The Charriol Legacy Reinvented with Coralie Charriol

How do you preserve a 40-year legacy while innovating for the future? When Coralie Charriol unexpectedly stepped into the CEO role following her father's passing, she faced exactly this challenge with the iconic Swiss luxury brand he'd built from scratch.

Philippe Charriol was a visionary who left Cartier after 15 years to launch his own brand in 1983. His revolutionary approach focused on women as independent purchasers—not just recipients of gifts chosen by men—and centered around a distinctive stainless steel cable material still manufactured through a 27-step artisanal process. This signature element became Charriol's DNA, appearing in everything from watches to jewelry to accessories.

In our fascinating conversation, Coralie shares intimate details of growing up in this extraordinary family business, from helping in the warehouse as a child to being thrown into sales presentations across global markets as a young adult. "My father never held my hand," she reflects. "He'd just say 'go ahead, you do it' and expect results." This trial-by-fire approach prepared her to eventually lead the company through modern challenges, balancing heritage with innovation.

What makes this episode particularly compelling is Coralie's candid discussion of gender dynamics in luxury watchmaking. "I fight for my seat at the table," she explains, pushing back against assumptions that designing primarily for women somehow diminishes her credibility as a watchmaker. Her philosophy of "designing for women first, then thinking about gentlemen" stands in stark contrast to industry norms, embodying the brand's "Live Different" ethos. Whether discussing sustainability initiatives, creative processes, or future plans for experiential brand extensions like pop-up cafés, Coralie's passion for connecting authentic stories with beautiful products shines through. This conversation isn't just about watches and jewelry—it's about carrying forward a powerful legacy while charting your own path.

Check out  Coralie Charriol here:

https://www.charriol.com/

https://www.instagram.com/coraliecharriol/

https://www.instagram.com/charriolofficial/

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Coralie Charriol
• 6:45 Philippe Charriol's Legacy and Brand History
• 16:07 Coralie's Evolution from PR to CEO
• 26:56 Balancing Heritage with Creative Innovation
• 38:43 The Creative Process Behind Charriol Products
• 52:20 Sustainability Initiatives and Product Packaging
• 1:01:07 Proudest Moments and Future Vision
• 1:13:04 Emotional Connection and Customer Experience
• 1:19:34 Looking Ahead: Boutiques and Brand Extensions

Transcript

Blake Rea : 0:00

Hello, everybody. Welcome back to another episode here of the Lonely Wrist Podcast. I am your host, as always, of course, Blake Ray. And now this is a very special day because we have had a ton of watch brands come on here. And this is a new type of guest for us. But today's guest is not only a watch brand, but they are an epic jewelry brand. She herself, the CEO, grew up around one of the most recognizable names in Swiss luxury, Philip Sherrial. And now she is leading the brand to the next chapter. As I'm sure you know right now, I am sitting down with Coralie Sharrial, who has an iconic jewelry collection inspired by Celtic designs with the unmistakable cable motif that I am wearing now. And I am thrilled to have her on the episode. Welcome, please. Another friend of the show, Coralie Sharial. Welcome.

Coralie Charriol: 0:58

Hi, hi, hi Blake.

Blake Rea : 1:01

Good to see you, as always.

Coralie Charriol: 1:03

Good to see you, even virtually.

Blake Rea : 1:06

Yeah, yeah.

Coralie Charriol: 1:07

Opposite ends of the world.

Blake Rea : 1:09

Yeah, no. I mean, we it seems like just a couple weeks ago we were hanging out, but I know it was longer than that.

Coralie Charriol: 1:16

But yeah, June seems a little far away now, but uh I know, but it's it seems like it was just yesterday.

Blake Rea : 1:23

I mean, we got to spend some good time together. I got to do some filming with you, did it another interview with you, and we're working on stuff together, which is awesome.

Coralie Charriol: 1:32

I'm so glad, you know, and we're kind of building a relationship over the years, which is wonderful.

Blake Rea : 1:36

Yeah, yeah. I tried to come find you at Watches and Wonders. Unfortunately, that that was a fail on my side. So missed you by a day.

Coralie Charriol: 1:43

You'll come. Hopefully, you'll come this year in April again.

Blake Rea : 1:46

Yeah, yeah, maybe, maybe. I mean, I I still have some more interviews to film, so I don't know. We'll see. We'll see. I just gotta clear it through uh through leadership team over here, you know, the wife.

Coralie Charriol: 1:56

So so yeah, and you know they I mean, we just uh re-signed our contracts and they're adding, I don't know, like uh a bunch more brands. So there's gonna be a few new new ones as well. I'm not I'm not allowed to say.

Blake Rea : 2:10

Are you gonna be in the same like? Are you gonna be in the same kind of like spot over there? Like, are you gonna find yourself in it?

Coralie Charriol: 2:18

No, there's there's a little bit of movement. There's a little bit of movement.

Blake Rea : 2:21

Okay, cool, cool, cool. Yeah, I mean, you had a nice, nice little showcase there. I was it was really, really awesome because I took my friend Sophie, so from Sophie's Watch World. She's also a friend of the pod. Took her in and kind of was like, Hey, like, this is my friend's brand. Like, she does awesome stuff, like you do awesome stuff, like awesome meets awesome.

Coralie Charriol: 2:40

We've been texting and we really need to see each other because we're actually we don't live far from each other. So that's I have something I really have to connect with her. She's she's a riot.

Blake Rea : 2:50

I know she's so eccentric. So, like, though, it was funny because like, you know, whenever you come here, like we're all on different little like press like circuits, right? So she was doing her own thing and I was doing my own thing, but then once we connected, like we didn't separate, like from like break breakfast to like dinner, we were just like hanging out the entire time, like until she took the train back to like you know, because she lives outside of Geneva. But but no, like the entire time, and so like I was sitting in on her meetings, she was sitting on on my meetings, and the brands loved it. They're like, Oh, we get two like press outlets at one in one meeting, you know, which is yeah.

Coralie Charriol: 3:26

I mean, it's a small community and it's pretty tight, I think, and it's it's quite lovely, especially when you when you get all the Americans to come over to Switzerland and spend some time with us. It's it's uh a lot of fun. Yeah, I was not a lot of women though, so it's nice to have Sophie.

Blake Rea : 3:43

Yeah, I know, I know, I know. We we talked a lot about that. It's a very male-dominated industry. We need to figure out how we can change. At least I need to figure out how I can change. I don't know. I mean, I'm sure you're working on it too already.

Coralie Charriol: 3:56

This is the first step. This is a good first step.

Blake Rea : 3:59

Yeah, no, I uh I want to let everybody know, first of all, how we got connected because it's a very, I think, interesting story. You were here in Vegas two years ago, and and I was walking through like it's a jewelry show here that comes once a year, and there's not too many watch brands, but you know, me and myself, of course, I'm stumbling around trying to find all the watches I can, and then like I think you guys were placed like right, I don't know if you were replaced by the like the exit there or like the entry door that time. I think you guys were tucked away in a different and like in the center of the showcase, but I mean it's like a labyrinth, right? So somehow, some way I literally turn around and I see watches in the corner, and you know, I don't have a really high expectation for quality watches at a jewelry show, and because there's a lot of fashion brands there, right? There's a lot of fashion brands, and and you know, that can be not so much there though. Okay, okay. Yeah, I mean, I don't I don't know what I'm talking about when it comes to jewelry or fashion, so leave that how how it be. But anyways, I turn around and I see a showcase of watches, and then I look down and I'm like, you know, these are really cool, like these are really, really and I have a really high tolerance for like quality watches because you know, I sold like some of the highest end watches in the world, and you know, I immediately got hands-on and I was just so impressed with you know the products that you the your watch products, like you know, and and I just was like, man, there's something here. So and then little did I know you were the one showing me them, you know. I I had no idea that you were the the CEO, and and yeah, and then next thing you know, like we're just staying in touch, and and I think everybody no, I'm so glad.

Coralie Charriol: 5:45

I mean, first of all, like you know, it it hit it hit you like you know, impactful, impactfully as visually, you know, like it grabbed your attention, which is kind of great for us, and I'm happy to hear that because it's true, it's very unique, it has a very distinct look, and that cable that you're wearing, you're wearing the bracelet part of it, but that cable material is stainless steel that we make in Switzerland, you know, is really our DNA, and it's almost on all the watch bands, whether for female or male, it's on all the jewelry as well. So, so for me, that's like yay, you know, the product spoke for itself, you know, and then it stopped you in your tracks, you looked at it, and I was like, okay, that's great. And then they asked the question, what is this? You know, what's this brand? Who is this? And then you get to tell your story. So for me, oof, you know, that that the product spoke for itself.

Blake Rea : 6:37

It it really did. I I I'm still impressed, you know. I I I like I said, I'm not saying that as far as I'm aware, I'm not being paid to say this, right? This is not this is and just you know, something that kind of like I guess makes like next level for me is you know, just seeing the passion, you know, like I mean, you were there. I mean, Gillian, Jillian is an amazingly passionate person for the brand. I mean, just hearing the story, and then now before our podcast, of course, I did a bunch of research and you know, I learned about your father, and I learned about his like eccentric ways and and leaving Cartier, and and you know, it it it made me a little bit more passionate.

