GILDED HISTORY

With its new high jewellery collection, Louis Vuitton explores the 100 years following the French Revolution.

- ANJALY SABU

The Paris Olympics has put the spotlight on France once again. While the nation rallies for what is surely to be another historical moment, Louis Vuitton has marked the occasion with the launch of its latest high jewellery collection—Awakened Hands, Awakened Minds. Unveiled in Château Saint-Maur in St Tropez in attendance of guests including actors Phoebe Dynevor and Urassa Sperbund, the collection explores the 100 years following the French Revolution (1789) and culminates in the Universal Exposition (1889).

Set to be the sixth collection by Louis Vuitton’s artistic director of watches and jewellery, Francesca Amfitheatrof, Awakened Hands, Awakened Minds attains singular status in the Maison’s history by being the first to feature a tiara, fully traceable rubies, and a yellow LV monogram star-cut diamond. The collection boasts 220 masterpieces spread across 13 themes, some of which are yet to be revealed.

The first chapter, Awakened Hands, includes 11 themes and 100 pieces. It highlights the end of the imperial rule in France and the rise of the country's savoire-faire legacy. “Craftsmanship became the currency of this country. It is the birth of France’s Art de Vivre, and the birth of what we know as luxury today,” says Amfitheatrof.