An exceptional creation: the iconic bee flacon by Kevin Germanier

Ever since it was founded in 1828, the history of French Maison Guerlain has been closely connected with the artists and artisans it has invited to fashion its most beautiful creations. Hot on the heels of its collaboration with Turkish jewelry designer Begüm Khan, Guerlain has unveiled another limited-edition of its bee flacons, this time decorated by young Swiss couturier Kévin Germanier.

Kevin Germanier, a LVMH Prize finalist two years ago, stands out for creating desirability with sustainable materials. The Swiss designer has always used upcycled fabrics to create his exquisite garments, and has made his mission to give new life to discarded materials and transform them into something dazzling.

Germanier founded his eponymous brand in 2018, coining the term ‘fast couture’ – thanks to a technique he developed for embroidering silicone, Gemanier upcycles Swarovski crystals from discontinued collections and is able to create an embroidered dress in under 24 hours.

His approach convinced French perfume house Guerlain to invite him for a collaboration on a very limited-edition flacon. With a unique embroidery technique on silicone, Germanier managed to assemble a myriad of discarded Swarovski crystals to dress the shape of Guerlain’s iconic bee flacon from Pochet du Courval. .

This collaboration is the perfect mix of heritage, Guerlain’s history, and the future.

Kevin Germanier

It is this technique he used for Guerlain’s bee flacon. Each of the 11 flacons were entirely crafted by hand using a couture-inspired technique never applied to a perfume flacon before. Each piece takes three hours to produce – the flacons are cleaned and prepared to allow the crystals to adhere to the glass: the flacon’s ‘Haute Couture Gown’ is created with a seemingly spontaneous gradient made from raspberry pink, powder pink, lavender and green Swarovski crystals. Once each Bee Bottle has received its one-of-a-kind glittering gown, they are entrusted to Guerlain’s famous Dames de Table, who keep the heritage of Haute Perfumery alive. The Dames de Table wind a silk thread around the collar and fasten it with a golden seal, finished with a ‘barbiche’ collar.

Each flacon holds La Cuvée Secrète, an Eau de Cologne that matches the joyful radiance of a Cologne with the unique, powerful sillage of a perfume. Bergamot, a signature of Guerlain perfumers for the past two hundred years, shimmers with hesperidic, floral, subtly peppery facets. The most refined of citrus fruits is made it even more luminous by bright lemon and sweet orange. Petitgrain wraps this citrusy palette with suave floral, green, and woody facets. Its aromatic tones introduce the third iconic note showcased by the fragrance: a beautiful, clean, fresh lavender whose sunny scent becomes powderier over the hours.

Kévin Germanier’s unique approach to eco-responsible upcycling is exemplified in this stunning Exceptional Piece, that reinforces Guerlain’s commitment both to the arts and to sustainable development.

Just 11 of the numbered, one-liter Bee Flacons are available at Guerlain boutiques at special order. Launched in June, they retail at €10,000. Come into the beautiful world of Guerlain.

Guerlain Living Heritage Company

For over 190 years French Maison Guerlain has explored, innovated and perfected in Fragrances, Skincare and Makeup. Their teams are inspired by creativity, bold initiative and a culture of “why not?”. They are Explorers by Nature who preserve, develop and transmit their unique heritage.

At Guerlain, they’re immensely proud of their French heritage. The Maison has remained committed to ensuring that its unique savoir-faire remains alive and well in the hands of its artisans ever since they opened their first factory on Paris’ Place de L’Étoile in 1828.

The Maison’s proudly ‘Made in France’ approach when it comes to designing and manufacturing its iconic products has been recognized on several occasions with the attribution of the ‘Entreprise du Patrimoine vivant’ (Living Heritage Company) label, which celebrates its fifteenth anniversary this year. Awarded by the French Ministry of the Economy, the EPV label is valid for a period of five years.

Guerlain’s unique heritage includes unique know-how, such as the production of their iconic Météorites pearls (mastered by only five people worldwide) at their Chartres site, as well the traditional craftsmanship of their timeless ‘Bee’ flacon carried out by their Dames de Table at their Orphin site (near Rambouillet).

