
PARIS — Chanel is extending its partnership with the Monaco Scientific Center for another six years.
Initiated in 2019, the partnership between the two centers on the creation of a research unit around the biology of the precious coral, also known as Mediterranean red coral, aims to better understand the marine invertebrate and contribute to its preservation.
“Chanel Watches [and] Fine Jewelry is built on timeless creations and values and is committed to making a positive impact on the planet and society,” Frédéric Grangié, president of Chanel watches and fine jewelry, told WWD ahead of a ceremony on Thursday in Monaco marking the renewal of the partnership.
“By renewing our partnership with the Monaco Scientific Center [or CSM], we hope to contribute to advancing science and supporting the preservation of red coral in the Mediterranean,” he continued. “On a personal level, this project teaches us a form of humility of how much there still is to learn.”
The CSM’s focus is the Corallium rubrum species from the Mediterranean Sea. Prized since antiquity, particularly for jewelry, it leaves behind a biomineral skeleton with the characteristic rich hue, which was historically used as a gemstone.
The French house described it as “a natural treasure of the Mediterranean Sea that must be protected,” a cornerstone in an ecosystem that accounts for nearly 20 percent of the known species in this sea.
Red or precious coral is under threat from overfishing, pollution and climate change. It differs from other species from tropical waters, also known as reef-building corals, which face different challenges, such as bleaching. There are more than 1,500 species of corals around the world.
The scientific program supported by Chanel’s watch and jewelry division aims to better understand how Mediterranean red coral grows and develops its characteristic hue while also studying innovative solutions to support conservation efforts.
Sylvie Tambutté, CSM’s scientific director, said the Research Unit on the Biology of Precious Corals CSM-Chanel had “obtained an exceptional crop of unprecedented results, which led to the publication of around 20 scientific articles” since 2019 on little-explored biological mechanisms, micro-organisms associated to the red coral and the effects of environmental changes.
Along with undersea experiments for implantation and development, these advancements “opened particularly promising perspectives,” she added.
Building on the initial partnership, the coming six years will be about deepening fundamental research on the species’ biology; further developing knowledge on the ecosystem that surrounds red coral, and developing reproduction techniques that will allow conservation efforts at scale.
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