Louis Vuitton perfume
Perhaps the most important progression in perfume this century happened this week when Louis Vuitton debuted their perfume line with seven scents. To celebrate the launch of the project that has been top secret for the last four years, we highlight the five most important things you need to know about it.
They are made by the God of scent
Jacques Cavallier Belletrud is a third-generation perfumer, born in Grasse (that’s the fragrance capital of the world) he has crafted some of the most popular scents of the previous few decades including Stella by Stella McCartney, Dior Addict, and Jean Paul Gaultier Classic. Louis Vuitton first employed him in 2012 and he has been working exclusively for the brand ever since. This is a huge deal, it’s like hiring Beyoncé to write an album and locking her away for four years to work on it – perfume geeks everywhere are up in arms.
It’s not really the first time
This is not the brand’s very first foray into the world of scent, they launched Eau de Voyage in 1946 but they have waited more than 60 years to jump back into the estimated $30 billion–a–year revenue stream from the perfume sales.
The 7 fragrances from Louis Vuitton
You can now smell like your LV bag
In an exclusive interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Cavallier Belletrud said that he had offcuts of the cult LV bags delivered to Grasse and he then distilled them in alcohol and waited for the perfect leather notes to add to the scent.
Fashion’s favourite French actor is the face
Léa Seydoux – best known for her lesbian role in indie flick Blue Is the Warmest Color, or her stint as a bond girl – is the face of the inaugural campaign photographed in an American Beauty-style bed of roses. She has recently upped her fashion credentials posing for Miu Miu and awarding Grace Wales Bonner the LVMH Prize back in June.
Is this the return of the feminine floral?
“All my work is a tribute to flowers” Cavallier Belletrud said in the same interview. After the recent obsession with gutsy Middle Eastern Ouds, and synthetic hyper-scents like Le Labo’s Santal 33, this is a huge shift in the perfume industry. A collection based around the delicate, natural beauty of blooms will definitely kick-start a back-to-nature craving for the fatigued noses of perfume fans.
For more information go to Louis Vuitton’s site
Léa Seydoux for Louis Vuitton. Image from Harper’s Bazaar exclusive interview