Guerlain products are available at Guerlain Boutiques and selected stores worldwide. Come into the beautiful and timeless world of Guerlain.

Guerlain at Isetan

For our Japanese readers, a unique opportunity, from November 4th to November 10th, Tokyo’s famous Isetan department store hosted French Maison Guerlain’s ‘Salon de Parfum’, inspired by the most recent addition to L’Art & La Matière Collection: Iris Torréfié.

Celebrating some of the Maison’s most beautiful creations, the ‘Salon de Parfum’ offers the ultimate Guerlain experience.

This exquisite pop-up store pays homage to the close relationship between Guerlain and Japan, whose olfactory history inspired some of Guerlain’s most iconic perfumes, from Mitsouko – created by Perfumer Jacques Guerlain in 1919 – to this year’s Limited Edition Cherry Blossom Pièce d’Exception.

Celebrating some of the Maison’s most beautiful creations, the ‘Salon de Parfum’ offers the ultimate Guerlain experience, combining the Culture of Beauty and Art & Commitment, alongside the famous ‘Bee’ flacon. Each ‘Bee’ flacon is customisable and refillable for life in Guerlain Boutiques around the world – the ultimate in sustainably luxury.

Come into the beautiful world of Guerlain.

Guerlain Baiser de Russie

In homage to its loyal customers, from Paris and all over the world, who despaired at no longer being able to wear some of their favourite fragrances, Guerlain is rereleasing a number of its highly sought-after masterpieces in an exclusive collection. And which better case than the iconic Bee Bottle, Guerlain’s emblematic bottle created in 1853 by Pierre-François-Pascal Guerlain for the Empress Eugénie, to contain these olfactory treasures? The Les Parisiennes Collection was born.

As part of the famous and luxurious Les Parisiennes Collection, the French Maison launches a new perfume for women Baiser de Russie – ‘a tribute to the richness of Russian traditional bohemian style’. The new perfume, Guerlain Baiser de Russie is described as a fruity/floral perfume calmed with woody tones designed to satisfy radiant, sparkling women. It is an ultra-feminine fragrance with rare and elegant notes to make a woman look irresistible and unforgettable.

Baiser de Russie pays tribute to the Muscovite and her ‘boho chic’ look, reinventing with audacity the richness of Russian traditional bohemian style. Pine needles, Jasmine and Cranberry notes blend in a fruity musky floral and ultra-feminine perfume which echoes the heartbeat that pounds through the Russian capital.

Top notes : Lemon, Bergamot, Plum, Absinthe.
Heart notes : Jasmine, Cranberry.
Base notes : Sandalwood, Tonka Bean, Vanilla, Caramel, White musk

Created by the maison’s in-house perfumer Thierry Wasser, Guerlain Baiser de Russie is a lovely and incredible imposing fragrance blends fresh bergamot, plum, pine needle and absinth along with jasmine petals and sourly/sweet cranberry. The base calms on a woody layer made of sandalwood, Tonka bean, caramel and sweet vanilla.

Guerlain Baiser de Russie is composed as an homage to Russia. The fragrance is showcased in the iconic Bee bottle, which exceptionally takes on an oh-so-chic 125 ml format. The famous perfume flacon is simply eye-catching due to its pale green color and beautiful ornaments on it. The flacon nests in an amethyst ‘leather feel’ case (that can be turned into a jewellery box as you wish).

Guerlain Baiser de Russie is available in 125ml Eau de Parfum at Guerlain boutiques and selected stores worldwide. Come into the beautiful world of Guerlain..

Guerlain Parfumeur boutique concept goes international

Following the success of its first concept store in 392 rue Saint-Honoré, Paris in 2016, Maison Guerlain is now opening boutiques dedicated exclusively to fragrances in other countries. The new boutique on prestigious avenue Louise in Brussels offers an unprecedented personalization experience. More international openings will follow under the timeless signature ‘Guerlain Parfumeur depuis 1828’.