Coralie Charriol: 7:20

And uh, I mean, I can I can I can say a little bit uh the background you want, yeah.

Blake Rea : 7:25

Please, please, please. Yeah, and um good.

Coralie Charriol: 7:29

So Philippe, Philippe Chariol, a Frenchman based in Aix-en-Provence, which is in the south of France, he worked for Cartier for 15 years, and at 40, he decided, you know, I've had enough, I'm gonna try and launch my own brand. And that was 1983, and it took him two, three years to set up. He moved back to Switzerland, he was living in Hong Kong uh as president of Cartier Hong Kong. He moved back to Switzerland, but he always kept two offices, Geneva and Hong Kong, because Hong Kong was all the markets that he had worked for Cartier and Geneva because he was making Swiss watches. He knew that he needed a special material, something that was going to really stand out, and it was the stainless steel cable material, which we have been making in the same factory for over 40 years. We have a 27 artisanal step process, and believe it or not, we have some of the machines that are still there from the four from 40 years ago, and of course, new machines with new technology to create our very identifiable, unique, flexible, hyperallegenic, you know, cable bands. So he knew he needed the special material, and he also knew that women, you know, were the segment that was not really thought about, like in the sense that he he he was kind of a pioneer to thinking of them as a self-purchaser and not like turning to the husband or the boyfriend of like, you know, do I should I buy this watch or or you know, what do you think about this brand? And he he and this is like 40 years ago, and we're still doing that today, like trying to encourage them to be independent and and choosing their watches all by themselves. And and that's also my message. But he did it 40 years ago 40 years ago when you know he he introduced male and female watches together at the same time. And from there, he realized also that the material he was using could be used for jewelry, like you you would just remove the head of the watch, you know, and then you would have the brace. And he's like, Oh my god, that's gonna be like beautiful as well. So he introduced watches and then jewelry came right after. And then, of course, all the retailers they were like, Oh, that you're taking up too much space, you know, you're asking for too much space, and you know, watch retailers weren't used to having jewelry, so then he was like, Oh, okay, I'm I'm gonna do mono brand boutiques again, a pre, you know, pioneer on that in the early 90s. And once you open a boutique, though, you need to fill it. So he was like, Okay, maybe I'll have I'll add some you know, belts and cufflinks and pens and uh money clips, all using the cable material. And from there came licensee for eyewear and then handbags, and then finally perfume. So, what dad created in 40 years, I'm kind of you know, I'm squeezing it into a very short explanation, but you know, is that he created a lifestyle and his persona was the life, I mean, he would have been like number one influencer of the world, okay? Like had social media been you know back then uh you know happening because the guy was unbelievable. Like he, you know, he raced cars. I mean, that was his passion. He was a gentleman driver, they call it now amateur drivers. There's like a photo of some cars behind me, but uh he had people coming to him asking to be sponsored, and when he understood that these were amateurs and he could drive himself, he sponsored his own car and then races. So so he lived the life that he was trying to embody into his brand as well, which was always l'art de vivre la difference, the art of living differently, which I took when I took over and I shortened it and made it a little bit more punchy. It's called Live Different. So it's all about you know being unique, standing out, you know, like you know, kind of living your dream. So, so he kind of lived his dream, you know. A lot of a lot of these brands they sponsor like vintage cars, which is beautiful, you know. But he drove, you know, Lamborghinis, GT3s, and GT2s, you know what I mean? Like venturi cars, Porsches, and things like that. He had so many trophies, I cannot even tell you. But he infused his passion into you know the watches and and the brand that he he embodied. So it was a very he's a very big shot, he was a very big personality, so his shadow was very big.

Blake Rea : 12:07

I I was joking with Gillian.

Coralie Charriol: 12:10

Yeah, yeah.

Blake Rea : 12:11

Sorry, I was joking with uh with Jillian, like that, like as you know, as I was texting her this morning saying, like, hey, cool, looking forward to seeing Corley, and and and I got that like very eccentric thrill seeker vibe, almost like a like a Richard Branson type of character, like just really out to to enjoy all that life has to offer, at you know, at just doing whatever he can. And then, of course, I read about you know the Lam Lamborghini series that you guys sponsored, and then you had some some super bikes ambassadors, and yeah, oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, and then you know, I mean, you guys were even a part of one time, like here, a sponsor of the Phoenix Suns NBA basketball team.

Coralie Charriol: 12:57

Yeah, we did, we did, we did, which I which I read. I mean, today, you know, the the the sportsman or sportswoman is is is very uh loved right now, right? But back then, you know, you're still looking at actors and actresses, but they were very expensive even back then. So dad was already looking, you know, to use sportswomen and sportsmen as their kind of ambassador of the brand, friend of the brand. And that's why you see a lot of that. But he anyway, so he for me was an incredible mentor. I came in right after college. I went to college in the States at Tufts University. I had learned, you know, I was all about literature and art history, and then like I graduated and I was like, what am I gonna do with that? And then my father was like, okay, just you know, come work on the PR of this new watch that we're launching in 2000, and it was called the Megev watch. Megev is a beautiful French Alps resort, ski resort, uh, you know, in the French Alps, Megev. And it's about 45 minutes from Geneva. You can ski, you can go in the summer, and there's the the Alp, you know, uh mountain range, and in the middle is the Mont Blanc. Anyway, he created this conceptual watch manchette for ladies only called the Megève. And he hired me to do the PR and the communications, but I mean, I was 21, you know, didn't know much. Sure. Yeah, yeah. And I came in, I was part of the team. We did this huge event, it was fantastic. And then once my foot was in the door, it was very hard to leave. So from there, I I did you know PR communications, a bit of marketing. I was the face of the brand a little bit, and then I was a sales rep based in America because I was living in New York, and I was a sales rep for the Caribbean and the and the Central America, and then because he had made me learn Japanese in high school, he sent me to Japan all the time, which was where I sat behind counters and sold the product, shook a lot of hands, took a lot of photos, but I got all the feedback from the end consumers. So I had the wealth of knowledge because I was on the market, you know, really spending time at the point of sales. And so when I came back to the office, I was working with the designers. I was like, no, they don't like this, they like this. This is this is too small, this is too big, this is the color, so which was kind of fantastic, and that's how I got into the products. My own, I kind of like took the handbags and did it myself. At one point, I had my own brand at QVC for like two minutes. Very tough. And then I moved from handbags to jewelry. I did jewelry 15 years, and then in 2019, my father, my dear father, passed away suddenly, and I came in, I came back to Geneva, and I came in as acting CEO and then finally full CEO. So I've been full CEO for you know six years and still creative director because I really I I feel like I'm the I'm the best person to carry on the legacy, but also now I feel like the moment is kind of the great because you know, we have a focus on women, and I feel like right now everybody's trying to also refocus on women, but we've been focused on women for a long time. And I always say I design for women first, and then I think about the gentlemen, versus in the industry it's all the the reverse, sure, other way, yeah. Yeah, and you know, I I I often say I fight for my table, I fight for my seat at the table because it's a table full of men, and just because I design and make 80% women's watches doesn't mean I'm not a watchmaker, you know. Just because the watches, you know, not super complicated. We have, you know, GMT movements, automatic movements, we have skeleton movements, quartz movements. Just because I don't make like the most complicated one that's $300,000, doesn't mean I'm not authentic and real, you know, like 25 years in the industry, you know.

Blake Rea : 16:59

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, no, you have very that's what attracted me, I think, because you have watches that are built with purpose, you know, which is what I tend to attract myself to, like watches that have functionality over just being beautiful, like you know. If if you look at some of the the watch brands now, they've kind of transcended their own identity where they were making tool watches and now they're like luxury status symbols and all this, and you know, the functionality kind of falls to the side, but that's what stuck out to me. Like you make watches for that purpose, right? I mean, you have an entire collection of surf watches, like divers watches that are are functionally designed.

Coralie Charriol: 17:39

Yeah, that's my surfer.

Blake Rea : 17:41

Yeah, yeah. But no, no, no, it's kind of cool because you know, after you know, I spent maybe like a couple hours like watching videos and reading about your dad and and then you know, reading about the brand. I mean, I do a lot of homework before I come on, and and just seeing, you know, the cool thing is first of all, I was it sucks. I didn't get a chance to meet your father.

Coralie Charriol: 17:58

So I was thinking that you would have loved him.

Blake Rea : 18:02

Yeah, and then something that was like real, I guess, really kind of cool was just seeing like you know, you have so much of your father's personality like instilled in you still, which is is just so I just realized that, right?

Coralie Charriol: 18:16

You know, like after reading, super curious, but you know, you know, I'm also like I love what I do, so yeah, I have passion.

Blake Rea : 18:24

Yeah, yeah. I I'm sure probably when you got into the company, you didn't probably realize that you would take over. Did you realize when you got in? You did no no no no you didn't, it just kind of manifested itself.

