This May will see Louis Vuitton introduce five men’s fragrances and an oud perfume to its portfolio…here’s what we know so far

The luxury fashion and beauty house is introducing five men’s fragrances and an oud perfume to its portfolio, WWD reports. The move follows the house’s re-emergence into the perfume industry in 2016 with seven women’s fragrances inspired by the allure of travel; prior to that, the brand had not released any new perfumes since the 1920s.

This first men’s range, which features five scents that don’t directly target men (you won’t see any Pour Homme inscriptions on the sleek bottles designed by Marc Newson) but, in the words of master perfumer Jacques Cavallier Belletrud, “are perfumes that a woman, or a man, would love to smell on a man”.

Created by the brand’s in-house master perfumer Jacques Cavallier-Belletrud, the new masculine fragrance collection spans a variety of different scents, with names including “L’Immensité,” “Orage,” “Nouveau Monde,” “Sur La Route” and “Au Hasard.” The oud, which can allegedly be worn alone or layered with other scents, has been christened “Ombre Nomade.”

“As we did for the feminine range, we wanted to offer something different,” Cavallier-Belletrud told WWD. Louis Vuitton launched its first fragrance range, Les Parfums, in 2016 – that line was aimed at women and has been successful not only among loyal clients but also younger consumers who may not necessarily be able to afford the label’s pricey luxury items.

“It’s really a creative endeavor,” Michael Burke, chairman and chief executive officer of Louis Vuitton, told WWD. “We don’t have a specific plan. We are being guided by our nose.”

The new scents will launch in a selection of the brand’s global stores on May 31, while “Ombre Nomade” will launch in the Middle East and at Harrods in London on May 4, before being rolled out to additional stores in August.

Belletrud is the brains behind each Louis Vuitton fragrance and he’s been working on the men’s range since 2013. This launch comes at a time when Louis Vuitton’s “men’s universe” is a big focus at the brand (Off-White designer and Kanye West collaborator Virgil Abloh (below) will unveil his first men’s designs for the label in June).

For a long time, the stereotype in men’s perfumes was a clean, citrusy scent evoking outdated notions of a victorious or invincible guy, a cliché that Belletrud wanted to avoid.

The five scents include Au Hasard, a subtle blend of ingredients such as sandalwood and cardamom, which will please the most adventurous types, or l’Immensité, a zesty scent inspired by the pickled ginger served at sushi restaurants.

Needless to say, these are not your average colognes. “Perfume is not a commodity,” Belletrud says. “It’s full of emotions, like a dress or a pair of shoes, and addresses the deepest side of your personality because our choice of perfume is based on memory, which is built from when you’re very young.

“If you had a bad experience with rose or vanilla when you were little, you’ll never like those smells. It’s different for everyone. When someone smells jasmine from Japan or China it’s not the same as someone from France.”

This last point is critical as Asia, in spite of its embrace of categories such as skincare and make-up, has never been very receptive to perfumes, especially the strong ones favoured in Europe or the Middle East. Things, however, are changing, according to Belletrud.

“We’ve been very successful in Asia,” he says. “For instance, the Japanese, who are supposed to like light fragrances, have embraced some of our strong ones and I see some change in China also because they probably had enough of smelling the same thing and where there is quality and emotion they see it.”

“They also don’t see the boundaries between men’s and women’s fragrances as much because there’s less association with that so if they like the scent, they just buy it. But it’s true that in China, Singapore or Japan, they don’t like something too strong that doesn’t reflect their personality but something that fits the culture and who they are.”

Belletrud calls this new shift happening among male consumers a “new masculinity”. Louis Vuitton’s pivot to men this year, of which this launch is a very important step, is set to reveal this new vision of menswear at the brand and will be a closely watched move in one of the fastest growing and changing segments of the luxury industry.

A sixth Oud fragrance – Ombre Nomade – will also be released specifically aimed at the Middle-East market.

Souce: SCMP / Louis Vuitton