National Fragrance Day Today

The Fragrance Foundation UK is celebrating National Fragrance Day on March 21st and what better opportunity to share your scented thoughts and choices? Every day is a fragrance day around these pages, but having a semi-official excuse to celebrate makes it more palatable to the rest of the people around one's obsession.

 

Fragrance has the ability to make us feel, to make us really think, to make us believe that we can fine-tune our own personal aura and presentation to the public in a way that no other "product" can.
It's evocative, it's transporting, it is even felt in the dark.

Today I'm wearing Caron's Tabac Blond extrait, a very special perfume for me, as it paved my plunging into a house I had little exposure to in my formative years, Caron being semi-absent from the local market. It more or less consolidated my longing for things unattainable and hard to get but it also made me realize that one likes what they like and that's priceless. 

via Givaudan

In celebration, please share your own scent story in the comments, right below this post. I'd love to read your stories!!

Talking to the Experts: The World of Fragrance Today and Tomorrow

The Fragrance Foundation hosted the inaugural Fragrance Forum “Taking to the Experts: The World of Fragrance Today and Tomorrow,” at the French Institute / Alliance Française on Thursday, October 15, 2015.

All images credited to Casey Kelbaugh

Allure Magazine Editor-in-Chief, Linda Wells, led distinguished panelists Daniel Annese, Global President, Aramis and Designer Fragrances at The Estée Lauder Companies; Alexandre Choueiri, President, International Designer Collections at L’Oréal USA; Linda Levy, Omni Group Vice-President/DMM-Fragrances at Macy’s, Inc.; and Jerry Vittoria, President, Fine Fragrances North America at fragrance house Firmenich, Inc., in a wide ranging discussion on the current state of the fragrance industry and how best to meet shifting consumer expectations.

While the discussion touched on millennials, the Latino customer, hits and misses, storytelling, the importance of the juice and more, the overarching message was the need to focus on the customer.

“Our biggest area of opportunity is the customer,” said Linda Levy, Omni Group Vice-President/DMM – Fragrances at Macy’s, Inc. “The customer is the focus and center of every decision that we make.”

All images credited to Casey Kelbaugh

“It’s not one size fits all anymore,” added Alexandre Choueiri, President, International Designer Collections at L’Oréal USA, “Customers want to feel special”
The men’s category is seen as an area with growth potential.

“There is a significant percentage of users in North America who only use fragrances that are gifted to them,” said Jerry Vittoria, President, Fine Fragrances North America at fragrance house Firmenich, of men. “We need effective training tools to educate the consumer.” 

Millennials continue to be a hot topic. 

According to Daniel Annese, Global President, Aramis and Designer Fragrances at The Estée Lauder Companies – which has set up an advisory board of 500 millennials - “The best way to connect with consumers is online.” “But,” he added, “They need consistency in what they see. The experience online and in print should match what they are greeted with in-store.”

 “What’s really different today is it’s all about the experience and it’s all about sharing,” added Linda Levy. “A review online means everything to a consumer.”

Choueiri challenged the panel not to think of it as a choice between online or brick-and-mortar. “We send samples out online,” he said, “but people are buying in-store.”
Fragrance Foundation President, Elizabeth Musmanno summed up the evening, “It is about the story, but it’s still about the juice. Ultimately, we need that juice to be fabulous.”

All images credited to Casey Kelbaugh

The Fragrance Forum series in an opportunity for the fragrance industry to come together around topics and discussions that have a direct impact on the business.

“Part of our mission at The Fragrance Foundation is to inform and enlighten,” Musmanno said, “We are honored to have had such a distinguished group of panelists join us, whose breadth of knowledge and insight allows us to dive deeply into the issues surrounding the industry today.”

During Thursday’s Fragrance Forum, the Fragrance Foundation continued the long tradition of the fragrance industry giving back, raising money to benefit UNICEF – The United Nations Children’s Fund, which provides long-term humanitarian and developmental assistance to children and mothers in need.

