French fashion house Chanel has hired Marie-Laure Céréde as the company’s new head of jewelry design. In her new role, she will be responsible for all fine jewelery and high fashion jewelery design, working closely with the teams in Paris and Geneva.
“It is a great honor and pleasure for me to join Chanel, a company of unique cultural importance and unique professionalism. Chanel has always challenged tradition, redefined femininity and interpreted modernity in a special way in form and spirit. I look forward to getting to know the team and writing the next chapter of this story with them,” said Marie-Laure Cérède, in a press release.
Frédéric Grangié, president of Chanel’s watch and jewelery division, says the appointment is an important turning point for the company.
“We are extremely excited to welcome Marie-Laure to Chanel. Her creative vision is based on a delicate balance between heritage, emotion, audacity and restraint. She will bring new perspectives to the design characteristics that make Chanel’s creations unique. Her imagination, deep knowledge of craftsmanship and expertise in gems will open new and exciting avenues for Chanel.”
Alain Wertheimer, Chanel’s global chairman, and Leena Nair, the company’s CEO, say Cérède is among the leading creative directors of her generation.
“Marie-Laure Cérède is one of the most talented, sophisticated and experienced creative directors of her generation. Her vision, creativity and exceptional leadership skills will shape the next chapter in Chanel’s creative history in jewelery design.”
Cérède began her career at Cartier before joining Harry Winston, where she took over the artistic direction of the company’s jewelery and watchmaking division. In 2016, she returned to Cartier as creative director of jewelery and watches, a position she held for nearly a decade.
She grew up in Libreville, Gabon where she developed an early sensitivity to nature, colors and diverse cultures. That experience has shaped her lifelong admiration for decorative arts and crafts. Cérède holds a degree from ESCP Europe Business School.