Coralie Charriol: 18:40

Which was kind of weird because it I was 41, 40, 41 when dad died, and it's almost up to the date when he left Cartier and launched it. And so I was very that's the silver lining that like I wasn't too young. I had already been married, had the kids, you know, did 20 years of the company already, had all the jobs, and then you know, he left, you know. I mean, I'm sad he left, but if there was any other time, that was a good time, you know what I mean? So I felt I was ready, you know.

Blake Rea : 19:14

What would you say?

Coralie Charriol: 19:15

I was like, even though, even though I mean we survived, we we had to go through COVID, right? And and and and I had to fill his shoes, so yeah, I'm sure those are big shoes to fill.

Blake Rea : 19:25

Yeah, big shoes, yeah. What would you say is one of the biggest lessons that your father passed down to you, maybe about leadership or creativity and and the luxury product world?

Coralie Charriol: 19:38

I mean, my father, nothing was handed to him, you know. He was really a self-made man, no one gave him a dollar. He was, I call him a bit of a magician. It was the early 80s. There was some magic in the water, I think, because there's a lot of creatives that that launched their brands at that time. But my father was not somebody who would handhold anyone. He was a man that liked when people took initiative. So if I said, you know, I think that you know, we need to do this on the Japanese market, he's like, okay, go ahead, you do it, you know. I was like, really? He's like, Yeah, yeah, come back with the solutions, you know what I mean? Like that was him. I remember at one point, like all my designs for the jewelry was like taking off and they were doing really, really well. And I was like, Dad, you know, can I get a can I get a percentage of the sales of my jewelry? Because it's they're doing great, you know. I mean, naturally, I I was an employee with an employee salary, and I wanted a little extra. And he was like, Okay, so if they do well, I give you a little extra, but if they fail, are you gonna pay me? You know, and I was like, no, I was like, okay, well, maybe not, you know. I mean, like, that was a kind of guy, you know. I mean, and he he really threw me into the deep end and he was like, swim, you know, that was it. I mean, like, I had to stand up. I was 21 years old, you know, I was standing up doing sales uh presentation and sales training uh in front of like audiences, you know, in Panama, in in Japan, in you know, wherever he sent me, Taiwan. I had to just figure it out on my own. Like when I when he said, okay, you take care of the the handbags for Sharriel, like I remember going to the leather factory in Bologna, not knowing at all which leather to use for a handbag. I didn't even remember I didn't realize there was leather for car interiors, furniture, shoes, watch, and handbags. You know, I was like, oh, yeah, you know, so all of that, then you know, little by little, also like the jewelry, like going to the factories, you know, sitting in, having the meetings, uh, going to the trade shows, you know, and you know, working on all the samples and things like that. So really hands-on, but but somewhere that was kind of my training by him, but he didn't hold my hand.

Blake Rea : 22:04

That's the best type of parent, you know, one that lets you kind of flap your wings and lets you learn through experience, life experience. I mean, that's the best teacher, you know, in my opinion. My dad was very much the same, just kind of like throw me out into the water with no floaties, you know. So yeah, oh yeah.

Coralie Charriol: 22:21

And you know, like for example, dad needed a partner on his ice racing. Dad used to race cars on ice, okay? It's used to Trophée Andros, okay. It was in France, it was about eight races in the season, and basically it's at the very high altitudes, like the ski resorts that have very, very high altitudes. They create a track, they they pour the water, they it freezes overnight, and then all the cars are kind of prototype cars, all the wheels have nails in them, and all wheels are four-wheel directional. So, I mean, like they're it's pretty crazy, anyway. He needed a he needed a co-pilot. I had done it maybe twice, you know, and he was like, You need to come because I can't find anyone else. I was like, Okay, and then the only thing he would tell me was like, just don't crash the car because you didn't drive at the same time, it was one after the other, not together, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. So he would race his four or five, six tracks, and then I would race, and then he would race. So you did it like that, and he just like, just don't crash, you know?

Blake Rea : 23:25

Very, very, very low barrier of entry, right?

Coralie Charriol: 23:28

That's it, you know.

Blake Rea : 23:31

I'm always curious, especially when I talk to like brand leaders such as yourself, like, you know, obviously you're trying to look into the future while kind of preserving the past. So the question then becomes like, how do you, you know, balance honoring the heritage of the brand while pushing into like a new creative direction?

Coralie Charriol: 23:54

Absolutely. For me, what's amazing with Charielle is that we have this fundamental tools or les codes, as we say, les codes de Charielle, the codes of the brand, which which is what dad created, what is the foundation, certain looks, certain screws, certain lugs, certain clasps, and of course the cable material that that we've been using for for 40 years. So it's almost like I have the outline, and then inside I kind of do whatever I want. But as long as I have all the codes and the key material, I can do whatever I want. But I then I have gone into the past where we had like three lines of watches, and from those three lines, I took like the best, you know, details that were very chariot, and then I infused it into the navigator collection, which you saw, which I launched now almost three years ago. So for me, that was kind of like my first blend of the past and all the foundation infused into my version of what Shariol is going to look like for the future, this navigator collection, which you know splits into cruise, GMT, and surf. So for me, I have felt very proud of that moment that I got I had all the past and then you know and pushed it into the future. But yes, that is the balance that I think about all the time for every watch product I create, even for some of the jewelry. There are some classics that just are incredible. They are like the legends of Chariol. I mean, like I know not everybody can see on the podcast, but I mean, this is our legendary Saint Chope watch. This is the iconic one 30 with the Chariol Chariol with the cable and the little chain next to it. But this is the one I did this year for Watches and Wonders. So I'm always there's always a baseline, and I'm I constantly evolve and you know animate and transform, but there's always le code de charioles, and our cable is there.

Blake Rea : 26:00

Amazing, yeah. I'm I'm also curious too, because you know, obviously you're now leading the company, but you're also the creative director. And I think most people don't really think about this, but I mean, we were just talking about before we started recording, we're talking about Watches and Wonders, you know, Geneva Watch Days, like all these watch shows, and and then if you look at fashion, right? Like every single year there's a new collection, right? So do you feel like there's like a constant like pressure to have some type of like new product or you know, and then if yeah, always always is it always?

Coralie Charriol: 26:39

I'll tell you why. It starts with you guys who are the press. You know, you're like, okay, Curly, what's new? What's new? What's new? What's new? What's new? I don't think I'll ever say that, but we just we just showed, you know, we we just manufactured and we're barely shipping, you know, like what's new. Hold on, hold on, you know. What people don't realize it's like a year to two years to get from design to you know, market on these products. I mean, these are like, you know, and I don't do very, very complicated movements. So imagine the ones that are super complicated and how much longer they need time to develop and and test everything. So for me, usually it's one one year to one and a half post-COVID, it's a little longer. But yeah, so like you design something, I'm so excited, you know. You see some of the samples and everything, and by the time it hits the market, I'm bored of it, you know what I mean, because I've seen it for two years. But everybody on the market is you know excited, so you have to keep that enthusiasm about your new product that you've been working on for two years, you know, and do the storytelling, do you know the photo, the video, and everything else that goes around uh launching a watch to market. But the problem is these fair trade fairs, yes, it's always like, so what's new? Like if if you came back and I there was nothing new, like not even a dial that was new, I mean, I feel like maybe you wouldn't come see me or the press would not come see me, you know. So, like me, I have to restrain myself to not make like 36 variations because I am a creative person. And in fact, it's like editing down don't do this, don't do this, don't overwhelm the customer. A customer doesn't actually need too many choices. If they have too many choices, they will walk away, they will not know, you know. So, like you, you, you really have to, and also for manufacturing, it's a headache if you have too many variants, but I have a lot of female watches, so I I like diamonds, no diamonds, a mother of pearl dial, not mother of pearl dials, you know. So there's a lot of variants for for the ladies. Also, you have like full diamonds, just a sprinkle of diamonds, you know, like for price point differences and everything. So, like all of a sudden my references like explode, you know, and then my retailer's like, ooh, too many, you know. Yeah, so all of that is like it's a juggle to entertain the press, you know, to not overwhelm the retailer, to make sure you have the right reference on the market for the end client, you know. So the only times that's kind of fun is it's I I call it my showpiece. Like, for example, my skeleton watch on the 36 navigator, full diamond, that was my showpiece. You know, I only did three, but in the end, I got like orders for about 12. So, you know, I was very happy with that for the fans of of the brand. And I will do the two more show pieces for watches and wonders, and then if it if people wanted, then I will manufacture it. But usually it's it's just a showpiece for the press for you guys.

Blake Rea : 29:44

Yeah, I I I tried not to be that type of press outlet, and and I try I try, and luckily, I I don't have like a roadmap. I maybe luckily or or not luckily, but you know, I don't really have a road, I just care. What I think is imprinted on me, you know, like when I see, you know, a passionate brand or a passionate individual such as yourself, like, how can I not work with you? How can I not cover your, you know, because your your passion is imprinted in your products, right? And it it sticks out. So I try I try not to be like, oh, well, if you have some new stuff this year, like let me cover it this year, not next year.

