Asia-Pacific head of one of the most recognised symbols of love and commitment, Tiffany & Co.’s Marc Jacheet tells Melissa Gail Sing how he’s continuing the brand’s story of enchantment.  

Most commonly known for its brilliant diamond engagement rings that are the ultimate symbol of love and commitment, Tiffany & Co has come to be associated with just about every special occasion: a 21st birthday, a promotion at work, a niece’s christening, a wedding anniversary, and yes, Valentine’s Day. Marc Jacheet, the brand’s new Group Vice President for Asia-Pacific, says, “It’s happy moments only at Tiffany.”

In an exclusive first interview since he assumed his new role, the charismatic Frenchman who moved to Singapore from the US last August tells Melissa Gail Sing what’s top on his agenda and how, after 178 years, Tiffany & Co continues to shine. As a bonus, he also shares his top picks for Valentine’s Day gifts.

Tell me about your new role at Tiffany & Co. What's a typical week like?
There is no typical week. First and foremost is to be close to our clients. We need to go back to the essence of luxury, the way Charles Lewis Tiffany defined it. He was personally involved with customers, trying to understand what was driving them in their lives, and working with them on drawings. The house may have grown, but I still believe that this proximity is most important. So, my priority is to be close to the stores and close to the customers. Every week, I’ll be talking to customers, understanding their needs, and telling them beautiful tatler_tatler_stories about our jewellery.

I also manage around 50 stores and 800 people, from Korea to New Zealand. My objective here is always to understand what it takes to improve the quality of staff, improve their knowledge of the store and our customers, and make sure that we find the most outstanding piece that is the right fit for our customers. We have the unique opportunity at Tiffany & Co to enchant people’s lives and to be here for happy moments only. This is daily work, inspiring people in the way they do their job. Even when I travel, I try to understand what drives luxury, and what it means to people in Asia right now.

What element of the brand do you consider its most valuable asset?
There are immaterial assets, which is the culture. We are this Happy Moments brand—mostly, if not only—which has created the culture of care, authenticity, simplicity and gentleness. And that is very unique. We have the unique privilege to bring sparkle to people’s eyes and smiles to faces.

Then come the products: when you look at a Tiffany setting, introduced in 1886, can you imagine the genius of the creator at the time? To maximise the brilliance of the stone, it’s mounted on six prongs with simple idea of letting light in and out so it radiates more. That was 1886 and it still looks modern today. I believe that iconic, stylish designs are an asset of Tiffany & Co creations that makes them unique, immutable and loved worldwide. So, this idea of creating products that are absolutely perfect for the moment and the season but also products that will last forever is something deeply rooted in the company.

Think of a beautiful Audrey Hepburn walking into a Fifth Avenue store in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. That’s magic, a mystic that is part of the depth of the beauty of the brand. There’s also the Blue Box, introduced shortly after the house was formed in 1837. Did you know, research has shown that when you put a Blue Box in front of a woman, it will make her heart beat 20 per cent faster?

So, those are some of our assets and, of course, there’s our people.

You've spent much of your career in the luxury sector. How have your previous experiences shaped you for this new role?
Attention to customers, really being interested, and always, being a good listener are all relevant to my new role. There’s also reviewing the Asia-Pacific region and attention to details. If things are not at the level of expertise and excellence that we are known for, I’ll get them changed. If there is a fingerprint on the case, I will not hesitate to clean it myself.

I really believe this whole understanding of luxury starts early, at the age of 13 or 14, when luxury may be about spending $10 to drink bottle of Perrier at a cafe instead of spending the same amount of money on a cinema ticket. I was like that. I grew up admiring beautiful things, the tasteful, the good-looking and it is nothing necessarily to do with sophistication. It is to do with taste, elegance, beauty, your sense of interest for art and literature. This early appreciation makes you sensitive to what is luxury. And throughout my career in luxury, this is a sense I’ve really developed, and become passionate about.

