The arT of raw materials

Transcription

The art
of raw materials
2-Matiere1Flacon ANG 27-03.indd 1
31/03/08 14:26:12
“We were in Da Vinci’s garden
where Gaspard had crushed jasmine
petals in his hands to make my
arms silky smooth and cover me in
perfume with each caress. I remember
his passionate, tender gaze along with his
repeated stroking of my bare arms.”
Catherine Weinzaepflen,
Orpiment
Free translation
3
2-Matiere1Flacon ANG 27-03.indd 2-3
31/03/08 14:26:12
GUERLAIN 180 YEARS
The ar t of raw materials
The creation of a perfume, essentially an emotional, intuitive
art, prolongs our feeling of wonder at the beauty of nature
transformed by human intelligence. Guerlain’s perfumers
have scoured the planet to find the rarest, finest essential
oils. After all, the quality of the flowers and essential oils
differs from country to country and region to region,
as does the quality of a good vintage. Jean-Paul Guerlain
admits to practising this art with obvious pleasure because,
in his words, “a perfumer must go looking for scents”.
Just as one recognises the origin of a great wine or the
composer of a symphony, so it is possible to identify Guerlain’s
“trademark”. It is often said that all Guerlain fragrances appear
to have a certain family resemblance, and this is because they
share a secret, an olfactory signature: the Guerlinade.
This secret, handed down from one generation to the next,
is also the reason why Guerlain fragrances are said to leave
“the trace of yourself in the memories of others…”.
Without, of course, betraying the secrets of its composition,
we can reveal that it is based on four key elements.
The magical appeal of Guerlain fragrances is based
on the rigorous selection of raw materials, which are
chosen to meet the very highest standards.
Even today, the vast majority of ingredients used are of natural
origin, which is what gives Guerlain fragrances the olfactory
power to endure through changing times and fashions.
Advertisement by Pierre Ino (1951)
4
5
31/03/08 14:26:15
GUERLAIN 180 YEARS
However, in the space of a century, research has added
a large number of fragrant new products to the perfumer’s
range of ingredients. Jicky, for example, was the first perfume
to combine synthetic and natural products in a formula.
The complementary nature of these ingredients gave the perfume
remarkable strength and an exceptional fragrance trail.
The discovery of new molecules is a rich source of inspiration for
the perfumer and one that can expose new creative horizons.
to appreciate Guerlain’s rich contribution to the world of perfume:
Jicky: an harmonious blend of natural raw materials and synthetic
elements led to it being called the first modern perfume.
Shalimar/Habit Rouge: the first oriental perfume
(dominant notes of vanilla and leather).
Chamade: the first perfume to contain blackcurrant bud
and jacinth.
Samsara: the first woody women’s perfume (dominant
notes of sandalwood, jasmine and ylang-ylang).
L’Instant de Guerlain: the first luminous crystalline-amber
perfume (dominant notes of benzoin, magnolia and mandarin).
Insolence: a violet that comes out of the shadows (dominant
notes of violet, red fruit, and orange blossom).
This is not a matter of dull, neat and sterile formulas. The
quest for perfection has to involve an in-depth composition
process which is the fruit of unique expertise. The creation
of numerous frictions arouse and captivate the senses.
By upholding this tradition through nearly two
centuries, Guerlain has achieved the feat of turning
this disequilibrium into the hallmark of its genius.
By adopting the audacious strategy of taking
an abundance of exceptional raw materials and
transfiguring them to create a distinctive fragrance,
Guerlain provokes, captivates, and stirs emotion.
Creative daring is in the brand’s genes. Guerlain’s “noses”
have never stopped breaking new ground, setting new trends,
and working towards a real vision of the future. This is an
enduring heritage and we have only to look at a few fragrances
6
Guerlain’s perfume creators go back to basics. As a result, their
fragrances, which convey a clear message, are no less rich, evolving
and multifaceted. They provoke an immediate olfactory response
or create an intricate array of facets to which you alone hold the
secret. Their concise formulas are not muddied by a vast line-up of
products, and this restraint heightens their impact and strength.
Owing to the ingredients that form the Guerlinade, all Guerlain
fragrances have a strong identity and a bold personality, so they
are instantly recognisable. Highly memorable with a captivating
fragrance trail, these fragrances make a statement and encapsulate