Coralie Charriol: 30:25

Well, I mean, like, if you were Apple, you know, they they say that Apple people, uh, the the the when you lot when they launch a product and the end consumer knows that there's a new launch, they say that it's like I don't know, so short, it's like a week, a month, or not even, you know, a day with Apple because of the power of the brand and and just like the money that they spend on it. A brand like me, for a end consumer who is not in the industry, okay, who who you know, it it's two years for them to know that I have actually launched a new product.

Blake Rea : 30:56

That's crazy.

Coralie Charriol: 30:58

Yeah, because I mean I don't I'm not on every billboard. I'm not, you know, sure, you know, I don't have that power to to communicate what I'm doing to to all the way down to the person on the street. So and there's very few brands that actually can do that, you know what I mean? Very few brands. I often okay, I recently went to Disney World because I took my youngest son there. And so one of my favorite pastimes, okay, in airports at Disney when there's a lot of crowds, is to sit back and just look at people's wrists. I mean, literally, I am an like I'm a hawk. I look because I want to know what people are wearing. So I'm looking, I'm looking, and Disney World, you know, it's America, and and I'm looking, I'm looking, I'm looking, and I'm like, oh my god, it was purely Apple. Okay, there was one or two other brands, but barely. And then the other was Nike, was Coca-Cola, it was Lululemon, Lulu, Lululemon, I think. And there was like one other. Well, Nike was the shoes, anyway. So, like when you think about brand penetration on the market, that's it. Those are the brands that are the leaders that are the most penetrated on the market. I mean, first of all, going to Disney is not cheap, okay. So we're talking like, you know, yeah, so that is those are the brands that are working. That is like full penetration. 99% of Americans know those brands, you know what I mean? So imagine my independent family-owned Swiss brand. I got a lot of work to do, you know.

Blake Rea : 32:42

Yeah, especially in I think in jewelry too. I mean, you see brands like I mean, Michael Kors, right? There's a huge thing from Michael Kors where like every lady that I knew was like you had to have a Michael Kors watch or you weren't cool, or now you see like you know, more economically, like Coach, right? Or you know, Louie, or you know, I hate this is your I don't see those ones all the time.

Coralie Charriol: 33:07

You see those watches of those brands on Twitter.

Blake Rea : 33:09

Oh, sorry, sorry, sorry, just in terms of luxury segmented products. Sorry, watches no watches, yeah, it's Apple, Apple all the way. You you said it for sure. But when I think of like a luxury accessories company, okay.

Coralie Charriol: 33:25

But what's funny is though, is that the I have a 16-year-old, 18-year-old, and you know how there's this trend back to old money, you know this, yeah, you know what I'm talking about, right? This old trend back to old money, like where all of a sudden you have like the Van Cleef bracelet that you know you're you're seeing it on either younger people, males, basketball players, and you're just like, Oh, what? Why, you know, like and so you talk to young people and they're like, Oh, yeah, you know, that's old money, mom, you know, and I'm like, huh? Maybe because their grandmother was wearing it. Who knows how it becomes the old money thing, and that's the thing to wear. So there is a little bit that I have felt because of the watches, and I'm not talking, you know, the ones at the top of the pyramid, okay, Rolex, Patrick, everything. The rest is this return to analog watches because of this trend towards old money and this, like, you know, quiet luxury and all that stuff, which means, you know, okay, you you have your Apple maybe on your right side or you wear it to run, but you still wear your analog watch on the left side, you know, for the events. It's not just one or the other, but it's both, you know. So anyway.

Blake Rea : 34:39

Yeah. I'm curious, and this always comes to mind, but as now a leader and you're now a CEO, of course, you know, what what do you define as success beyond you know, financial performance? It's a hard one.

Coralie Charriol: 34:56

It's always a hard one for company or for product?

Blake Rea : 34:59

Either. For Shariel, for product, for I'll I'll leave that open to interpretation for you.

Coralie Charriol: 35:05

I mean, so I have certain markets where you know how we were talking about this brand penetration, you know. So certain markets with chariol, I have like 80, 80 to 95% brand penetration. When you talk to any person and you say chariol and they're like, oh yeah, yeah, chariol, or I have one, or my mother had one, or I'm wearing my mother's, or I borrowed the one from my husband, or you know what I mean? Like the the your name is they they know it, or it rings a bell, or something like that, or they they own it. Um, for me, that is mega success, okay, as a brand. And right now I have it for like one, two, three, four markets, which is good, okay, for a company my size, but I mean, like, there's you know, I I'm looking at you know, other markets where I would love not even 90, you know, just like 50, you know, like it would be amazing. So for me, I'm working towards that, that brand penetration where you know the brand, you or it rings a bell, or you own it already, or you you know, and the other success is is yeah, when you I mean, really, like you spend so much time developing a product, and God forbid it flops, and trust me, we've had a few several flops. Dad had flops, you know. That is the most painful thing to experience. You know, you design it, you approve it, you do the prototype, you you know, you spend money to make it, you send it. Uh, your client, your retailer spends money to promote it and it does not move. Ugh, that is probably you know, like losing in Vegas, you know. Yeah, it's that horrible feeling. It's that horrible feeling, makes you feel alive though, but it's a horrible feeling.

Blake Rea : 36:52

Yeah, it's an ultimate test of your your passion enthusiasm because for me, I can't compare it to the whole product development cycle. But you know, obviously, I'm a content creator, you know. I I I shoot, I edit, I I distribute my own YouTube videos, and then when I I I and just I mean, I literally flew to Switzerland, did a whole manufacturer tour video with one of my favorite watch brands out there, and then it got like 400 views on YouTube. I'm like, oh shit, so you know it's tough, it hurts, it hurts.

Coralie Charriol: 37:25

Yeah, I tried to be like that's probably the worst is when you've done put all that effort and it doesn't work for whatever reason. It was either the wrong time, the wrong price, whatever, you know. And dad sometimes he it failed, failed, failed, but he didn't change, you know, he kept it in there, kept it in it, and then there had it had a life. So sometimes, you know, like for example, like the guy designed this like little thing, he held on to the design for four years. Okay, he could have trashed it design four years believing in your own product and then their success. So sometimes you just have to hold on, you know.

Blake Rea : 38:03

But yeah, I know I saw your little laboo boos in your showcase that were wearing your jewelry.

Coralie Charriol: 38:09

I'm fascinated with these these success stories, you know. When like when when there's a product that that just becomes like this trend, this revolution. I'm always everybody who makes products, it that's the magic formula, and you want to know like where can I get it and how can I, you know, do it for my product, you know. So we're always reading about those, looking at those, you know, being inspired by them.

Blake Rea : 38:34

I'm I'm curious, you know, because you know, everybody has challenges with distribution. You know, I know your products are are in Nordstroms or maybe online, but you know, like what type of challenges do you feel like you guys are are having, or just any brand, you know, through distribution? Because you know, obviously, you know, these are luxury products, like nobody needs a Chariol bracelet or a watch or necklace, or is it all is all so you know, you have to capture the emotions of saying, like, hey, this is beautiful enough, I want to buy this versus like the logical aspects of like, well, I don't want to spend X dollars on something I don't necessarily need to function, right? But but I'm curious about getting your products in front of your audiences. Like, have you found successful ways that you feel like showcase more? Because you know, you talked about having your own points of sale, you know. I think you still maintain those a lot.

Coralie Charriol: 39:32

Yeah, yeah, we do, absolutely, on certain markets. Yeah, because I was yeah, my father, my father was very very strong in the retail, right? He he opened a lot of countries, he partnered with distributors, and in the distribution, uh in each country, the distributor distributed the products either through his own network of boutiques, like in the Middle East. It was the distributor, he had his own boutique, or then through, you know, point of sales in department stores and things like that. So the the retail network uh for a company our size was pretty extensive. We were in 60 different countries. At one point, we had like 75 boutiques around the world, you know, three 3,000 point of sales. That, of course, after COVID has reduced, we're about at 50 freestanding mono brand boutiques. And then I don't remember how many, I think about 1,500 point of sales across, you know, 60 countries, but we're really, really top in 10 countries around the world. That's like the money makers. So today, though, in America, it's a very different playing field. At first, it was retail, very, very strong retail, incredible department stores that you know pushed brands, supported brands, uh, pushed trends and things like that. And then for whatever reason, over the years, you know, they've lost their power. And so partnering with them is great for your positioning and kind of your it's kind of like a stamp of approval from them. However, as a partner, it is terrible. They they are not a very good partner in the sense they don't really build brands anymore. They they just don't. So that's been very tough. However, the retailers, the independent retailers who've who've also had their journey because in like 2009 and then COVID, also, you know, the weak ones closed. So this the ones that are currently open today are are are are they have a strong backbone, you know what I mean? Like because they've survived like tsunamis, you know, and those ones are great to work with because usually you have the relationship, and usually they're usually family-owned, so then family owned, so that you understand each other, so you've got this connection, and and they're like what dad used to have. It's like you you know each other, you know each other's husbands and wives, you know each other's kids, and then you build this relationship, you grow together, and hopefully you go through like those, you know, those waves in the economy. My dad, I think, had it more than me. I think second generation, we had that influx of digital, you know, where everybody's like, we need to be on digital, which we we we were as well. But then it was like only native brands on digital are successful, you know. Then you realize that all the native brands on digital also had to open retail, you know, and then I feel like the pendulum has swung back, and we are comfortably, hopefully, living in the two worlds. You are you have to be online, you have to be able to sell online, but not maybe everything, you know, you have to have retail, right? Because what are people gonna do on a Saturday? You know what I mean? And you can't just scroll, you know what I mean? Like you actually have to go outside, you have to eat, you have to, you know, have an activity, and maybe it's like you know, go shopping or or you know, have an experience. So I really feel like the omni channel uh that everybody's talking about is today what you need and what you you have to have.

