09.29.10
Barneys New York is the launchpad for Frederic Malle' s new home fragrance candle collection. Malle is the Parisian perfume publisher behind Les Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle, which commissions fragrances by the best noses in the business.
Barneys is the only specialty retailer to carry the collection in the U.S., and Mallewill be making personal appearances at select stores nationwide to promote the line.
"Freddie is like a fabulous character out of Proust. The mysterious cult of Frederic Malle draws followers from the grooviest and most sophisticated nooks and crannies of art, movies and fashion. With the introduction of the home collection Frederic is taking his subtle, intoxicating magic to a wider audience," said Simon Doonan, Barneys New York's creative director.
The collection is comprised of nine scents many of which were developed using headspace technology largely based on the work of the late Dr. Braja Mookherjee, a scientist formerly with International Flavors and Fragrances.
Malle invited perfumers Carlos Benaim, a close colleague of Dr. Mookherjee, and Sophia Grosman, to work on scent development. Additionally, Dominique Ropion, a long-time collaborator of Frederic Malle at Editions de Parfums, was also very active in the project.
The fragrances are billed to be as complex and differentiated as the designers themselves. Coffee Society, seeks to recreate that ephemeral odor of the living room after the end of a Parisian dinner, while Russian Nights, was designed to embody the suave warmth of long nights in Russia. Saint des Saints evokes the mystique of Indian temples.
The candles, which range in price from $80-$140, come in hand-blown glass jars in signature Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle red, but with no logo or label.