INTERVIEW

PURSUING ‘LUXURY WITH A HIGHER MEANING’

La Prairie management talk about the prestige skincare house’s ongoing partnership with Carla Chan; an enduring commitment to empowering women artists; and its mission to offer ‘luxury with a higher meaning’.

The Pure Gold Radiance Nocturnal Balm completes the Pure Gold Collection – which was launched in 2021 via a striking art collaboration with Hong Kong-based artist Carla Chan. This year, La Prairie once again joined hands with Chan to celebrate another radiant moment in the Swiss landscape, inspired by ‘The Dawn of Radiance’.

“As a House, we collaborate with artists who share the same values as ours and who can nourish our story with a new artistic vocabulary,” says a La Prairie spokesperson.

“Our collaboration with Carla Chan is rooted in a common vision of art and commitment to nature’s preservation. It was organic for us to prolong our collaboration with Carla and give her the opportunity to perpetuate the collaboration from a different perspective, from the shores of Lac Léman.

“For this second year, Carla further explores the limits of her digital art practice using new technology to speak about the beauty of the Dawn of Radiance and the importance of preserving nature. We are very proud to be able to support Carla and her art over time through those different projects.”

As a House, we collaborate with artists who share the same values as ours and who can nourish our story with a new artistic vocabulary”

‘Fading Space of Dawn’, the result of Chan’s residency in Lac Léman serves as a natural extension of the Pure Gold story. More importantly, it underscores La Prairie’s commitment to bringing together the intersecting worlds of art and beauty. “Carla Chan’s subject – nature – is an infinite source of inspiration for her,” says La Prairie.

“This is a shared trait with our House, which has been inspired by Swiss beauty since its inception in 1931 on the shores of Montreux. Carla’s installation – Fading Space of Dawn – embodies the magnitude of changing nature. Combining digital elements with sculptures, the work reveals the dynamics of the changing light at dawn, whilst emphasising the notion of time and space. It is one that expresses the profound intimacy of humanity towards nature.

“In 2021, our collaboration with Carla — Space Between the Light Glows — was presented within our La Prairie Lounge at Art Basel Hong Kong. This year, we are extremely proud to present Carla’s exhibition at Tai Kwun, Hong Kong’s iconic cultural and heritage centre, where her work for La Prairie will be open to the public throughout the week. She will also present smaller works at the La Prairie Lounge at Art Basel Hong Kong and the La Prairie House. In May, we will present our collaboration at Frieze New York.”

EMPOWERING WOMEN

The artistic collaboration, which is the latest in La Prairie’s ongoing partnerships with different female artists globally, underscores the Swiss skincare house’s commitment to promoting gender equality and empowering women in the arts.

“Our purpose as a House is to empower women to hold time in their hands,” the spokesperson says. “Women artists like Niki de Saint Phalle, both a visionary and a feminist, have deeply marked our heritage and continue to inspire us today. In our ongoing commitment and support for the art world, it came naturally to us to champion and promote more women artists.

“We know the art industry is one where gender equality is still a challenge and our House has a role to play to contribute to positive change. Celebrating women’s art is important for the artists themselves, but also for museums and cultural institutions and the generations of tomorrow. For us, this support is expressed in two ways.

“First, by looking at the past and highlighting inspiring women in history, through our support of Centre Pompidou’s exhibition ‘Elles Font L’Abstraction’ in Paris.

“Second, by supporting and promoting women artists in the present manifested in our latest collaborations with Manon Wertenbroek, Senta Simond, Carla Chan and more recently Wen-Chi Su. Today, promoting young artistic creation and women artists is for La Prairie not just a commitment but our duty.”

“Our purpose as a House is to empower women to hold time in their hands. Women artists like Niki de Saint Phalle, both a visionary and a feminist, have deeply marked our heritage and continue to inspire us today.”

AN ELEVATED EXPERIENCE

Indeed, it has become a tradition for La Prairie to mark every major launch with an artistic collaboration. The Pure Gold Radiance Nocturnal Balm, the subject of Carla Chan’s latest work, has been pegged as one of La Prairie’s most luxurious releases to date.

La Prairie says, “With the new launch of Pure Gold Radiance Nocturnal Balm, the Pure Gold Collection is now composed of four products: Pure Gold Radiance Concentrate, Pure Gold Radiance Eye Cream, Pure Gold Radiance Cream and Pure Gold Radiance Nocturnal Balm.

“Their textures are generous, exceptionally enveloping and comforting, leaving the skin with a sensation of delight and intense nourishment. This collection is the manifestation of our mission to make beauty endure, the same that drove Dr. Paul Niehans yesterday and that defines us today.

“For the Pure Gold Collection, La Prairie has designed replenishable vessels. This marks our first step to building the beauty of the future, our expression of sustainable luxury which embraces our responsibility to make the world a better, more beautiful place."

According to La Prairie, what sets the Pure Gold Collection apart from other luxury skincare ranges in the market – are the rich ingredients, sensoriality and know-how that powers it. “La Prairie is known for incorporating the most luxurious materials in the world in our skincare products – that includes gold in the Pure Gold Collection, platinum in the Platinum Rare collection and caviar in the Skin Caviar and White Caviar collections,” the spokesperson says. “We choose ingredients for their efficiency and for their rich emotional connotations. Within the Pure Gold Collection, our clients are looking for an elevated product experience expressed through the sensoriality of the texture and fragrances, as well as the design of the packaging.”

In addition, the Pure Gold Radiance Nocturnal Balm comes in a replenishable vessel, in line with the rest of the Pure Gold collection. According to La Prairie, the vessel marks a significant step in La Prairie’s journey towards sustainability and offering elevated luxury products.

“We started our refill journey to build on our vision of offering luxury with a higher meaning. With the launch of the Pure Gold collection in 2021, La Prairie created its first replenishable vessels. Each creation’s brushed metal casing and cap are designed to be kept indefinitely. Only the delicate glass vials containing the formulas, once empty, are meant to be replaced by new ones. To encourage our clients to adopt sustainable practices, our Beauty Advisors offer a replenishing-ceremony directly at our point of sale.

“Also, La Prairie continues to support to the Glaciology Section at ETH Zurich and support glacier-related research to preserve our natural resources for a better tomorrow.”

“This collection is the manifestation of our mission to make beauty endure, the same that drove Dr. Paul Niehans yesterday and that defines us today”

Spotlight Series - June 2022

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