Glass gets a lesson in fragrance with fashion brand Zadig & Voltaire’s duo of the year

Made in France – a lesson in fragrance with Zadig & Voltaire – Glass gets a lesson in fragrance with Zadig & Voltaire’s duo of the year

IF you ever found yourself idly wondering “What is Zadig?”, you need only take a sniff of the French fashion house’s two new fragrances, THIS IS HER! and THIS IS HIM! for your answer. ‘‘Zadig & Voltaire is Paris. It’s art. It’s rock,” says Nathalie Helloin Kamel, chief brands officer at perfume maker Beauté Prestige International.  ‘‘Zadig & Voltaire is trans-generational. It’s not a question of age, it’s about being forever young.” And it’s certainly not just a name on a bottle either: “We wanted to put the spirit of the brand inside, says Nathalie.

Zadig & Voltaire fragranceZadig & Voltaire new fragrances THIS IS HER! and THIS IS HIM!

Ever since it was founded in 1997 by Thierry Gillier, Zadig & Voltaire has broken the rules. Voltaire, the French philosopher after whom the brand is named, was probably the first rocker in history. At its core – it’s very spirit – Zadig & Voltaire is about disrupting the status quo. True to form, THIS IS HER! and THIS IS HIM! are nothing like other mass produced designer fragrances.

Light florals are good for some, but for this masculine-feminine duo the brief was to find something darker, more mysterious. The scents are still crisp and clean, but there’s an edge so integral to the rock styles Zadig & Voltaire artistic director Cecilia Bonstrom favours. “We have the ability to play with luxury and rock,” says Nathalie. “Not only music, but also its state of mind. To have a different attitude, to break the rules.”

Zadig & Voltaire fragranceThierry Gillier – the founder of Zadig & Voltaire

THIS IS HER! is an intoxicating woody scent by perfumers Sidonie Lancesseur and Michel Almairac with notes of pink pepper, Sambac jasmine, milky chestnut cream, vanilla and the Zadig & Voltaire signature sandalwood. “The idea was to use precious materials to recreate a very jaunty universe,” says Sidonie. “It has a powerful signature trail.”

THIS IS HIM! was conjured by noses Nathalie Lorson and Aurelien Guichard, and comprises notes of grapefruit and spice, and all things nice: black pepper, vanilla and sandalwood. “When developing the fragrance, we wanted to really reflect the duality between white and black, between vibration and addiction,” says Aurélien. The duo is the fragrance equivalent of #CoupleGoals.

Cecilia Bonstrom. Zadig & Voltaire fragranceZadig & Voltaire artistic director Cecilia Bonstrom

Both THIS IS HER! And THIS IS HIM! are bottled in chunky weights of glass, but the boxy structure is “broken”. “This is to add disruption,” says Nathalie. The yin and yang of the bottles fit together at the jagged edges. His matches up with hers, but equally two bottles of THIS IS HIM! slot together, as do two of THIS IS HER! “We wanted to focus on minimalist design; black and white, with this symbol of opposition and attraction,” says Cecilia.

Zadig & Voltaire fragranceZadig & Voltaire new fragrances

“I can’t imagine life without fragrance,” confides Thierry. “I like when it leaves behind a trail, asserts a personality. It’s an alchemy between you and someone else.”

by Natalie Egling

Zadig & Voltaire THIS IS HER! (EDP) retails at £70 for 100ml and Zadig & Voltaire THIS IS HIM! (EDP) retails at £55 for 100ml and are available from here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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