What we sell is a product that is the result of a lived experience...You won't smell like Jennifer Lopez; you will be yourself. You might try other products, but you will always come back.
— Perfumer Jean Claude Ellena on the difference between the artisanal approach at Hermès and the marketing approach used by other perfume houses, in yesterday's International Herald Tribune.
If most of us agree with Jean Claude's opinion, I'm not convinced that such words are slick. First, because may be Jennifer wears Hermes scents or clothes. What's more, perfume industry is very often attacked 'from outside'. If perfume brands decide to assault each other, they won't do service to Perfume.
It's my opinion…
Ambroxan I agree with you.
I think this is just a case of Mr. Ellena being a little bit of a Diva himself.
I personally would never wear J-lo's perfume, not because I don't like them (I think they are true to what they represent and want to transmit, a fun-loving girlie-woman mix) But just because I am a 33 yo male that is not attracted to the concept.
Life is full of contradictions… I always percieved by reading the articles and interviews that Ellena has a star quality (so far very well earned and backed up by his creations, which I love) and perhaps star attitude. If this continues.. are we too far away from the launch of “J-Claude”??
“Don't Be fooled by the Serge that I sport
I'm Still , I'm Still J-Claude from la Grasse.”
You guys are a tough crowd! If you were a perfumer, it is hard to imagine you wouldn't also be aghast at the changes in the perfume industry over the past 20 years, regardless of whether you considered yourself a star or not. It can't be any fun to be expected to whip out new perfumes at the current rapid rate of development, and to have to answer to focus groups instead of people who know and/or care about perfume.
I find this all very interesting, and as a perfumer myself try not to get too preachy about what everyone else is doing. Being someone who hand blends all of their own creations, I might want to take offense when a large perfumery fancies themselves artisan, when websters is quite clear on the definition of the word.
“A worker in a skilled trade, one that involves making things by hand”.
Most perfumeries, even niche' perfumers do not batch their own juice.
I could also go off ranting and raving everytime it is brought to my attention that Chandler Burr, went ballistic on natural perfumes.
If a perfume is well constructed, and wearable, I do not see why there should be such a fuss made over the marketing strategy. It should not matter whether it is a new money celebrity endorsed fragrance or if it comes from an old established house.
What works for me may not work for someone else. I love community, and have great relationships with the people who wear my fragrances. If anything I think that when some people get to a ceartain place, or reach a level of success, they distance themselves from the very people who put them there. Keeping an open heart and mind are more important to me than batting around the fluff. Afterall, perfume like fine art is subjective. To each his/her own.
Best, ZZ……
Would quite agree that properly speaking, Hermes cannot qualify as an “artisanal” perfume house. But, the larger point that JCE is making — that something is lost when the marketing strategy drives the development of the perfume instead of the other way around, strikes me as valid.
I wish I could say I had a perfectly open mind, but I don't. With over 600 new releases a year, I can't smell everything. And if you offer me a choice between the latest from Hermes and the latest from whomever is the current hot thing in pop music, sorry, I'm taking the Hermes. If you look at their output over the past couple of years and compare it to the celebrity fronted output from say, Coty or Elizabeth Arden, then I think the point he is making becomes even clearer. You might get well constructed, you might even get wearable from a celebrity scent, but an interesting scent worth the buying and wearing? Your chances are just greater with Hermes. I don't think that is an accident, nor is it because they are an “old established house” — many of the old established houses are producing absolute crap these days — I think it is because of a certain attitude, and artisanal might not be the most accurate way to describe that attitude, but it is close enough for me.
End of rant 🙂
This is the 3rd or 4th new article on Ellena and Hermes that I have read within the past few months. Either Ellena is doing some amazing work, or the Hermes hype machine is in full flow !
LOL…or both!
I didn-t want to sound soooo critical of Mr. Ellena, as I admire him and his creations, I just think that some in the industry take themselves a little too seriously. I understand that in their posititions(professionals making a living and a reputation) they want to differentiate themselves from products that are as they state discontinued very soon and in general ephemeral.
I have been reading this and other perfume sites/blogs for a couple of years and take this as a hobby, so I didnt want to sound like I am dissing the professionals… but I sincerely wish they had as much fun making and marketing the products as we have enjoying them 🙂
Its ok, you can diss the professionals if you want…but my back goes up when it is Jean Claude Ellena, LOL 😉
This bizzareness is a current reality for Givenchy, having recently released two of the most confusingly unharmonious scents that I've smelled in years. My nose can't make a dash of sense out of either of the two…an unfortunate sensation I've been experiencing more frequently, with each new celebrity release—as well as from exposure to the “new formulations” and other releases, by even the oldest houses.
The marketing for the “Irresistable” scents, features a famous young actress and a rose specially created for the scent…named after her. Top that of with references to Audrey Hepburn (ridiculous) and you have a marketing campaign that was meant to carry a celebrity image, right from the root of the flower.
On another Givenchy note, “Amirage” was also reformulated to smell like a sweeter version of Vera Wang's new “Princess” (if you want to even imagine that). So, I can appreciate the observation that some odd things have been happening to scents and their respective houses over the past 20 years…
I think the reality for all of the mainstream houses is that there isn't the time there used to be to develop a new fragrance, and there isn't the same time for the fragrance to find an audience. It can't be fun for the vast majority of perfumers, I would think.
I don't mean to be so hard on the houses…it's just a difficult market to shop for those who don't appreciate gourmande/sugary scents. I can't deny that gourmandes have their own unique lovliness; I just remain dissapointed in the little else being released alongside them.
Where did all of those balmy nights, russian tea-times (well, besides Bvalgari's “Red Tea”) and around-the-world-treks go—scent with character? Houses/Celebs seem to be releasing scents that only appreciate the seduction of comfort food. After smelling “Princess”, “Paris Hilton” and that new Hilary Duff scent, I end up thinking: “Are teens/pre-teens really happiest while tucking in cake, soda and ice-cream?”. I suppose, given the immense popularity of these scents, the answer is “yes”.
Would have to agree, because they wouldn't be making all these cake & soda scents if people weren't buying them!