For those who embrace the K-wave, it’s always a good idea to visit Seoul—a city where fashion, food and entertainment intertwine. And there couldn’t have been a better time to be in the South Korean capital than in June, when the French heritage jewellery maison Boucheron had brought its Quatre experience.
Seongsu, the trendy district that’s the embodiment of the city’s youth culture, is known for its vibrant art scene and repurposed-factory architecture. It provided the perfect backdrop for celebrations surrounding the 20th birthday of theQuatre collection, which began as a four-banded ring design in 2004. Product styles in the line have been constantly renewed since, and it enjoys icon status at the jewellery house.
Read more: A food lover’s guide to Seoul, South Korea
Beizik Studio in Seongsu is transformed into the Quatre ephemeral boutique (Photo courtesy of Boucheron)
In March, Boucheron kicked off the celebrations in Paris; it turned its flagship store in Place Vendôme into a Noughties-inspired nightclub, followed by a two-week pop-up boutique. The immersive, interactive Quatre experience then travelled to Seongsu.
On Yeonmujang, a street in Seongsu filled with cafés and pop-ups that’s become a Gen Z playground, the industrial Beizik Studio was covered in digital projections of the latest Boucheron campaign, starring supermodel Anja Rubik. As dusk fell, eager fans waited for their favourite celebrities in the space that’s been “Quatre-fied”—these include South Korean actress and brand ambassador Han So-hee, boy band NCT’s Mark Lee, and musicians Code Kunst and Woo Won-jae.
Read more: The rise of Korean perfumes: 7 brands to explore on your next trip to Seoul, South Korea
Boucheron Korean global ambassador Han So-hee attended the opening party (Photo: courtesy of Boucheron)
NCT's Mark Lee (Photo: courtesy of Boucheron)
Lee Ho-jung (Photo: courtesy of Boucheron)
Code Kunst (Photo: courtesy of Boucheron)
Woo Won-jae (Photo: courtesy of Boucheron)
Hong Tae-jun (Photo: courtesy of Boucheron)
As guests arrived, they couldn’t help but be transfixed by the façade—the iconic Quatre ring took centre stage. Its patterns adorned the entrance, while an illuminated logo that celebrates the collection’s anniversary glowed. Once inside, guests were invited to discover the collection’s evolution and try on the designs. Walls were covered in vintage Quatre posters, telling the story of the ring—how it brought together distinct codes from the Boucheron archives in a single, genderless, urban design.
Inside the Quatre ephemeral boutique in Seoul (Photo courtesy of Boucheron)
Two decades on, the design has expanded into a plethora of wearables, starting with stackable bracelets, then sautoir and collar necklaces, earrings and ear clips, a hair jewellery piece introduced in 2023, plus innovative Quatre high jewellery creations.
Alongside these, the limited-time boutique displayed the latest 2024 designs by the house’s creative director Claire Choisne. For the 20th anniversary, Choisne blended the iconic gold and diamonds with unexpected materials like denim, aluminium and industrial byproduct Cofalit. Even more impressively, the jeweller transformed the Quatre’s design into a flowing ribbon. The hero design of this anniversary year, the Quatre ribbon is deployed across seven different pieces: two necklaces, a belt, three bracelets and a hair jewel.
Boucheron Korean global ambassador Han So-hee attended the opening party (Photo: courtesy of Boucheron)
Boucheron Quatre Classique earrings in yellow gold, rose gold, white gold, brown PVD and diamonds (Photo: courtesy of Boucheron)
Boucheron Quatre Classique pendant (Photo: courtesy of Boucheron)
Boucheron Quatre Classique necklace in yellow gold, white gold and diamonds (Photo: courtesy of Boucheron)
The experience didn’t stop there. Our favourite spots include a dedicated Quatre-themed photo booth and a flash tattoo bar, which allowed guests to take a piece of the experience home. The real hidden gem lay in the basement (as always). Down there awaited Club Quatre, an exclusive, intimate space for visitors to unwind in a festive atmosphere. Here, the stylish crowd took photos, drank and danced the night away.
After captivating visitors in the South Korean capital, the Quatre Experience was set to travel with pop-up boutiques to Shanghai in July and Tokyo in October.
NOW READ:
Seoul Chic: 5 trendy fashion concept stores to visit in the South Korean capital
Boucheron CEO Hélène Poulit-Duquesne on reinvigorating the French jewellery brand