MOVE over Britney Spears and Sarah Jessica Parker, here come Olivia Giacobetti, Romano Ricci and Kilian Hennessy.
According to Myer's fragrance buyer, Marissa Galatis, these boutique perfumers are the ''new rock stars'' of the fragrance world and are set to give celebrity fragrances, which have flooded the perfume market in recent years, a run for their money this Christmas.
— From Message in a bottle: 'Indie' perfumes are the new scent-sation at the Sydney Morning Herald. My question, because I see the term "rock star" applied to perfumers nearly everywhere (on blogs and in the mainstream media) these days: do any of you think of perfumers as rock stars? And would you buy a perfume just because Romano Ricci (who is, of course, not a perfumer) made it any more than you would buy a perfume because Britney Spears (ditto) made it?
I noticed this trend recently, and it honestly baffled me a bit, because as a fragrance consumer, as much as I admire the work of certain perfumers, their name alone is not sufficient for me to spend my money on perfume. What matters more is the product itself. Plus, the way fragrances are created these days, it is very difficult to speak of a unique perfumer signature (even in niche creations.)
That being said, I love the fact that perfumers get more prominence these days, because it is very interesting to learn about creators of things I enjoy. Maybe it is also, because I am a perfume geek (thanks, Frederic Malle!), and I love learning about this sort of thing.
I think what it is for me is that I don’t mind being called a perfume geek, but I do mind someone implying that I’m some sort of crazed fan. I like Jean Claude Ellena’s perfumes, but I don’t swoon at the mention of his name and I don’t want to rip the shirt of his back. I have no desire to meet him, I just like the perfume. Maybe I’m missing something because I don’t attend perfume events: maybe there are more crazed fans out there than I know.
The implication of the article, which seems to be that customers are like little sheep who used to blindly buy perfume because it was by Dior, and now blindly buy perfume because it is by Olivia Giacobetti, strikes me as ridiculous.
Ditto! That implication is what bothers me the most. It once again suggests that consumers do not make their judgments based on the qualities of the product itself.
LOL! Choked on my coffee at the vision of you ripping poor M. Ellena’s shirt off.
I was listening to Keith Richards on Fresh Air recently talking about fans ripping their clothing off, and how scary it was….
Poor Jean Claude Ellena, can you imagine? I will try to avoid using the words “fan” or “fan girl” from now on.
No, not sheep – LEMMINGS! Ha, ha. I know we use that term lemmings or “lemms” a lot. But as a fellow geek, I will assume it’s because we’ve all done our rigorous homework and not b/c someone assumed how we’d feel about a fragrance or it’s designer. Most Noses have a few duds they’d like to keep off the roster. Granted there are a few with more lemms than the rest, but crazed rock star scenario, not likely. Nice post.
Absolutely not…..but I would be much more likely to test it….even go out of my way to test it. (which is really saying something, because I’m very much like a lazy old hound dog who really just wants to lay in the sun on the porch all day)
I would be more likely to test it too…but gosh. Rock stars?
yes, well….that’s a little silly. A blatant attempt at sensationalism.
Why is being a “rock star” the definition of success or even celebrity. Rock stars do very specific things. They work with other musicians to develop and perform songs and then (usually working with choreographers, directors, etc.) develop stage performances. (In most cases, I hope they actually sing, rap, and/or play an instrument themselves; otherwise they lip sync as heads of dance teams).
This is different than what a film actor, who may never appear in front of live audience, does, and different than what a ball player does. The head of a perfume house heads up actual perfumers, bottle and packaging designers and works on distribution and pricing. An actual perfumer extracts and mixes chemicals. These mixtures may or may not be are art; certain perfumes and packaging may be more “creative” than dreary musical performances, but they are entirely different processes, require different knowledge and different skills.
Moreover fragrance is an intimate experience. At most, it applies to people within a small room. Rock, ideally is shared among hundreds if not thousands or tens and hundreds of thousands.
I was more reacting to the idea of perfumers being celebrities at all…I don’t much think they are, and I think many of these articles are wildly exaggerating aspects of perfumista culture.
