The nomadic school seeks to inspire & educate a new generation of jewellers and enthusiasts.
Founded in Paris, in early 2012 in an 18th-century mansion in Place Vendôme and with the support of the Maison Van Cleef & Arpels, L’ÉCOLE Van Cleef & Arpels is the world’s first school established for the general public to discover the fascinating and secretive world of fine jewelry and watchmaking.
Honoring values of open sharing and transmission, L’ÉCOLE travels around the world. Having previously visited Tokyo, New York and Hong Kong, come November, the school arrives in Dubai with the most ambitious program presented so far. The curriculum is based around three themes: Savoir-faire, Universe of Gemstones and Art History of Jewelry.
“A traveling program allows the opportunity to transmit our knowledge of fine craftsmanship, jewelry and watchmaking, through our very own Van Cleef & Arpels master artisans and professionals, imparting their knowledge of crafts mastered by Maison Van Cleef & Arpels for over a hundred years,” says Marie Vallanet-Delhom, President of L’ÉCOLE, The School of Jewelry Arts. “Our goal is to instill an intellectual understanding of the spirit of these exceptional crafts; with hands, eyes, and the sense of taste.”
Over the past five years, L’ÉCOLE Van Cleef & Arpels has welcomed more than 15000 students from 35 different nationalities, including winners of the Van Cleef & Arpels Emergent Designer Prize instituted in partnership with Design Days Dubai and Tashkeel. “L’ÉCOLE is a unique opportunity to gain an insider perspective on a creative process that is mostly unknown and usually kept inaccessible by ateliers,” says Ivan Parati, who won the Prize in 2015. “It is an eye-opening, priceless experience to witness the kind of passion and generations old know-how that each piece comes to represent.”
L’ÉCOLE arrives in Dubai from the 7 – 25 November, 2017 and will conduct workshops at Hai d3, at Dubai Design District.
