It’s all shimmer and shine at Tiffany and Co.’s new store

The colours blue and silver run like a thread through Tiffany and Co.’s new store at The Chanakya, Delhi. The space—spread across 2,600 sq. ft—features dramatic black and white photographs of the New York skyline on the walls. It’s all shimmer and shine, with fluting details on the mirrors adding a certain depth to the interiors. The architectural and design elements are reminiscent of Tiffany and Co.’s landmark store on Fifth Avenue, New York City, with the same wheat leaf design making an appearance here on the facade.

Tiffany's iconic blue-coloured boxes

The eye is drawn to the iconic blue-coloured boxes, in the trademark Tiffany Blue, containing diamond engagement rings. The collection here includes a mix of new designs and the classics, some of which include the Tiffany T, HardWear, Atlas and Key collections.

The new space also has a private salon for scheduled appointments.

The store marks the American jeweller’s foray into the Indian market, in a joint venture with Reliance Brands Ltd, which already has partnerships with brands such as Brooks Brothers, Emporio Armani, Ermenegildo Zegna and Michael Kors. According to news reports, it took so long for Tiffany’s to join the luxury brands marquee in India because it wanted to sell out of its own store, rather than through multi-brand jewellery chains.

In the movies

This is the latest in the new set of developments in the Tiffany and Co. universe. In a recent landmark deal, the brand was acquired by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE. According to an article published in Forbes in November 2019, the sum total of the deal, to be completed by early to mid-2020, is pegged at around €14.7 billion (around ₹1.1 trillion now).

For most in India, the 182-year-old brand has strong associations with pop culture, the most prominent of these being the Audrey Hepburn-starrer Breakfast At Tiffany’s. Its high jewellery collection, called the Blue Book Collection, has been donned by Hollywood actors such as Kate Winslet and Anne Hathaway to Academy award ceremonies. Recently, Charlize Theron, a leading actress nominee at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta) awards, wore a high jewellery choker from Tiffany & Co.’s new Tiffany T1 collection, launching in April, to the red carpet. And its eponymous diamond ring has stood as an enduring symbol of commitment ever since it was introduced in 1886. It is believed that singer Nick Jonas shut down an entire Tiffany & Co. store for Priyanka Chopra to pick out a ring.

Not many know that the signature blue of the boxes was trademarked by the jeweller in 1998 and was standardized by the Pantone Matching System (PMS) as the 1837 Blue—named so after the founding year of the company. “All Blue Boxes and bags are made with paper from sustainable sources and recycled materials," mentions a company statement.

The brand has been moving towards a contemporary look, as was evident during the launch of its City Hardwear collection in 2017, with Lady Gaga as the new face of the campaign. “It signalled a new direction for the brand as it attempts to woo younger consumers; but, thanks to Gaga’s pared-back, grown-up styling, without alienating its core clientele," The Telegraph, UK, noted in an August 2017 article.

One can see these modern designs at the Delhi store, with the minimalist Tiffany T collection featuring clean lines and vibrant coloured inland stones sharing space with the sophisticated and urbane Tiffany HardWear, which embodies the energy of New York City in its bracelets and earrings with chunky links, single metal spheres, and more.