The History Timeline Of Cartier

most big fashion and jewelry design houses didn't start out as big multinational affairs in fact almost all of them began through a special combination of skills and endurance this is the cartier story the story starts in the early 19th century with the birth of louis francois cartier he was born in paris in 1819 as a young man louis francois became an apprentice under master watchmaker adolf picard and for many years he worked in adolf small store on rue monteguell through this he gained a lot of experience and in 1847 at the age of 28 louis francois bought the store and took over the business as an apprentice he had seen his employer's business struggle to become successful the store was modest but louis francois was determined to do more both as a watchmaker and a dealer in quality jewelry he set about transforming the business but what he didn't know was that the political turmoil in france would offer the chance to expand the business much quicker than he'd ever dreamed [Music] louis francois knew that he wanted to take his former boss's business to the next level and he immediately began adding jewelry pieces to expand the collection money was tight but he bought what he could afford concentrating only on the very finest jewelry as the business slowly developed over the next few decades his son alfred prepared to take the reins alfred was much more business oriented than his father and he wanted to grow the business quickly but the pace of growth would be helped by the most unforeseen circumstances it was the year 1870 and paris was about to change drastically over the last 100 years france had become a nation of revolution and 1870 brought yet another uprising in the capital the paris commune the commune was a socialist revolution against the aristocracy in fear for their lives the elite looked for a way out and unable to access their wealth due to bank access being restricted they turned to whatever assets they had in their hands this often meant their jewelry alfred seized the opportunity and offered to be their buyer numerous aristocrats handed over their finest pieces and as they were so desperate to raise the money needed to flee the country they accepted far less than their true worth almost overnight carcier had built one of the finest jewelry collections in france and that for a fraction of its actual worth although the commune ended within months by 1871 the future success of the cartier business seemed certain the aftermath of the paris commune finally made france a republic once and for all and carjay was free to sell the gems he had acquired to eager buyers over the next 20 years cartier became the go-to choice for the european elite but as success grew so did the need to find larger premises by the turn of the 20th century paris was coming alive but this also meant that competition was getting fiercer alfred recognized this and with louis francois as good as retired from the business he set out to define cartier as a brand above the rest he moved the store to rue de la pay and soon enough cartier became a greater success than he could have ever imagined their excellent reputation caught the eye of the rich and noble and within a short time the rue de la pay had become the single most important jewelry area in paris if not the world by now alfred had three sons louis pierre and jacques louis was born in 1875 pierre in 1878 and jacques in 1884. all three joined the business and the company became alfred cartier in fios in 1898 while louis francois had provided jewelry for the french aristocracy for many years alfred wasn't content with cartier's current status he dreamt of an international business empire and upon louis francois death in 1904 he decided to extend the reach and influence of the cartier brand out of paris to facilitate the global expansion louis francois cartier's three grandsons made an ambitious and strategic decision they were going to separate pierre was sent to new york where he opened a shop on fifth avenue in 1909 jacques the youngest was sent to london where the firm opened on new burlington street in 1902 before moving to new bond street and louis the eldest remain in paris the geographical heart and soul of the mason with their bold decision turn out to be a good one [Music] over the next few years the three brothers divided and conquered but unlike many such arrangements the three men were all very close and each brother's personality would eventually be key to cartier's success young jock was sociable and he understood the importance of nurturing relationships with clients louis was the creative heart who embraced all forms of art and who had a knack for predicting and embracing trends pierre on the other hand was business-minded he was renowned for his astute salesmanship and he saw great potential in the booming economy of new york but while all three brothers made their mark louis was undoubtedly the driving force and his insistence on perfection was a big asset for the company if he didn't think a piece was up to par it simply never saw the light of day of course all the other major jewelry houses also had strict quality control but louie's need for perfection was different it truly set carche apart from the rest and it didn't take long until they became jewelers to the high and mighty such as the rockefellers vanderbilts the fords the morgans king edward vii king zog of albania and king chulalongkorn of siam during the next four decades cartier produced some of the best pieces the world had ever seen such as the now famous tutti frutti necklaces and bracelets and all sorts of other fancy goods in