all the qualities that make them exceptionally timeless.
7
31/03/08 14:26:18
typical
Guerlain ingredients
The Guerlains have always devoted a great deal
of their energy to the quest for new scents and
the search for raw materials of the highest quality to
give a fragrance its uniqueness, richness and mystery.
Let us lift a corner of the veil to learn a little
more about a handful of remarkable trees,
flowers and roots which ensure that a famous
perfume does not achieve fame by chance.
9
31/03/08 14:26:20
GUERLAIN 180 YEARS
Bergamot
rose
Bergamot comes from the south Italian region of
Calabria, a land set between two seas. This olfactory
treasure is the fruit of the bergamot tree, produced
by crossing a lemon tree with bitter orange.
The delicate harvest is stored in copper vats to preserve
its exquisite fragrance. Only the juice of the zest is used and
it takes one hundred and fifty kilos of fruit to obtain one
hundred and fifty grammes of bergamot essential oil.
More than any other
flower, the rose epitomises
the ideal of eternal
femininity celebrated by
poets through the ages.
According to legend,
the red rose was created by
Venus, who pricked herself
on the thorn of a white
rose. Her blood coloured
the flower and Cupid gave
the bloom its fragrance.
Guerlain is the leading user of bergamot and its producers
reserve the best of their harvest for its use. The brand has
even established its own quality standard: Guerlain Bergamot.
This is a communelle – a joint product combining the harvests
of various producers in order to guarantee a consistent
olfactory profile of the highest quality year after year.
There are nearly seven thousand rose varieties in existence.
Guerlain, however, uses only the rarest essential oils – of
Rosa centifolia, the famous May rose grown in Grasse
in south-eastern France, and Rosa damascena, the damask
rose, which grows in Turkey, Bulgaria and Morocco.
The former is rounder, with a hint of honey, and
more sensual; the latter is fresher, more spicy.
Blending the two results in a sublime scent.
Since the dawn of time, roses have been harvested in the same
time-honoured way: Rosa centifolia, for example, is gathered
only in May, at around eight in the morning, when its buds are
beginning to open and its fragrance is at its height. Five tonnes
of flowers are needed to make a kilo of essential oil!
11
31/03/08 14:26:21
GUERLAIN 180 YEARS
Jasmine
Around fifteen hundred kilos of finest-quality
jasmine are produced each year.
Jasmine’s delicate flowers are so fragile that they cannot
be transported over long distances. To preserve their
fragrance they have to be processed into concrete
form in the place where they are grown. Two varieties
are used in perfumery: Sambac jasmine and Jasmine
Grandiflora, each with its own distinctive facet.
Guerlain uses a communelle combining jasmine from
different countries like France (Grasse), Egypt and India.
This blend makes it possible to maintain the highest quality
of jasmine, thereby optimising Guerlain’s signature.
To find Guerlain’s jasmine we have to travel
even further, as far as Kerala in southern India
where the most beautiful varieties are grown.
The supplier selected by Guerlain followed Jean-Paul Guerlain’s
instructions when setting up their operation, in order
to fulfil his meticulous requirements to the letter.
“Jasmine is even picked according to a ritual which has
never ceased to fascinate me, after all these years”, admits
the perfumer; “the harvest begins when it is still dark. Dawn is
barely breaking. Bending down between the jasmine bushes,
the jasmine pickers busy themselves, snapping off the tiny
individual flowers gleaming under their fingers one by one, filling
their cotton aprons with their light burden… Those who have
never witnessed the magic of a field of jasmine or roses
in the nascent dawn, can they truly know what perfume is?”.
12
31/03/08 14:26:23
GUERLAIN 180 YEARS
Tonka bean
Iris
The tonka bean is the fruit of the kumaru, a great tree of the
tropical forests of South America, particularly Venezuela.
Its flowers are brown and violet/purple in colour, and
grouped in fragrant clusters. Their fruit resembles a large
almond, with its seed, the bean, hidden inside it.
For perfumers, iris is the epitome of luxury for the beauty
and purity of all of its facets. Iris is the most romantic, rarest,
most expensive, and most highly coveted of materials.
Essence of tonka bean exhales a balmy fragrance,
with many facets, odours of spiced honey and almond,
while also reminiscent of hay and tobacco.
It adds the enveloping warmth of its oriental amber
accord to the construction of the most exquisite
gourmand base notes of a fragrance.
The iris is a beautiful and mysterious flower which jealously guards