"Are we focusing enough on giving the consumer a reason to buy a second time?"

The Fragrance Foundation hosted the inaugural Executive Roundtable Discussion: “The Fall and the Rise of the Fragrance Industry,” at the French Institute / Alliance Française on Wednesday, September 17, 2014.

The Fragrance Foundation President, Elizabeth Musmanno, led panelists Robin Burns-McNeill, Chairman and Co-Founder of Batallure Beauty; Michael Gould, former Chairman and CEO of Bloomingdale’s and Frederic Jacques, VP of Fine Fragrance NA at Takasago in a discussion that ranged from the challenges of growing the business in today’s economy, to the role of mobile and online retailing, to how best to reach millenials.

“The key to doing it right is to build desire and awareness. You have to understand who your consumers are and what media they use, and you have to build an imaginative plan to reach them,” said Robin Burns-McNeill, “There is a lot of sameness out there. Without imagination and courage, you tend to stay in one place. You have to be very agile. You need ‘fast feet.’”

“The challenge is not in the launch,” said Michael Gould. “The issue is what we do after. We need to build transactions into relationships. It’s about what creates excitement. People want an emotional connection. There is not a lack of traffic, there is a lack of conversion and a lack of follow-up.”

“We need innovation from the bottle to the packaging,” said Frederic Jacques. “Are we focusing enough on giving the consumer a reason to buy a second time?”

The Fragrance Foundation President, Elizabeth Musmanno ended the evening saying, “Clearly there is an opportunity for an innovative product to stand out.”

The Executive Roundtable series was conceived by The Fragrance Foundation to bring together industry veterans twice a year for a no-holds-barred look at the state of the fragrance industry.

Michael Kors to receive Hall of Fame Award from The Fragrance Foundation

The Fragrance Foundation just announced that Michael Kors will be honored with the Hall of Fame Award at the 2010 Fragrance Foundation FiFi® celebration on Thursday June 10th, 2010. The Hall of Fame award is voted on by The Foundation’s Board of Directors and is presented to an individual who has brought extraordinary ingenuity, creativity, dedication and inner resources to bear, not only to their company’s success but to the fragrance industry as a whole. We are hereby reminding you that the recipient of the award for last year was Marc Jacobs, by the way.

“Who exemplifies these criteria better than the brilliant, funny and daring Michael Kors?” observes Rochelle Bloom, President of The Fragrance Foundation. “His extraordinary, sophisticated fashion vision promises a fabulous jet-set lifestyle to women everywhere at every age. His successful wardrobe of fragrances complements the sleek, the polished, the glamorous look he so effortlessly creates season after season. We are honored to present him with the Hall of Fame Award.”

Michael Kors has three successful fragrance franchises. The first, which debuted ten years ago, is his signature fragrances for men and women, “Michael Kors” and “Michael Kors for Men”. The second, “Island Michael Kors”, aims to capture a vacation in a bottle with each new limited-edition fragrance that launches, from Fiji to Capri to Hawaii. His third fragrance franchise, “Very Hollywood Michael Kors” most recently debuted to wide acclaim.
In Michael’s own words: “Fragrance is probably the most intimate thing I will ever create. It’s my fingerprint, so I am deeply honored that The Fragrance Foundation has chosen to recognize me.”

How does Michael link his fashion to his fragrance and what inspires him? “I think about fragrance the same way as fashion; it should be treated as a wardrobe. My signature Michael Kors fragrance is the little black dress, chic and timeless. The Island scents are your crisp white shirts, the feeling of relaxed luxury. Very Hollywood Michael Kors is the gold dress. It’s all about that super glamorous, indulgent moment.”
Michael Kors is recognized as one of the world’s preeminent designers for luxury accessories and sportswear. His namesake company, established in 1981, currently produces a range of products through his Michael Kors Collection, KORS Michael Kors, and MICHAEL Michael Kors labels, including women’s and men’s ready to wear, women’s handbags, small leather goods, shoes, eyewear, watches and fragrance.