How do you feel about people buying jewellery for investment as opposed to buying for passion?
I think it’s not one of the other, left brain or right brain; it’s a combination of both. You see beautiful pieces that are not priceless but of significant value. It’s just not something you put in a vault and wait to resell. Recently, I asked a customer, “How much heart and how much brain do you put into your purchase?” She said, “At the end of the day, it’s the one that I love.” I then asked if she had ever sold any of the pieces in her collection. She said no. It really shows that it’s reason and a bit more. What’s unique is expensive and what’s unique will remain, so people know that. It boils down to the difference between the price and the value. You know that the value of a 5 or 10-carat diamond at Tiffany & Co will remain and will grow because it’s absolute uniqueness and it’s rare.



What are some of the intriguing things you’ve discovered in the jewellery business?
Did you know that a woman will look at her engagement ring more than her children’s face in her entire lifetime? On average she is going to look at it a million times, probably more than her children’s faces. Very often, it’s the last thing she takes off after brushing her teeth before going to bed and the first thing she puts on in the morning. It is something absolutely quintessential to women’s femininity and men’s love. Unlike a handbag or a pair of stilettoes, this is emotionally charged. There is something that touches your heart in diamonds because you need to be loved, you need to belong and you need to believe. This is material proof of that but it is also durable, timeless and immutable. I believe this is what makes diamonds different from any other luxury category.

There is a love story in every Tiffany & Co creation. Tell me about the passion and excellence that go into the creation of a Tiffany & Co piece. The very first time I spoke with our Design Director Francesca Amfitheatrof when I was in New York and she showed me the drawings she was preparing for Blue Book 2015, it was mind-blowing. She explained the way she worked with people. So the act of creation is what I have deepest respect for because very few people have this ability to be touched by emotions and things that they gather from exhibitions, clothes, everything around them and translate that into an object of beauty.

I believe that the creative process at Tiffany & Co is very genuine, very free. We are one of the only brands in the world to have a creative studio with a head of design, in this case, Francesca, who has more than 20 years of experience in the worlds of art and jewelllery design, fragrance, furniture and interiors.

The brand has redefined glamour and style since 1837. What are some of the latest collections that do this, and how?
It’s an endless story. If you take the Tiffany T collection for instance, it takes tremendous inspiration and work to come up with such a simple yet powerful design. For me, it’s unapologetically modern. It can complement your silhouette, you can wear it with jeans and it’ll look gorgeous, and it could be a day to evening piece. And because it’s stackable, you can create your own style.

And what’s glamour about? It’s about inventing your inner beauty and a sense of confidence that shows without being arrogant, that sense of appealing femininity that people will notice when you walk by. You can achieve it with a little bit of powder and blush on the face or maybe a piece of jewellery, which I believe Tiffany & Co is good at.

What are your top picks for Valentine's Day gifts for a) a wife b) a husband c) children?
Personally, for my wife, I would choose a beautiful Elsa Peretti Diamonds by the Yard necklace. For my daughters, it would be a charm on a Tiffany & Co bracelet. And for myself, I personally can’t wait to get my very own T Square bracelet for men which comes in an unusual material (set to launch by March 2015).

What are some of your passions and interests?
I have a passion for beauty in general. Not necessarily the sleek beauty but beauty in all its essence, like the natural beauty of the Singapore Botanic Gardens, the Balata Garden in Martinique, and there’s the beautiful dome that has been created for Gardens by the Bay. That itself is a piece of art. Simply taking a stroll in the lush MacRitchie Reservoir Park and observing the pureness, the crispness of the surrounding, the gestures in the people enjoying water activities … it all nourishes the soul. When you appreciate beauty in all its forms, be it nature, music or other forms, you feel nourished and happy.

I also enjoy diving and I love the sea. At Tiffany & Co, we don’t use corals in our jewellery. This something that resonates with me on a personal level. And being French, I have one other passion that, like the others, relates to beauty: wine.

What's your definition of luxury?
Luxury starts with quality. It’s the foundation, the grounding of any proposition in a field. With a soul, ie the history, the DNA, the codes, and something that deeply resonates, it is what that emotionally moves you.

Photography: Lionel Lai/Acepix
Grooming: Benedict Choo

 

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