THE CONCEPT: Feminine. Masculine. Why choose ?
Gender is not something that is determined, but a game in which everyone can reinvent the rules, put a twist on tradition and blend the lines between femininity and masculinity, all the better to slip from one to the other and reinvent yourself day after day. Gender fluidity is an attitude that comes to us straight from the roaring twenties… when women wore trousers for the first time, adopted a cropped haircut or sported a cigarette between their lips. Today, the same desire for freedom is inspiring a whole generation that is breaking free from traditional divides and shaking up stereotypes to affirm every facet of their identity. This breath of creative daring has given Guerlain the idea for an unmistakably universal scent.
LUI is a fragrance that likes to blur the boundaries. Not entirely feminine, nor truly masculine, it is both at once. Its ambiguous fragrance trail is based on benzoin: an ingredient that also has numerous facets. Floral, spicy and woody in turn, this resin is revealed in all of its complexity as the composition created by Delphine Jelk (Guerlain Perfumer), under the creative direction of Thierry Wasser (Guerlain’s Master Perfumer), unfolds. After an opening burst blending a soft pear note with a lively clove note, benzoin merges with the powdery and spicy accents of the carnation accord. An equally unexpected and harmonious union with this androgynous flower, which is sometimes displayed in men’s buttonholes. Then benzoin takes on a darker, more intense dimension, pulsating over leathery base notes with smoky and woody accents. Vanilla and white musk transport it to a comfortable and supple sensuality. LUI is ambivalent by nature, inherently complex. However, its character is best revealed on contact with the skin. A unique alchemy – distinctive to the individual – is created, sometimes distinguishing the scent with its enveloping powdery floral notes, and sometimes with the depth of its leathery, woody and spicy effects. LUI is always true to form, but never the same.
THE HERITAGE: An elegant black-lacquered square with bevelled corners. A slender label on which three graphic Art Deco-inspired letters stand out. LUI’s bottle borrows its aesthetic from a historic creation that is part of Guerlain’s heritage: LIU, a sumptuous floral aldehyde created by Jacques Guerlain in 1929 that wrapped women’s emancipation in the scent of freedom. In a modern nod to this iconic fragrance, LUI has been inspired by it, from its name in anagram form to the timeless, understated object that holds it.
Available in exclusive Guerlain points of sale as of June 2017 and worldwide as of September 2017.