Introduction: At the recent launch in Singapore of Chill & Sole, the new expression in Bulgari’s hero Allegra fragrance collection, The Moodie Davitt Report Brands Director Hannah Tan sat down with renowned Master Perfumer Jacques Cavallier and Bulgari Global Managing Director of the Fragrance Business Unit Jonathan Brinbaum. They discussed the fast-changing fragrance landscape in Asia, Bulgari’s streamlining and elevation journey and why travel retail is the perfect channel for its luxury fragrances to shine.
“We’re not a perfume brand, but a jeweller doing perfume.”
The words of Bulgari Global Managing Director of the Fragrance Business Unit Jonathan Brinbaum encapsulate the Italian house’s carefully crafted approach to Chill & Sole, the latest addition to Bulgari’s hero Allegra fragrance collection, unveiled at a glamorous launch in Tanjong Beach Club, Singapore on 14 May.
The event was attended by top executives from Bulgari and LVMH Beauty, as well as KOLs, international media, The Moodie Davitt Report from the travel retail B2B sector, and Bulgari brand friend, Korean actress Kim Ji Won.
Chill & Sole Eau de Parfum is a floral citrus scent which draws inspiration from a relaxing day by the Mediterranean Sea. It was crafted by Master Perfumer Jacques Cavallier, who has been creating scents for Bulgari since 1995 (see panel below). Chill & Sole blends green neroli and fresh citrus notes with orange blossom and petit grain.
Looking back to the beginning of his journey with Bulgari, Cavallier recounts: “We started our partnership a long time ago with Pour Homme in 1995. It was their second or third perfume and since then we have constantly been in touch creatively.
Shared creative valuesMaster Perfumer Jacques Cavallier and Bulgari’s relationship spans almost three decades and has spawned some of the house’s most memorable luxury fragrances. These include Bulgari Pour Homme Extreme; Eau Parfumée au Thé Blanc; Aqva Pour Homme; Blv II; Aqva Pour Homme Toniq; Marine Toniq and Atlantiqve; Aqva Amara; and Eau Parfumée au Thé Noir. Cavallier also created several scents in the Le Gemme collection including Tygar, Malakeos, Gyan, Garanat, Ambero, Onekh, Yasep, Opalon, Kobraa, Azaran, Empyr and Falkar, and Splendida Magnolia Sensuel. His creative talents also saw the birth of Dolce Estasi, Fiori d’Amore, Riva Solare, Fantasia Veneta, Rock’n’Rome, Spettacolore, Baciami, Passeggiata and Ma’magnifica for the Allegra collection.
|
“Now, I’m more specialised with Bulgari for creating the high-end ranges such as Allegra. We share the same values; we belong to the same group and have known each other for a long time. There is a great confidence from both me and Bulgari, which is very important. I have loved the brand for a very long time.”
Allegra has been a big fragrance winner for Bulgari, particularly in travel retail. The range was launched in 2021 as an initial global travel retail-exclusive with China Duty Free Group and has since been rolled out in key locations globally.
Brinbaum explains: “Allegra was launched during pandemic times and so we are using this occasion to both launch Chill & Sole and celebrate Allegra, which has been one of the biggest success stories for Bulgari Parfum. Allegra as a collection is very simple, it’s all about encapsulating Italian emotions. It’s about celebrating different moments in Italian life.
“For example, Rock’n’Rome is about sharing an aperitivo with your friends in an Italian terrace; Riva Solare is about a day spent on a boat on the Mediterranean Sea; Baciami is about the sweetness of a first kiss; Fiori d’Amore is about receiving a rose and Chill & Sole is in the same spirit.
“It’s about Dolce Far Niente or the sweetness of doing nothing, a feeling we all love. Jacques created this perfume, which is all about encapsulating this fresh, dazzling moment.
“Chill & Sole is the next chapter of the Allegra story,” Brinbaum adds. “This collection has been incredibly successful. We are still rolling out in key doors, investing in dynamic, luxurious pop-ups in global travel retail and there is still much more to come. We are in 300 points-of-sale globally for Allegra and that will continue to grow.
“In travel retail the range is wonderfully successful. The AI-driven Allegra mixology experience, which we debuted in Cannes last year, is now just starting to roll out. I believe that travel retail is the right environment for this collection. We had a wonderful pop-up in Istanbul Airport, which is one example of how travellers can indulge in the perfume world through the Allegra collection.”
“Fragrance is the entry door as it has the biggest penetration for the brand. We sell 5 million perfumes per year, which is 90% of the volumes of the brand. It’s a huge source of growth for us.” — Jonathan Brinbaum
Chill & Sole: Celebrating Dolce Far Niente
Talking about the inspirations behind Chill & Sole, Cavallier says: “The main concept for Chill & Sole is the Italian lifestyle. This is all about taking it easy, enjoying life, doing nothing and just appreciating the atmosphere and the landscape. Through this fragrance, we are translating the scents of the Mediterranean Sea and Italian nature with a touch of sophistication, which sets this scent apart.
