Siblings Coralie Charriol Paul & Alexander Charriol Take Ahold of The Reins

Upon the confounding loss of its founder, Charriol pronounces the new guard, Coralie Charriol Paul and her brother, Alexander, proving the age-old adage that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree

Eight months ago, patriarch Philippe Charriol left a legacy behind him in a tragic racecar accident. Today, as the face of the company, his vibrant and talented daughter, Coralie Charriol Paul, steps up to the challenge of steering the maison through this new era as the recently-appointed Executive Chairwoman and Creative Director. Her brother, Alexander Charriol, joins her and will take the lead as Art Director and new Director of Licenses.

A female force to be reckoned with in the watchmaking industry, Coralie has dedicated her undying passion to her family’s eponymous luxury watch and jewellery brand since 2002. Having created prolifically since, Coralie has produced 27 jewellery collections, redolent of the trademark cable design and Celtic roots Charriol is so associated with.

Above (L-R) Mitch Suarez, Maritess Tantoco-Enriquez, Coralie Charriol Paul, Edmund Dimalanta, Nedy Tantoco, and Ludovic Lesur

For a decade, Alexander, worked in tandem with his father, building on global license development throughout Asia and the Middle East, which has been an integral part of the Charriol brand’s evolution. His artistic side (he is rather the prolific painter!), garnered his creative input when it came to visual merchandising.

Both Coralie (who lives in Geneva with her family) and Alexander (who resides in LA with his fiancé), took a special trip to Manila recently with their mother Annike, to reconnect with their longtime family friends and business partners, the Tantoco family of the SSI Group, Inc.

At a luncheon recently hosted at Manila House by SSI, led by President Anton Huang, Coralie announced these bitter-sweet developments, nostalgically sharing memories of her father, his vision, and what their plans are for the future.

Said Anton, “We’ve had a very long relationship with their family spanning almost 40 years, in fact; in the case of our families, spanning three generations, beginning with my grandmother having worked with their father, and then my mother, my aunt, and myself as well. Now I have the opportunity to work with Coralie and Alexander, which is incredibly exciting as they take on the reins of their family business with the sad and untimely passing of their father.”

Above Charriol CEO, Ludovic Lesur, Charriol Executive Chairwoman and Creative Director Coralie Charriol Paul, and Charriol Art Director and Licenses Director Alexander Charriol

Above Charriol Executive Chairwoman and Creative Director, Coralie Charriol Paul

“It was all very shocking for us, as my mother [Nedy Tantoco] recalled last night,” he continued, referring to a special memorial service held in Philippe’s honour the night prior. “She was actually texting with him days before he was to arrive in Manila. It was very sudden for all of us. And we miss him greatly. We remembered him and we celebrated him very fondly last night.”

Acknowledging Anton and the Tantocos for the incredible partnership they’ve built together and for embracing her father’s vision through the years, an emotional Coralie had plenty to declare. “For as long as I can remember, Charriol has been my pride, my creative outlet, and a very important part of my identity. I know that for millions of men and women who wear our creations around the world, Charriol expresses something essential to their identity. And I feel a great responsibility to each of them.”

“I’m honoured, alongside my brother, Alexander, our CEO, Ludovic Lesur, and our entire executive team in Geneva and Hong Kong to represent the new generation. [I want to bring the kind of] leadership to the role that inspires our designers to harness innovation with each new piece and gives our clients a vibrant new vocabulary for living with power, passion, and purpose.

And as Chair, I pledge to give it my all, each day. And to keep delivering luxury, elegance and wonder to our loyal clients.” “And hopefully,” she said, tongue-in-cheek, “get a few new ones, too!”

To reiterate in certain terms, finished Coralie, “Here’s what you can expect in the days ahead: Charriol will remain the undisputed world leader in luxury cable products.”

Alongside the latest collection, Coralie also proudly presented her latest timepiece, the Ocean Forever Watch, a continuation of the Animals Forever Collection launched in 2017. Spotlighting endangered species with evocative designs—this elegant model features the sea turtle—a percentage of all Ocean Forever watch sales go to the award-winning, non-profit organisation, Lonely Whale, and its efforts to mitigate plastic pollution and build a global movement for clean seas. In the same breath, Charriol is also actively committed to reducing single-use plastic and pledges to use 100% paper shopping bags by 2020.

Above Bela Padilla, Charriol Executive Chairwoman and Creative Director Coralie Charriol Paul, Iza Calzado, and Jasmine Curtis Smith

Above (L-R) Luzanne Manlapit, Shirene Macapinlac, Coralie Charriol Paul, Alexander Charriol, Ludovic Lesur, Anton Huang, and Mitch Suarez

Later that evening, Coralie showcased yet another side to her, this time as executive producer of the film The Story of Plastic, which is telling of the company’s commitment to a sustainable existence and her own desire to propel social awareness. The endeavour links to the non-profit educational program called React to Film, which she and husband Dennis Paul, launched a decade ago. Unique to other plastic pollution documentaries, it educates on a cohesive timeline of how we got to our current global plastic pollution crisis, and how the oil and gas industry has successfully manipulated the narrative around it.

The film, which premièred October 6th at the Mill Valley Film Festival, was screened for VIPs, members of the media and partners at the Central Square BGC cinema.

As Coralie incited at lunch earlier that day, “Come with us on this amazing journey. It’s going to be extraordinary.”

Charriol is exclusively distributed by Stores Specialists, Inc., and is located at Central Square in Bonifacio High Street Central, Gateway Mall, Greenbelt 5, Newport Mall, Podium, Power Plant Mall, Robinsons Magnolia, Robinsons Place Manila, Rustan’s Makati, Rustan’s Shangri-La, Rustan’s Ayala Cebu, SM Mall of Asia, TriNoma, 158 Designers’ Boulevard (Alabang Town Center, Marquee Mall Pampanga), and Abreeza Mall Davao.

Tatler Asia

Siblings Coralie Charriol Paul & Alexander Charriol Take Ahold of The Reins