its treasure below ground: it is not the flower that contains the
perfume but its roots or rhizomes. Guerlain uses Iris Palida.
Waiting for this plant to give up its olfactory secrets calls
for great patience. It takes three years for the rhizomes
to mature below ground, under the sunlight of Italy
or Morocco, then three years more for its rhizomes
to dry and finally yield their incomparable scent.
One tonne of iris produces just two litres of this infinitely precious
essential oil. Guerlain is one of the few perfumers to use this
natural raw material which is the most expensive in the world.
It adds a powerful floral and powdery resonance
to any fragrance which contains it.
14
15
31/03/08 14:26:25
GUERLAIN 180 YEARS
Vanilla
Vanilla, one of Guerlain’s typical raw materials, belongs to
the orchid family. In its wild state it is found in the form
of a climbing creeper, which can grow up to thirty metres high.
It was discovered in Mexico and is now cultivated in Java,
on the islands of Réunion and Madagascar and in Mayotte,
where Jean-Paul Guerlain has a plantation. It exists in
three different botanical forms: vanilla Pompona, vanilla
Tahitensis, vanilla Planifolia, and it is the third of these which
is used by Guerlain, in the form of a tincture.
The craft of transforming the slim, green pods into
vanilla scent is a long process. It takes between fifteen
and eighteen months from pollination to marketing.
During this time the pods are fermented for twenty‑four hours,
then rolled in woollen blankets as an initial drying and
browning process. After this they are dried in the sun
and then in the shade for three months, and after grading
and maturing for two to four months, the vanilla is ready.
Guerlain blends vanilla tincture and vanillin to use this raw
material, mainly in the base notes. Vanilla adds extreme
sensuality to the fragrance. On contact with the skin, it reveals
its aphrodisiac power with sensual, gourmand notes.
16
31/03/08 14:26:27
GUERLAIN 180 YEARS
Ylang-ylang
Vetiver
Until 1944, Java monopolised the cultivation of vetiver,
native to India, and its export to Europe.
Java, with Haiti, has also been the leading producer of
vetiver since 1935. However, the island of Réunion produces
an excellent vetiver known as “vetiver Bourbon”.
This plant, which grows prolifically, can reach one and a half metres
high. Its roots are used in perfumery. They must be dampened
if they are to develop their fragrance. Each crop lasts two years
and yields a harvest of a tonne of roots per hectare. Vetiver gives
a fresh woody note, despite its somewhat unappealing name.
This tree, whose name means “flower of flowers”, prefers volcanic
soil. It grows mainly in Indonesia, in the Comoros Archipelago,
where Jean-Paul Guerlain owns a plantation on Mayotte Island.
As this large tree can grow to a height of fifteen metres,
which makes it hard to harvest, the trunks have to be pruned.
Ylang-ylang regenerates easily and the more flowers are
picked, the more it produces: about eight kilos per year.
From dawn, the women pick only the flowers that are
ripe, identifiable by a thin red line at the base of the petals.
As the morning wears on, they gently lay these flowers one
by one in baskets of woven coconut palms that glow with
their pure gold tinged with green. Often found in Guerlain’s
fragrances, its perfume is thought to be an aphrodisiac.
18
19
31/03/08 14:26:30
GUERLAIN 180 YEARS
Benzoin
Musquinade
Benzoin essential oil can be found in virtually every fragrance
created by Jacques Guerlain. The great perfumer was very
fond of its soft, sweet perfume. Benzoin is a tree which grows
near rivers in Indonesia. When it reaches the age of three, cuts
are made in the bark of the trunk to collect what is known
as “benzoin tears”. The gum, when first collected, is white,
but it turns hard and yellow as it dries. Since time immemorial,
its perfume has been used to cleanse the air of Buddhist temples.
Sylvaine Delacourte, Guerlain’s Director of Fragrance
Creation, named this new accord of materials used
for the first time in L’Instant Magic in homage
to its illustrious predecessor, Guerlinade.
This unique olfactory signature is a true reflection
of the distinctive Guerlain identity.
With its sumptuous harmony of white musks adorned with
very “Guerlain” natural raw materials such as wood, tonka
bean, bergamot and rose, at once intense and utterly delicate,
Guerlain has achieved the feat of offering women that luxuriant,
intense, elegant and irresistible sensuality which is the unique
secret of the Guerlain tradition, without using oriental notes.
20
21
31/03/08 14:26:34
GUERLAIN 180 YEARS
The Perfumer’s Language
