Rabanne is moving its fragrance selection upmarket.
It will launch La Collection Rabanne, an eight-piece range of fine fragrances on July 18. The scents will be sold at London’s Selfridges department store, as well as on Rabanne’s e-commerce site.
The collection is three years in the making, and part of the Puig-owned line’s wider rebrand, which has seen it drop the Paco from its name to now be known simply as Rabanne, expand into cosmetics, and add musician Troye Sivan as its makeup ambassador.
However, the fine fragrance push is its boldest gambit yet, according to vice president Jerome Leloup.
“It’s our most ambitious launch in terms of elevation, luxury, price-wise and the design,” he said.
While Rabanne already offers popular fragrances in the prestige bracket such as 1 Million and Invictus, which are under $150 for their smaller sizes, La Collection Rabanne scents sit firmly in the niche luxury price band, with a 125ml bottle retailing for $315.
“When you buy a niche fragrance, you want something unique in terms of the bottle design,” said Leloup, adding that customers want something that will stand out. “The niche customer is very much about status.” The bottles feature a motif, known as ‘the eight’, originally created and popularised by Paco Rabanne in the 1980s.
Still, “you don’t just buy a bottle because it’s cute. You have to really fall in love with the juice,” said Leloup.
To create the scents, the brand has also recruited six top perfumers to create the scents, including Fanny Bal and Fabrice Pellegrin, who have created perfumes for the niche brands such as Penhaligon’s, Frederic Malle and L’Artisan Parfumeur. The resulting fragrances include Rose 1969, which has notes of black pepper and patchouli, and Midnight Sex, which smells like coconut and orange blossom.
Leloup said the brand eschewed consumer testing in favour of leaning on the discernment of its perfumers. “We went with our heart and our gut,” he added.
More retail locations are set to follow the Selfridges launch. In the near future, Rabanne will stage a Fashion Week takeover of the Italian department store La Rinascente in September. Additions such as complementary accessories are slated for the coming years.
“We really want to tie it all back to Mr Rabanne, and tell the story of fashion and beauty and the legacy of the house,” said Leloupe.
Learn more:
Luxury Brands Might Think Twice Before Buying Back Their Beauty Lines
In search of greater ownership — both of image and revenues — more fashion houses are wresting back control of their beauty licences. But running a beauty business can stretch otherwise well-resourced, powerful companies beyond their capabilities.
