It is 8am in New York and Mr Anthony Ledru, head honcho of Tiffany & Co, is lamenting that he is not doing this interview over a cup of coffee or a glass of champagne at the American luxury jewellery brand’s iconic store in New York instead of over Zoom.

He is eager to show off The Landmark – as the building is now known – and for good reason. Sitting at the corner of 57th Street and Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, the store, which opened in 1940, reopened in late April after extensive renovations that lasted nearly four years.

The enthusiasm in his voice is irrepressible as he talks about the revamp. Save for two minor sprucing up exercises in the 1980s and early 2000s, the transformation is the store’s biggest and most significant since its opening.

The reimagination of the interiors was undertaken by American architect and interior designer Peter Marino, who was responsible for, among other projects, the Giorgio Armani boutique in New York’s Madison Avenue, the Chanel Ginza Tower in Tokyo and the Louis Vuitton store in Rodeo Drive, Los Angeles.

The renovation of The Landmark’s core was undertaken by Office for Metropolitan Architecture, led by Japanese architect Shohei Shigematsu, whose major works include the Milstein Hall at Cornell University’s College of Architecture, Art, and Planning, and Sotheby’s auction house headquarters in New York.

It is not hyperbole to describe the transformation – which analysts believe cost US$500 million (S$666 million) – as “the renovation of the century”, he says.

“The location is perhaps one of the most exciting avenues in the world. It’s right in the middle of Manhattan and I don’t believe there’s any other place, particularly in the US, where luxury shopping happens on an avenue with so much traffic.”

The building – immortalised in movies such as Breakfast At Tiffany’s (1961), starring the late Audrey Hepburn – is synonymous with the magic of New York, he adds.

“People in Europe and Asia perhaps have a hard time understanding that it’s part of the top attractions in New York. It’s on the way to Central Park, Rockefeller Centre, St Patrick’s Cathedral,” he says, referring to some of the city’s most iconic landmarks.

“We have a lot of visitors buying or looking. It creates the dream, the magic, and for this reason, is very special,” says Mr Ledru, who became Tiffany’s president and chief executive after French luxury conglomerate LVMH acquired it for US$15.8 billion in 2021.

Preserving Tiffany’s heritage was important, hence the care taken with the store’s facade and layout during renovations.

However, Mr Ledru adds: “We have a duty to protect, but we also have a duty to propel (Tiffany into the future).”

That propulsion is especially evident in the redesign of the building’s eighth to 10 floors, with, among other features, a wraparound glass wall and metal panels. The idea is to have “a diamond on the roof” which will be used to house exhibitions and events as well as intimate dinners and gatherings.

Diamonds – literal ones – and other gems will also play a key role in Tiffany’s game plan for the future.

It is doubling down on efforts to be a key player once more in the high jewellery sector.

“If you think about it, Tiffany has had a very long history around high jewellery,” he says, adding that the company was founded in 1837, ahead of established European brands such as Bvlgari, Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels.

In fact, he says, Tiffany’s standing in the diamond and high jewellery business was legendary when the company bought one-third of the French crown jewels in 1887.

That reputation was also cemented by the late Walter Hoving, whom he regards as “the most extraordinary chief executive and chairman of Tiffany after the founders”. Hoving, who was head honcho of the company from 1955 to 1980, hired some of the brand’s most famous jewellery designers – Jean Schlumberger and Elsa Peretti.

“He once said, ‘Our clients don’t know what they don’t know. It’s our job to surprise them.’ I believe that’s what Tiffany did best at that time,” says Mr Ledru.

He is intent on going back to “what made Tiffany one of the most exciting jewellery companies at one point”.

Earlier this year, the company acquired 35 Argyle diamonds, pink diamonds from the now-closed Argyle Diamond Mine in Australia.

“I’m looking at stones that are exceptional, that you cannot find anywhere else,” Mr Ledru says.

His strategy also includes leveraging Tiffany’s vaunted heritage, starting with the revival and reimagining of some of Schlumberger’s iconic designs, including Bird On A Rock. The brooch design featuring a bird perched on a precious stone made its debut in 1965, and the new iterations are already reeling in a new generation of fans.

Mr Ledru has set his sights on the young too, evident by collaborations with streetwear brand Supreme a couple of years ago. It also teamed up with Nike for a commemorative take on the iconic Air Force 1 sneakers earlier this year.

Finally, there are plans for Tiffany to evolve into a lifestyle store.

“Tiffany is a cultural phenomenon. It’s part of the poitical life in the US,” he says, adding that the company supplies its tableware and sterling silver products to the White House.

“We are part of the art world, (Andy) Warhol was an early illustrator at Tiffany, we are part of the movies,” he continues.

It therefore stands to logic that the experience of being in a Tiffany store should be “immersive”, he says.

“It should be a place where you can spend hours in.”