Blake Rea : 43:07

Yeah, no, I I I agree. Something too that I I don't think I've ever heard anybody talk about it, but I think you're probably the best person that I know personally to talk about this. But as somebody who sold luxury products myself, you yourself as well, you've gotten a taste of the entire like sales process, development, distribution, manufacturing, you've got the entire taste, right? But something that I feel like brands missed the mark on is letting that passion or or somehow transferring that passion from manufacturer to merchant, right? You know, so you know, obviously getting this the salespeople passionate about the products, you know, educating them, telling the stories, you know, doing all of that education with them because you know, uh a lot of brands, they just they have this mentality, like, okay, well, my product's gonna sell itself because it's beautiful, because it's this, because it's that. And and and and somehow a lot of these brands fail to understand that just because you put it in the showcase, it's not gonna sell. I mean, everybody should know that. But then, you know, how do you get the people who are the forward-facing sales professionals for the brand, how do you get them to be passionate about your product? Curious if you could talk about that.

Coralie Charriol: 44:28

Oh, yeah. No, I mean, that is a great question. And I think it's something that we don't talk about enough because you're so right. Like every time I travel and I go to a Sharia boutique and I and I talk to all the sales ladies who, you know, who are in the boutique already, you know, and so they are convinced already because they're there, right? And I'm always like, thank you, thank you, thank you. You are the face of the brand. The the client, you know, sees you the first, the the words that come out of your mouth are are the ones that are gonna help sell the product, tell the story, like you are vital, vital, vital to the success of this brand and to the success of the product selling. So we do we do take care of them. Now, I think there's also been a change in the sense that I think there's less and less young people who want to stand hours and hours and hours in the store. It's a very hard job. And so there's a lot of turnover versus when dad started, it was your career. You know what I mean? These women like were with you know, in a store or in a brand, and they they lived it, breathed it, you know, and and they stayed, they were there, they saw the evolution, they had the sales training, and they kept it, you know what I mean? Like, and and it piled on and they had more and more knowledge. Like today, I mean, the turnover is is fast, you know, the the younger people don't really want that job. So you you if you get like an older person, then usually they're great. But I mean, again, I'm generalizing, I'm generalizing, but even as a salesperson, like a salesperson on the road, like the new generation is like, oh, that's too much work. How many hours in a car? And how much do I get? And I get rejection, like, no, thank you, you know. So all those jobs, they're in peril a little bit, you know, to tell you the truth, to have the good ones, you know, again, generalizing. Sure, of course, but sales training, very, very important, a lot of sales training, very, very important, in um initiatives, incentives, sorry, incentives, uh, which we do a lot of incentives, storytelling, trying to get them to connect to the brand. To tell you the truth, the minute I have a brand manager in a country that loves the brand, for for whatever reason, either he met my dad, he came to visit Geneva, he went to the factory, whatever the reason was, he he was gifted the brand the product and he loved it. Once I have one that has been like turned on to Sarial and converted to a Charial lover, the sales go up automatically. It's it's amazing how much, how important it is that that salesperson believes in your product, believes what he's saying. It changes the whole game. The product, you know, the the the the end consumer will be like, Yeah, I trust this, I trust this retailer, I trust this salesperson. I'm gonna buy the product, you know, especially if they don't know anything, you know. Anyway, so just to to wrap it up, I mean, I really strongly believe that the sales staff is like, you know, without them, we wouldn't exist. They're so important.

Blake Rea : 47:46

Yeah, it also happens, you know, you have brands that are pushing and pulling, you know, so like if you if you know, especially like here in the States, it's really hard for you to have like a footing without having a multi-brand uh like retailer, you know, like so like having your own brick and mortar is even more challenging than ever. And then, you know, so most people don't really talk about this either, but you know, as somebody who's been in that environment and been in that role, I'm struggled because like, oh, I I love Coralie, like she's amazing, her product's amazing, but then like I have somebody comes in, like, you know, like they stoke my fire a little differently. So you also see that then nobody really talks about. So, like it's it's a weird, a weird place to be, I will say.

Coralie Charriol: 48:31

All of those salesperson, they have their likes and dislikes of everything.

Blake Rea : 48:35

Yeah, of course. And you find you find yourself. I noticed that like like I I literally found myself showing the same watches over and over because I loved them, and I was like, like, please just buy this because if you don't buy this, I kind of want to buy, you know what I mean?

Coralie Charriol: 48:50

Like, so anyway, that's what you have to do. You have to find believers, you know what you mean. You have to find believers that either has connected with your brand, connected with the meaning of your brand, you know, see the value in your product, see the the quality, the you know, connect to the story. You know, it it's not only like you know, I'm I'm Corly Charles, I made a watch, you know, the brand's 40 years old, you know, it's made with cable. Who cares? You know what I mean? Like you need to talk to your client with the why. Why should you buy this watch? You know what I mean? And I and I'm trying to tell the story, but again, it's hard to get your message across. It's like, you know, you know, it's about you know being independent women, you could decide for yourself, you know, you're not gonna break the bank, but you're gonna have great style, it's gonna be a Swiss made product, you know, it's gonna go with all your outfits, and you know, you're gonna, I don't know, feel confident wearing it, you know. So yeah, for me, those are the the why, and you need to also share the why.

Blake Rea : 49:53

Yeah, yeah. We cannot we cannot have a podcast with you without talking about creativity. So we're gonna jump into some of the creativity here. You know, you just talked about storytelling, and you know, that you play into this the design of storytelling into every Sharrial piece. Like, I'm assuming you do you start with the product or do you start with the story when you're literally launching a new idea?

Coralie Charriol: 50:21

It depends. Like, for example, about like the surf watch is a perfect example, right? So the surfwatch is it today. Young people like stories that are authentic, right? I mean, that the they want the real story, they want to they want the curtain to be pulled back, they want to see what's happening behind, right? So for me, like dad raced cars, he put you know the details of his cars on watches, like that one back there. That's the Diablo. I love that watch. Anyway, so and that was authentic. I mean, he was a real race car driver, you know, and and infused it with his real passion. Like, so for me, I kept thinking, okay, I you know, I raced a bit with dad, but that's not what I lived and breathed. I learned to surf late in life, you know, 30 years old, and I became obsessed. And I was like, this is the best sport in the world. How do I infuse it into something that I'm doing every day, which is the watches? So I don't dive, right? But the watch that you can take underwater is a diver's watch. So the surf watch is it's actually the one I'm wearing, but this is the glammed up version. This is the one with all the dimes and clear.

Blake Rea : 51:24

Yeah, you're wearing that one in in uh in Vegas. I love that.

Coralie Charriol: 51:27

And then this is the back case there, but it's an automatic diver's watch, built like a diver's watch, but you can go surfing with it. And for me, that was kind of like my storytelling. So I built this surf squad with three people that I love: Violeta Sanchez, she's Spanish, short border, Garrett McNamara, who discovered Nazare. He's the my male ambassador for the male surf watch, and Laura Crane, she's British, he also surfed Nazare, the first British woman to surf Nazare. Anyway, then three, and then me, and then I went around the world and I launched the watch and I met up with surfers and we did events, you know, and and I got to surf in all these amazing places. But I mean, like that was the link between an authentic passion and the product, and then the storytelling together. So for me, I was, I love that watch. I wear it, you know, like I said, like glammed up or more sporty. And that's also the two facets of my life. Uh so a kind of you know, a woman is not just one one facet, she's multifaceted, she can be, you know, sporty and a career woman and a mother, and you know, a passionate server. So, so all of that kind of infused into that story. But like, for example, if you go back and you look at the Saint-Chope, the watch I had talked to about earlier, the the ladies' watch with the chain on the side. This also has a story, but that it was it was my father's in 1983. He launched this watch. It's one of the oldest watches in the collection, and it's the one who survived the test of time. It's had many, many variations. But what's amazing is the name of this watch. My father in the 80s, he named all his products. I still do it as well, but he trademarked, oh my god, every every watch is trademarked with the name. So, like Super Sports, Celtic, Actor, Saint Troupet, so on and so forth. And he used the the name of the village, which is this tiny little village in the south of France, near Marseille, okay, where he was born. And he went as a kid, he took us as kids, I take my children every summer. We go, and it's the most iconic little fun village, but now it's like international, and they've got the best yachts and lunches and and parties and things like that, like you know, anyway. And for him, this watch was embodied that. Like it's feminine, it's fun, it's summer, it's the French joie de vivre, it's sexy. And so for him, that was the watch. And so I always try to bring the storytelling back to that place because it embodies this watch. So, yeah, it's it's not like you know, what comes first, the chicken or the egg. Yeah, here I I don't know. I don't know. I don't really think okay, story first, it's two force, it's like story first, and then you know, product, no, or product first and then story. I no, it doesn't work like that. I don't know why. It's kind of like an evolution, it's like what does Sharil stand for? Ah, it stands for being bold. Okay, what's bold? You know, like you know, racing cars, surfing, okay. Oh, and then but it's feminine, it's chic, and also like you can wear it with your suits, you know. Okay, what's that? You know, like it kind of in those moments that we kind of find inspiration.

