Jewelry & Watches

Hélène Poulit-Duquesne Counts to Azyaamode Boucheron La Maison’s Journey in KSA

For its first event in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Boucheron went the extra mile and immersed us in a journey worthy of the most magical dreams. Entitled “La Maison”, it paid tribute to the House’s legendary and rich heritage in every possible way.

And to immerse you, our readers, even more in this world of bejeweled fantasies, we had the chance to explore Boucheron’s CEO Hélène Poulit-Duquesne’s take on this one-of-a-kind experience.

How did La Maison experience enhance Boucheron’s presence in the Middle East, and especially in KSA?

The Middle East is a historic and crucial region for Boucheron business-wise, especially in High Jewelry and for Serpent Bohème collection, which is the local best seller. While it is one of the regions in which we have been operating for the longest time – we are actually one of the oldest jewelers established there, since early 2000’s – it still represents a huge potential and remains a very important part of our customer portfolio.

From its main influence over all the Middle East to its strong dynamism, KSA is really a key market for Boucheron in the region. Also, KSA citizens have now become the 2nd nationality among Boucheron’s clients locally, because of the growing attractivity towards the Maison and its collections in UAE. In KSA, just like everywhere in the region, Boucheron operates right at the very top of the market, selling to highly educated and savvy collectors who are buying investments, as well as dreams, even though we did not have much activity in Saudi Arabia in the last few years. This is something I am really proud of, and that is why Boucheron chose the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to host its first edition of La Maison event in GCC.

Tell us about the experience in general, its main focus and the success it met.

May I first remind you that La Maison is a global concept, aiming at showcasing and celebrating all the facets of Maison Boucheron – style, innovation, heritage and French art de vivre – while balancing heritage and innovation. Thus, it is not only an exhibition nor just a commercial event, but a subtle mix of both.

La Maison Riyadh event was hosted from the 5th to the 7th of October in Lakum Artspace, a contemporary art gallery and multi-disciplinary artist hub which brought to the event the right level of modernity. Over 4 days of immersive, interactive and phygital stylish experience, we welcomed there up to 300 guests, including clients, prospects, top editors and influencers.

While visitors were invited to define their style via a personalized online Q&A about tastes and personality before the event, they got to experience a very personalized path on site as they could try on their own selection of pieces in a styling room and enjoy digital animations. In the heritage room, our guests discovered our High Jewelry Histoire de Style, Art Déco collection from January 2021, as well as Art Deco archive pieces such as a diamond and black enamel arm bracelet from (1920) and a diamond and platinum wristwatch (1929) revealed for the first time in Saudi Arabia. In the innovation room, visitors got to find out more about Fleurs Éternelles rings or Goutte de Ciel bracelet depending on their profiles. Finally, while fall-winter novelties including Wladimir, Animaux de Collection and Plume de Paon were showcased in the Jardin d’Hiver, iconic jewelry collections such as Quatre, Serpent Bohème and Jack de Boucheron were displayed in the styling room.

Being the first event for Boucheron in KSA, what was the importance of this chapter in your journey as a legendary high jewelry House?

It was such a perfect timing to host this event in KSA! First, because we are very proud of our local clientele, who is most likely the one who has the best understanding and the strongest knowledge of the Maison, its values and its personality, and more generally of European luxury. Then, it was also a great opportunity to tell the full story of Boucheron since the reset of the Maison – from the communication to the brand’s platform and the store design – and introduce press and clients to who we are today: the most stylish & innovative high jewelry Maison. Last but not least, the event allowed us to let KSA clients and journalists discover our unique Art Déco legacy, through a presentation of some archive pieces, which continue to inspire our creative studio and prove to remain very relevant today, as well as our Histoire de Style, Art Déco High Jewelry collection launched in January 2021.

After such an immersive experience, what do Middle Eastern jewelry enthusiasts cherish about the Maison?

The event went really well, and both clients and journalists shared their enthusiasm about the event, mainly because they got to experience the Maison in depth and rediscover our more-than-160-year history. Although Serpent Bohème is by far the favorite collection locally, our heritage room was a major success, especially with Art Déco – archives and new – pieces.

We are actually still positively surprised to find out that the Maison is very well known in Middle East, and there is still a lot to remind people about, like the fact that we were the first jewelry house to settle on Place Vendôme in Paris. This whole legacy is quite obvious when you visit our historic boutique there, so our ambition was to spread the word and speak louder about our Maison’s unique heritage.

What’s next for Boucheron in the KSA?

At a regional level, the main priority is the renovation of our boutiques. Our local clients are those who have the best understanding of the Maison, so it’s very important for us to offer them the chance to experience the new concept. Our Al Faisaliah boutique in Riyadh was the first to implement it in the region, so our objective is now to roll it out to the whole network. It is also about enhancing desirability by building awareness in the KSA so that it becomes our #1 clientele and rebuild interest for Quatre collection. Another key objective is to maintain our presence and voice in Riyadh and to totally roll out our new boutique concept.

Article Written by Mirella Haddad



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