“Italians are so vibrant, creative and full of joy. So, the expression of the Allegra concept is all about colours and fragrances based on exceptional ingredients,” Cavallier adds.
“There is a chorus in each perfume. For Chill & Sole, I really wanted to celebrate the Italian Mediterranean lifestyle. This story started with Riva Solare and I have continued that story with Chill & Sole.
Magnifying Essences and fragrance personalisation
Key distinguishing features of the Allegra line include the Magnifying Essences, which allow the wearer to customise their scent with different notes such as sandalwood, magnolia and neroli.
Brinbaum comments: “Allegra is about Italian emotions and the other key differentiator in this range is the Magnifying Essences. We wanted a fragrance collection that could be personalised. Not just fragrances that you can wear in a perfume, but to bring something more. Each Magnifying Essence can go with any of the Eau de Parfums to bring a different twist.”
Offering his insights into the personalisation trend, Cavallier says: “Mixing perfumes for me is still a mystery because it is very subjective. This is why we have created the Magnifying Essences. You can wear them alone but they were designed to be layered.
“The Magnifying Essences are centred on the spirit of the raw material in each scent that can enhance your favourite perfumes. For neroli for example, if you add it to Chill & Sole you can keep the transparency that is key in the fragrance while pushing all the floral notes into the front of the scent.”
Offering a preview for the next stage of his partnership with Bulgari, Cavallier said: “Chill & Sole represents the next step of ushering in the new era or fragrance for Bulgari. We are crafting scents of extreme quality that are modern.”
Brinbaum adds: “Jacques is one of the longest-standing perfumers of Bulgari. He has continued to create scents for Bulgari because he loves Bulgari and understands our brand. I admire how he has faceted what Bulgari is as a fragrance house, from Pour Homme all the way to Allegra.”
The Asia fragrance boom
The launch event, hosted at Sentosa during the TFWA World Exhibition in Singapore, served as an opportunity for Cavallier to share his insights into the rapid evolution of the fragrance market in Asia.
“Asia has always been very interesting, diverse and dynamic,” he says. “I was in China a few weeks ago and have seen the difference in how young people consume fragrances. They are more demanding; they want real luxury in scents and price is not an issue if the quality is there. There is a major shift coming from the youth which is creating new consumer habits that are transforming the market.”
Commenting on Bulgari’s prospects in Asia Pacific, Brinbaum says: “Asia Pacific travel retail is a very sizeable business for Bulgari Parfums, as it represents one-third of our global sales. The region also contributes to 30% of our overall business in global travel retail.
“Asia Pacific travel retail is undergoing a radical transformation and the market is maturing, it is one of the key growth drivers of the brand. So, expect to see more exciting things to come in this region.
“In Asia Pacific specifically, we’ve seen a boom in high-end perfumery,” Brinbaum adds. “I think this is a post-COVID effect where luxury comes back to a sense of self.
“Fragrance is all about self-indulgence and self-expression and clients are demanding a more personal luxury experience. The fragrance category is delivering on that promise and a lot of brands, whether niche or well-known, have done a lot in creating knowledge about perfumery. There are also a lot of interesting things happening in the market as clients demand scents that are personal and specific to them.
“It’s not about wearing blockbuster franchises,” he explains. “Today, perfumery has changed. The chance we have in Bulgari is that we anticipated this trend with Le Gemme and Allegra. We also anticipated the need to streamline our distribution for qualitative retail. This is why travel retail is so important because we acknowledged five or six years ago that we had to be in the right channels with the right clients with the right product – and that strategy is now bearing fruit.”
Streamlining and elevation
Bulgari has been cutting down its retail networks over recent years to win big and offer more luxurious and elevated retail experiences. Brinbaum explains: “Elevation has been the mantra of Bulgari for the last decade and that’s one of the core reasons why the brand has been so successful today.
“What does this mean? We have become more and more selective and demanding in what we do, how we develop our products and how we display our perfumes with retail partners. This is linked to what the rest of the brand is doing. Bulgari Parfums and the fine jewellery house is one brand. We need to talk the same language because we have the same clients. What we need to remind ourselves is that each category has a role.”
He continues: “Fragrance is the entry door as it has the biggest penetration for the brand. We sell 5 million perfumes per year, which is 90% of the volumes of the brand. It’s a huge source of growth for us.
“We know we are recruiting new, younger clients to the Bulgari family through fragrances. In my view, we’re not a perfume brand, but a jeweller doing perfume. The more we do that, the more successful we are because it highlights the authenticity of what we do.”
The parallels between fragrance and jewellery
According to Brinbaum, there are many parallels in the worlds of fine jewellery and high perfumery. “There are similarities in how we source these gems and fragrance ingredients. For example, our dedication to quality, how we respect nature and how we remain authentic with our philosophies.
“It’s about crafting nature. When you are a jeweller, you look for jewels and gems. In perfumery, it’s the same. We look for the gems of nature through exquisite ingredients and we transform them into fragrances that are like beautiful jewellery. The jeweller transforms the gem and the Master Perfumer transforms the ingredients. ✈