Blake Rea : 54:44

It it gives me a good thought because you know, my next question was gonna be, you know, like more about the creative process, how it's guided. You don't strike me as the person that sits there and kind of like plugs away at data and like starts to build products based on data, it just seems like it's more instinctual, like DNA, like coded is in your blood to like just make amazing products, like yeah.

Coralie Charriol: 55:10

So that was my correct question, but I think if you I don't know if you've ever seen our catalog, I mean, like our catalog is like you know, it's I mean, and this is like me trying to edit myself, you know, but there's all the watches. So yeah, I mean, if I if I had my way, you know, I I would have a new watch, I have like two new watch lines, but I haven't launched them. Like I just the market can't take it right now, so those are on hold. I have a little bit more fun in the jewelry section. There's a little bit more leeway there, so that's that's a lot of fun. And then there I go. I have the codes of Sharial, but I go with the trends, you know, chains, big chains, small chains, pendants, big hoops, small hoops, uh, you know, but I always try to bring in back to like the charm that looks the most chariol or something that's linked to the past, you know, because we we we we have 40 years, you know, now yeah, so that's an advantage, yeah.

Blake Rea : 56:11

Is there a design or collection that you know you've worked on that you actually were surprised at the response after you released it? You're like, oh, I thought this would be relatively successful, but this thing is just freaking soaring, you know.

Coralie Charriol: 56:25

More on the jewelry, like I because I get the the responses on the jewelry. Yeah, sometimes, sometimes you know, the simplest thing, and you're like, okay, fine, we'll do it. And then it's like boom, you know, it sells, and you're just like, Oh, okay, you know, or the thing usually I have learned in over the years is that if it is hard, if if there's if it's full of problems and it's taking forever, I put it away now. Like I just yeah, it's just not meant to be. There's other stuff, you know, and so I don't push, I used to always push it through, it's gonna be fine. Let's just get to the bottom of it, you know. No, like why? There's so much already, and so like if it's the design and then the prototype is super easy, you like just barely like modify it, you know, boom, and then you sell it, like okay, you know. So I I I listened a little bit more to that, you know, not not be so adamant about like pushing something through. Doesn't work for everyone. Obviously, there are some things that you do have to push through, but overall, I feel it's kind of like the universe, you know, that could just go with it because if not, there's enough there's enough problems that will come obstacles that will come in your way. So yeah.

Blake Rea : 57:44

Something that as I was doing my research yesterday, I'm gonna bring up one question because it's not the most sexy topic, but you know, you you have pushed and you know, made sustainability like a huge thing for you, you know. So, you know, how does your commitment to sustainability like show up in your watches and jewelry?

Coralie Charriol: 58:08

It's been very hard to do in the watches and jewelry because believe it or not, anything that is recycled, like recycled steel, is more expensive than new steel, which is not fair, right? And and and all of those things. So every time I tried to do the recycle bit, it ended up being too expensive. So on the products, hard products, I haven't really been able to be as tight. However, on my packaging, on my displays, on things like that, and how I ship to my distributors or retailers, I have improved my packaging because there's a lot of plastic that goes around products. Yeah, yes, and so the box, the bag, the inner box, all of that is plastic free. So you can, you know, you can it's paper and you can burn it, which was a little bit dicey because you know, you go from Uber luxury because it's like shiny because it has this plastic film on it, you know, and then to not shiny, and you're just like, ooh, is it gonna look like paper craft, you know, like or arts and craft paper? And I was like, that's not really my brand, you know. So, like, but then with the years, they the people in the paper world, you know, are getting better and better because also other brands are demanding it or other products are demanding it, which I'm so glad about. So that's been improving. I have to show you my box, and also like I you used to tear the paper because when it's plastified, it's there's less tear, right? And then now, if it's just paper, it tears quite easily. So now we have a technique where you dye the paper all the way through. So even if it tears, there's no white showing because that was a big problem. Okay, anyway, so we've we've definitely evolved in all the the packaging of the product going to the end consumer, and then Still improving the the shipping between warehouse and warehouse and distributor or retailer. And then the end consumer, for example, my e-box. I'm very proud of my e-box. You should have told me because I could have shown you a photo, but my e-box, there is no filler at all. There's no chips, there's no bubble paper, there's none of that. It is created where there's two ribbons that attach the watch box or the jewelry box and you know locks it in place, and then that's closed. And then on the inside it's all Charielle, but on the outside, it's like a normal box. You put the label and it goes like that. Because I could not stand receiving bubble or chips or any filler. It's disgusting. I find it gross. Anyway, so there's this incredible company here in Switzerland, and I work with them. So that's that. But but on the sustainability, the reason why it affected me so much is because Dennis and I, my husband and I, created this non-for-profit called React Film. React to Film promotes issue-based documentaries, and we build educational curriculum around these documentaries to help provoke civic engagement and social responsibility. And we used to do screenings and we did we did screenings in high schools and colleges, and I saw so many documentaries about industrial uh food, the industrial food, the food industry, the industrial food industry, excuse me, and then also all about you know the oceans and plastic. And then that was like about 10 years we did that, and there was this one filmmaker who came to me and he needed funding. And I raised I raised the capital for him, and it was called The Story of Plastic. So I'm actually an executive producer of this documentary called The Story of Plastic. It's fascinating, you should see it, and that is why I was like, okay, I can't just, you know, yeah, help this movie be made and not do something in my company.

Blake Rea : 1:02:05

And that is why, you know, the initiative of making everything paper-free in my packaging was thank you for that because you're you know, you're trying to save the world for for me and my children, your children, your children's children.

Coralie Charriol: 1:02:19

One step at a time, and we we all need to do it. We all need to do it, yeah. So and it's and I tell I tell my son a lot about like you know, plastic is not all bad. I mean, we you know a lot of things that are made of plastic, it's the single-use plastic that is the worst, single-use plastic, and that's uh that's what I tell him, and he then tells it back to me because I sometimes forgot.

Blake Rea : 1:02:45

So our next little segment here, this is probably gonna be the hardest one for you. So I'm I know you're already in the hot seat, so sorry to turn up the temperature a little bit, but we might have the most fun here, right? So, what would you say has been your proudest moment of being CEO of Shariol?

Coralie Charriol: 1:03:07

Ooh, proudest moment. I think proudest moment is being accepted into Watches and Wonders, being asked to come in and uh and being accepted to be part of that amazing fair and to be among the greats. Yeah, I think that was like after all the headache and stress of COVID, those two miserable, almost three miserable years, and to come out of it and get to that fair, I was like, okay, you know, this is where I belong. This is what I've been working for. This is where I belong. And and then to, you know, you're always kind of intimidated. I mean, they have so much money, right? But then you, you know, I go there and I'm like, no, I'm different than everybody else. I'm even better than some, you know what I mean? Like, because I put all the effort into the way we present, into our color, our messaging, all of that. And I find a lot of brands do spend a lot of time on just the product, which is yes, like 90, you know, 90% of the time. But I find all the other stuff is as important as well, you know what I mean, in the sense of like I don't know, the the the global package, you know, like sometimes the box that it comes in and that it's environmental friendly, the color, the message, the little extra thing that you get, you know, all of that. Like, you know, my father always said there's like those brands where you know, you you you come home. He used to come home with gifts to my mother, and he'd be like, you know, you'd come home with the orange bag, you know, and uh she didn't even have to look what was in it. It was Hermes. So you were just like, you you know you were in a good spot. Like he always felt like that was very important, like you know, and in the Middle East, like our packaging, our product, our brand is a very appreciated pro uh brand as gifting, and they you they buy a lot of chariol to gift, so like they they feel very come on to that comfortable and what's the word I'm looking for, like confident and assured that they are giving the right gift, you know what I mean? That they're that people are not gonna be like, oh my god, what did they buy me? You know, oh no, they bought me a chariol. You know what I mean? Like just by seeing the bag and the color, you know what I mean? Like, oh yeah, that's a good brand. You know, he spent X on me. Okay, that's good. You know what I mean? Like, I mean people think like that, you know. So, like for me, that moment of being at Watches and Wonders, being in my special booth that looks like a jewel box, having done all the restructuring of the company, the redesign of the you know, uh, watches, of the jewelry, the editing. For me, that was probably in the last six years my best moment.

