Cartier’s Director of Style, Image and Heritage, Pierre Rainero, on the workings and traditions behind one of the world’s most beloved luxury houses
You are the guardian of Cartier’s past, present and future.
How does it feel to have all that weight on your shoulders?
It’s a huge responsibility; I’m totally conscious of that. But also, it’s a pleasure; an enjoyment. On a permanent basis, I have to know more about Cartier; and every day I learn new things about our history and heritage. Heritage is not only a question of the “whats”, but also the “hows” and the “whys”. The “what” gives you examples of what we consider beautiful at Cartier, but the “how” and the “why” give you a understanding of current contexts to help create your own aesthetic for today. And that is why my position is unique. Only at Cartier is there someone who is in charge of [a brand’s] heritage and its current style, and also involved in its creative process. Because at Cartier, the two are so much linked, you know? And that notion of style is central.
You once said in an interview that it’s a lot easier to say “yes” than it is to say “no”. Can you give us an example of this?
It happens very rarely, but there was an occasion of a very important special order. The client wanted something inspired by something [we created] in the 1920s. We don’t like to repeat ourselves out of respect to the previous owner to whom we sold something unique, so it was already a struggle with the client to go in a different direction. Anyway, the necklace was made and, frankly speaking, I thought that the making wasn’t good. Everything was finished; thousands of hours of work, but I said “no, we have to redo it.” And we re-did it. It was tough on my part because I knew how many people I was going against, but I think it was a responsibility of the house at the end. And I know now that if I had said yes, I wouldn’t be able to sleep.
Have there been times when you had to say no to a new design because it was just not Cartier?
I think I would not say it like that. It is not a question of being diplomatic; it is a question of how that design can be made suitable for our [offering] now. Sometimes, it is a question of proportion. There’s always an element of discussion on a new project—how not to accumulate the elements of decor, how not to make the piece too heavy and things like that. But when you work on a regular basis with people, there is an automatic understanding that is created.
Suddenly you don’t need to discuss anything; [you]don’t have to explain. I would say: “Yes, but I would have done it this way,” or “yes, you are right;” we would refine it and it goes [ahead] very quickly.
You’ve been with Cartier for over 30 years now. How has jewellery evolved since then?
When I arrived at Cartier, the ’80s was [about] illustrating a dominance in femininity that said: “We are as powerful as men”. So you had thick necklaces; big watches. In the ’90s, we had an introduction of a totally different kind of jewellery: Articulated, fluid, thin; not less precious but totally different silhouettes.
Now, I think it is interesting how everybody is very daring; I like that.
Jewellery has also become understood as a statement of personality. One element of satisfaction to me is also how jewellery is more and more recognised because of its artistic dimensions. We now face clients who are like art collectors in the way they buy jewellery.
My last question is a difficult one. If you had to pick only three designs that epitomise what Cartier is, what would they be?
It’s not difficult, it’s impossible! It is because the particularity of Cartier is to explore so many different inspirations; that is something very special about Cartier: The richness of its universe. Okay, I would choose the Tank watch because it shows a sense for purity, the taste for long-lasting designs and also the idea that an object is linked with people and their lives. I would choose a Tutti Frutti because it’s an illustration of the curiosity towards other cultures and the idea that once you’re curious, you’ll have a sense of beauty that can be shared by other cultures. And what else? I would choose obviously, a Panthère because it shows the understanding of symbolism in jewellery and the necessity for us to create things that are in tune, or in line, with the sensitivity of people.
