district of Paris.
Her clients were waiting for her: even if her jewelry can be bought online, the graphic pieces, which have a somewhat unconventional look, need to be tried on to fully reveal themselves. “Since the opening, the point of sale has been going well, we are happy. And then, we say to ourselves that when it will resume – because it will resume! – we will benefit from a more important passage. Today, few people enter by chance. Usually they already know the brand. ” Charlotte Chesnais entrusted the design of the place to Anne Holtrop.
The Dutch architect installed a large transparent table in recycled acrylic topped with a matching monolith attached to the ceiling, which gives the impression of being in an aquarium. “The brief was clear: everything except a boudoir with a nice carpet. I wanted an attractive but strange side, and especially not a pretty Parisian store, which could have been expected of me, I am aware of the boxes that I tick. ”
Volutes, circles, spirals
The designer is more often in her shop than in her offices, located 500 meters away, rue de Valois. “I play saleswoman, I love it. During the first month of opening, I was there almost every day. And it’s funny because with masks people don’t always know it’s me. ” Every evening, her store manager sends her a list of what has been sold, specifying for what occasions. “Receiving these little anecdotes is one of my favorite times of the day. In absolute terms, it doesn’t help me, but I like this feeling of proximity to my customers. The jewel allows to share quite intimate moments with people. ”
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