The Keeper of Icons

Pierre Rainero, the image, style and heritage director at Cartier for the past two decades, discusses the design style of the maison, pulling inspiration from its archives, and the philosophy that guides him in his role

- Annabel Tan

A magnetic feline charm and innovative, unexpected motifs the likes of the screw and nail that respectively define the Love and Juste un Clou collections are but some of the design signatures that are distinctly Cartier. Timeless in their appeal, each tells a story about the maison's heritage and is revisited time and again in its various collections.

One iconic design that Cartier has brought back from its archives is Grain de Café, which is centred on a stylised motif of a coffee bean, and seen in a new jewellery collection of earrings, necklaces, brooches, rings and bangles.

The whimsical, tactile design first appeared in 1938, when Jeanne Toussaint was the creative director of the house, and soared to popularity in the 1950s, when it was worn and favoured by the then-newly crowned Princess of Monaco, Grace Kelly.

Today, the collection takes shape in lustrous yellow gold creations that tremble with their wearer's movements, evoking a spirit reminiscent of 1950s glamour. But the decision to reinterpret Grain de Café is not solely a stylistic one. Pierre Rainero, the image, style and heritage director of Cartier, shares more.

Tell us about your role as Cartier's image, style and heritage director.

Since the beginning, our founder had the idea to create a specific creative language common to all our creations; a notion of style that is intrinsically linked to the idea of heritage. This is also a permanently evolving, dynamic notion of style that continues to be cultivated, so my main role today is to continue this process. This is why I call the Cartier style a living language, and our image is a consequence of this. Our image comes across in our communication, from the architecture of our store to any collateral we put out-and I have a role in all of that too.