MILAN — Long-known as a wedding registry tableware staple, fabled crystal glass firm Saint-Louis has been flexing its muscles in the lighting business. When Euroluce kicks off here Tuesday, the Hermès Group-controlled-company founded in 1586 will be ready to show off its glow-up.
In Milan, the company will show the design community how forward looking the 439-year-old glass brand has become. High tech introductions include the Folia Portable Lamp, an indoor/outdoor cordless lamp designed by French designer Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance; Torsade, a collection that draws inspiration from the armature of a chandelier designed by Stefania Di Petrillo, and a new outdoor Royal Sconce in clear crystal outfitted with IP44 technology, to protect the lamp from humidity and water.
The firm’s chief executive officer and president Jérôme de Lavergnolle said the focus is developing Saint-Louis’ retail network, now that it has solidified its lighting business and relationships with key architects and designers. This year will see the number of its stores rise from 15 to 20 with openings planned in Shenzhen, China; Seoul, and one in Elements in Hong Kong. “We will grow the retail business in order also to increase the brand awareness,” he said.
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De Lavergnolle joined Hermès Group-controlled Saint-Louis in 2010, after the financial crisis of 2008 shattered business generated by wedding registries. Saint-Louis stores were shuttered, with only one remaining at that time.
“The firm had lost 50 percent of its clientele,” he said.
The seasoned executive had previously held a variety of positions for Hermès International as deputy chief financial officer of Hermès International and general manager of Hermès Sellier, serving as the corporate representative of all departments of the Hermès Group — ready-to-wear, silk, art of living, horse riding and fashion accessories. At the time, just 15 percent of Saint Louis’ sales were generated from lighting, most of the models traditional chandeliers.
De Lavergnolle decided to change that. He traveled to Milan lighting biennale Euroluce in 2012 to present a statement chandelier and later forged collaborations with creatives like French-born design Ionna Vautrin and Italy’s Paola Navone to amp up its potential. The latter envisaged the Hulotte model in the image of a Russian matryoshka dolls. Since then, the lighting segment has grown significantly for Saint-Louis since the manufacturer started revisiting its classic designs in 2015 with the Royal collection (a complete collection of classic chandeliers and lighting with 15,000 possibilities made with semi-bespoke expertise) becoming a best seller.
At Euroluce, Saint-Louis will also showcase its chandelier configurator, which allows customers to compose bespoke-like lighting with ease on an iPad. “You can design the chandelier you want to have. Customers want to imagine something which has been designed just for themselves,” he said of the Royal collections Lego-like capabilities. Today, lighting represents 50 percent of sales.
De Lavergnolle shuns the idea of Saint-Louis crystal wine and Champagne glasses being locked up in the family hutch. “Those are meant to be used every day.” The same goes for the lighting, he said, which now comes outfitted with USB chargers, touch commands and humidity and water-proof protection. Referring to the Folia, fashioned in the shape of an acorn, he remarks, “It’s spectacular you put that on the table. I mean, the refraction to the light. It’s just absolutely superb,” he mused.
Were Saint Louis chandeliers found in Versailles and embraced by French royals? Maybe, maybe not. “That doesn’t correspond anymore to our style is bronze and crystal,” he said, remarking their lighting does hang in the private papal apartment in Vatican City.
While the rest of the design and decor sector posted flat sales in 2024, Saint-Louis grew 5 percent and doubled its sales from 2019’s pre-COVID-19 result, although the CEO declined to reveal exact figures.
Its workforce has grown as well. Saint-Louis, which is based in Saint-Louis-lès-Bitche, France, currently has 400 employees, up from 250 in 2010. Out of this 400, 250 of Saint-Louis’ workforce are glassmakers.
De Lavergnolle, who is also the president of the French Federation of Crystal, said that it takes 10 years to train glassmakers to be able to meet Saint-Louis’ deadlines and work on a variety of collections. Like its owner Hermès Group — which acquired a stake in the Saint-Louis crystal factory with the Pochet group (in 1994, Pochet sold its stake to Hermes International) — Saint-Louis benefits from an artisan-driven business based around limited production capacity and buoyant demand, even in a rough economy.
De Lavergnolle developed a newfound respect for its glassmakers when he tried glass cutting and blowing himself. “It’s so hot. I mean, it’s 1,400 degrees Celsius. You want to pick the crystal up and you have about eight seconds before you burn your hands. I, of course, burned my hand and I put a lot of crystal around like caramel,” he recalled, laughing. “I was efficient at that [cutting the glass]. But in terms of quality, it wasn’t good enough.”
