Luxury brands are playing to our olfactory senses – and more – with a new breed of haute fragrances featuring intriguing ingredients and lavish packaging.
Luxury brands are playing to our olfactory senses – and more – with a new breed of haute fragrances featuring intriguing ingredients and lavish packaging.
WHEN
Dr Adrian Ng attended a scent appreciation session at the launch of Louis Vuitton’s exclusive Les Parfums range of seven fragrances, he was pleasantly surprised by what he sniffed out in one particular concoction.
“I like the leather tones in Dans la Peau,” says Dr Ng, an anaesthetist in private practice. “They remind me of the posh leather used in luxury products. There is also that raw animalistic smell that could maybe trigger some subconscious caveman instincts and moods! I also like the leather notes in some of the single malts and Barolos. I appreciate how fragrances evoke moods and memories on a subtle level.
” While his fragrances of choice are typically by cult label Penhaligon’s, he also enjoys those by Hermes and Bulgari, and is considering adding this Louis Vuitton perfume to his scent wardrobe because of its unique olfactive profile.
To cater to increasingly discerning noses like Dr Ng’s, luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton and Cartier have begun to launch new fragrances, after a long hiatus from the perfume market. For instance, L’Envol de Cartier is the brand’s first men’s cologne in eight years; while the last time Louis Vuitton launched a perfume was way back in 1946.
These brands are joined by a crop of high-profile creative directors who have recently launched fragrances for their labels. They include Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen with McQueen Parfum, a gothic, rich white floral featuring rare ingredients such as sambac jasmine and tuberose; and JW Anderson with 001 for Loewe, which comes in two versions – for men and women.
MUSCLING IN ON NICHE TERRITORY
Making unique perfumes that typically appeal to smaller groups of customers was once the province of cult or independent brands; luxury brands are now muscling into this niche and discerning market. These “premium” or “couture” fragrances are said to be created with the priciest and most exclusive ingredients, and often come in swish packaging rarely seen for department store perfume – think crystal flacons or leather casing. Often, these ranges, such as Bottega Veneta’s Parco Palladiano, Chanel’s Les Exclusifs and the Hermes Hermessence collection, are available only at select boutiques globally, further lending to their exclusivity.
This slew of premium perfume launches is coming at a time when the global outlook for the luxury industry is tepid at best. Bain & Company’s global personal luxury goods market report for last year found that the market, which reached 253 billion euros (S$383 billion) in revenue, expanded by only 1 per cent in real-growth terms from 2014 to 2015. At the time of publication, this sluggish growth was expected to continue.
There is however, one bright spot. The report notes that within the beauty category, fragrances are on a positive trajectory, with 2 per cent growth at constant exchange rates, predominantly driven by fragrances at the top end of the market, exclusive lines and artisanal niche brands.
This direction is reflected in the Singapore market, with premium perfumes contributing to over 90 per cent of total fragrance sales and totalling $225 million in 2015, according to figures by Euromonitor International. Sunny Um, research analyst for beauty and fashion at Euromonitor International, says the positive outlook for niche luxury fragrances stems from consumer demand for such scents.
She says: “Niche luxury fragrances offer bespoke concoctions catering to shoppers’ individual tastes. Customised service fulfils consumers’ desire to be differentiated from their peers, and mature shoppers with sophisticated tastes are willing to pay for the unique value, rarity and craftsmanship the products offer.”
EXPANDING THE BRAND UNIVERSE
Haute fragrances are a canny way for luxury brands to showcase the lifestyle that the particular fashion marque espouses.
For example, customers interested in Chanel’s Les Exclusifs are invited to an “olfactive journey” for a comprehensive consultation, which starts with a conversation to find out about an individual’s scent preferences and lifestyle habits. Seated in a plush salon and surrounded by flacons of the perfumes, the customer then embarks on a guided sniff test of a selection of the brand’s fragrances. These range from newer creations such as Beige and Jersey to historical perfumes such as Cuir de Russie and Gardenia, which were concocted in the ’20s and ’30s for Gabrielle Chanel by her nose, Ernest Beaux. The fragrance consultant is always happy to spritz selected scents on a client to allow her – or him – to experience what they smell like on the skin. It wouldn’t be a stretch to compare this to a personal fitting session for an outfit at a Chanel boutique.
Similarly, the complementary twin 001 perfumes by Loewe creative director JW Anderson, who frequently subverts gender norms through his designs, can be worn individually or combined to create a third gender-neutral scent. The Man and Woman duo perfumes are packaged in sleek, minimalist bottles.
VISUAL IMPACT
Stark botanical images complement the understated packaging of Loewe’s 001 fragrances.
02 FRAGRANCE FIGURE
Chanel’s Les Exclusifs collection includes updates of historical fragrances, including No. 22, Cuir de Russie, Gardenia and Bois des Iles, which were created in the 1920s by Gabrielle Chanel’s perfumer, Ernest Beaux. The late perfumer also created one of the world’s most iconic perfumes – Chanel No. 5.
03 CARRIED AWAY
Bottega Veneta’s Parco Palladiano collection of six perfumes (I to VI) is conceived as an olfactory trompe l’oeil of the Palladian gardens in Veneto, Italy. This means each scent has been concocted to evoke a specific time and season as experienced in the gardens. For instance, perfume I is reminiscent of dew-covered magnolia in the gardens at the break of dawn.
04 GREEN SCENT
In the spirit of sustainability, the cologne L’Envol de Cartier can be refilled. The two-part flacon comprises an external glass dome and a smaller capsule containing the scent. The refill capsule can simply be fitted into the glass dome when the cologne runs out.
05 LOOKS GOOD, SMELLS GOOD
The intricate botanical close-ups on the packaging for Loewe’s 001 perfume duo are by German photographer and artist Karl Blossfeldt. These photographic images were also adapted by creative director JW Anderson as prints for his spring-summer 2016 ready-to-wear collection for women.