Michael’s fragrance philosophy? “The ultimate accessory is a divine fragrance that lifts your spirits and gives you a spritz of glamour.” As Rochelle Bloom succinctly puts it “what more could any girl ask for!”

info via press release

The 2009 Hall of Fame Award of The Fragrance Foundation’s 2009 FiFi® Awards goes to.....

The Fragrance Foundation is delighted to announce that Marc Jacobs will be honored with the Hall of Fame Award at The Fragrance Foundation’s 2009 FiFi® Awards and celebration on Wednesday May 27th in New York City. The Hall of Fame award is voted on by The Fragrance Foundation’s Board of Directors and is presented to an individual who has brought extraordinary ingenuity, creativity, dedication and inner resources to bear, not only to their company’s success but to the fragrance industry as a whole.


Rochelle Bloom, President of The Fragrance Foundation, observes:

“Marc Jacobs is the epitome of a true fashion innovator. His talent is simply breathtaking. He brings a fresh, delightful, joyful approach to everything he does. Last year, we were thrilled that he won a FiFi ® for Fragrance of the Year with Daisy and we are honored to present him with the Hall of Fame Award.”

“I love the notion of daisies.” says Marc, “I wanted to evoke the feeling that you get when you see them-happy, youthful, whimsical and sweet connotations."Rochelle Bloom continues

"Marc’s contribution to the fragrance industry started with his very first signature fragrance and now encompasses many different and delicious aromas all imbued with his personality and flare. He has built a fragrance brand with a broad appeal and brought along with him a whole new generation of loyal fragrance lovers for the ride. Bravo to Marc for reaching out and embracing these modernistas!"

From the time he entered Parson’s School of Design, Marc Jacobs has been a fashion designer to the core and a skillful fashion entrepreneur. He designed his first Marc Jacobs label collection in 1986 and was the youngest ever designer to be awarded the fashion industry’s highest tribute: The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Perry Ellis Award for New Fashion Talent. Since then he has built a fashion empire that literally spans the globe with retail stores in London, Paris Tokyo, Moscow, Madrid, Istanbul and Athens. Described by Vogue as designing “resolutely informal, wholly luxurious garments that confer on the wearer a youthful, anonymous and effortless chic”. "It's been really rewarding to make this foray into fragrance," explained Jacobs. "It's fun to smell our fragrances on people on the street and it all feels very in sync with our collections. We work really hard on the fragrances and it is nice to be recognized for that".

Pic of Mac Jacobs via Visionnaire

Scent set in 9mm

Grab the phone and communicate this exciting piece of news to your friends: The first ever Fragrance & Film Festival, organized by Vogue and The Fragrance Foundation, is happening before our eyes. On April 25 the deadline for submissions from auteurs was closed and they're now working on turning the following fragrances into little films that will try to translate what they smell like into another medium: Paris Hilton’s Can Can, Usher for Men, Usher for Women, Missoni Acqua and Gucci by Gucci.
Perhaps the choices are not every perfumeholic's wet dream. Think of the amazing possibilities: turning the wistfulness of Mitsouko, the daring of Tabac Blond or the opulence and decadence of Opium into moving image and sound...But still, it will be an interesting exercise.

The contest awards the winner $10,000 and the voting for eligible contributions will be held online by the public (so vote, vote, vote!). The winner will be proclaimed by a panel of judges including director/producer Brett Ratner (“X-Men: The Last Stand” and the “Rush Hour” series), Doug Keeve, director of fashion documentaries “Seamless” and “Unzipped”, music video director Chris Robinson and producer Lee Daniels (“Monster’s Ball,” “The Woodsman” and “Shadowboxer.”)

Thanks to Karin from Savvy Thinker and to thestylephile for the info.

Pic from JamesBond Wikipedia.