The Cartier Women’s Pavilion Opens with a Cartier Women’s Initiative Announcement
In 2020, Cartier spotlighted women’s contributions and positive impact on the world with the Cartier Women’s Pavilion at the Expo 2020 Dubai, and this year, they plan on continuing on with the tradition. Cartier’s Women’s Pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka will open on April 13 through October 13, again highlighting the essential role women play in driving global progress, fostering equality, and guiding new generations, aptly themed “When Women Thrive, Humanity Thrives.”
Creating the Cartier Women’s Pavilion
To bring the Pavilion to life, Cartier is partnering with the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition and the Japanese Government, including the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and the Gender Equality Bureau Cabinet Office. For the façade itself, Cartier has partnered with renowned Japanese architect Yuko Nagayama, using repurposed materials from Expo 2020 Dubai.
“The Women’s Pavilion will celebrate all women, and the role they can play, together with committed men, in shaping our common future,” said Cyrille Vigneron, Chairman of Cartier Culture and Philanthropy in a press release. “Through this extraordinary platform, Cartier and Expo 2025 Osaka invite visitors to be part of a transformative journey, equally personal and through collective action.”
Inside the Women’s Pavilion is an immersive journey through intimate personal stories, curated by acclaimed artist and the project’s Global Artistic Lead, Es Devlin. These stories encourage the visitors to reflect and ultimately connect these experiences to universal global issues. The exhibition also encourages visitors to donate their names, making their identity part of the Pavilion’s narrative.
Some of the personal stories include Japanese filmmaker Naomi Kawase, who contributed the prelude movie, and French actress, director, and artist Mélanie Laurent. Multidisciplinary artist Mariko Mori contributed a piece reflective of the shared humanity theme, and landscape designer Toshiya Onigo contributed a sustainable garden that reflects Japan’s changing seasons, and many more.
Together, these stories and contributors craft a narrative that highlights women’s influence on a global scale, creating a thought-provoking experience that invites visitors to reflect on the power of collective voices across industries and cultures.
Cartier Women’s Initiative at Expo 2025
Fittingly, the Cartier Women’s Initiative (CWI), an international entrepreneurship program, will also host its annual award ceremony this year at the World Expo. Every year, the initiative awards a group of female entrepreneurs who have developed businesses and/or products that work to solve global challenges through sustainable social and environmental impact. Since 2006, the CWI has supported 330 entrepreneurs across 66 countries, providing more than $12 million in financial support to their businesses
This year’s awardees include Tracy O’Rourke of Vivid Edge, which provides energy efficiency as a service, making it easier and more affordable for organizations to meet their climate goals. Kresse Wesling of Elvis & Kresse, a company that rescues and transforms industrial and commercial waste, including fire hoses and scrap leather, into luxury goods and accessories.
Kristin Kagetsu, whose company creates biodegradable sanitary pads using banana fiber supplied by local farms to address the lack of access to menstrual products for women in India. Caitlin Dolkart of Flare, a service that connects Kenyans to life-saving services via a subscription-based emergency response product. Namita Banka created Bioloo to provide sustainable water and sanitation solutions across India, including biotoilets that convert human waste into useful products like compost.
CWI is also recognizing Yvette Ishimwe of Rwanda’s IRIBA Water Group, making clean water available, accessible, and affordable for low-income communities across Africa. Rama Kayyali of Little Thinking Minds, which creates digital Arabic language learning platforms to enhance literacy for K-12 students. Mariam Torosyan’s Safe YOU developed a mobile application and AI platform providing emergency support for women facing gender-based violence. Jackie Stenson’s business, Essmart Global, distributes livelihood-generating, life-improving products focused on agriculture and cleantech solutions in rural India.
The nine awardees were announced in tandem with the opening of Expo 2025 Dubai and, along with it, the Cartier Women’s Pavilion, where the CWI Impact Awards Ceremony will be taking place on May 22, 2025.
The Cartier Women’s Pavilion Motto
“We are privileged to be the custodians of this second iteration of the Women’s Pavilion in collaboration with Cartier at Expo2025 in Osaka Kansai, following the unique collaboration with Expo2020 Dubai,” said June Miyachi, President & CEO, Cartier Japan, in a press release.” What can each of us do to thrive together, irrespective of gender? I hope the Women’s Pavilion can serve as a catalyst for each visitor to feel, think, and act towards a brighter future, accelerating change together.”
Women’s Pavilion embraces the motto “Living Together, Designing Together, For the Future,” with each of the three themes aiming to celebrate the transformative power and the potential of women in shaping a better tomorrow.
The theme of “ともに生き,“Living Together,” explores the relationship between symbiosis and longevity, reflecting on how communities and individuals can embrace environmental responsibility while living in harmony with the planet. The “ともに輝く,“Designing Together” theme within the Women’s Pavilion imagines a future where diverse beings unite seamlessly to achieve their full potential, laying the foundation for a more equitable tomorrow. Finally, the “未来へ〜,“For the Future” theme highlights the Women’s Pavilion’s role as a place for forward-thinking exchanges, looking at past initiatives’ wins as well as new but new ambitions, creating a legacy that continues to shape the future.
“At Cartier, women have always been a source of endless inspiration and a cornerstone of the Maison’s creativity and values,” says a press release announcing the Women’s Pavilion. “Guided by the belief that when women thrive, humanity thrives, Cartier has long championed gender equality by joining forces with committed stakeholders, eager to collaborate and act to tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges.”
The Cartier Women’s Pavilion at Expo 2025 will be open to the public from April 13, 2025, to October 13, 2025.