Building on the success of its first boutique dedicated exclusively to fragrances on rue Saint Honoré in Paris, Maison Guerlain is taking this innovative retail concept celebrating its métier of parfumeur to other countries. The first international boutique in Brussels boasts a prestigious address at 52, avenue Louise. The new boutique embodies the French Maison’s distinctive heritage and savoir-faire in crafting perfumes for nearly 190 years, proposing a unique experience for customers revolving around completely tailor-made products and services. 

With 110 fragrances immediately available, this new jewel case of a boutique creates a total immersion into the heart of Guerlain’s bold creativity. Following a meticulous classification of the fragrance collection into four main olfactory families, customers can take advantage of a digital fragrance consultation to identify their personal olfactory profile and, thanks to a powerful algorithm, find their very own ‘signature fragrance’. 

After choosing their fragrance, customers are invited to the personalization atelier, the heart of the boutique. There, they select every detail to make the fragrance their own – bottle shape and color, engraved message in any language, plus a choice of ribbons and bows to embellish the flacons. What’s more, the iconic honeycomb ‘bee bottles’ can be refilled forever at Guerlain’s fragrance fountains, an elegant combination of luxury and sustainability. To guarantee the perfect quality of fragrances, the scents are kept in a temperature-controlled ‘perfume cellar’ behind UV-blocking glass – just like grand crus wines.

This ambitious international deployment is just beginning as the Maison brings the exquisite marvels of Guerlain Parfumeur to fragrance lovers around the world. Come into the beautiful world of Guerlain.

Guerlain Parfumeur Boutique Avenue Louise 52 Brussels +32 28 99 61 39

Maison Guerlain Rue Saint-Honoré nothing then perfumes

French Maison Guerlain has opened a new boutique on Rue Saint-Honoré – a few steps from its historic address – entirely dedicated to its core business: perfume. Imagined as an ode to the wonderful world of the perfumer, with historical objects, notebooks of formulas jealously preserved for five generations, it allows to discover its olfactory profile, thanks to a digital consultation.

You can also browse a library of perfumes, the only one of its kind, with nearly one hundred fragrances. It is in this spirit of exchange that Guerlain Saint-Honoré offers the unique experience of choosing the look of its perfume according to its desires. Flacons, colors, perfumes, collar knots, silk papers, signature… Guerlain offers the material and shares his know-how with the artist who is in each of us. Come into the beautiful world of Guerlain.

Guerlain Parfumeur Boutique, 392 rue Saint-Honoré, 75001, Paris

Parisiennes L’Heure De Nuit

‘The Blue Hour’ The promise of an unforgettable night in Paris (by Jean Amr) 

Guerlain Parisiennes L’Heure De Nuit. Guerlains in-house perfumer Thierry Wasser is shining new light on the iconic fragrance L’Heure Bleue, composed by Jacques Guerlain in 1912. Under his direction, the sweet and elegant scent is illuminated with new radiance, steeped in freshness and modernity.

Guerlain Parisiennes L’Heure De Nuit by Thierry Wasser.

This contemporary olfactory interpretation immerses us in the magic and mystery of a tour of Paris by night. Between dream and reality, twilight becomes bewitching and alluring. This is L’Heure de Nuit.
The fragrance is showcased in the iconic Guerlain Bee bottle, which exceptionally takes on an oh-so-chic 125 ml format.

Musky Floral.
Alluring, delicate, luminous.
Top notes: Bergamot, Anise, Peach.
Heart notes: Orange blossom, Jasmine, Rose.
Base notes: Vanilla, Iris, Heliotrope, White musks.

With L’Heure de Nuit, Thierry Wasser pays homage to L’Heure Bleue, the fragrance inspired by Impressionism. 100 years later, he offers a ‘watercolour’ version, a subtle balance between refinement and personality.
L’Heure de Nuit was first created as ‘L’Heure Bleue 2012, Le Zénith’, featured in the exceptional numbered piece ‘L’Heure Bleue 1912-2012’.

Discover the world of Guerlain
www.guerlain.com

by Jean Amr