Louis Vuitton Fleur du Désert

French Maison Louis Vuitton presents the new edition from the Les Parfums Louis Vuitton line, inspired by the Middle East. Fleur du Désert is launching just before Ramadan 2022.

Having explored the olfactory culture of the Middle East since 2018, Les Parfums Louis Vuitton now make a new stopover. Following ‘Ombre Nomade’, ‘Les Sables Roses’, ‘Nuit de Feu’ and ‘Pur Oud’, Jacques Cavallier Belletrud composes a tribute to three native Middle Eastern flowers that over the centuries have become emblematic of perfumery all over the world: jasmine, a symbol of beauty from the Far East to the Mediterranean; orange blossom, which has been used in the region since Antiquity; and rose, one of the most famous varieties of which originated in Damascus.

For the fifth opus in this collection, Louis Vuitton’s Master Perfumer wanted to capture these natural wonders in their original setting: gathered in a ‘nectar of flowers’, they blossom at the heart of a rich and resolutely sophisticated oriental composition. More than a perfume: a signature.

In the desert, everything is magnified. This theater of extremes has fascinated and inspired stories since the dawn of time. Its immensity invites us to dream even further. Despite its hostile environment, the desert conceals spectacular wonders. Unforgettable emotions…

Amid the expanse of sand, a touch of color catches the travelers’ eye and makes them stop in their tracks. A corolla of petals. The unexpected presence of a plant in a vast, mineral ocean. At once fragile and strong, this flower has braved the omnipotence of the elements to express a beauty that is all the more sumptuous. It is life that springs forth against all odds, foiling the impossible. A miracle, poised at the boundary of reality and magic.

From his many visits to the Middle East, Jacques Cavallier Belletrud carries in his memory striking contrasts. Arid dunes skirting the sea. Scorching days succeeded by freezing nights. A sumptuous palace rising from the heart of the desert, an architectural treasure breaking the monotony of sand like a mirage. To compose Fleur du Désert, he immersed himself in the ‘absolute beauty’ of an oasis with lush vegetation, encountered during a morning walk in the Saudi Arabian desert not far from Jeddah.

Moved by the power of such life defying the aridity of the landscape – an ‘eminently optimistic symbol‘ – Louis Vuitton’s Master Perfumer captured the image in a colorful signature brimming with contrasts. The delicacy of a bouquet of fresh flowers, exalted by the depth of an oriental trail.

Jasmine, orange blossom, rose: originally from the Middle East, these three flowers became emblems for Western perfumery. “They were brought to Europe by caravan from different regions in the Orient”, explains Jacques Cavallier Belletrud. “My idea was simply to stage these natural wonders in their original setting”. Directly inspired by the history and origins of perfumery, ‘Fleur du Désert’ celebrates the essential contribution of the Middle East, the birthplace of this millennia-old art.

I didn’t want an oriental accord in the Western sense of the term, but rather one that truly speaks of the culture and beauty that are unique to that region. 

 Jacques Cavallier Belletrud

The Maison’s Master Perfumer selected the finest qualities of these flowers that he knows by heart as they are redolent of his native region: Grasse. Two essences obtained by supercritical CO2 extraction faithfully reproduce the scents of the fresh flowers at the center of his composition: Grandiflorum jasmine, tinged with the honeyed accents of orange blossom absolute, emanates its delicately radiant scent, while the Centifolia rose reveals the sublime softness of its petals. This precious bouquet is an ode to the art of perfume, enveloped in an oriental accord with original tonalities of spices and honey.

Oud Assam, also known as ‘black gold’ a treasure of Middle Eastern perfumery — expresses its unprecedented olfactory richness through an exceptional essence, distilled for two centuries by a family of producers in Bangladesh who have become the exclusive supplier to Louis Vuitton. Woody, animalic, spicy, amber… its deep scent is rounded by a honeyed note that responds to the suavest facets in the floral bouquet. Touched by a whisper of cinnamon, warm as the desert wind, this opulent trail embraces the skin with the sensuality of Ambrox, then melts into the naturally musky softness of ambrette seed. Enveloped in precious ingredients, this ‘nectar of flowers’ reveals its absolute sophistication as the hours pass… Fleur du Désert can be worn alone or layered with others from the collection.

Introduced with Ombre Nomade in 2018, Les Parfums Louis Vuitton‘s tribute to Middle Eastern olfactory culture is not limited to its ingredients, nor to its territories of inspiration. Fragrance after fragrance, Jacques Cavallier Belletrud reaffirms the connection between his personal creative process and Middle Eastern perfumery, which share a singular love for textured, sophisticated fragrances. The son and grandson of perfumers, he observes that ‘truly great perfumes have olfactory imprints that are distinctive and instantly memorable’. In a word: they are signatures.