Absolute: this is what is obtained after the
concrete* is treated to remove the wax. It takes
the form of essential oils* and the technique is
called extraction*.
Accord: the effect obtained by mixing two or
more raw materials. Its harmony depends on
the balance and the olfactory intensity of the
different materials.
Barbichage (bearding): separation of silk
threads using a fine metal blade.
Base note: this note emerges after an hour
and can last up to 24 hours. It forms the soul
of your fragrance. The base note is what makes
the fragrance last over time: as such, it can be
regarded as the foundation which supports
the top and middle notes. Raw materials used
might include opoponax, tonka bean, vanilla, iris,
woods, etc.
Baudruchage: a process carried out entirely
by hand. The dames de table (ladies of the
table) cover the stopper of the extracts with
a translucent membrane and then tie a silk
cord round it to hold it in place. This ensures a
perfect, water-tight seal.
Communelle: combining several batches
of the same natural essence, a communelle is
generally used to ensure consistent quality every
year – a communelle of bergamot from several
Calabrian producers, for example.
It can also be used to create a unique form
of a particular essence selected for its special
characteristics – thus ensuring a distinctively
“Guerlain” scent. For example, a communelle
of jasmine composed of jasmine from Grasse,
India and Egypt.
Concentrate : the term used for the
composition obtained by weighing the various
products defined in the formula devised by the
perfumer.
The concentrates are then mixed with alcohol
according to the desired end product – extract,
eau de toilette, etc.
Concrete: the waxy, solid or semi-solid
substance obtained after solvents have been
used to extract the fragrant substance from
plant materials such as jasmine, rose, etc.
*Term explained in this glossary.
22
23
31/03/08 14:26:39
GUERLAIN 180 YEARS
Diffusion : the streng th of dispersal of
a fragrance in the air around the person
wearing it.
Distillation: an extraction method using a mix
of water and plant material. When the mixture is
heated, the essential oils* are obtained through
steam condensation.
Enfleurage: ancient cold extraction method
for floral products perfected in Grasse, utilising
the proper ty of cer tain fats to absorb and
retain the fragrant substance. The perfumed
fats (“pomades”) are then treated with alcohol
to extract the pomade absolute.
Essential oil (or essence): the term used
for the aromatic and volatile products extracted
from plants either by distillation or by cold
expression: essential oil or essence of bergamot,
rose, sandalwood, etc.
Extraction: a technique which uses a volatile
solvent to extract the fragrant substances from
the plant; the solvent is subsequently removed
by evaporation. The concrete* obtained in this
way is then purified using alcohol to obtain the
precious absolute*.
24
Facet: used to describe a combination of
several similar notes, e.g. citrus facet.
Fougère accord: combination of different
natural raw materials such as bergamot, lavender,
geranium, oak moss, tonka bean and coumarin.
Fougère is French for fern.
Fragrance: unlike an odour or smell, which
may be unpleasant, this word of Latin origin
describes the pleasant odour of a perfumed
product.
Fragrance trail: the term for the scented trail
dispersed by the person wearing a fragrance.
Middle note: this note links the top notes
with the base notes. Emerging after around
fifteen minutes and lasting for several hours, this
note defines the fragrance’s identity. It is often
composed of floral notes which may include
jasmine, violet, rose and magnolia, as well as
aromatic plants, fruits, spices, etc.
25
31/03/08 14:26:56
GUERLAIN 180 YEARS
Natural raw material: a product existing in
nature, in plant form. The perfumer has around
1,000 such raw materials available for his or her
use.
Guerlain is renowned for using a high proportion
of natural products because they generate a
unique emotional impact.
Nose: name of perfume creator.
Note: the term used to describe a simple
facet (e.g. lilac note, rose note) or to describe
volatility and structure: top/head note, middle/
heart note, base note.
Synthetic raw material: these are vital
for perfumers because they add diffusion and
tenacity and can imitate some natural scents
which cannot be extracted – for example lilac,
plum and lily of the valley.
They are obtained either through chemical
reactions or by being isolated from a natural
product and then replicated. Around 3,000 of
these materials are available to the perfumer.
Tincture: produced by macerating a raw
material in alcohol. It takes 30 days at least
