French niche line Frédéric Malle has launched Hope, a new fragrance in the Desert Gems collection (see The Night, Promise, Dawn, The Moon)…
The mirror of your soul
Frédéric Malle and perfumer Suzy Le Helley for Acne Studios par Frédéric Malle.
The foundations of the artisanal perfumery movement
Twenty-five years ago, I started working on Editions de Parfums in an attempt to create a direct link between the best perfumers in the industry and the most demanding public,” he continued. “In doing so, I created a platform where noses could express themselves fully and be so proud of their work that they would want to sign it with their names. I could not have foreseen that what became the first publishing house for ‘noses’ would reveal these artists to the world in such a powerful way, show the public that perfume can be an art form and lay the foundations of the artisanal perfumery movement.
— Frédéric Malle announced yesterday that he will step down from Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle (the brand was acquired by Estee Lauder in 2015). Read more in EXCLUSIVE: Frédéric Malle Is Leaving His Eponymous Fragrance Brand at Women's Wear Daily via Yahoo Life.
The daily lemming
From Frédéric Malle, the USB-rechargeable Fleur Mécanique II diffuser: "To create Fleur Mécanique II, Frédéric Malle concocted, like a mad scientist, a device that is both simple and wonderfully complex which adapts the scents to each person’s space and mood. The fan allows one to control the intensity, duration, and frequency of diffusion of one's favorite perfume. Using dimmers and timers, the perfume is diffused at the desired intensity. Effortless and instantaneous, the cartridge can be changed in the blink of an eye to adapt a home fragrance to one's mood. An immediate change of atmosphere." $730 at Saks; the cartridges (sold separately, available in Jurassic Flower, Café Society, Saints des Saints, Rosa Rugosa and 1er Mai) are $60.
A house for a little dog
Niche means a house for a little dog, meaning a house that’s so small it cannot grow. And in that word ‘niche’, which comes from marketing people who aren’t the most inventive by essence, there was a little bit of contempt. It was like, ‘Oh, that’s niche; it’s not going to become so big.’ And the same people who criticised us have joined, as one joins victory, and now the word has stuck. And it’s become a whole perfume category, which today has become completely overcrowded.
— Frédéric Malle, quoted in Legendary Perfumer Frédéric Malle On Expanding his Footprint in Asia at Prestige.