Dior focuses on savoir faire with documentary look at J’adore fragrance

Dior has released a 20-minute online film showcasing the creation of its J’adore perfume.

“Le Parfum – The Film”, as it’s called, documents everything from the sourcing of the scent’s raw materials to the blowing of its glass bottle. To do so it travels from Paris to Murano via Provence and India.

All the while, the Parfumeur Créateur of the Maison Dior, François Demachy, carries the story – albeit in French (a three-minute subtitled version lives on jadore.com).

The write-up reads: “This wayfaring film demonstrates that the birth of a perfume is due as much to the talent of its creator, as to the quality of its raw materials.”

It continues: “Timeless images show the expert techniques of those who cultivate and harvest. Astonishing moments reveal the know-how of those who obtain essences and absolutes from the rarest flowers. This beautiful escapade takes us into the splendour of regal, generous and respected nature.”

Claude Martinez, president and CEO of Parfums Christian Dior, told WWD: “For us, the wish was to [have people] really rediscover the art of perfume and creative passion that animates all the creators working around a fragrance. In a world where fragrances seem to be more and more marketed, more and more ephemeral, I think it’s important to have generations and future generations rediscover that perfume is a true savoir faire. It is a métier of art, a métier of artisans and it’s not recipes from a computer. But it’s voyages, it’s people who grow flowers, it’s people who mix them after, glassmakers.”

The documentary is complemented by a 60-second spot narrated by J’adore face, Charlize Theron. Released on TV in the US on Saturday, it has already received nearly five million views on YouTube.

According to WWD, it is slated to roll out on TV globally through December, as well as in cinemas in France and China. The Jadore.com microsite also hosts more information about the flowers, the creators and the bottle.

Watch both the 60-second and 20-minute version of the film, below:

 

Chloé unveils final letter in digital archive, invites sharing with bespoke invitational tool

Chloé sent its fans a symbolic kiss with the release of the final letter in its alphabet-based digital archive today.

Appropriate for the forthcoming holiday period, the “X”, like each of the other letters before it, comes with online content relevant to the history of the French fashion house. In this case, it’s a specially-commissioned track called “I follow you (Melo’s Chloé Christmas Kiss Mix)” by Paris-based singer Melody Prochet of Melody’s Echo Chamber (embedded below).

“This song is in tribute to Chloé, Chloé women and celebrating 60 years of all of us, it’s our theme tune in a way. So to all who have supported, designed for, bought, worn, written and talked about, shared, followed, loved and lusted after Chloé, we say thank you – this is for you. Enjoy!” reads the write-up.

This 26th and final letter also sees the archive – created by digital agency Guided Collective – become an “intimate invitational tool” from Monday. Users will be able to type in the name of a friend and send them a bespoke version of the Chloé heritage, relative to the letters that make up their name (demonstrated below).

“As [founder Gaby Aghion] once used the alphabet to inspire creativity and fun, we want you to continue the journey and introduce this wonderful story to a friend,” it says.

Archive Lanvin film reveals founder at work in atelier

 

Lanvin has released another video of its founder Jeanne Lanvin, this time at work supervising fittings and making final adjustments on her collection before its unveiling to the press.

The historical, recently-discovered footage shows the designer, who lived from 1867 to 1946, busy with the last-minute preparations at 22 Faubourg Saint Honoré, which remains the flagship store of the brand today.

A beautiful glimpse into fashion history, it documents the launch of her “Sorbier”, “Tubéreuse” and “Azalée” eveningwear designs. It also provides a look inside her office. “This is not just a dressmaking studio; it is a veritable cabinet of curiosities furnished by the famous Eugène Printz and houses her fabric library,” read the notes.

The notes also suggest films resurfacing from the founder’s era such as this one are “thanks to the digitalisation of cinematic archives by companies such as INA or Gaumont-Pathé”.

Chloé launches digital archive for 60-year celebration

Chloé is celebrating its 60th anniversary with an interactive digital archive to accompany its Chloé.Attitudes exhibition at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris.

The Alphabet, as it’s called, is an online exploration of the French fashion house’s heritage from 1952 to current day. Created by digital agency Guided Collective, it plays on the idea of founder Gaby Aghion’s own naming of her collections and garments, taking each letter of the alphabet and assigning it a relevant theme.

The first five letters were, unsurprisingly, C H L O and E. They launched simultaneously last week with a short film each (shown below) directed by Poppy De Villeneuve, Julie Verhoeven, Kathryn Ferguson, Stéphanie Di Giusto and Mary Clerté, who interpreted the themes of counter-couture, horses, light, O (roundness) and embroidery respectively.

The rest of the archive letters will be brought to life with further documentary films, previously unseen imagery, past advertising, sketches and collection references, editorial and even specially-commissioned music.

“Individually [they tell] a fragment of the story; collectively [they form] a mosaic of Chloé’s iconic moments, inspirations and heritage,” reads the write-up.

A new letter is currently launching every other day, revealed by a famous blogger worldwide before appearing on The Alphabet microsite. Once they are all live, users will be able to send friends an invitation featuring their own version of the heritage, relative to the letters that make up their name.

Referred to as playful, immersive, imaginative and compelling, the site is available in six languages worldwide and across multiple devices.

The Chloé.Attitudes exhibition opened on September 29 and runs until November 18.

Vogue launches 120-year digital archive

It’s been kept under cloak and dagger for months on end, but finally the Vogue Archive is live.

And what a feat…

Every page of every issue since 1892 has been digitised; that’s over 400,000 full-colour images of covers, ads, features, fashion portfolios, illustrations and more, in their original context. As they say, “the essential resource for fashion, design and marketing professionals”.

Powered globally by online trend analysis and research service WGSN, it offers an unparalleled record of fashion, social and cultural history. As such, it provides a rich resource for everyone from designers to students.

Steve Markov, president of WGSN Americas, says: “As the world’s leading trend forecaster and supplier of digital inspiration tools for the fashion and design industries, WGSN is ideally suited to maximize the commercial potential of the Vogue Archive. Both WGSN and the Vogue Archive are must-haves for any creative, design, or fashion business. The integration of two such powerful resources is an industry first.”

The archive is enhanced by the fact it also allows users to search and refine results; sorting by articles, images, covers, or advertisements; as well as decade, issue, brand, designer, photographer or model. That’s hours on end of my day gone then…

Watch the video demo, here.