“Your job as a journalist is not an easy job - you can't always get the captivating story you are counting on,” laughs Thierry Wasser, sitting on an open veranda overlooking the Moscow Kremlin. This time there was no need to go to the end of the world for news - the court perfumer of the Guerlain house himself brought to Russia another version of La Petite Robe Noire - in a blueberry-colored bottle and marked Intense on the bottom.
Indeed, he has more than one interesting parable up his sleeve: once an influential gentleman from the East asked for a ten-minute meeting and, as a result, gave the famous nose for two hours advice on the correct composition and wearing of perfume, and after this conversation, the idea was born to create a collection of Les Absolus d 'Orient. But alas, with one of the most successful perfume families of the brand, everything is at first glance prosaic: first, the marketing department came up with a completely unprecedented concept with a drawn heroine, then the artists of Kuntzel + Deygas brought it to life, and Vasser got what he knows best - to compose successful in every sense of the pyramid. “Trust us, we had a very optimistic forecast for this launch,” says the perfumer. “But the results greatly exceeded our expectations - the scent was swept away in just three weeks.”
Thierry Wasser © guerlain.com
From this moment, the very interesting story begins, which Thierry first decided to keep silent about. “Two launches were planned: in March - in Paris, in September - around the world. And suddenly, a month after the start of sales, I realized that I simply had nothing to fill the shelves with”. The brand's management did not know what to do - if they told the chains that it was all over, they would have decided that in Guerlaingreat jokers work. Then the decision was made - to send fragrances, intended for international launch, to Parisian boutiques. And Thierry began frantically looking for the missing components in order to be in time by September. “I wrote an email to the wife of the supplier from whom I buy the Bulgarian rose - this nice guy Ivan Korolyov does not speak English at all. Fortunately, he was able to find something for me even during the offseason - and everything worked out."
Yes, the Bulgarian rose, which Monsieur Wasser adds to every second fragrance, is now in great demand, and in many respects it is the perfumer's own wine. “In 2009, I rang the whole world about how good this flower is. And perfumers from all over the world poured into the country, which the self-respecting "noses" did not even look at. Now we literally have to fight for this raw material, and prices have skyrocketed."
For this reason, the perfumer often uploads a photo to Instagram six months after the end of the trip - not only friends and fans of his work, but also direct competitors can look into an open account. “Now you need to look for good suppliers, which is why a third of my time I travel the world. You have to become literally a bloodhound - no one comes to your office with a ready-made high-quality product. And when I find something worthwhile, I try to keep my mouth shut."
So pictures from Australia, where Wasser found a new "deposit" of sandalwood, appeared on social networks only after Thierry made sure that he alone "would not eat so much." “Australian sandalwood will last for generations: I saw seedlings, watched new trees are planted and I know how many have already grown. I was the first to find this nursery, but seeing how much raw material there is, I can easily talk about it."
In many ways, it was this discovery that made the Intense version what it is. “I wanted to make Little Black Dress a little less dark. So I replaced patchouli with sandalwood (realizing that I have a lot of this ingredient, which is rare compared to other woody components), cotton candy replaced the liquor, and instead of the top cherry note I added more blueberries."
But you don't need to think that the fragrance was easier to send - in terms of concentration, it is still the same eau de parfum, which will not evaporate from the skin after a couple of hours. “This 'girl' is definitely of character. But she is more mischievous and young than the sisters. Yes, these are all my daughters: I love them, but I'm not too happy with their behavior: they endlessly run around the world, go shopping with my credit card, bring the guys home … When to expect the fifth? Just ask your mom (she heads the marketing department), but for now I want to see how this one grows up.”>