Guided by this conviction from his earliest creations, Jacques Cavallier Belletrud has naturally developed a strong affinity with lovers of Middle Eastern perfumery. Through this collection, he reveres the culture and curiosity that drives them to explore all olfactory families, well beyond the clichés to which Western perfumery sometimes confines them.

What defines a ‘Middle Eastern’ perfume is not a question of notes, in my opinion it is rather a matter of textures and complexity. Undeniable elegance and presence.

 Jacques Cavallier Belletrud

With the perfumes in this Middle Eastern-inspired collection, the French Maison offers a palette of vibrant blacks that capture the colors of the desert and the multiple nuances of its mysteries. Crafted in precious glass that appears black at first glance, the Maison’s iconic perfume flacon reveals a deep, intense cast when touched by light. Fleur du Désert reveals pinkish reflections evoking the sumptuous hue of a freshly bloomed flower. Like the desert surrendering its most beautiful secrets to those who know how to look…

Louis Vuitton Fleur du Désert is available as a 100 ml (€320, In-store refill €190) and 200 ml Eau de Parfum (€495, In-store refill €380), at selected Louis Vuitton boutiques and from their website.

Come into the beautiful world of Louis Vuitton.

Louis Vuitton Imagination, the beauty of the Italian landscape that wakes up in the early morning hours

Les Parfums Louis Vuitton, a journey dedicated to men, delving into the heart of their instincts for freedom and their pioneering sensibility. Master Perfumer Jacques Cavallier Belletrud has created exceptional fragrances that pay homage to the adventurer on a quest for self-revelation. These singular compositions capture breathtaking discoveries and evoke a masculine energy right on the skin’s surface, without clichés or caricatures.

Five years in the making. For his latest men’s fragrance, Louis Vuitton’s Master Perfumer Jacques Cavallier Belletrud creates an unprecedented attraction between sensual amber and majestic black tea.

French Maison Louis Vuitton launched a new fragrance in their masculine line of Les Parfums Louis Vuitton. A collection which is designed to inspire feelings similar to those we have about travel: the desire for adventure and escape from the mundane. The new fragrance ‘Imagination’ tries to evokes the atmosphere the beauty of the Italian landscape that wakes up in the early morning hours.

Like earlier editions, Imagination was created by the Maison’s in-house perfumer, Jacques Cavallier Belletrud. He created this fragrance in his studio, Les Fontaines Parfumées, in Grasse. The master-perfumer wanted to reinterpret the beauty of the amber note in a new way, free from nostalgia.

He used the ambrox molecule in combination with citrus fruits from Italy, such as Calabrian bergamot and Sicilian orange. Spices are added, such as ginger from Nigeria and cinnamon from Ceylon, extracted with CO2. The spirit of a journey is captured by a note of black tea from China, also Co2 extracted.

Louis Vuitton Imagination is available as 100 and 200 ml Eau de Parfum, as well as in travel size format at Louis Vuitton Boutiques and selected stores worldwide. Come into the beautiful world of Louis Vuitton.

Black Gold Louis Vuitton Pur Oud

Created just for the Middle East, Louis Vuitton’s new fragrance, Pur Oud, pays homage to the region’s iconic woody note. “The finest raw materials are perfumes in their own right”, says Jacques Cavallier Belletrud , master perfumer for the French Maison, and the mind behind the Maison’s latest fragrance. The perfume is, as its name suggests, composed almost entirely of natural Oud essence, making it exceptional in the world of perfumery. 

Following the release of Ombre Nomad, Les Sables Roses and Nuit de Feu, Louis Vuitton’s Oud fragrance collection continues to honour once again the culture of smell in the Middle East by offering a fragrance for the region’s most emblematic ingredient: Oud. The fact that the new scent is almost only made out of Assam Oud makes it perfect for layering, especially with Ombre Nomad.

Inspired by the Middle Eastern traditions of applying perfume and the culture of Oud, wonders of the world in its purest, truest and most luxurious images. Pure Oud perfume for fans of ‘Wood of the Gods’ the opportunity to appreciate one of the most beautiful wonders of the world in its purest, truest and most luxurious images. Louis Vuitton and Belletrud finally set upon an essence of Assam oud, produced by a family, who ‘maintains a sustainable forest, farmed ethically’.

I wanted to create something exceptional, that smells like a luxury. I was amazed by the way women and men practice layering in the Middle East, mixing and applying their very personal oud preparation. I wanted to offer an oud signature from Louis Vuitton, which is why I’ve invited the Middle Eastern style of perfumery into the Louis Vuitton flacon.

