Fashion

Cartier Unleashes Its Wild Side in Büyükada

BYMille Team

August 31, 2026

Cartier has always had a thing for the wild. Long before fashion became collectively obsessed with leopard spots and animal motifs, the French Maison was already looking to the animal kingdom for inspiration, turning creatures that bite, prowl, and slither into some of the most extraordinary jewels ever made.

The most famous, of course, is the Panthère. Cartier first introduced the feline motif in 1914, using black onyx and diamonds to recreate its distinctive spotted coat on a wristwatch. By the 1930s, under Jeanne Toussaint, the legendary creative director nicknamed “La Panthère,” the animal had become a defining part of the Maison’s identity. In 1948, the Maison created its first fully three-dimensional panther for the Duchess of Windsor, perched atop a 116.74-carat emerald. A year later came another, this time sitting rather casually on a 152.35-carat Kashmir sapphire.

But Cartier’s wilderness has never belonged to one animal alone. Tigers, zebras, snakes, birds, and crocodiles have wandered into its universe over the decades, sometimes rendered with almost unnerving realism. Mexican actress María Félix famously commissioned Cartier to create an articulated crocodile necklace in 1975, made from two creatures covered in more than 1,000 yellow diamonds alongside emeralds and rubies. The crocodiles could even detach to become individual brooches, because apparently one diamond reptile simply wasn’t enough.

So when Cartier called its latest gathering Into the Wild, the name was hardly metaphorical. From Aug. 26 to 28, the Maison took its menagerie to Büyükada, the largest of Istanbul’s Princes’ Islands, for an immersive two-day experience dedicated to craftsmanship, creativity, and the natural world that has informed its jewelry for generations.

The setting certainly helped. If Wes Anderson ever directed a Cartier campaign, it might look something like this. At the historic Splendid Palace Hotel, Cartier bellboys dressed in signature red appeared in perfectly spaced windows across the symmetrical white façade, turning the Büyükada landmark into an accidental film set.

Guests moved through a series of experiences beginning with an Atelier, where artisans from Türkiye, India, and the UAE offered a closer look at craftsmanship in action. At the historic Princes’ Palace Mansion, mosaic, paper, marbling, glass, and straw marquetry were brought together through works inspired by nature. Then came the wild part: an open-air gallery populated by Cartier’s famous bestiary, from Panthère and Tiger to Crocodile, Zebra, and Love Birds.

Naturally, the guest list was equally stacked. Cartier ambassadors Tuba Büyüküstün, Razane Jammal, Tara Emad, and Nadine Labaki were among those who descended on the island, joining names including Yousra, Barış Arduç, Saba Mubarak, Ahmed Malek, Raya Abirached, Suhana Khan, and Ishaan Khatter.

More than a century after that first flash of black onyx appeared in 1914, Cartier is still finding new territory for its creatures to roam. And for two days in Büyükada, the wild things were very much out to play.

Scroll down to discover some of the guests in attendance.