Beauty house Coty is targeting a top 5 position for its Chloé fragrance brand, worldwide, in the next couple of years, according to Markus Stauss Marketing Director for Travel Retail and Export Worldwide, who believes that the brand’s new scent, launched in Paris this week, could make it happen.

 

TRBusiness was treated to a truly ‘Parisian insider’ experience yesterday for the global launch of the latest scent from the Chloé fragrance family; Love Story. From strolling across the Pont des Arts, to boating down the River Seine, to drinking up the heady scent of flowers at the March Aux Fleurs and weaving through the streets in a classic French car – fitting in interviews along the way of course – it was easy to see why Chloé wanted to remain true to its Paris roots with this fragrance.

 

The new scent follows the launch of Roses de Chloé – the ‘third facet’ of its signature Chloé fragrance line – in July last year and represents an entirely new strand to the brand’s collection. Love Story, with orange blossom at its heart, will be launched into travel retail markets at the end of this September, and will enter 2,000 doors, plus. Stauss hints that other expressions of Love Story will follow in due course, dependent on the success of the original.

 

 

Currently Chloé fragrances sit within the top 10-15 in Europe. “In the next couple of years we aim to see Chloé in the top 5 worldwide,” Stauss told TRBusiness. Chloé’s loyal fanbase remains in Asia, and in Japan Chloé is no 1 on the domestic market. “Asian consumers like to buy Chloé in Paris. They link it to the city of Paris and French chic,” adds Stauss.

 

Poésy epitomises understated French chic striking a pose for TRBusiness.

 

UNDERSTATED FRENCH CHIC

And who better to channel the brand’s ‘French chic’ image than new face Clémence Poésy. Poésy, born Clémence Guichard, in Paris in 1982, has starred in many films, the most notable being: In Bruges, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 and the US TV series Gossip Girl.

 

Poésy admits that she does shop at the airport, but stays loyal to the brands she already uses and prefers not to browse for new products. “I feel naked without fragrance,” she tells TRBusiness. “I don’t like to wear a lot of makeup, but I think fragrance is a real accessory which allows you to express yourself in a similar way to fashion.”

 

 

Poésy returns to Chloé for her second campaign, this time as the only face. “When Coty approached me again for this fragrance is was like getting an early Christmas present. I am honoured to be working with this brand again.”

 

Although Poésy describes the fragrance as ‘feminine and summery’, the perfumer, Anne Flipo, was tasked to channel the essence of the fragrance brand, which remains ‘fresh, floral, sexy and clean’. Flipo admitted that she found the ‘clean’ aspect the most challenging.

 

Right: Love Story perfumer, Anne Flipo.

 

‘SEXY, FRESH, FLORAL AND CLEAN’

“It took a while for me to fully understand this concept, but I think you can agree we found it in the end.” The new fragrance combines neroli oil, orange flower absolute and the aroma of the delicate star-shaped flower, Stephanotis. Acording to group Vice President Marketing, Balenciaga, Chloé and Roberto Cavalli, Caroline Javoy, the Stephanotis flower is a symbol of happiness.

 

The Love Story concept is intrinsically linked with Paris and with its various iconic locations such as the Marche Aux Fleurs, the Seine, and the Pont des Arts. “The Pont des Arts is very important as it features the iconic padlocks, synonymous with the Chloé fashion brand,” says Javoy.

 

The Pont des Arts or Passerelle des Arts is a pedestrian bridge in Paris, which crosses the River Seine. It links the Institut de France and the central square (cour carrée) of the Palais du Louvre.

 

Much like in many other romantic cities worldwide, in recent years tourists began attaching padlocks (love locks), inscribed with their names, to the railing or the grate on the side of the bridge.

 

The architecture of the new bottle mimics that of Paris landmarks and the fashion brand’s signature padlock.

 

‘FOR WOMEN, BY WOMEN’

In March 2014, two American women living in Paris launched an online ‘no-love-locks campaign’ to remove the padlocks from the bridge. They say that the bridge became physically damaged by the weight of the locks (93 metric tons of metal), by the rust that passes onto the River Seine.

 

According to local reports, in June 2014, part of the parapet on the bridge collapsed under the weight of the padlocks that had been attached to it.

 

The famous bridge was just one of the locations used for the TV campaign which was aired for the first time at an effortlessly cool party thrown in honour of the new scent, on a roof top in Paris, Wednesday night.

 

The TV spot was created by a group of talented women including Poésy, Mélanie Laurent, Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vaness Paradis. “This fragrance was created for women, by women,” adds Javoy. “It’s casual yet chic; natural, yet seductive.”

 

Poésy channels ‘casual, yet chic; natural yet seductive’ in the ad campaign visuals.