PARIS — Designer Gilles Dufour has been named creative director of Gripoix, the Parisian jeweler known for collaborating with some of last century’s greatest couturiers, from Coco Chanel to Paul Poiret.
Dufour said the move is part of a scheme to reinvigorate the quiet Gripoix, which at present is carried by 30 stores around the world.
Last spring, Thierry Gripoix sold part of the fourth-generation family business to French entrepreneur Marie Keslassy to finance expansion.
“It’s an exciting project for me,” said Dufour, no stranger to jewelry and accessories, having worked on them during his time in the Chanel studio under Karl Lagerfeld.
“The house has wonderful heritage in haute couture costume jewelry,” explained Dufour, who has also designed at Balmain. “They’ve worked with all of the greats, from Cristobal Balenciaga to Coco Chanel. What I want to do now is to give it a younger feel, with more energy.”
Dufour said he would continue to design his own eponymous clothing line. He said his first designs as creative director for Gripoix would probably include a handful of special items for the holidays, with a full collection to follow in January or February.
Dufour already designed a one-off capsule collection of jewelry and handbags for the company, which he said was loosely inspired by Line Vautrin, the late French jewelry and furniture designer.
Dufour made bags in chain mail entwined with insects and flowers, while his jewelry included the likes of a glass paste spider brooch. Dufour said he wanted to build on the brand’s haute heritage but also introduce a wider variety of access pieces.
He added that Gripoix intends to open its first shop, in Paris on the Rue Cambon, located near Chanel, in November.
Gripoix, founded in 1869 by Augustine Gripoix, is known for its pieces in pate de verre, or sintered glass. Sarah Bernhardt, Charles Frederick Worth, Jeanne Lanvin, Hubert de Givenchy and Jacques Fath are among the other iconic names with whom Gripoix has worked.