Francesca Amfitheatrof Exits Louis Vuitton

Francesca Amfitheatrof is stepping down as artistic director for watches and jewellery at Louis Vuitton following a “mutual decision,” the brand said Thursday.

Amfitheatrof joined Louis Vuitton in 2018 following a four-year stint as design director of Tiffany & Co (prior to the American brand’s acquisition by Vuitton parent LVMH). She worked to diversify Vuitton’s jewellery offering and image, debuting lines like LV Volt and Le Damier. These combined motifs from the brand’s commercial codes, like checkerboard, with more niche, historical influences, like Art Nouveau (which is also a frequent touchpoint for her counterpart designing womenswear, Nicolas Ghesquière).

Her efforts helped transition the brand’s jewellery message away from its “Blossom” line, whose clover motif echoing Vuitton’s emblematic monogram had previously sparked allegations of “parasitic” competition by rival Van Cleef & Arpels (who lost a challenge to the line in French courts).

Amfitheatrof piloted a push into high jewellery, debuting bigger-than-ever collections of one-off pieces, including a 220-piece suite of jewels unveiled at a splashy activation in Saint-Tropez last year. The brand named Cate Blanchett and Ana de Armas its ambassadors for high jewellery.

“I am so proud of these collections and the legacy I leave behind as I embark on exciting new endeavours which I will be announcing soon,” Amfitheatrof said in a statement.

“With her remarkable talent and limitless creativity, Amfitheatrof has undoubtedly left an indelible impression on the legacy of jewellery at Louis Vuitton,” the brand said. “For the time being, the house will continue designing and conceiving its jewellery and high jewellery collections internally.”

Learn more:

Inside Louis Vuitton’s High Jewellery Ambitions

Artistic director Francesca Amfitheatrof has forged a creative identity for Louis Vuitton’s ambitious jewellery program — whose estimated sales have reached €1 billion — by combining cutting-edge craftsmanship with an unabashed embrace of the luxury giant’s logo and codes.