platinum silver and gold then followed the more imaginative jewelry with louis announcing we must build up an inventory that responds to the mood of the public by producing articles which have a useful function but which are also decorated in the cartier style from then on bejeweled cigarette cases monogram tin openers and gold yo-yos and toothpicks were all available for purchase then came the trinity ring the simple yet beautiful cult classic consists of three bands of gray yellow and pink gold forever joined in a locked embrace the bands depict fidelity friendship and love and despite it being almost a century old it reminds one of cartier's most iconic creations it first appeared in 1924 when louis designed it at the request of the french artist jean kitau and while you may not have guessed it just by looking at it the ring was truly a daring innovation for its time with the art deco era in full swing cartier was famous for its colorful and exotic creations so to create something so embellishment-free like the trinity ring showed great courage the ring is still a key element of the carche jewelry range today and numerous famous people have adorned their fingers with it including john kateau princess diana and nicole kidman after world war ii ended cartier's global expansion continued but unfortunately by now pierre was running the business alone as louis and jacques had died within months of each other in 1942 aged just 67 and 58. would pierre be able to continue the legacy [Music] every business needs a spirit animal and it seems like carche has two the panther and the leopard the leopard was used for the first time in 1914 on a wristwatch with the placement of the black and white gems recreating the elegant feline's fur but it was through the arrival of jean-tousson that the panther sprung to life no history of carjack can properly be told without mentioning jean she was cartier's director of fine jewelry and she served as its creative driving force she worked closely together with louie and she made her mark with her feminine elegance and free thinking spirit jean was nicknamed the panther because their skins decorated her apartment and she loved everything the elegant feline resembled cartier advertisements started to include leopards peering through shop windows and browning the streets and the motive became a key part of numerous designs from vanity boxes and cigarette cases to bracelets necklaces and brooches after having run the company for over two decades without his brothers pierre passed away in 1964. after his death the cartier heirs sold each cartier branch separately the stores in london and new york were now no longer a part of the main group and the original cartier was left with just four stores in hong kong geneva munich and paris although the cartier brand was still the premier name in jewelry and watches it no longer had any connection to the family but then in 1972 world war ii french resistance hero robert hoke set out to engender a worldwide cartier reunification he began buying back all the various carche branches and while the company was not led by the original cartier family anymore it was at least whole once again carche monde was born and robert served as the chairman then in 1973 came another stroke of genius with the creation of les muster you must buy a cartier it was a line of affordable products and it democratized the ultra luxury of the cartier name cartier was not confined to the high and almighty anymore and now secretaries could afford its products too unfortunately robert never got to see the massive expansion that followed as he was tragically struck by a car near his office in paris he was 60 years old at the time and for the next few years his daughter natalie hoke became cartier's president [Music] today cartier is known for its groundbreaking design exceptional gems and exquisite craftsmanship louis francoise grandsons propelled the company to international success and from those humble beginnings in 1847 cartier has evolved into a multinational luxury goods business with nearly 300 boutiques across the world the brand became part of the richmond group in 1988 it is fully integrated into the well-oiled money-making machine and many cartier pieces are seen as true collector items 2d fruity pieces for example are revered as icons of the art deco era with one jewel being sold at a 2020 auction for 1.3 million dollars created around 1930 the jewel had never before appeared at auction having been passed down through descendants of an american family for more than 30 years since its inception cartier has achieved something that few other brands have being synonymous with luxury elegance for more than 175 years and while the house of cartier did not remain in the family the richmond group has made sure to continue living by the motto of its original driving force never imitate always innovate did you already know about carche's long history share it in the comments and if you enjoyed this video then take a look at our channel for more inspiring business stories

Channel: Business Stories

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Keywords: Business Stories, Louis-François cartier, Louis-François cartier biography, Louis-François biography, Louis François cartier, cartier, cartier founder, founder cartier, cartier owner, cartier brand story, cartier brand history, cartier brand, cartier jewelry, cartier watch, cartier history of company, cartier history, jacques cartier history, jacques cartier documentary, jacques cartier, cartier jaques, cartier story

Id: FNAq8p4Yzzg

Length: 12min 50sec (770 seconds)

Published: Sun May 22 2022