Cartier has unveiled its newly renovated Dubai Mall flagship boutique, an international high-end jewellery landmark destination, following a 2-year renovation process. Inspired by an oasis at the centre of the desert, the boutique’s elegant new design pays tribute to Cartier’s heritage of luxury, while celebrating the culture and landscapes of the region.
Cartier has a longstanding relationship with the Gulf region, dating back to Jacques Cartier’s visit to Dubai in 1912. Since that visit, Cartier’s designs have often drawn aesthetic inspiration from the arts and heritage of the Arab world, meaning that the region’s style is also at the heart of Cartier’s style.
Today, the two-storey Dubai Mall boutique is the Maison’s biggest boutique in the Middle East, spread over 1,000 sqm. Inaugurated in 2008, it has become one of the top 10 most visited Cartier boutiques worldwide, and is an international landmark that attracts a multicultural clientele of tourists and residents, with staff from 15 different nationalities.
The Dubai Mall Grand Atrium boutique is home to the first Cartier cafe in the region, inviting clients to experience the Maison’s signature hospitality. Brides-to-be will receive exclusive treatment at the wedding salon and bridal area where they can explore jewellery for their special day in comfort. A client service bar will allow guests to customize and personalize their creations.
The opulent new design by French architect Laura Gonzalez has been inspired by iconic Cartier creations, and the Maison’s style DNA is woven throughout the precious metals and patterns across the flooring, walls and chandeliers. Upon walking into the boutique, visitors will step onto a mosaic floor made of three colors of glass tiles inspired by a Cartier bracelet, and will be surrounded by shimmering gold marquetry details. This French decorative technique dates back to the 18th century, and the straw marquetry for the boutique was handmade in Paris over 6 months of craftsmanship.
The color palette creates an oasis in the desert, from subtle sand colors to bright and lively greens. The bas-relief at the entrance tells the story of the boutique, where the Cartier Panthère meets with camels around an oasis in the middle of Dubai. The craftmanship is inspired by local heritage, as well as the desert’s natural fauna and flora, with palm tree columns and green marquetry representing the oasis’ greenery while a feather wall calls to mind desert birds.
To celebrate the renovation, Cartier displayed 30 iconic pieces of its heritage to the public for the first time in the Middle East. The exhibition, which ran from March 21 to April 5, 2021, featured exceptional historic pieces from the Cartier Collection with jewellery worn by royals and celebrities including the Scroll Tiara created in 1910, worn by Elisabeth, Queen of the Belgians, the Panthère brooch created in 1949 and sold to the Duke of Windsor, and a crocodile masterpiece from 1975 that had been worn by Mexican actress Maria Felix. An extraordinary scenography featuring a tree of royal tiaras was created for the exhibition.
Inspired by nature, which is at the heart of the Cartier style, guests also discovered the world of [Sur]Naturel, the Maison’s latest High Jewellery collection, which reveals a nature that is more real than nature itself, freed from reality’s constraints. The starting point for this range reveals a creative path linking figuration with abstraction: water, flora and fauna as part of the supernatural.