Van Cleef & Arpels enters Spain with its first store in Barcelona
Van Cleef & Arpels, a distinguished jewelry house, part of the luxury conglomerate Richemont, alongside Cartier and Buccellati, is expanding into Spain with its first boutique. The chosen location is positioned along Barcelona's prominent commercial thoroughfare, at number 77 on Paseo de Gracia.
"It took us years to find the right premises, but finally, we have it, and we are delighted to have a new home in Europe, our first in Spain. It is a perfect location now and will continue to be so in 10 or 20 years," stated Stéphanie Rault, the president for Europe at Van Cleef & Arpels, to Expansion.
The façade of the 286-square-meter establishment, previously occupied by Hermès, features two wrought-iron doors and a large window display divided into three counters, adorned with mosaics by artist Mathilde Jonquière. These artworks, inspired by Gaudí's work, comprise three frescoes in shades of white, cream, gold, and platinum, depicting transparent, matte, and sunlight piercing through shiny clouds.
Upon entry, visitors are greeted by a large Murano glass chandelier. Further inside the Art Déco-styled rooms feature light-colored walls and contrasting dark floors, and a discreet library adorned with dark wood furnishings.
The Heritage collection
The boutique presents several collections, including Perlée, highlighting delicate gold pearls; Alhambra, with its iconic four-leaf clover; and Frivole, infusing movement into floral motifs. Additionally, as reported by Expansión, some historical pieces from the Heritage collection will remain on display until January. This collection comprises around 1,500 objects that have been gathered through the repurchase of jewelry since the 1970s.
Among the remarkable pieces on display in the Barcelona store are the Minaudière Colibrí, a mini evening bag adorned with carved stones; a 1974 ballerina clip featuring a dress made of gold and rubies; and the Zip necklace, designed in the form of a zipper, which when closed, transforms into a bracelet.
Established in 1906 at Place Vendôme in Paris, the maison's inception arose from the love story between Estelle Arpels, daughter of a precious stone dealer, and Alfred Van Cleef, son of a diamond merchant.
Today, the brand owns boutiques across various countries including France, Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam.
During the first semester of the year, the Richemont group experienced a 6% year-on-year increase in sales, reaching 10.2 billion euros, while its net profit reached 1.5 billion euros.
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