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Cannes Film Festival: barefoot Julia Roberts told me ‘with jewels like these, I don’t need shoes’

Julia Roberts Cannes  - Getty Images
Julia Roberts Cannes - Getty Images

Caroline Scheufele introduced high jewellery to Chopard when she joined the family-run watch business in the 1980s. Now the brand's co-president and artistic director, she is a champion of ethical materials and sustainable production, and her creations are some of the most sought after on the world’s red-carpets. In the week that the Cannes Film Festival should have taken place, the 58-year-old businesswoman speaks to Tracey Llewellyn from her home in Geneva.

Chopard has been an official partner of the Cannes Film Festival since 1998 and I have attended every one of the past 22. While it is sad that it is not happening this year, cancelling it was really the only option. For a start it would have been logistically impossible with air travel so restricted and the majority of hotels closed. Even more importantly, though, it would have been unethical to walk a red carpet while so many people around the world are struggling and worrying about both their health and their economic situation.

Of course, my thoughts are very much in Cannes this week. Every year is unique and each has brought its own special moments. I could make a movie about my experiences there – maybe one day I will. I am lucky to work with incredible people there, from all backgrounds. This is the richness that Cannes brings to my life and this is what I am really missing.

Adrien Brody with Caroline Scheufele - Getty Images
Adrien Brody with Caroline Scheufele - Getty Images

The parties we host are so much more than celebrity photo opportunities. Many of our guests become real friends – Lionel Richie, who has performed for us, and Elton John, who went on to create an entire watch collection with us. On 12 May, which would have been the opening day of the Festival, Adrien Brody called me for no other reason than he was missing Cannes and knew I would be feeling the same.

I have been lucky enough to see my creations on some of my favourite actors. I was particularly touched when Julia Roberts wore a Chopard emerald necklace and ring for her Cannes debut in 2016. She was barefoot on the red carpet and said at the time, ‘If I have jewels like this, I don’t need shoes’.

Julia Roberts  - Dominique Charriau/WireImage
Julia Roberts - Dominique Charriau/WireImage

Seeing Chopard high jewellery on the red carpet makes me incredibly proud, for myself, but also for the whole team of artisans who work tirelessly for thousands of hours on each and every piece. When worn, the jewels come alive and they become a part of history.

Early on, I noticed that while so much attention was lavished on big and celebrated actors, many of the really bright, emerging stars were struggling to get a break. So, in 2001, Chopard decided to create an award for new talent. The Trophée Chopard is awarded to two people each year and, to date, all of the recipients have gone on to achieve worldwide success, for example, Audrey Tautou, Gael García Bernal, Diane Kruger and John Boyega. So many things start in Cannes. When Marion Cotillard won the Trophée in 2004, nobody knew her but she went on to win an Oscar – and she has been a treasured friend for the past 16 years.

Caroline Scheufele and Diane Kruger with 2018 Trophée Chopard winners
Caroline Scheufele and Diane Kruger with 2018 Trophée Chopard winners

Beyond the parties, I have had quiet, magical moments in Cannes. There was a wonderful restaurant on the beach called Chez Tétou, that served the best bouillabaisse. It was unassuming and loved by everyone. I was there for lunch one day and remember looking up and seeing Leonardo DiCaprio sitting in the corner. It has closed down now, which is such a shame.

I love the dinners that Chopard hosts on our terrace with menus prepared by brilliant chefs like Italian-Argentine Mauro Colagreco. I long for the moment when I can sit there again, take off my shoes and just look at the changing light over the city. But, if I am really honest, my favourite moments at Cannes are when I go back to my hotel room and am greeted by Lord Byron, my King Charles spaniel.

Byron has been so spoiled in the past few weeks with me at home, and I have got to know all six of my dogs so much better – I now know them by heart. It is definitely not ‘me’ to spend so much time in one place, my life has been a whirlwind of travel up to now, but I can honestly say that I haven’t had a single boring moment so far. I always like to find something positive in every situation.

Caroline Scheufele and King Charles spaniel  - Greg Williams
Caroline Scheufele and King Charles spaniel - Greg Williams

Apart from spending time with my family, I have been doing so many things that I’ve never done before. I am learning to be digital – in the past I always had an assistant to sort out digital projects, but I have had to teach myself to do it and I am enjoying the challenge. I am also really appreciating my beautiful home, painting, cooking my grandmother’s German recipes, gardening and learning about horticulture. Something like the crisis we have been through makes you realise what is important in life. I am grateful that my friends and family are well and I am making the effort to talk more to people.

And, despite the cancellation of Cannes, I have still been working on the Chopard Red Carpet Book for Cannes. The collection is almost complete and our atelier is open again with the artisans working two separate shifts to maintain social distancing. The theme for this year, which we set a long time ago, is ‘Nature’, so it fits the current mood head on.

Caroline Scheufele and Elton John - Getty Images
Caroline Scheufele and Elton John - Getty Images

I have missed the personal contact with people so I am delighted that Switzerland is slowly starting to open up again and this week I was able to go to a restaurant for the first time – The Tsé Fung at La Reserve in Geneva. As we come out of lockdown and head into summer, meeting each other again will become increasingly important. People want to live and will start to get back to normal – even if it is a new kind of normal.

I am hoping that what we have been through will teach us to respect our planet more – whether the coronavirus was made by nature or man, it has been a stark reminder of how we, as individuals and nations, have not respected others. Some are slower to learn this lesson than others, but I hope our recent experiences will bring humanity back to society. Of course the economy is important, without it people won’t survive, but it would be good to see greed disappear.

Chopard rooftop in Cannes
Chopard rooftop in Cannes

It has been a strange and difficult time for the luxury industry, but we are still thinking positively. People will always want to buy beautiful pieces and many see now as the time to spoil themselves with something special. I think that objects will become more meaningful and sustainability more important. We will always want to see and experience things – that is in our nature – but I believe, and I hope, that we will be more mindful about what we do and what we buy. This year will be one of change, a time to ask who we are and where we are going. We will reset, but people will always appreciate exceptional things.

The same is true for the film industry. Cannes is not just a festival, it is an essential part of the industry and those of us that are partners have to offer our support. So, we will go one year without the Festival, but I am working on a Cannes-related project for later in the year. Movies, like jewels, are about dreams and people need to dream so we can be sure that Cannes will make a comeback. And I, for one, am holding out for the 2021 red carpet – as well as the bouillabaisse.

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