It became a trading system in which runs the risk of is locking up

"Femininity of wood", can be said that it storage first during its release in 1992. Its formula based on the Atlas Cedar store in the woodlands, an olfactory family thought reserved for the male gent. His original purple vial used its curves in the plant Kingdom, while the time swore by the geometry, the transparency of the glass or the brilliance of the metal. Its box, installed in a location secret and forgotten in the heart of Paris, the Salons du Palais-Royal Shiseido and their precious reminiscences Executive Board, were a far cry from the linear cold and impersonal that transformed the perfumeries in supermarkets.

Sixteen years after its quiet launch by Shiseido, its creator, Serge Lutens, can say without false modesty that this scent marked a rupture. "Femaleness of the wood" is at the origin of the popularity of the so-called fragrances of "niche". An elitist segment of the market of the perfume which stakeholders will want "authors", like Frédéric Malle, Etienne de Swardt for State free of Orange and Kilian Hennessy, or defenders of a craft tradition as Annick Goutal, Creed or Santa Maria Novella. Their success has convinced large houses launch, also marketed on a small scale "collections" and referring to the expertise of traditional perfumery, where-to-mouth serves advertising campaign: the "Hermessence" of Hermes, the "exclusive" Chanel, "The Art and the material" line of Guerlain. Return to the elitism after the great wave of democratization of the luxury of the 1980s.

"Olfactory marquetry".

"I wanted to return to the perfumes, odours, while perfumers spoke more than slices, target marketing, and sociostyles age," says Serge Lutens, at the time where Shiseido has decided to resume the marketing of "Femaleness of the wood". He describes as a "olfactory marquetry, a wood bakery, an alcohol of Mirabell or raspberry that would want to drink." This perfume, characterized by its short formulation (less than 50 components instead of 300, or even up to 500 for some of his contemporaries) and its raw materials noble and strong natural dominant has been pleased to women "who is parfumaient not. He made the competitors as the "Dolce Vita" of Dior has an undeniable air family, but, as said himself its creator: "the fragrance is an incestuous trade."

"Femaleness of the wood" and candied notes handed to the taste of the day Oriental fragrances, as "Opium" had at the end of the 1970s. A track that Serge Lutens, love the Morocco and Marrakech, where he lives, has continued to explore since with "Ambre Sultan", his great success with accents of cyst, "Flower of orange tree", "Musks Koublaï Khan", "Turkish House"... In total, 50 fragrances marketed under its brand or that of the Salons du Palais-Royal, and that lend themselves to valuable limited series engraved and numbered vial (no more than 30) for collectors. His favorite "Leather Moorish", which he has not hesitated to discharge the whole bottle! But more often, it is nothing, to better distinguish the smells, starting with that of SOAP on the skin. His Maverick does not preclude out every year three developments, like the perfumers of once, who created their inspiration and without attention of costly launch operations. He also mocked the concept of "breed", become a marketing as the other tip. "Everyone has his own now." It became a trading system in which runs the risk of is locking up. The only way to escape, it is creating.

First to be installed under the arcades of the Palais-Royal, he was joined by the connected marks, Marc Jacobs, Pierre Hardy, Stella McCartney. A return to the sources of fashion, the environment that assured him his early success. Born in Lille in 1942, young hairdresser "mounted" in Paris and photo enthusiast, he puts in beauty and image models top. In 1968, Dior entrusted its makeup lines which he submitted to a treatment of youth. But it is an unknown Japanese group in Europe which will reveal to the public. Recruited by Shiseido in 1980, Serge Lutens will build the international image of the brand and its products. Staged at the theatre, his pale complexion and blood-red mouth women around the world, worth to Japanese claw its aura, conducive to the launching of products at hand, out of time, such "femininity in the wood".