Guerlain shows us how an iconic perfume is made in four chapters: the perfumer, the fragrance, the muse, and the film.
Chapter 1: The Perfumer
“I am always filled with an imperious thirst for distant lands, the desire to go ever farther, in search of new scents.” -Thierry Wasser, Guerlain Master Perfumer
For Thierry Wasser, the fifth Guerlain perfumer, who orchestrated the creation of the new women’s fragrance by the House, it is impossible to define a Guerlain fragrance as a mere formula that unites accords and combines rare raw materials in secret concentrations.
“Like my predecessors before me, my work is guided by a passion for fine craftsmanship, an admiration for the know-how of artisans, the authenticity of encounters and the sincerity of emotions.”
From the time of Aimé Guerlain, who personally travelled to Russia in the late 19th century to look for his birch essence and leather, Guerlain's networks have been built over the long term on a basis of trust.
This is why each of their raw materials possesses an emotional dimension that expresses itself and reveals its true nature when it is crafted with their values in mind.
Chapter 2: The Fragrance
“The creation of a fragrance is a work of emotion and intuition. It perpetuates the wonder offered by the beauty of nature when enhanced by human intelligence.” - Jacques Guerlain, Third Generation
This quadrilobe bottle was dreamt up by Gabriel Guerlain and crafted by Baccarat in 1908. It is the showcase of legendary fragrances. Year after year, it has earned its position as one of the iconic bottles of Guerlain, inspiring numerous artists and designers who reinterpret it with each of their creations.
Today, it encases Mon Guerlain, the new fragrance that pays homage to contemporary femininity by uniting the contrasts expressed by the strength of taut lines and the sensuality of curves, evoking a strong, free and sensual femininity.
Chapter 3: The Muse
“My invisible tattoo, My Fragrance, Mon Guerlain.” - Angelina Jolie
Guerlain met Angelina Jolie in Cambodia, where she was directing her fourth feature film, First They Killed My Father, about a Cambodian child’s memory of war and loss.
Angelina Jolie is an actress, filmmaker, director and Special Envoy of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. She is also co-founder of the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative, a global campaign to prevent the use of rape as a weapon of war. She has donated her entire salary from Mon Guerlain to charity.
Chapter 4: The Film
The film is a collaborative work, with the help of Terrence Malick, Angelina Jolie and Guerlain.
"We could not have dreamt of a more perfect, more authentic setting for “Notes of a Woman,” invested with the magical light that exists only in Provence - a light that inspired the greatest painters."
Notes of a Woman re-imagines the story of the creation of the fragrance. For the first time, Guerlain sought to pay tribute to the profession that has built its fame since 1828 by putting the perfumer in the spotlight in an advertising creation.
To know more about Mon Guerlain, you can visit: www.guerlain.com.