The fashion house’s new fragrance – inspired by the sun’s rise – marks the next chapter in its journey.
Two years. Eight scents. It’s a statistic that could make even the world’s most prolific perfumers tremble in their polished boots, yet that’s what Louis Vuitton will have under its belt from this month.
The luxury French fashion house is further expanding its reach into the beauty industry, turning its septuplet of scents into an octuplet with the debut of Le Jour Se Lève on 15 March.
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The heritage brand has enlisted its master perfumer, Jacques Cavallier-Belletrud, to create the latest aroma, a zesty yet floral composition that aims to capture the feeling of the morning’s first warming rays (in the promise-of-a-new-day sense, rather than ‘oh no, got to get up for work’ iteration).
Cavallier-Belletrud is the nose behind Vuitton’s most recent foray into fragrance, with the label launching seven scents all at once back in September 2016, following a 70-year hiatus from the perfume game.
While little sister Le Jour Se Lève, which translates as “daybreak”, may be an only child, it was conceived at the same location as its predecessors—Les Fontaines Parfumées.
The creative workshop, purchased and restored by Vuitton in 2013, is nestled in the French Riviera town of Grasse, a hilltop spot rich in roses, lavender and jasmine that’s long been considered the world’s capital of perfume.
However it’s a more effervescent ingredient that takes centre stage in Le Jour Se Lève.
“Mandarin is a marvellous citrus fruit because it’s possible to diffuse from it simultaneously the optimism of its flesh, the freshness of the zest and the floral aspect of the tree,” says Cavallier-Belletrud, whose past creations include L’Eau d’Issey by Issey Miyake and Midnight Poison by Christian Dior.
The fruit, which forms the backbone of the new scent, is complemented by jasmine sambac (a bloom commonly used in Asian green teas), blackcurrant, magnolia and musk.
With that combination, Cavallier-Bel-letrud—who’s a third-generation perfumer born and bred in Grasse—gives a nod to his seven previous babies, all laced with floral notes. Yet the result is a very fresh incarnation; crisp, Mediterranean with a touch of jamminess and a smidge of herb.
Its vessel is equally as noteworthy, with Le Jour Se Lève presented in an understated but weighty glass bottle topped with a black stopper, like the 2016 scents (There is also a travel set, lined with four 7.5ml bottles, for the jetsetters among us).
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The heirloom piece is designed to be handed down through generations—much like Vuitton’s ready-to-wear, jewellery or accessories. The apricot-hued liquid inside can even be refilled at Louis Vuitton boutiques for Dhs650 once exhausted, in a move still novel in an era of consumerism.
Elegant and eco-friendly? We’re sold.
Le Jour Se Lève is priced at Dhs1,100 for 100ml. It will be available from 15 March exclusively at Louis Vuitton stores across the region.
Styling: Carmel Gill
Photography: Mustufa Abidi
