NAME, PLACE, ANIMAL THING

The story behind the most iconic logos and brand iconography of our times.

- AKANKSHA KAMATH

CARTIER, PANTHÈRE

In 1913, painter George Barbier was commissioned to draw an image to reflect a modern, worldly, and alluring woman for an invitation card for a Cartier jewellery event. The result? Dame à la Panthère an image of an elegant model, adorned with sautoir necklaces and pearls with a sleek black cat at her feet. This was the first connection between Cartier and its iconic animal: the panther.. Legend has it the fine jewellery director of Cartier, Jeanne Toussaint (known to have famously worn a full-length coat made of panther fur), and Louis Cartier were inspired after spotting a panther on a safari. Over the years, Cartier's history has become spotted with references to the majestic feline. From The first three-dimensional Cartier Panthère created in 1948 for the Duchess of Windsor, to its sleek use in the shape of the house's La Panthère Eau de Parfum bottle, it is an emblem that leaps through history.

BULGARI, THE SERPENTI

Transformation, metamorphosis, reinvention Bulgari's totemic snake symbol has captivated the imagination of cultures, countries, and historical figures alike, including Cleopatra, the queen of Egypt, who favoured sinewy snake jewellery. Through time, the serpent's second-skin quality has curled its way around Bulgari's necklaces, bracelets, rings, and watches where the dial comes discreetly placed in the mouth of the serpent. The influential Diana Vreeland, the fashion editor of Harper's Bazaar US, was known to wear a striking Serpenti belt audaciously looped twice around her neck. But it was actress Elizabeth Taylor who made the Bulgari Serpenti famous in the 1960s when she bought a Bulgari Serpenti watch in Rome while filming Cleopatra-an apt choice for the role she was embodying.