Jacques Cavallier Belletrud, Louis Vuitton -inhouse- master perfumer

It is said that it is the scent of paradise and its meaning in Arabic ‘wood’ Oud is an absolute component of any raw material that has great depth and multiple aspects, as if it contains all other aspects, it is a treasure of nature it is the precious ‘black gold’ to the extent that the finest in its purity is reserved for an exclusive elite of people. The Oud contains countless distinctive ingredients where it offers its fans a completely unique experience, in its complex components and richness of symbolism and global resonance the oud is a journey in itself, smuggled through time and space, a gateway to the absolute world.

To present the purest expression of oud by simplifying one of the most beautiful fragrances in the world is the essence of pure oud, to highlight the raw beauty of this rare ingredient, Jacques Cavallier Belletrud created a near-contradictory encounter between the dreary character of the Oud focused on 10% of the composition and luminous softness of two types of white musk, ambrettolide and helvetolide. A gentle and slightly fruity helveled, and a delicate cotton empreted. The Oud weaves into an ornate cocoon that encapsulates and supports it without strangulation, and emerges from it strong wooden puffs and reveals the richness of its animal reflections.

It is important to note that the agar trees used to create oud have been declared a potentially threatened species by CITES, making the harvesting of oud for fragrances potentially environmentally damaging. To ensure they are maintaining the least harmful production practices possible, Vuitton is working with a family-run team of producers in Bangladesh, who have cultivated oud for the past 200 years. 

Pure Oud is available in the French Maison’s iconic perfume flacon, but this time in stained black glass. Pure, dense and deep to the point that, paradoxically, it reveals a stunning reflection of light, such as the fragrance it carries.

Louis Vuitton Pur Oud is available as 100ml Eau de Parfum. A limited and rare fragrance (there are only 2,000 flacons available), and it’s the most expensive of the Louis Vuitton line-up (each flacon comes in at €1,200). It’s available exclusive to the Middle East countries at Louis Vuitton boutiques. Come into the beautiful world of Louis Vuitton.

Louis Vuitton Étoile Filante is the latest addition to the Maison’s travel-inspired fragrances

French Maison Louis Vuitton’s spirit of adventure shines through in all their creations, perfumes  included. The fashion house has just released Étoile Filante as the latest addition to its travel-inspired fragrances. The fragrance iÉtoile Filante, meaning ‘shooting star,’ is being promoted as precious nectar celebrating joy and hope.

Étoile Filante does so thanks to Vuitton’s in-house perfumer Jacques Cavallier-Belletrud and his chosen material ‘Osmanthus absolute’ that he adored since childhood. The perfumer was also inspired by the scents and ingredients discovered throughout his travels and finally made the secluded Vuttion fragrance house in Grasse.

Louis Vuitton has managed an immersive and beautiful floral fruity fragrance for women by bringing together elements like osmanthus, a touch of jasmine, with light notes of sun-ripened strawberry.

Osmanthus absolute was my first revelation among raw materials when, at 11, I discovered it in my father’s laboratory in Grasse. Its marvelous scent, as well as a name that evokes distant horizons, immediately fascinated me.

Jacques Cavallier Belletrud

The natural fruity accents of apricot and cassis that osmanthus possesses give this fragrance a unique delicacy that evokes the soft skin of a peach. A dose of jasmine from Grasse, obtained through CO2 extraction, and magnolia from China emphasize the floral character of the composition, while the velvety aspect is enhanced by light notes of sun-drenched strawberries.

This new fragrance Étoile Filante released in early 2021 comes housed in the signature flacon of fragrances of the Maison. Louis Vuitton Étoile Filante is available as a 100 and a 200 ml Eau de Parfum, as well as a special travel package of 4 x 7.5 ml.

Louis Vuitton Étoile Filante is available at Louis Vuitton boutiques worldwide. Come into the beautiful world of Louis Vuitton.

Louis Vuitton Launches Ultra-Luxe Perfume Customization Service

French Maison Louis Vuitton perpetuates the Art of Personalization and launches its bespoke Haute Perfumery service with Master Perfumer Jacques Cavallier Belletrud. A unique creation, conceived and made in Grasse.

It all started in Jacques Cavallier Belletrud’s creative atelier at Les Fontaines Parfumées in Grasse, the cradle of perfumery and leatherworking trades. Since 2012, this is where the Master Perfumer has conceived his most beautiful olfactive propositions for the Maison. Now, he is opening his workshop to bespoke perfumery, for unique and personalized creations made upon request, in the tradition of the special orders that have been rooted deeply in the Louis Vuitton DNA since 1854.

I wanted to offer our clients the possibility of wearing a unique fragrance, made in my creative workshop. To me, this bespoke Haute Perfumery service represents the essence of the Maison, because ultra-personalization has always been at the heart of Louis Vuitton.

