In a region brimming with luxury and legacy, the world of jewellery is getting a bold, inclusive rewrite. Guiding that change is Sophie Claudel. With a distinguished career spanning cultural diplomacy, higher-education leadership and arts strategy across London, New York and Paris, Sophie now leads the Middle Eastern chapter of L’ÉCOLE, the globally respected jewellery school supported by Van Cleef & Arpels.
Since launching its permanent Dubai campus in the creative heart of d3, L’ÉCOLE Middle East has become a bridge between tradition and innovation, craftsmanship and curriculum, heritage and tomorrow.
KHAMSA sat down with Sophie, where she opens up about why jewellery is more than sparkle, and how they matter to a whole new generation.
١. From your perspective, what makes Dubai and the Middle East an important home for the School of Jewelry Arts?
The Middle East has a deep and strong history with jewelry, so it makes perfect sense for L’ÉCOLE to be here.
There’s a rich heritage and a unique approach to wearing jewelry which we want to celebrate and explore, while highlighting the significance of Islamic and Middle Eastern arts, this is quite evident in our recent exhibition Poetry of Birds. Dubai has become a magnet for global culture and tourism, and Dubai Design District (d3), also our strategic partner, is a hub for artistic communities, so it felt like the right place to establish L’ÉCOLE Middle East and expand across this region.
٢. How do you see L’ÉCOLE’s presence here shaping the regional understanding of jewelry beyond luxury— as history, culture, and creative expression?
Jewelry arts reach far beyond the world of luxury. Our approach is universal. L’ÉCOLE Middle East organizes activities across the UAE and the region, embedded in the cultural and educational landscape and in close collaboration with local organizations. In addition to our exhibition, our courses and talks are open to everyone, from adults to students as young as 6 years old regardless of background or experience, and all proceeds generated from these public courses and talks are donated to Dubai Cares towards their youth education and skilling program.
We also launched specific professional development programs for young talents, like ADMAF Jewelry Design Award and the Talent Atelier Program with Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), to empower local professionals and create cross multidisciplinary dialogues.
Reflecting the cultural significance between the evolution of jewelry throughout history, craftsmanship, and the special gemstones used through different cultures, is the essence that makes L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts truly unique.
٣. How do you decide what the next exhibition will be — and what makes a theme compelling enough to explore?
The inspiration and history of jewelry and arts is quite immense, so we always look to bring our audiences closer to topics that would stimulate their discovery and curiosity. This is especially true with our fourth exhibition “Poetry of Birds”, which demonstrates the cross-cultural celebration and the universal symbolism of birds in jewelry and many more forms of Middle Eastern and Islamic arts such as photography, painting, ceramics, sculpture, calligraphy with poetry as the red thread.
This theme is especially compelling to the Middle East as birds play a significant role throughout history.
This exhibition displays over one hundred and fifty exceptional creations from over twenty lenders, offering a unique perspective centering on the dialogue between 19th and 20th-century Western jewelry and Islamic arts with poetry as the connecting thread.
٤. What excites you most about the students and audiences you encounter here in the Middle East?
I am particularly amazed and excited when young designers share their encounters with me after attending our courses, talks or seeing our exhibition. They explain how moved they were with what they have learnt, and these positive encounters and feedback help us develop our cultural programs and initiatives further to ensure we deliver the educational experiences that they expect from L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts.
٥. How do you hope L’ÉCOLE Middle East will inspire the next generation of jewelers and creatives in the region?
The Middle East offers a cosmopolitan and culturally diverse group of talented artists with a vibrant connection to their local heritage. Through our art history, savoir-faire and gemology courses, together with our exhibition and talks, I believe we enrich the knowledge and broaden the perspectives of these creatives, and also inspire them to think about jewelry and the arts in new and creative ways, encouraging them to blend traditions and modernity excelling their imagination.
Furthermore, we work closely with our art and culture partners in the UAE and across the region, by forming meaningful cultural programs, and together we contribute to the regional creative economy to support the long-term development of the jewelry and arts sector.
I hope that we are, in our own humble way, contributing to sparking curiosity among a wide audience and shaping the eye of emerging young designers.