to obtain a tincture and although this is not a
widely used technique, it is used by Guerlain. The
tincture of vanilla used by Guerlain is obtained by
macerating vanilla pods in alcohol for 30 days.
Top or head note: this very volatile note is
the first olfactory impression left by a fragrance.
It may last for a few minutes.
This note is generally composed of citrus (or
hesperides) such as lemon, bergamot or petit
grain but may also include aromatic or green
notes.
Wax seal: used to fasten the cord to the
bottle.
Tenacity: characteristic of very high-quality
fragrances.
26
27
31/03/08 14:27:01
The magic
of the fragrance bottle
31/03/08 14:27:01
Shrouded by layers of time,
such a memory lies
hidden deep within our heart
like a drop of oriental essence
contained within a precious bottle.
Auguste de Villiers de L’Isle-Adam,
Contes cruels (Cruel tales)
Free translation
31
31/03/08 14:27:01
The magic of the fragrance bottle
The singular art of designing fragrance bottles is all about creating
completely new forms, manipulating the myriad nuances of glass,
showcasing the delicacy and brilliance of crystal, and grasping
every facet of the material in order to push it to its limits. These
artists alone possess the secret of creating delicate containers
that enhance and transfigure the perfume’s inner beauty.
Although most perfumers regarded the bottle as nothing more
than a simple container, Guerlain’s creators wasted no time
in focusing on the subtle connection that existed between
the bottle and its precious contents. They were not to know
they were at the vanguard of a new trend, a sophisticated
practice that would spread throughout the profession.
Prompted purely by the pursuit of beauty, they paid close,
creative attention to form. Symbolising the enduring nature
of haute parfumerie, Guerlain has, in modern times, come
to represent a unique artistic tradition both in terms of
fragrance composition and in the art of the fragrance bottle,
an art which is an essential element of a perfume’s allure.
33
31/03/08 14:27:06
GUERLAIN 180 YEARS
Fire, sand and water
Although the earliest examples of glass work date back to
Ancient Egypt, around 2,000 years BC, it was the Romans,
with their great love of perfume, who were the first to develop
the large-scale production of fragrance bottles. Specific
ingredients, like wood to feed the furnaces, fine sand, limestone
and lime, are needed for glass making. From the 17th century,
the arrival of influential glass-makers in France promoted the
spread of new techniques that resulted in a time-honoured
tradition and virtuosity in the art of fragrance bottle making.
In the 19th century, fragrance bottles benefited from the
development of new glass-making techniques. The virtuosity and
expertise of glass-makers of this period can clearly be seen, for
example, in the sophistication of the square bottle of 1870, with
its gold decoration or exquisite customised silk-screen print.
traditionally based in Normandy, close to fine sandy beaches,
and in the Bresle valley, rich in firewood: Pochet & du Courval,
Saint-Gobain Desjonquères, Romesnil and Brosse.
The prestigious glass-makers who have worked with Guerlain
since 1828, have always been selected for the quality and
elegance of their glass, as well as their bold, creative approach:
Baccarat for the fine, clear quality of its crystal, Lalique for his
talented work with glass, and the leading French glass‑makers,
In the same spirit of sophistication, Guerlain and its glass‑makers
have taken bottle-making techniques to new heights. Together,
their research has resulted in some major innovations and
an increasingly resolute quest for refinement: the Eau de Cologne
Impériale bottle with every bee painted in fine gold, the
first bottle sealed to the base for Shalimar, an innovative
combination of glass and metal on the bottle for Vol de Nuit,
the first red bottle in the history of perfumery for Samsara,
and the challenge of encircling the Insolence bottle with
a platinum band. The perfume and its bottle merge to create
a precious, sophisticated object that is almost a work of art.
34
35
31/03/08 14:27:07
GUERLAIN 180 YEARS
Perfume takes its wearer on a voyage of discovery and
the fragrance bottle, like the name of the fragrance, contributes to
this flight of fancy. Guerlain’s creations tell real or fictional stories,
inspired by works of literature or journeys to exotic places.
Guerlain’s “noses” have
worked closely with
artists to enhance their
fragrances, thereby
refuting Alfred de Musset’s
assertion: “Who cares
about the bottle, as long
as drunkenness follows”.
For over thirty years, the
sculptor Robert Granai
has divided his time
between showcasing
international exhibitions
