I want to preface this by stating this is not a criticism against frags released by designers, but more an inquiry into the idea of fragrances branded and marketed by fashion designers. It is something I've been musing about for some time.
Why are fashion designers and fashion design houses more or less "the establishment" of personal fragrance? Fashion designers design the clothing that they sell, but they are not perfumers. They do not invent the formula with their own hands, the way they draw their own clothing designs, and may even hand stitch prototypes themselves. They have to hire someone else to create fragrances for them, which they then sign with their own names.
So I wonder why do I want this fragrance that has the signature of a clothing designer on it? I don't wear designer clothes. Even if I had an unlimited funds I wouldn't buy designer clothes - I'd be shopping on Saville Row.
To mythologize it a bit, it seems like once upon a time one went to a tailor for clothing and to a perfumer for fragrance. The rise of the so-called niche houses would then really not be something new but the return to something closer to how it used to be: fragrances from those who specialize in fragrance.
Of course many designers do have good taste in fragrances even if they do not create fragrances themselves. Perhaps it is Coco Chanel's fault. She hired the best perfumers and did not stint on quality when she put her name on fragrances. Thus, one of the most successful perfume houses of the last century is a clothing manufacturer.
It almost seems like designer fragrance is a form of celebrity fragrance. They have sufficient fame and brand equity to sell products unrelated to their core business, products which they themselves are incapable of designing. So we have an interesting situation where the fragrance market is dominated by non-specialists: by the makers of clothing, leather goods, and jewelers.
By far, most of the fragrances I have purchased over the years have been from designers, and through most of those years marketing and image were always very influential in those purchasing decisions. Some might argue that the marketing concept, branding, and even the bottle design is an important part of the pleasure of fragrance.
When I discovered Basenotes and finally decided to try Guerlain (for example)I was very conscious of finally trying fragrance from a specialist perfumer rather than a designer. Which isn't to say that some specialist houses don't market the same way designers do, just that I haven't seen enough myself to actually be influenced by it. So buying from specialists does have a bit of a different vibe for me than buying from designers. Sniffing a fragrance without the context of a lot of marketing hoopla is like only listening to a song for the first time rather than seeing a music video. I'm not being told what I am supposed to feel about this thing, I have to figure it out and find an emotional place for it myself.
Any thoughts on the subject(s)?
Why are fashion designers and fashion design houses more or less "the establishment" of personal fragrance? Fashion designers design the clothing that they sell, but they are not perfumers. They do not invent the formula with their own hands, the way they draw their own clothing designs, and may even hand stitch prototypes themselves. They have to hire someone else to create fragrances for them, which they then sign with their own names.
So I wonder why do I want this fragrance that has the signature of a clothing designer on it? I don't wear designer clothes. Even if I had an unlimited funds I wouldn't buy designer clothes - I'd be shopping on Saville Row.
To mythologize it a bit, it seems like once upon a time one went to a tailor for clothing and to a perfumer for fragrance. The rise of the so-called niche houses would then really not be something new but the return to something closer to how it used to be: fragrances from those who specialize in fragrance.
Of course many designers do have good taste in fragrances even if they do not create fragrances themselves. Perhaps it is Coco Chanel's fault. She hired the best perfumers and did not stint on quality when she put her name on fragrances. Thus, one of the most successful perfume houses of the last century is a clothing manufacturer.
It almost seems like designer fragrance is a form of celebrity fragrance. They have sufficient fame and brand equity to sell products unrelated to their core business, products which they themselves are incapable of designing. So we have an interesting situation where the fragrance market is dominated by non-specialists: by the makers of clothing, leather goods, and jewelers.
By far, most of the fragrances I have purchased over the years have been from designers, and through most of those years marketing and image were always very influential in those purchasing decisions. Some might argue that the marketing concept, branding, and even the bottle design is an important part of the pleasure of fragrance.
When I discovered Basenotes and finally decided to try Guerlain (for example)I was very conscious of finally trying fragrance from a specialist perfumer rather than a designer. Which isn't to say that some specialist houses don't market the same way designers do, just that I haven't seen enough myself to actually be influenced by it. So buying from specialists does have a bit of a different vibe for me than buying from designers. Sniffing a fragrance without the context of a lot of marketing hoopla is like only listening to a song for the first time rather than seeing a music video. I'm not being told what I am supposed to feel about this thing, I have to figure it out and find an emotional place for it myself.
Any thoughts on the subject(s)?
) and houses like Dior, Givenchy etc, know it well since theyr major revenues come from beauty and accessories.