Blake Rea : 1:05:58

If you could describe the Sherriel like identity in three words, what would you what would you say? What would they be?

Coralie Charriol: 1:06:07

Independent, bold, passionate.

Blake Rea : 1:06:12

Okay, perfect. Let's talk about something that maybe you have thought of, but legacy, you know, obviously your your your children, right? I I as I was doing research, you know, obviously we follow each other on Instagram, and I, you know, I've seen you post pictures with your family and things like that. And then as I was doing research, like, you know, on your website, you know, it seems like I mean, your your daughter, right? Am I am I am I mistaken? That she seems like she's proactive in the brand, you know. So what do you think the Sherry O'legacy is gonna be, you know, you know, through your generation.

Coralie Charriol: 1:06:52

You bring your homework home. I mean, like you, I can't uh sadly I can't stop. You know, I don't I try to leave it in the office, you know, but everything comes home. You know, she she sees what I'm doing, she sees what I'm wearing when the kids have like days off when I'm working, they come in, they work in the office at the in the conference room, you know, they're they're they're in the drawers, you know. They they help me with the Christmas sales and things like that. So they're very much involved as I was with my father. Like my first job was like doing the packaging of the products, in the warehouse, like I, you know, so it's it's it's what I live and breathe. And so she's she shares it with me. She's 16. I mean, very, very young. She doesn't know what she's gonna do. But uh, I also for me, the most important is to be a role model for her as a woman, as a woman, as a career, who has a family and and kids. You you you can do it, it's messy, you know, there's no balance. It's you know, you're just trying to be trying to create harmony between work and and family, like it's it's not easy, but but you can do it, and and yeah, to be a role model for her is very, very important. I don't really think about the legacy right away. My father was funny because he didn't really think about the legacy, he was one of those guys that thought he was never gonna die. And he built it, he always said, like, I'm I'm very happy that you're working with me, he was very proud of me, but it was his company and he built it for him, and he was gonna do whatever he wanted for himself, you know. So, for me, I mean, if it's family-owned, it's family-owned. Yes, if it if it has the opportunity to become a mega brand, you know, I I want it to survive, I want it to be one of those mega brands, you know. But who knows, you know, only only the future can can tell. So it's too far to say legacy at this moment in time. Um, but yes, I do use my family members. Well, it's also the side of like being authentic, you know.

Blake Rea : 1:08:53

Yeah, yeah. Family brand. It's a family brand. Do you think what he if your father could see like the direction that you've taken the company today? Like, what do you think he'd be most proud of?

Coralie Charriol: 1:09:07

Oh, he'd be. I I really believe he would be thrilled. He would be thrilled. I mean, there were some like people that we worked with that he probably he couldn't fire, like he was very bad at firing anyone. If they were loyal to him, he kept them forever. So, you know, I did more of a cleanup on that. So, yeah, I I think he I think he would be proud to tell you the truth. Like dad, dad, um dad was a marketing genius, you know. He he was a creative, he was a passionate man. He had sometimes used to tell me, he's like, you know, if I could start over and sell furniture, I would do it. You know, I just love the the start, you know, the excitement of the start. He was an entrepreneur, like in his heart. For me, I almost have the hardest job. I'm not going from zero to a hundred. He did that. I'm staying trying to stay at a hundred and continue and then maybe go up. You know, I I'm almost in for me, it's and the world has changed, you know. So my this next chapter, this you know, 2.0 is a very different story. And I think you I think you'd be very proud. Yeah.

Blake Rea : 1:10:21

No doubt. No doubt. What do you imagine the next generation of Shariel customers to like to look like and how how will you connect with them?

Coralie Charriol: 1:10:35

I think, like, for example, again, something that dad was doing is this unisex bangle, the one you're wearing, the one, yeah, those end caps are maybe a little bit more masculine, but there was there were some that were more neutral, which was crazy in the 90s to have a bangle that was like already neutral before you know all this gender neutral trends came along and all that stuff, which I think is great. But for me, like I almost we almost have a little leg up with the jewelry to to to to talk to these to talk to these next generation because there's a lot of jewelry. How are people gonna wear jewelry? Are they gonna exchange share jewelry? Is it gonna be more techie jewelry or not? I mean, those are all kind of questions that that we're all discussing now. You've got the aura ring. Oh my god, the aura ring. You know, I was like, oh, I want to do a collaboration with aura. You know, I pitched a deck to do like cable around the aura. Genius, right? I I love that. So so all of that for me, it's step by step, month by month, with all the trends. I mean, I'm plugged in, I am following, I am aware, I am traveling, I am shopping, like I am, and then I am adapting what I feel, you know, and trying to collaborate with with the like aura or another like water bottle that cleans your water. I don't know, like you know, how can Chariel fit into these next lifestyle trends or health trends or whatever? You know, for me, all of that is is very important, but it's not on all products, maybe it's not everywhere, but it's literally like step by step, I keep moving forward. It's like a chain reaction, just keep moving forward, looking right out, like of course, you know, TikTok. Am I on TikTok? Can my brand be on TikTok? Am I am I to this? Am I to that? You know, we were trying to find content for TikTok, which is very hard for a luxury business. So, like I asked my kids, you know, they're like, I mom, I can't help you. They're like, okay, you know, like so not easy, not easy. So you've got TikTok, you've got snap, you know, you've got all those. Where are they gonna shop? How are they gonna shop? You know, how does a trend happen? I mean, like, my son's 11. He knows at 11 that it's baggy jeans this year, okay. How? I don't know. It just happened, mom. I need baggy jeans. That was the first outfit he wore today to school. And then you're like, uh Axel, how did you find out it was baggy jeans? You know, oh, this, this, that, that, you know, who knows? It's like that's all the magic sauce that we're all looking for, you know. How do you talk to these next generations? You know, all I can tell you is that I'm on every single device so that I'm not left behind. Yeah, I'm on Snap, I'm on TikTok because I what I fear is that whatever comes after TikTok, if you don't know TikTok or you don't know staff, whatever comes after, you you will be out of the game. You know what I mean? So you just stay in by like testing it, being it, doing it from time to time, so you don't feel you get lost or like left behind. Those are like the most important things, you know. Billboards, billboards are still important, magazines tough, but online magazines still important, TV shows, very important, you know, talk show hosts like you, like influencers, youtubers. I mean, all of those, you know, it's just a little bit what's fun is that it's just a little bit wider. You can me, I like all the sports person, you know, like I like the women who are doing things, so but they're also not only surfing, they're also fashionistas, or you know, they travel, or you know, maybe they have another passion. So I find like all of those are very, very interesting to collaborate with, and hopefully they become friends of the brand and and we grow like that, you know. But collaboration from the brand I have to work on, yeah. But it's true, collaboration is something I want to work on more.

Blake Rea : 1:14:43

Yeah. Curious about, you know, obviously you're designing products, right? So there has to be some emotional connections that happened, you know, when somebody puts on one of your products, what are the feelings that you're trying to like tap into or harness or you know, bring to life?

Coralie Charriol: 1:15:03

Definitely confidence for me, because there's something crazy about like the cable, you know, that that uh we create with. So the cable is is already a very kind of strong material. It's tough, you know, it's it's uh it's it's steel, you know, but then we've softened it, you know. So for me, it's kind of like the duality of something that's like tough, like backbone, but then you know, soft heart, you know, open, you know, flexible, accepting. For me, that's that's what I think about it.

Blake Rea : 1:15:38

No, yeah, that makes perfect sense. I need to work on my stack because I I need to work on my stack, but yeah, you need to work on this.

Coralie Charriol: 1:15:45

Sorry, yeah, I've got I've got three here, and these are like the diamond and gold versions, but yeah, you see.

Blake Rea : 1:15:50

No, you've got the yeah, no, you've got the every stack.

Coralie Charriol: 1:15:58

A very alternative material to like you know what people use gold, silver, titanium, brass, etc. You know, so steel, like you've got this durability, this kind of strength. But the way we've created it and woven it and twisted and baked it and all that stuff, it's actually flexible. It's actually flexible, you know what I mean? And it's has this satin finish. So it's kind of like the duality of the product, you know, you're you're confident, you're strong, but you're flexible, open heart, you know, and accepting. For me, like those that's what I feel. And now for me, the design product is all um designing product's always the most exciting. For me, I used to say, and I still say it today, there are two days in the life of a product that I love most. Okay. The first day is when you have the initial light bulb idea. You're just like, oh my god, I got an idea. This is it. I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna do that, it's gonna be amazing. This, that, this is gonna go here, that's gonna go there. So that day for me is like the brainstorming day. I'm pumped, I love it. Don't talk to me about finance, don't talk to me about anything else, okay? Creative days, no one comes into my office, and I'm with my team. And the second day of the product is when a total stranger that I don't know is wearing the product on the bus, on the street, in the airport, in the seat next to me on the plane, you know, and then I'm like, she bought my product, you know, and for me, I'm like, oh my god, something I did somebody went ahead and bought and spent their hard-earned money on, you know what I mean? And I'm like, wow, you know, and usually I always start by saying, I really like your watch, you know, and then she because I want to see first, like, if she's gonna be like, oh, you know, oh, thank you. I bought it here or I got it for this, or and then and then as I asked a few questions, I was like, Oh, well, I designed that, you know. And they'd be like, excuse me, why do you not like they're like we can't believe you did you what you did? I was like, Yes, it's my brand, and I designed that product, and I'm very happy you, you know, you bore it and thank you so much, you know.