of his own work
and working busily
as a designer for Guerlain. From 1969 onwards,
he has designed innovative fragrance bottles, skincare
jars, powder compacts, and lipstick cases.
the fragrance bottle and
the world of travel
In the early 20th century, Raymond Guerlain was Artistic Director
at Guerlain. He designed several fragrance bottles, including
the Shalimar bottle, which made him famous. The exceptional
design of this bottle, whose first series sported a central stopper,
was devised in conjunction with Georges Chevallier at Baccarat.
Together they produced the so-called chauve‑souris bottle,
loosely inspired by Mogul art. Its distinctive shape
was unexpected, but it won first prize at
the Decorative Arts Exhibition of 1925.
The judges had not been mistaken. A design
that seems classic today was truly innovative at
the time. This was the first time that a base had
been sealed to a bottle and the blue fan-shaped stopper had
been a real challenge for chemists in the Roaring Twenties.
Jacques Guerlain was a great fan of opera, so it was hardly
surprising that he named one of his perfumes, Liu, after the
heroine of Puccini’s great opera, Turandot. Set in the Chinese
court, the work inspired the stunning black Baccarat
crystal bottle in the shape of a Chinese tea caddy.
Several decades later, in 1989, Robert Granai designed the bottle
for Samsara. On one of his visits to the Musée Guimet,
the temple of Asiatic art in Paris, the sculptor discovered
36
37
31/03/08 14:27:09
GUERLAIN 180 YEARS
a sculpture of a Khmer dancer, which made an incredible visual
and emotional impact on him. Once again, love played its part
and the bottle for Samsara was the fruit of this virtual union.
The virtuoso designer did not neglect the shape of the stopper,
drawing his inspiration for this physical object from the spiritual
world. The transfiguration of the Buddha’s eye, as if turned to
gold leaf, set the seal on this perfume, whose advertising slogan,
“As the new millennium dawns, woman is reborn–in
Guerlain”, was the inspiration of Jacques Séguéla.
38
31/03/08 14:27:34
GUERLAIN 180 YEARS
the fragrance bottle and
the written word
1933 was another ground-breaking year for the French perfume
industry. Vol de Nuit had a square bottle with bevelled corners
and a radiating design in relief on the front representing
the moving propeller of
an aircraft—a somewhat
surprising choice for its
female customers. Salon
goers wondered whether
this was a perfume for men
or for women. As the story
goes, Jacques Guerlain
apparently insisted that
the bottle for his new creation
should be a perfect allegory
of the novel by his friend,
Saint‑Exupéry. At the centre of the propeller, plain gold lettering
spells out Vol de Nuit in a circle. This design was a complete
success, since the perfume has lost none of its appeal in 2008.
For Chamade, created in 1969 and named after a novel
by Françoise Sagan, Raymond Guerlain and the sculptor
Robert Granai, in his first job for Guerlain, created
a shape reminiscent of Venus’s pearly cockle shell in the
painting by Botticelli. These two creators intended
this fragrance bottle to symbolise women’s liberation.
40
31/03/08 14:27:38
GUERLAIN 180 YEARS
and
the animal kingdom
the fragrance bottle
Taking a step back in time to 1853, Guerlain engraved
the imperial bees on a bottle that soon became a cult object.
Pierre‑François‑Pascal Guerlain had been keen to conquer
the world and the Imperial Court was central to his ambitions.
For Empress Eugénie, he created a citrus cologne that he called,
unsurprisingly, Eau de Cologne Impériale. The creator
commissioned glass-makers Pochet & du Courval to make
an emblematic fragrance bottle engraved with the empress’s
arms. This bottle, with its 69 nectar-collecting bees, symbols
of the Empire, is still unique. Every facet and every bee are
skilfully hand-painted in fine gold using the same technique that
was applied a century before. Robert Granai drew inspiration
from it to create the Aqua Allegoria bottles, but replaced
the bees with the golden, honey-coloured cells of a hive.
Designers drew on a wide variety of imaginative sources that
occasionally reflected a hint of humour. There is no forgetting
the surprising tortoise-shaped bottle, designed by Baccarat
for the Parfum des Champs-Elysées, which was created
43
31/03/08 14:27:45
GUERLAIN 180 YEARS
by Jacques Guerlain in 1914 to celebrate the inauguration
of the boutique of the same name. Jean-Paul Guerlain
enjoys telling the anecdote associated with this fragrance
bottle, that still circulates around the company to this day:
“The architect Charles Mewès, who was also the designer
of the Ritz Hotel, was in charge of the construction of our