I see, but isn’t interesting that every field seems to reach for the caricature of a rock star (who at that moment will be consciously trying to be the “front” of the evening) on stage as the epitome of celebrityhood and branding, while ignoring the specific work, social context, etc. that goes into that moment.
Even if noses (not just brands, even personalized “niche brands”) develop their own reputations and following, it’s hard to see how a cult of personality would develop. In the last couple of months, some very distinguished designers/brand executives have demonstrated that their personalities are not easily marketable or downright unpleasant. Oui, c’est vous, M. Guerlain.
Furthermore, think of the “Rock Star” like cutting edge darlings of a few years ago, such as Mark Buxton. His work for CDG seemed to heading fragrance in a different direction; he did not translate this success into an immediate fan base for his eponymous line.
“Olivia Giacobetti, who recently launched her own range of fragrances, Honore des pres…” She has created most (not all) of the fragrances in the Honore des Pres line, but she’s not the owner/founder of the line. Overall, this writer seems a bit confused about the respective roles of the individuals she mentions. Most of the article seems like a retread of material we’ve read in other articles about this “new” “trend” of niche fragrance and the interest in the perfumers behind the scents… remember that article in the NY Times about F Malle et al.? Or am I completely off base?
They all start to read the same…you could be right, or she could be just repeating what these store owners have told her.
It’s the chicken and the egg… the articles, and what people are saying. 😉
Anyone else misread that paragraph as the following; “… and are set to give celebrity fragrances, which have *fooled* the perfume market in recent years…”?
I don’t even need to consult my Freud Reader to figure that one out.
What I LOVE about the use of the term “Rock Star” is that it seems to imply a meteoric rise to fame. ‘Cause no one knew about Olivia Giacobetti until recently, right? Sheesh…
Also think it’s quite untrue that “A lot of the top perfumers are launching their own lines of fragrances”…I can only think of a few. Mark Buxton, which appears to be largely geared towards Russia, and Francis Kurkdjian. There must be others I’m not thinking of offhand, but it isn’t like an avalanche.
I guess I see it in the way people go to New York for the restaurants, and specific restaurants for a particular chef.
I’m thinking of Anthony Bourdain’s book, in which he accords himself a sort of rock star status. It seems like there are greater parallels between perfumer & sous chef as “rock star” in this setting, than perfumers compared to the Rolling Stones.
Confession: I’ve never approached a celebrity or asked one for an autograph (and have had multiple opportunities), but if I saw Bertrand Douchaufor I *would* impose myself on him to tell him how much I like his work.
Fangirl? Maybe.
The whole use of the term rock star for these brilliant (or not so brilliant) noses is ridiculous and really dumbs down what is a great reaction to the mass market – celebrity frag or otherwise. A few of these designers are able to move in their own direction and that is a great thing. I hope that all the indie fragrance houses and noses out there can keep it going with great scents that intrigue and challenge us. Rock Star isn’t really the right way to put this reaction against banality, but it is most likely the best term for non-perfumistas to get what is going on. I imagine a scenario when “a fragrance by Dominique Ropion” will be asked for at the locked perfume cupboard at CVS, rather than a “normal” perfume customer just saying: “may I please have that bottle of Safari?”
I so agree with that comment. I wouldn’t buy a perfume based on who made it. I let my nose make the decision.
I suppose I might be more apt to try a scent made by a perfumer whose works I’ve previously liked – just as I might peek into a book by an author whose other books I’ve liked. The odds are better than just assuming we’d like something that a celebrity is fronting. But still, like the rest of you, I let my experience with a particular scent guide my purchases, not the designer, house, or name.
I’ve been star struck by Christopher Brosius. I realized recently that I’d chatted with him years ago at the old Demeter store, but now that I know and admire his work, I’m a little shy about approaching him at the CB I Hate Perfume gallery. It’s like meeting a favorite author. They’ve already shared so much through their work – I don’t really have anything to say to them other than thanking them for doing what they do.