FRANCE. Parfums Givenchy celebrated its women’s fragrance Ange ou Démon (Angel or Demon) at a glittering launch party attended by the house’s new “face”.
The new model in the dual advertising visuals is Marie Steiss, the daughter of France’s Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin. In one visual she looks angelic (ange) and, in the other, a sultry temptress with provocative eyes (démon).
 |  |
| The new model in the dual advertising visuals is Marie Steiss, the daughter of France’s Prime Minister. The ads show angelic (ange) and provocative (démon) looks and will appear in print and outdoor campaigns | |
 |  |
Ange ou Démon edp will be launched from August in the UK and from September in France and other selected markets. The bottle has a crystal droplet motif and the packaging is white with black lettering | |
 |  |
The fresh, herbal, aromatic juice was created by Parfums Givenchy’s in-house nose Françoise Donche and features lily at its heart. Pictured on the right is designer Serge Mansau’s sketch of the bottle | |
Ange ou Démon, in dominant white and black packaging, is making its debut in selected markets from August 2006, with an international roll-out set for 2007.
The oriental, floral edp will bow initially in the UK and France. In travel retail, Aelia has negotiated an exclusivity for two weeks in August prior to the domestic launch in France from September. It will hit the shelves at World Duty Free – a crucially important outlet for Parfums Givenchy – and other UK travel retail and domestic stores from 19 August.
From September 2006, the line will hit US speciality stores (not US travel retail) as well as Latin America (Mexico) and Francophone countries (including Belgium), the Netherlands, Greece and Cyprus. It will also be available in selected stores, including travel retail, in Kuwait. The rest of the world – including the US, Asia and inflight – will receive the fragrance next year. Major travel retail promotions will take place in October in outlets such as World Duty Free at London Heathrow Airport.
The 15 June launch party was held at a Middle Eastern potentate’s palace in Paris. The elegant residence’s huge crystal chandeliers were designed to set off the crystal motif on the fragrance bottle. The glass bottle is clear at the bottom, graduating into black towards the all-black cap. Crystal droplets are engraved on the back of the flacon, which was designed by French sculptor Serge Mansau.
The fresh, herbal, aromatic juice was created by Parfums Givenchy’s in-house nose Françoise Donche. It contains mandarin from Calabria, white thyme essence and saffron essence as top notes; lily, ylang ylang and orchid at the heart; and, at the base, tonka bean, vanilla, palissander wood and oakwood absolute – the latter ingredient incorporated into a fragrance for the first time ever.
During the launch event, Parfums Givenchy Marketing Director Isabelle Gex told the audience: “The new fragrance has the Givenchy DNA – French style, ultimate chicness, aristocratic soul and playful spontaneity – and expresses a new facet of the house. We want to make women dream; it is sophisticated, luxurious and all about seduction, purity and mystery, where light plays with shadows.”
Ange ou Démon edp retails at €49 for 30ml, €65 for 50ml and €95 for 100ml in the domestic market. The UK domestic retail price is £32 for 30ml, £43 for 50ml and £65 for 100ml. Ancillary products, including body lotion, body cream and deodorant, will also be available at launch.
The advertising visuals, shot by renowned fashion photographer duo Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, will appear in print and outdoor campaigns.
Ange ou Démon is Parfums Givenchy’s “new Organza” [launched in 1996] in terms of its scale and importance, though the company’s US-inspired launch Very Irresistible – which features Liv Tyler in the visuals – remains a major part of its fragrance portfolio and is performing extremely well, according to Parfums Givenchy Field Marketing Manager Sandra Bédé Mohsni.
The travel retail channel is important to Parfums Givenchy as it makes up 18-19% of the company’s total sales, according to Bédé Mohsni, who added that exports as a whole accounted for 50% of overall turnover. World Duty Free is Parfums Givenchy’s biggest travel retail account in one market and contributes the largest share of turnover within the sector.
About Marie Steiss – the new face of Ange ou Démon
Twenty-year-old Marie Steiss is the daughter of France’s Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin. A model with IMG, she went to a casting in New York some 18 months ago and her sultry looks appealed to Givenchy Parfums President Alain Lorenzo and Marketing Director Isabelle Gex. New York-born Steiss subsequently visited the pair in Paris and was signed up on the spot as the new face of Ange ou Démon. Lorenzo said Steiss embodied the different facets of the new fragrance and her cosmopolitan upbringing – she has lived in India as well as the US and France – was also a factor in the decision to use her.
At the launch party, Steiss joked: “When I was about 12 years old I got my first Givenchy fragrance, Amarige, from a car fair. I must admit it was a bit strong for me, but now with Ange ou Démon I have a young and fresh fragrance I can really wear.”
Lorenzo immediately forgave Steiss for her extreme honesty, laughing: “We’ve been working with Marie on this project for over 12 months now and she has really become one of the family. We’re playing tennis together on Saturday.” (Perhaps Lorenzo has another ace up his sleeve – Ed.)
THE INSIDE SCOOP: UPCOMING PARFUMS GIVENCHY LAUNCHES
Parfums Givenchy is working on a number of fragrant launch projects:
– A lighter Very Irresistible fragrance for men to appeal to the Asian market;
– A fresh, new variant of Very Irresistible;
– A sixth travel retail exclusive fragrance, Lovely Prism, to be presented at the TFWA in Cannes this year;
– Travel sets for Ange ou Démon.
MORE STORIES ON PARFUMS GIVENCHY
LVMH sales surge 15% in first quarter as DFS Group’s growth continues – 20/04/06
Parfums Givenchy creates vintage fragrance collection – 17/11/05