new building on the Champs-Elysées. Since the work was
running very late, my grandfather allegedly had the mischievous
idea of presenting his inaugural perfume in a bottle that
symbolised the slowest animal in the world. An amusing
story that is a clear indication of the spirit of the times.”
What should be made then of the snail-shaped bottle of
Mouchoir de Monsieur and Voilette de Madame in 1904
The liking for decorative bestiaries at the time must surely
have played its part in the designer’s choice of an animal.
44
31/03/08 14:27:48
GUERLAIN 180 YEARS
and the art world
Although the Belle Epoque bottle for L’Heure Bleue was
well‑suited to the romantic aspect of this perfume, Guerlain also
used the same bottle for Fôl Arôme, in 1912, and Mitsouko,
in 1919. It was common practice at the time for different perfumes
to be sold in the same bottle. No one was likely to be tempted by
a mere fragrance bottle when they walked into a perfume store:
the contents were more important than the container. This was
one of Raymond Guerlain’s first bottles. The sensual, curvilinear
forms inspired by the natural world, were characteristic of the Art
Nouveau movement emerging in France around 1890. The original
design was realised by Baccarat, and its stopper, shaped like
a hollowed-out heart pierced through the centre, shows the
ground-breaking technical expertise of this illustrious glassworks.
The bottle for Insolence, designed by sculptor Serge Mansau, has
an element of “catch me if you can” about it. His three twirling
hemispheres seem sculpted in light itself. It calls to mind a bright
spinning top, a bursting pink flower. Only the Guerlain signature
on the stopper and the name of the perfume on a platinum band
come between the glass and the radiance it has harnessed.
This leading artist is also behind the incredible bottle for Quand
vient la pluie. This sculpture, because it is truly a work of art,
is only on display in the Maison Guerlain and boutiques.
46
47
31/03/08 14:27:49
GUERLAIN 180 YEARS
as symbol
According to Robert Granai, the plan for the Champs‑Elysées
perfume started with the concept of the Avenue
des Champs‑Elysées. There was a need, in 1996, to create a strong
link with the brand’s roots—Guerlain had just become part of the
LVMH group and it was important to build
a promising future on a glorious past. The bottle represents
the view of this famous avenue, which was virtually Guerlain’s
birthplace, stretching between the Louvre Pyramid, designed
by the architect Pei, and the Arc de Triomphe. The pinnacle
of achievement firmly rooted in a triangle of life.
48
31/03/08 14:28:11
GUERLAIN 180 YEARS
and understated
elegance
Gabriel Guerlain designed
the bottle for Jicky, with
its so-called quadrilobe
stopper, in homage
to his father, PierreFrançois-Pascal, who
trained as a chemist.
Produced by Baccarat,
it is shaped like an old
pharmaceutical
jar. In contrast,
the stopper is in
the shape of a champagne
cork, symbolising the
sparkling, joyful nature
of this perfume. The bottle
combines the romanticism
of the Belle Epoque with the
strength of the industrialised
world. Over the years, it has become
the standard bottle used for many perfumes.
50
Purity was the inspiration for the design of the L’Instant
de Guerlain and L’Instant Magic bottle. The glass is deliberately
heavier than usual–a reminder that perfume is also a work of art
that should be treasured. The simplicity of its streamlined form
and its perfect proportions transcend the elixir it contains and
prove that true beauty has no need for adornment. The eye
is drawn to what is important and the delicate slender cord is like
Proust’s famous madeleine, unlocking the past: the great Guerlain
perfumes used to be fastened by a silk cord of varying colours.
51
31/03/08 14:28:25
photographiC CrEdits
Guerlain Archives
Pages : 5, 8, 19, 20, 24, 25, 26, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 44, 48
Mai Duong : pages 22 (en bas), 23 (en haut), 27 (en haut)
Marc Lacaze : page 18
Lhorens B. Sartori : pages 14, 17, 32, 40, 41, 45
Peter Lippmann : page 42
Thierry Marchal : page 33
Ann McMurry : pages 10, 11, 13, 15
Patrick Paufert : pages 6, 7 (en haut à droite), 50, 51
Fabien Sarrazin : page 49
Bruno Vautrelle : page 7 (troisième flacon)
2-Matiere1Flacon ANG 27-03.indd 52
31/03/08 14:28:26

The arT of raw materials

Transcription

Similar documents

Diapositive 1 - Esprit de Parfum

+INFO - Lladró

F O R I NT ERNAL USE O NLY

Make-up rouge - septetneuf.com

Air freshener MY SHALDAN V6

chic sneaks spring bling natural charm

Portraits through the years

visionair - Hygiene Vision

Power, Steering Proxes R888 sticks to the track whilst you stick to

WFN_40_Sept_2012-27