Les Gastons Vuitton Fine Jewelry by Francesca Amfitheatrof Is Not Only for Men

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“Men used to wear a lot of jewellery, and it’s now finally turning around,” Francesca Amfitheatrof, Artistic Director for Watches and Jewellery at Louis Vuitton, tells Vogue Business. “Men are much more adventurous and interested in jewellery.”

The men’s fine jewelry market remains a fraction of the women’s business, boasting revenues of about $7.3 billion in 2023 compared to an estimated $44 billion, according to Euromonitor. Its annual growth rate is 7.3 percent, however, compared to 7.3 percent for women.

Francesca Amfitheatrof, Artistic Director for Watches and Jewellery at Louis Vuitton in her office December, 2023.

Men’s luxury fine jewelry was on display at Sunday’s 81st Annual Golden Globes Awards, with Jon Batiste wearing a $75,000 Tiffany’s Hardwear graduated link necklace with pavé diamonds. Add a Tiffany Lock bangle not visible in photo in the wideup to a grand finale. Batiste wore a Jean Schlumberger by Tiffany Starfish Brooch on his blazer. Made from platinum and 18-karat yellow gold, the brooch is centered around an aquamarine stone of over three carats, plus diamonds.

The acquisition of Tiffany & Co by LVMH in 2020 and the arrival of jewelry-loving Pharrell Williams as the new creative director of Louis Vuitton Men in 2023 created a major appetite for the spectacular entrance of Louis Vuitton into Fine Jewelry for women, followed now by the introduction of a Louis Vuitton men’s [or unisex] 18 piece fine jewelry collection called ‘Les Gastons Vuitton’.

Update: On February 7, 2023 AOC shares new images from Les Gastons Vuitton Fine Jewelry: Les Gaston Vuitton Fine Jewelry and Accessories for Humans Shot by Thurstan Redding

Les Gastons Vuitton Fine Jewelry

The collection is named for the founder’s grandson, Gaston-Louis Vuitton, who Amfitheatrof describes as an “interesting character and one not talked about very much.”

“Gaston was the first Vuitton family member to bring a certain playfulness and lightness into the maison,” Amfitheatrof says. “So it’s sort of bringing this sensibility men have today. Men are much more in tune with their emotions.”

The name is also an amusing little play on ‘Les Garçons’ [the boys] although the directress stresses that the collection was also designed with women in mind, and she plans on wearing it. Titanium is used lavishly in the collection.

“Titanium is used in aerospace and has this ability of being a tough, dense metal and therefore, when we laser cut into it, it feels really crisp. When we laser cut the monogram into it, it feels really modern.”

The use of dark blue titanium is both a nod to both raw denim and the timelessness of classic navy, sartorial elegance. WWD subdivided the collection after their own interview with the artistic director:

  • “The Creators” chapter features a puzzle ring and a pendant that doubles as a refillable draftsman’s pencil, created to celebrate the practice of Vuitton the grandson filling countless notebooks with his ideas.

  • “The Collectors” presents masculine staples such as Cuban link bracelets and signet rings adorned — but not feminized — with the iconic monogram flower and logo.

  • “The Curious” pays homage to Louis Vuitton‘s famous suitcases with miniature versions containing diamonds. The young Vuitton often quipped that he was almost born in a trunk.

Amfitheatrof was the creative engine behind the launch of LV Volt, Louis Vuitton’s successful unisex line of fine jewellery, in 2020. She notes that ‘Les Gastons Vuitton’ was in development before Pharrell’s arrival, but his complementary energy and vision are fueling her own.

In the future, Amfitheatrof is inspired in particular by the toys Gaston-Louis Vuitton designed and crafted. "There are some really fun things that just look very playful that could just be turned into jewelry," she teased.

Available from selected Louis Vuitton stores worldwide in both the fine jewelry and men's collections, and as well as the brand's website, ‘Les Gastons Vuitton’ is priced between 1,900 euros for a single Trunk diamond stud earring and up to 145,000 euros for the Masterpiece Gourmet white gold necklace, paved with more than 13 carats of white diamonds. 

Anne wonders if this is the first Louis Vuitton persona — besides the founder — to emerge in the luxury brand’s history. It’s clear that LV intends to develop Gaston-Louis Vuitton, who quickly emerges as an interesting bookend to his grandfather.

We must dive into the archives, because there’s a similar story attached to Charles Lewis Tiffany, founder of Tiffany & Co. With a hardworking rich founder, the children and grandchildren are often able to explore their creative passions in the business and outside it. AOC’s focus is the ways in which the next generation contributes to the actual creation of a brand identity driven by creative design.