October 21, 2014
London department store Harrods
British department store Harrods and French jeweler Cartier are celebrating the men of Cartier with a pop-up exhibition on the ground floor of the retailer this fall.
The grandsons of the founder, Louis-Francois Cartier, have built an international brand that honors its male influences by creating men’s style through watches and design. Luxury consumers interested in enduring brand principles will enjoy the thematic exhibit.
“This is the year to pay homage, and celebrate the man’s natural home in the Cartier universe, 110 years after the creation of the first modern wristwatch by Louis Cartier," said Laurent Feniou, managing director at Cartier, UK. "We are delighted to showcase the men’s universe to our customers in Harrods and convey the elegance of the Cartier man,"
Cartier man
Split between Paris, New York and London, the three grandsons of Mr. Cartier have created an international jewelry, accessories and lifestyle brand. Cartier’s presence in men’s style is evident in the watches, accessories and leather goods created by the brand.
In the pop-up, the men’s universe created by the brand will be showcased to convey the Cartier man.
Shape Your Time video still
“The Man by Cartier” is highlighting the masculine aspects of the brand that help form Cartier. At the Harrods pop-up, vintage pieces, the new Calibre de Cartier diver, the Fine Watchmaking Collection and the Carter concept watches will come together to represent the brand’s accomplishments.
Also, the “Shape Your Time” video from Cartier will play.
The French jeweler examined its heritage while looking toward the future in the social video, “Shape Your Time.”
Cartier’s video aims to redefine the “limits of time” by highlighting its watchmaking skills. The brand’s social films tend to focus on its women’s jewelry, so this video indicates a ramped-up effort to attract male consumers (see story).
The pop-up will be in Harrods between Oct. 25 and Nov. 19 on the ground floor and will have three window displays at the department store.
Harrods heritage
Showing heritage at Harrods is common among luxury brands.
For instance, Swiss watchmaker Hublot turned to Harrods to increase awareness for its innovative timepieces.
Instead of an internal pop-up boutique, found somewhere within the department store, Hublot aimed for maximum visibility by staging the event within Harrods’ Brompton Road windows. The displays showed off notable pieces in Hublot’s range that spoke to craftsmanship and heritage (see story).
Similarly, Russian jeweler Fabergé raised awareness of its heritage with an Easter-themed takeover of the British department store.
Fabergé-themed windows in the retailer tell the house’s history, while a pop-up shop hosted jewelry pieces and an interactive online platform in-store allows consumers to virtually try on merchandise and share the video on social media. This takeover allowed Harrods to benefit from the buzz surrounding Fabergé during the Easter season, and it gave Fabergé a larger audience to share its history (see story).
Harrods houses many of the top brands and hosts interested consumers, thus being a logical location for exhibitions and heritage events.
"It appears as though we’re in an interesting time to be in the luxury men’s accessories business," said Paula Rosenblum, managing partner at RSR Research, Miami. "It is no longer considered less than manly to enjoy fine clothes shoes and accessories. And watches are the ultimate accessory."
"Certainly Harrods is a logical place, as the wealthiest men in the world likely go there, either alone or with their wives," she said. "Harrod’s is famous for “You can get anything here.""
Final Take
Nancy Buckley, editorial assistant on Luxury Daily, New York
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