The singular vision of Louis Vuitton’s Master Perfumer Jacques Cavallier Belletrud for the Les Extraits Collection opens up so many ways to scent oneself. And with the addition of the House’s latest one, titled Myriad, he now has another one for Louis Vuitton.
What was the starting point of the Les Extraits Collection?
I wanted to open a new chapter, to reinvent the notion of an Extrait in a contemporary way and break the rules. With this collection, I have stretched and revealed new facets of the raw materials I have been working with since the beginning. My idea was to create a new vision, to provoke emotions with the same materials.
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Les Extraits Collection was born: five perfumes with no top, heart, or base notes. I wanted to revisit perfume’s major families – florals, chypres and ambers – to give them a twist, exaggerate certain facets, and reveal purity.
I imagined a freshness that lasts and a sensuality that is not heavy. The Collection was launched in 2021 with: Rhapsody (chypre), Stellar Times (ambery), Cosmic Cloud (musky), Dancing Blossom (floral) and Symphony (fresh notes).
What challenges did you face during the creative process?
During the creative process of these five Extraits de Parfum, I had to adapt to the high concentration of 30%. The expression of the perfume is different. To reinvent the notion of an Extrait, it is important to draw out the ingredient and reveal the expression of its essential truth.
The Extrait is the silhouette of a perfume, a shared quintessence.
What made this collaboration with architect Frank Gehry so special?
My first meeting with Frank Gehry was fantastic. We compared our creative approaches, and both agreed that nature was our guide. I told him that the best perfume in the world is the wind as it carries the smell of flowers, woods, and spices and mixes it with true harmony.
In May at Les Fontaines Parfumées, in Grasse, in the morning, the wind coming from the sea in Cannes is caressing the flowers and it is just the perfect proportion.
How would you describe the Frank Gehry bottle in a few words?
The bottle created by the genius Frank Gehry reflects my olfactive concept, stretched out in new proportions, with a fantastic piece of art becoming the cap of the perfume bottle creating a dialogue with the perfume itself.
How did you apply this style of olfactive writing to an ingredient like oud?
Oud is an exceptional note that has always fascinated me, so I decided to highlight it as the major ingredient of the fragrance. To infuse oud with the fluidity and lightness that are in the Extraits’ signature, I chose to pierce it with light by using flowers.
The essence of Rose de Mai de Grasse was combined with Bulgarian rose essence as well as geranium extract to add roundness. In Myriad, oud melts perfectly with the bath of light provided by the various rose and geranium extracts, creating a powerful and contrasted signature.
What is the inspiration behind the creation of Myriad?
Myriad is an ode to nature and its infinite diversity. Frank and I wanted to celebrate the aesthetic coming from nature.
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Could you tell us more about the type of oud used in the fragrance?
I found the best Oud Assam plantation in Bangladesh, in a family that cultivates this wonderful ingredient for hundreds of years. It offers the perfect balance between animalic notes, woodiness, and spiciness.
Those very intense notes make the fragrance special and give allure to the perfume.
What are the other ingredients used to compose the fragrance?
Rose de Mai from Grasse is extracted with a very specific process: law temperature CO2 extraction, to maintain the real smell of the flower. This rose brings light, freshness, and sophistication to the perfume. This type of rose only grows in May in the Grasse region. Combined with Bulgarian rose, this rose accord creates a very interesting contrast with oud.
An ingredient between childhood and sensuality. Cocoa nuts are coming from Ivory Coast and extraction takes place in Grasse. The main difficulty of this ingredient is the oiliness of the cocoa, which is not soluble in alcohol.
The oil needs to be taken out to keep only the smell that will be used in the perfume. Associated with oud, it brings texture and softness.
Once you’re done with this story about Louis Vuitton Myriad, click here to catch up with our November 2023 issue!
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