FRANCE. Edgy, niche fragrance house Juliette Has a Gun – the brainchild of Romano Ricci, the charismatic great-grandson of fashion/fragrance maven Nina Ricci – is setting its sights on travel retail.
Guiding the brand in the channel is Jean-Michel Bostroem, former L’Oréal Produits de Luxe International Travel Retail Worldwide International Marketing Director, one of the beauty sector’s most knowledgeable, respected, and experienced individuals.
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Cocked and loaded: Juliette Has a Gun’s trio of fragrances, Citizen Queen, Miss Charming and Lady Vengeance |
Juliette Has a Gun is a high-end collection of three feminine fragrances (two more are in the pipeline), with an innovative urban-chic image. Its key target market is trendy, fashion-forward, luxe-loving women aged approximately 25-45.
The three fragrances to date are the evocatively-titled Lady Vengeance, Miss Charming and Citizen Queen. The recommended domestic price points are €65 for 50ml and €88 for 100ml.
The first two scents were created by nose Francis Kurkdijan; the third by Ricci himself. Lady Vengeance is a rich, sophisticated blend of Bulgarian rose, patchouli and vanilla. Miss Charming, described as sensual and elegant, features notes of Moroccan rose and wild fruits. Citizen Queen, new for 2008, is an edgy chypre aldehydic with leathery elements.
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Romano Ricci, the charismatic man in the hat behind the fragrant Juliette Has a Gun |
The packaging for all three features variations on a theme of white, black, silver and pink. The flacon caps are heavy and engraved with the company name. The outer cartons are embellished with an oversized bow.
In terms of distribution to date, in its French homeland the brand has carved out a strong niche for itself within high-end department and concept stores such as Colette, Le Bon Marché, Printemps, Evody and Franck & Fils.
It is present in other European countries including the UK, Germany, Spain, Italy and Greece, and has been launched in selected doors within North America, Asia and the Middle East.
“In total, we are present in over 20 countries worldwide, in around 800 points of sale,” Bostroem confirms.
Every element of the brand has been overseen by Ricci, whose playboy good looks and charming manner – offset by his trademark black Fedora hat – are a perfect foil for his obvious design talent.
“When I started working on the brand, about two years ago, I really didn’t expect this kind of response from the market,” he told The Moodie Report at last month’s TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes.
“I knew Juliette Has a Gun would be successful in concept stores, but so many retailers, even more traditional ones, are very interested in it.”
The brand name itself is deliberately different – what was Ricci’s inspiration for such an esoteric choice? “It’s the association between the symbol of Shakespeare’s Juliet, the innocence of femininity and the problems that go with it, associated to a lady with a gun,” he replies.
“This brand is aimed at women who don’t want to perfume themselves like everybody else. With Juliette Has a Gun, you either like it or you don’t, but at least you have a reaction. Indifference is the worst thing.“ |
Romano Ricci |
“It has nothing to do with violence; it’s a pure metaphor. This paradox reflects exactly the type of femininity which I find interesting. I wanted to speak about women without being cheesy; I wanted to redefine romanticism and relationships.”
Ricci freely admits that Juliette Has a Gun is no mainstream project, and is pleased with its polarising qualities. “The brand is aimed at women who don’t want to perfume themselves like everybody else,” he explains. “With Juliette Has a Gun, you either like it or you don’t, but at least you have a reaction.”
He continues: “Either you understand it, or you don’t, and that’s a good thing. I don’t mind when people say, “˜I hate what you do’, because at least I have generated a response. Indifference is the worst thing.”
Given Ricci’s bloodline, fragrance is his birthright, but he only got seriously involved in the industry about 10 years ago, serving his time at a small company, learning about all elements of the craft, before launching Juliette Has a Gun.
“Everything about this brand is very personal,” he underlines. “I care about everything: the ingredients, the bottle, the communication – all of it.
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Jean-Michel Bostroem: “Our travel retail strategy is to target certain flagship doors. Above all we want to keep the brand very elitist, very upmarket, very chic. And it absolutely has to be kept edgy.” |
“I even created [the juice] for Citizen Queen,” Ricci relates. “I worked with an assistant, who technically does the mixing, as that’s very specialist, but I knew what I wanted it to smell like and got very much into the formula.”
In other words, don’t be fooled by the offbeat dandy demeanour. Ricci has big ambitions for his brainchild, which include a fashion line and, at some stage, probably a cosmetics offer too.
“I see Juliette Has a Gun as a universe,” he admits, “inside which there is definitely space for very specific make-up, fashion and accessories. Next year we plan to launch a collection of dresses, but very exclusively: it will only be in one shop per country.”
All of which makes it an ideal time to progress the Juliette Has a Gun fragrances to the next stage of their development, hence the appointment of Bostroem to explore opportunities in the travel retail channel. But Ricci is quick to point out that the brand’s selective distribution strategy will stay the same.
“We don’t want to go into mainstream distribution,” he explains. “We are still targeting primarily the retail opinion-leaders. Juliette Has a Gun needs a certain environment”¦and travel retail is a consequence of that.”
He continues: “Travel retail is an excellent shop window. It is also very coherent with my client, who has money and who travels. So why not experiment and see what happens there?
“In many ways travel retail is where people look for something that is very well known and familiar, brands such as Chanel and Dior. But it is also where they discover new things and exclusive products, so why not Juliette Has a Gun? In that sense we are being pioneers because there are hardly any niche brands in [the channel].”
“Our travel retail strategy is to target certain flagship doors,” confirms Bostroem. “We already enjoy a certain notoriety, and the fragrances are very creative and eye-catching. We will use travel retail to further raise awareness, which in turn will have an effect on our local markets presence. This interactive synergy will be very beneficial.”
He continues: “I also think today people are trying to differentiate themselves more, and niche brands play an important role in this. And of course, today’s luxury travel retail environment is perfect for a brand such as this.”
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In addition to fragrance, the Juliette Has a Gun brand will be enhanced by an exclusive fashion collection in 2009 |
Ground shops will be the key focus initially, although Bostroem does not rule out targeting certain inflight retailers, on a case-by-case basis.
“This brand is not right for every retailer,” he acknowledged. “And I am not in a hurry for airlines, although certain carriers could be good showcases. But above all we want to keep the brand very elitist, very upmarket, very chic. And it absolutely has to be kept edgy.”
For more information contact Jean-Michel Bostroem on tel: +33 6 25 03 35 88; email: jmbostroem@numericable.com
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