Interview with Nicolas Bos, CEO of Van Cleef & Arpels - A virtuous circle and a strong ecosystem, of a very pragmatic nature, surround craftsmanship today

worldtempus.com, Nazanin Lankarani, 17 juin 2019

Through his dual role as CEO and Artistic Director of Van Cleef & Arpels, Nicolas Bos has long supported craftsmanship.

Extracts

Today’s environment for recruiting talented people is different than it was about 20 years ago. I would say that today, the conditions are rather favorable.

There was a time when the education system, especially in France, did not promote manual orientation. Those who took the craft route were mainly high school dropouts who defaulted to manual trades. It was not by choice and a low reputation was associated with such an orientation. Today, many young people with a normal academic background turn to craftsmanship with real motivation. Although they had other choices, they made a conscious decision to go the craft route. Many come to us with highly developed skills, both in terms of new technologies and traditional craftsmanship: they know how to use a computer but are also able to work metal by hand.

Today we are witnessing a rebalancing of interests. These days, many people don’t envision spending their entire lives behind a desk doing paperwork, and suit-and-tie jobs aren’t necessarily fulfilling or satisfying the true meaning of their lives. A virtuous circle and a strong ecosystem, of a very pragmatic nature, surround craftsmanship today. It has nothing to do with a neo-hippie trend or the idea of promoting the mystical dimension of craftsmanship through the magnifying glass of “The Arts and Crafts of William Morris”. It’s about developing real skills, sharing knowledge and helping workshops.

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http://fr.worldtempus.com/article/industrie-news/personnalite-et-interviews/van-cleef-et-arpels-interview-de-nicolas-bos-27493.html