Louis Vuitton has long since moved beyond the world of suitcases, bags and catwalk collections: today, a fragrance for the French fashion house is just as much a way of telling a story as leather, fabric or the iconic monogram. In Ukraine, you can choose and buy original Louis Vuitton perfumes can be found in the Kyiv-based niche perfumery studio Select, which works with official suppliers and delivers throughout Ukraine. What makes Louis Vuitton’s fragrance history interesting is that it does not appear to be a mere extension of the fashion brand’s product range. On the contrary, the fragrances continue one of the House’s central themes — travel, the discovery of new places and the emotions that linger afterwards.
From suitcases to fragrances: the history of Louis Vuitton perfumes
Louis Vuitton founded his House in Paris in 1854, making a name for himself primarily through travel trunks and luggage. From the very beginning, travel has been one of the brand’s central themes — and over time, this concept has extended far beyond the production of suitcases.
The first Louis Vuitton fragrance was launched way back in In 1927. It was named Heures d’Absence and was linked to the theme of the road: even the bottle case resembled a kilometre marker.
However, Louis Vuitton’s modern history in perfumery actually began much later. In 2012, the House’s master perfumer became Jacques Cavallier-Belttrud — a native of Grasse, the son and grandson of perfumers.
It was he who shaped Louis Vuitton’s current olfactory language. The brand uses a creative workshop to develop its fragrances Les Fontaines Parfumées in Grasse — a French city traditionally regarded as one of the world’s leading centres of fine perfumery.
Travel as the central theme of the fragrances
Louis Vuitton’s perfumes differ from the traditional approach, whereby a fashion brand creates a single mass-market fragrance and releases variations of it year after year.
The House’s collections are built around moods and geography. California, the Middle East, the seaside, cityscapes, the desert, dawn or the feeling of being on the road serve as the starting point for the designs.
This explains the noticeable difference between the fragrances. One may be almost transparent, citrusy and refreshing, whilst another may be rich, woody, amber-like or musky.
Louis Vuitton itself describes its perfumes as emotional journeys, and this idea goes a long way towards explaining why fragrance has become an integral part of the brand’s DNA.
Louis Vuitton fragrances to start your journey with
Even just a few of its best-known fragrances demonstrate just how varied Louis Vuitton’s perfumes can be:
- Imagination — a fresh fragrance with citrus notes, black tea and hints of amber. One of the brand’s most famous contemporary fragrances.
- Pacific Chill — a lighter, brighter fragrance with citrus, green and fruity notes, inspired by the atmosphere of California.
- Afternoon Swim — a vibrant citrus fragrance for those who love clean, fresh scents without being overly sweet.
- Ombre Nomade — a completely different Louis Vuitton: oud, benzoin, raspberry and frankincense create a rich, oriental scent.
- Les Sables Roses — a blend of rose and oud with a distinctively warm character.
- Symphony — part of the Les Extraits collection, in which the fragrance is regarded almost as a standalone work of art.
It is precisely this diversity that has enabled Louis Vuitton to carve out its own niche in the world of contemporary luxury perfumery.
When the bottle itself becomes a design feature
In the luxury segment, it is not just the fragrance itself that matters. Louis Vuitton applies to perfumery the very same approach to design that it has applied to bags, suitcases and accessories for decades.
The bottles are designed to remain instantly recognisable regardless of the specific fragrance. Some of the collections are designed to be refilled, whilst certain editions can be personalised.
One case in particular proved to be Les Extraits Collection, which was created by architect Frank Gehry in collaboration with Jacques Cavallier-Belletrud. In this series, the design of the bottle cap has effectively transformed the packaging into a small sculptural object.
This is very typical of Louis Vuitton: a product should not exist in isolation from the brand’s history, but should be a continuation of it.
How to choose the right niche or luxury fragrance
The price of a bottle or the popularity of a particular fragrance does not necessarily mean that it will suit you. A perfume unfolds gradually on the skin, and the same fragrance can smell different depending on the temperature, the season and even your lifestyle.
It is therefore better to start exploring luxury fragrances not by making a random purchase of a large bottle, but by trying them out first.
Select offers both full-size perfumes and travel-size versions of many fragrances. This is handy if you want to try out a fragrance in real life for a few days before deciding whether you need a larger bottle.
The catalogue features Louis Vuitton Imagination, Pacific Chill, Ombre Nomade, Symphony, Les Sables Roses and other fragrances from the brand. Alongside these, you can compare fragrances from other luxury and niche houses — from Amouage and Kilian to Ex Nihilo, Guerlain, Bvlgari, Roja and Clive Christian.
Why a patch test is more important than first impressions
The first few minutes after application reveal only the opening notes of the fragrance. After a while, the bright top notes fade, giving way to the heart and base notes of the fragrance.
It is therefore worth giving a perfume at least a few hours to develop before making a choice. This is particularly true of rich, oud-based, amber, woody and musky fragrances.
This approach allows you to gauge not only whether you like the fragrance in the shop, but also how comfortable it is to wear throughout the day.
Perfume as a new language for Louis Vuitton
In the nearly century since the launch of the first Heures d’Absence, perfumery has evolved for Louis Vuitton from an experimental venture into a world of its own.
It retains the brand’s core values: travel, craftsmanship, attention to materials, design and a desire to transform ordinary objects into items with a story behind them.
That is precisely why it is now difficult to view the modern Louis Vuitton solely as a fashion house. Fragrances have become yet another way of speaking the language of luxury — without logos or the iconic monogram, but with a character that can be sensed from the very first notes.