Jacques Cavallier Belletrud, Louis Vuitton master perfumer

The objective of this unique and privileged moment is to create the client’s olfactory portrait. Jacques Cavallier Belletrud inquires as to tastes, memories, and lifestyle as well as typical perfume habits. In the process, a genuine, intimate collaboration takes shape between client and Master Perfumer. After this exceptional and emotionally rich consultation, the Master Perfumer begins composing a scent and develops several formulas in his atelier at Les Fontaines Parfumées in Grasse. 

To do so, he selects from among the most exclusive raw materials he has sourced in the four corners of the globe, in order to create the fragrance trail that best corresponds to its client’s personality. Jacques Cavallier Belletrud can then calibrate each olfactory nuance down to the tiniest details to offer a resolutely made-to- measure composition.

An exceptional showcase:

It takes several months to finalize a fragrance formula. The perfume is then composed by hand at the Atelier d’Art, a new space dedicated to bespoke perfumes in the heart of Les Fontaines Parfumées. In the meantime, the trunk in which the perfume will be presented is specially crafted in Asnières, Louis Vuitton’s historic workshop and the cradle for all of its special orders. This unique and personalizable trunk holds four 100ml flacons, three 200ml flaconss, a 100ml travel case, a travel spray, plus 16 refills.

A sustainable service:

As with all of the Maison’s perfumes, made-to-measure Haute Perfumery benefits from a refill service upon request, which is available in all Louis Vuitton stores carrying perfume fountains. Each unique formula will be forever inscribed in the Louis Vuitton archives at Les Fontaines Parfumées so that the client’s olfactory signature may be perpetuated.

Special orders: Historic savoir-faire:

Since its founding, the French Maison has accompanied clients in their quest for rare and exceptional products and perpetuated the Art of Personalization, a tradition inscribed in the trunk-maker’s DNA since 1854. In 1859, the House opened its workshop in Asnières, just outside Paris. To this day, trunks and special orders are crafted there by highly qualified artisans for travellers the world over. The emblematic Desk-Trunk for the renowned conductor Leopold Stokowski and the Tea Service Trunk for the Maharaja of Baroda were made here. More recently, the Maison’s historic workshop crafted cases for transporting the world’s most prestigious sports trophies, including those for the FIFA, the French Open, and the NBA, as well as Sneaker and Vanity Trunks – contemporary versions of the cosmetic cases of the 1920s.

Louis Vuitton’s Haute Perfumery customized perfume service begins at €60,000 EUR (approximately $72,690 USD). Come into the beautiful world of Louis Vuitton.

A floral and dreamy escape from reality: Louis Vuitton Heures d’Absence

While French Maison Louis Vuitton is primarily known for its bags and leather goods, the marquee has made a quite a splash in the world of fragrance. The brand’s much touted for Les Parfums Louis Vuitton collection is a testament to its mastery in making perfumes which is further sealed with the release of a unique new scent: Heures d’Absence.

The Les Parfums Louis Vuitton collection has been supplemented with a floral creation, a sophisticated and feminine ode to the French Maison’s perfume collection, whose composition develops flower by flower.

The new creation was inspired by the first Louis Vuitton fragrance Heures d’Absence launched in 1927, which was aimed at both men and women. Named after Georges Vuitton’s villa, the fragrance was presented to mark the opening of the new London store, and was available in only 300 copies.

The small airplane on the body of the rectangular glass flacon was the embodiment of the love for travel and exploration of the world, and for the 2020 creation, perfumer  Jacques Cavallier Belletrud relied on several components from the first fragrance to re-materialize it and include it into the collection once again.

Louis Vuitton Heures d’Absence brings freshness and whiteness to jasmine sambac. Its sharpness blends gently with the freshly cut May roses that give off a romantic vibe. The scent of jasmine in the composition is enhanced as the most prominent flower thanks to CO2 extraction technology, while mixing it with the aromatic pittosporum flower brings harmony and joy to the flowery collage.

The powdery and bright mimosa chord has a fine honey like and fluffy effect, giving the watercolor rose flowers a dose of sunshine, along with the delicacy of raspberries that make the flower bouquet more complex and sophisticatedly sweet. The subtle, silky warmth of vanilla gently envelops the flowers, combined with a creamy base of sandalwood and musk supporting the beauty of each flower and emphasizing the sophistication of the creation.

Louis Vuitton Heures d’Absence is available as a 100ml and 200ml Eau de Parfum, a travel flacon with 4 refills of 7.5ml Eau de Parfum, and a refill pack for the travel flacon (4×7.5ml Eau de Parfum.) at Louis Vuiton Boutiques and selected stores worldwide.

Come into the beautiful world of Louis Vuitton.