Van Cleef & Arpels Design Scholarship Award Winner's Window Display at Six Boutiques Across Japan
A special window display featuring the work of Grand Prize winner Wakana Yatani from the Van Cleef & Arpels Design Scholarship program will be on view at six Van Cleef & Arpels boutiques across Japan.
Since establishing its first boutique at 22 Place Vendôme in Paris in 1906, high jewelry maison Van Cleef & Arpels has been highly acclaimed for its poetic designs and innovative craftsmanship.
Supporting the preservation and transmission of traditional crafts, the maison has been conducting the "Van Cleef & Arpels Design Scholarship," an industry-academia collaboration program, since 2021. This program aims to develop the skills and knowledge of traditional Japanese crafts and support the next generation of talented artisans and creators through partnerships with three institutions: Kyoto Traditional Crafts University School, Kanazawa College of Art, and Tokyo University of the Arts.
The special exhibition features work by Wakana Yatani, the Grand Prize winner from the 2021 program with Kyoto Traditional Crafts University School. Her creations will grace the window displays at all six Van Cleef & Arpels boutiques nationwide. This marks the second such exhibition, following her 2023 display at the Shinsaibashi boutique. Yatani's works, created through traditional craft techniques combined with free imagination and creativity, beautifully resonate with the maison's poetic and original creations.
Comment from Yatani
Before the captivating flowers of spring, there is often a cold and harsh winter, and behind those blooms lies the effort and patience required to overcome it. I wanted to capture in my work the strength and beauty that breathe within tight buds, along with the anticipation of a wonderful spring to come.
Van Cleef & Arpels Design Scholarship Grand Prize Winner's Window Display Special Exhibition
Participating Boutiques:
- Van Cleef & Arpels Ginza 1-chome boutique
- Van Cleef & Arpels GINZA SIX boutique
- Van Cleef & Arpels Shinsaibashi boutique
- Van Cleef & Arpels Nagoya Midland Square boutique
- Van Cleef & Arpels Fukuoka boutique
- Van Cleef & Arpels Isetan Shinjuku boutique
Exhibition Period:
January 15, 2026 (Thursday) to March 19, 2026 (Thursday)
*Fukuoka boutique will start from January 16, 2026 (Friday)
About Kyoto Traditional Crafts University School
In 1992, the Japanese government revised the "Law for the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries" and planned support for nurturing successors in the traditional craft industry. The government, Kyoto Prefecture, and the traditional craft industry united to establish the Kyoto Traditional Craft Industries Support Center (a general incorporated foundation), a third-sector organization. Subsequently, Nihonmatsu Gakuin, with support from the Kyoto Traditional Craft Industries Support Center, opened the Kyoto Traditional Crafts University School as an educational institution for nurturing successors in traditional crafts. This school is the only educational institution in Japan that aims to cultivate excellent human resources who possess both technical skills and creativity in traditional crafts by teaching craft techniques through a systematic process. The school not only inherits outstanding technical skills and traditions but also expands new possibilities for the future of traditional crafts through "industry-government-academia" collaboration.
About Van Cleef & Arpels
Van Cleef & Arpels was founded in 1906 at 22 Place Vendôme in Paris, following the marriage of Alfred Van Cleef and Estelle Arpels. Since then, the maison has cultivated its own poetic style as a creator of high jewelry and timepieces inspired by nature, couture, dance, and the world of imagination. In pursuit of creativity and excellence, the maison developed Mystery Set, one of its signature "savoir-faire" techniques, and has expressed its magical world through numerous creations including the Zip necklace and Alhambra motif. Today, the maison continues to depict a world of timeless beauty and harmony.