Blake Rea : 1:18:15

So that's magical. I can only imagine the feeling. I I feel like that when people like, you know, because pot podcast stats are very there's not there's not a lot of visibility in podcasts. Like I can go see like who's downloading and where they're downloading from and what their devices are listening from, but you know, you don't get much beyond that. So when somebody's like, oh dude, I listen to your podcast, I'm like, Oh, you know, cool, like appreciate that, you know. I I can't imagine somebody wearing my products, you know, but but no, funny, funny, because when when we launched Lonely Wrist, we went and like like I wanted to promote it, so I got some of those little like rubber bands with the with the logo printed on them. And then, you know, like as I you know, my friends are wearing them, and then like I'll see like a year later, you know, like my friends, like you know, in their Instagram posts, they're still freaking wearing those little bands I gave them like a year and a half, if not two years ago. And I'm like, Well, they feel connected to you. That's great. Yeah, that's that's the only sense of experience that that I can relate to, probably your your feeling there.

Coralie Charriol: 1:19:21

But that's like a shared experience, you know.

Blake Rea : 1:19:23

I think it's it is yeah. So, final question, final question, and then I will let you. I'm sure you want to go home, you're you're ready to leave the office for the day. What is next for Shariel? If you can give us a little taste, if not, then I understand. What is next?

Coralie Charriol: 1:19:37

I oh, I am working on oh, sorry, my computer just I just have to make sure it doesn't okay. I am working on the next evolution of the Shariel boutique, which is gonna be very bold. So I'm I'm very excited about that, just giving it a different look, a different feel, different colors, different materials. And what's been fun is that the what the Shariel boutique since 1991, which was dad's first boutique, no 89 was his first boutique, it's evolved five times. This would be the sixth uh version. So I so that's been very, very exciting. Point of sale and boutique, kind of inspired from the booth that you've seen at Watches and Wonders. Yeah, so for me that's very exciting. Then continuing, of course, developing different watches and jewelry, working with my licensee for the eyewear, the perfume. We just redesigned all the bottles of perfume, which I I find scent very, very interesting. And then uh I had a couple of dreams, you know, of the Chariel Cafe, the Chariel Bar, you know, which I've talked to different distributors or partners in different markets where we're strong, like I said, when we have very strong penetration. I wanted a more permanent thing, but we're now going to try to do a kind of a pop-up, like a pop-up bar or pop-up cafe. Of course, I've been talking about this for quite some time, and then all of a sudden you've got like Louis Vuitton doing a restaurant, and then like somebody else, Fendi doing something else. And I was like, you see, guys, it's it's happening. We can do it too. So there's this kind of experience, but you can only do it with brands that have a lot of personality and codes, you know, because it's gotta have like the color and you know, the the C I we have like the C logo, we have the color, we have the slogan, we have the cable. So there's a lot of elements that can go into this kind of experience. But I feel like food and beverage is where a lot of people are spending a lot of their time and their money. Like there's been a little bit of a dip in buying luxury products, okay, across the board. Um but hotels and restaurants and the experience of a meal with a friend, a date, or whatever, people are enjoying that. They want that, you know. So then you've got that's why the brands are kind of like you know, creeping into this. So I still kind of want to be unique. I mean, I was even thinking about you know, those kind of fun food trucks where you sold, you know, you you open up and all the watches there, but it's not, you know, it's not food, it's watches, or you know, the bangle bar where you know you open up and it's it's not a bar, but it's all the bangles, you know. So so I was kind of trying to to really kind of push on the experience of the product, the brand, and you know how and where you purchase. So that's kind of where where I've been thinking and what I've been thinking about. Other than that, continuing to surf, continuing to get friends of the brand and looking for collaborations.

Blake Rea : 1:22:59

Amazing. Yeah, well, I think you know that I'm always here for you if you need anything from me. Thank you so much for spending. I mean, this is an hour and a half.

Coralie Charriol: 1:23:09

We've been I don't know who's gonna listen to this.

Blake Rea : 1:23:12

Everybody's gonna listen. I assure you. I assure you. We have a really high retention rate on our podcast of people that like, I mean, the yeah, people continue to listen, people binge, you know, and then we have people like because the commutes are really long here in the states. Oh, they are so like you know, like it's like a 35 or 40 minute the average commute to work for most people, and then on the way back, right? So we've got them listening to one half of your story on the way in, and then listening to the other half on the way back.

Coralie Charriol: 1:23:41

Well, thank you to all your listeners if they get to the very end of this.

Blake Rea : 1:23:46

Yeah, and everybody, I I would encourage you to please go spend some time on her website to see the brand. You know, I am a huge believer. If she if I wasn't, then she wouldn't be sitting in front of me digitally. Like I wouldn't have this conversation. I I really think the passion comes through in her products. I mean, she's got an epic, amazing product. I I yeah, it didn't take me long for me to realize that. And and yeah, it's just a it's a really great story, and and there's really great people behind the brand, and and that's what I you know attracted me the most to you.

Coralie Charriol: 1:24:22

Thank you for for spending so much time with me and being not only that, but a well thank you, Blake, for for also all those interesting questions and and uh putting me on your podcast. I'm very honored.

Blake Rea : 1:24:35

Yeah, I'm honored to have you here. This has been a long time in the making. I know how busy you are, but uh I knew very quickly I had to have you on, and I'm I'm I'm very humbled that you decided to come spend some more time with me.

Coralie Charriol: 1:24:47

So thank you, thank you. And I hope that your wrist is not too lonely anymore.

Blake Rea : 1:24:53

No, she got she so that's oh yeah, that's funny because you saw you saw those little bands that I had. Yeah, that's right. And you replaced it.

Coralie Charriol: 1:25:01

No, I saw a very lonely wrist. That is what I saw. A very lonely wrist.

Blake Rea : 1:25:05

And I'm like lonely.

Coralie Charriol: 1:25:07

I can charge that wrist.

Blake Rea : 1:25:10

Well, I told you, I told you that I I would wear it. And I I I was telling Jillian too, like like one day, like I woke up and I like lost my my bangle, and I was like, oh shit, like freaking out. I was like, you know, and then I was like asking my wife, I was like, babe, where's the you know? Because I have like a little, like, a little like valet tray that I put like my wash, my ring, like my bracelet on, and you know, she had somehow like relocated it in cleaning, and then like I opened a dresser drawer, I'm like, oh thank god, you know, like because I wear it every single day.

Coralie Charriol: 1:25:41

I thought maybe she had you know stolen it and worn it herself.

Blake Rea : 1:25:45

My wife is not a big show, she she's really into earrings, so she's really into earrings and really into necklaces, but she doesn't like wearing stuff on her wrist.

Coralie Charriol: 1:25:55

So well, you know, we we make necklaces here.

Blake Rea : 1:25:59

I know I was thinking, I was like, you need to show her there. Yeah, I know. I I need her to yeah, maybe an anniversary gift at some point. Yeah, well, I look forward to seeing you.

Coralie Charriol: 1:26:11

I don't know when you're coming our way, but I will probably be in Vegas. I hope I love Vegas. I've been going since I was, I think the youngest I went, I was like 15 years old. So I know Vegas but quite well.

Blake Rea : 1:26:24

Yeah, yeah. Next time, next time you're here, and you know, hopefully you you don't have as much work obligations as as you did this last time. We can, you know, spend some time together, you know.

Coralie Charriol: 1:26:35

Get me off the strip, right? Get me into the the city that that sadly I don't know very well.

Blake Rea : 1:26:41

Yeah, I'll take you to all the local spots.

Coralie Charriol: 1:26:44

That would be fun. That would be fun.

Blake Rea : 1:26:45

I'll yeah, I know some I know some good places. I could take you to the arts district. I think you'd you'd fit in there. It's all like like secondhand, like products and like like really nice restaurants and like breweries and like little like wine bars, and like it's it's yeah, and it's all graffitied up, like the beautiful is it's and it's right in the the shadow of the the city. It's freaking cool. So I'll take you there next time. All right, cool. Thank you so much, everybody. We are going to link Sharri all in the description here. Please go check them out. I like I said, this is a very special brand. You can clearly tell Coralie's story is very epic. Thank you so much for making in this far, and we will see you on the next episode. Au revoir, merci.