The last time Opening Ceremony spoke with Fabrice Penot of Le Labo, it was to find out just what they put in those deliciously aromatic candles. But, we also received a lesson in the sensuality and science behind fragrance. It is with that knowledge that we delved into the newest OC-exclusive fragrance, Geranium 30. As part of the Thierry Boutemy for Opening Ceremony collection, Geranium 30 rounds out the head-to-toe floral experience by adding an olfactory punch to the visual and tactile delight. The scent itself starts off as an explosion of myriad florals, transporting you to—as Fabrice puts it—a wild garden in the middle of the city. But, it isn't a floral fragrance, Fabrice insists, in tribute to the way Thierry Boutemy approaches floral arrangements. Read on to find out why.
Shop all Thierry Boutemy for Opening Ceremony MEN'S and WOMEN'S
DANA MELANZ: Let’s start by talking about the new Geranium 30 fragrance. How did that begin?
FABRICE PENOT: We have this privileged relationship with Opening Ceremony, so when you guys came to us and mentioned extending the partnership with Thierry Boutemy into perfume, of course we said okay. Thierry knew already a perfumer—Barnabé Fillion—and they always wanted to work together. We worked on the formula with Barnabé; it was the first time we made a perfume with him and it happened to be a beautiful partnership.
When you create collaborations like that do you bring on a freelance perfumer or work within the company?
They are not really freelancers... They work with big fragrance companies but they get out. In the case of Barnabé, the beauty is that he’s a free spirit. The perfume world is very defined and ordered, so it’s very refreshing to know that somebody like that can chuck that [aspect of] perfume aside.
Do you think you’ll work with Barnabé again?
Maybe. To be honest, we create few new perfumes because we focus on our core collection. But he’s definitely somebody we want to keep in our surroundings. He brings a color to the perfume palette that is really special. In a way, it’s similar to what Thierry brought to the flower world.
That’s awesome. So, how did the creation process go? Did Thierry and Barnabé already have an idea?
Yes, Thierry and Barnabé already shaped the foundation and then we came in and added our vision in terms of ingredients, soul, richness... Everyone was really flexible. There were no egos.
The way we formulated it, the perfume itself has this very artistic, floral arrangement that is very unlikely to happen. Like a wild garden in the middle of the city. We decided to make only 100 bottles of this, which brings a certain impermanence to this perfume that is very linked to the existence of a floral arrangement. Our philosophy has always been Japanese wabi-sabi, which is the beauty of imperfection [and] the awareness of the impermanence of things. What is a more impermanent beauty than an arrangement of flowers? This isn't limited edition to make it special. It's just a tribute to the idea that everything is temporary. I think this is a very spiritual part.
Shop all Thierry Boutemy for Opening Ceremony MEN'S and WOMEN'S
DANA MELANZ: Let’s start by talking about the new Geranium 30 fragrance. How did that begin?
FABRICE PENOT: We have this privileged relationship with Opening Ceremony, so when you guys came to us and mentioned extending the partnership with Thierry Boutemy into perfume, of course we said okay. Thierry knew already a perfumer—Barnabé Fillion—and they always wanted to work together. We worked on the formula with Barnabé; it was the first time we made a perfume with him and it happened to be a beautiful partnership.
When you create collaborations like that do you bring on a freelance perfumer or work within the company?
They are not really freelancers... They work with big fragrance companies but they get out. In the case of Barnabé, the beauty is that he’s a free spirit. The perfume world is very defined and ordered, so it’s very refreshing to know that somebody like that can chuck that [aspect of] perfume aside.
Do you think you’ll work with Barnabé again?
Maybe. To be honest, we create few new perfumes because we focus on our core collection. But he’s definitely somebody we want to keep in our surroundings. He brings a color to the perfume palette that is really special. In a way, it’s similar to what Thierry brought to the flower world.
That’s awesome. So, how did the creation process go? Did Thierry and Barnabé already have an idea?
Yes, Thierry and Barnabé already shaped the foundation and then we came in and added our vision in terms of ingredients, soul, richness... Everyone was really flexible. There were no egos.
The way we formulated it, the perfume itself has this very artistic, floral arrangement that is very unlikely to happen. Like a wild garden in the middle of the city. We decided to make only 100 bottles of this, which brings a certain impermanence to this perfume that is very linked to the existence of a floral arrangement. Our philosophy has always been Japanese wabi-sabi, which is the beauty of imperfection [and] the awareness of the impermanence of things. What is a more impermanent beauty than an arrangement of flowers? This isn't limited edition to make it special. It's just a tribute to the idea that everything is temporary. I think this is a very spiritual part.