Portraits

Ella Rose Richards on Being the Face of Piaget

The granddaughter of Keith Richards stars in the Maison's new 150th Anniversary campaign, shot by Brigitte Niedermair.

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As part of its 150th anniversary celebrations, Piaget welcomes fresh blood into the vaunted Piaget Society: alongside newly-minted Global Ambassadors Lee Jun-ho and Apo Nattawin, rock ’n’ roll royalty Ella Rose Richards is now the Face of the Maison. The New York-born British model is also the granddaughter of The Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards and Italian actress Anita Pallenberg, previously fronting the brand’s Metaphoria campaign last year. Now she will star in the 150th Anniversary campaign this spring, once again lensed by Italian photographer Brigitte Niedermair. 

Recently at Watches & Wonders 2024, L’OFFICIEL  took a moment to chat with Richards about her creative collaborations with Piaget, and what jewellery means to her.

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Ella Richards in the Piaget Metaphoria campaign.

"I try not to think too much about it and just be myself — that’s what makes it “rock ’n’ roll.”

How does it feel to be the face of Piaget’s Metaphoria campaign?

It’s been such an honour because not only was I the face of Metaphoria, but I also got to shoot with Brigitte Niedermair. It was my first time working with her, and the way she shoots is so special: she’s an artist. So the collaboration with Piaget and her was really exciting.

As someone who is brought up in fashion and rock ’n’ roll, how do you bring that creative energy to the precious world of high jewellery?

I try not to think too much about it and just be myself — that’s what makes it “rock ’n’ roll”. Just being authentic and bringing your own style to it. I definitely have my own style and know what I like.

And how does Metaphoria fit into your personal style?

Obviously they are incredible luxury pieces, but I think you can easily dress them down with jeans. You can then dress them up at night, so all the pieces are amazingly versatile. I love the ear cuff that I wore in the campaign.

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Ella Richards in the new Piaget 150th Anniversary campaign, together with her younger brother Orson Richards.

"Piaget is a heritage brand, and at its core is the essence of family. I love that because I’m very close with my own family."

Metaphoria was only the beginning. Tell us about the other campaigns you’ve done since.

We shot again with Brigitte, which was great because I already got a sense of her aesthetic, and the campaign will be released later this month. You get a little glimpse of it here in the Piaget booth at Watches & Wonders, that’s like the teaser.

Do the values of Piaget resonate strongly with you?

Definitely. Piaget is a heritage brand, and at its core is the essence of family. I love that because I’m very close with my own family, so it’s nice to have a new one with Piaget where everyone is so lovely. There’s also an attraction to the craftsmanship. I went to tour the factory and it’s incredible how they make every single piece inside the watch. It’s great to witness it; they call it “AI”: Artisanal Intelligence, not Artificial Intelligence!

Personally, what does jewellery mean to you?

I have things that might not be valuable, but they’re extremely sentimental. Things like a little charm from my grandmother, passed down through generations. That’s what's most special about jewellery, they can be passed down forever so long as you don’t lose it. My grandparents actually lived in Switzerland for a while, and they have some Piaget pieces that I need to dig out.

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