If everything had gone normally, Camille Goutal would travel around the world in September to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the perfume house founded by her mother, Annick Goutal, who died in 1999. She would present the editions to the foreign press. collectors of several fragrances: the emblematic Eau d’Hadrien, Petite chérie and two reissues which have their loyal followers, Eau du ciel and Mon parfum chéri. The pandemic decided otherwise.
It is from Paris and by videoconference that the perfumer makes her appointments. To mark the event, a few live conversations are also organized on the brand’s Instagram account. A situation that only half saddens the 40-year-old creative.
Original pleated effect
“It is true that this anniversary deserved a big launch, that it is quite frustrating to celebrate it by interposed screens… On the other hand, before everything stopped because of the pandemic, I was worn out too much. to travel, she confides. Even if I loved it, if I made very beautiful meetings, all these trips exhausted me. After thirteen hours of flight, we continue on ten hours of interviews, before changing country the next day. I’m not 20 anymore, you also have to know how to protect yourself … And this slowdown in air traffic is not bad for the planet! ”
Apart from the cancellation of trips, nothing has been revised downwards. The launch of the collector’s editions is taking place as the Goutal house teams had planned for a long time. “Once the shock was over, we adapted to working remotely. Everything just took a little longer… ” This was the case, for example, for the discussions around the anniversary bottle, a creation that goes back to the sources of the original pleated effect, with subtly modernized lines.
“We encountered major manufacturing difficulties. It’s classic in perfumery. The first productions are complex. »Camille Goutal
But another news has strongly occupied Camille Goutal this past year. Alongside Isabelle Doyen, who was the professional accomplice of her mother Annick, she inaugurated, in early 2021, a brand new independent brand, Voyages imaginaires.
Five juices entirely composed of natural materials, with romantic names (L’Echappée sauvage, La Couleur de la nuit, Le Grand Jeu, etc.), contained in refillable glass bottles made by hand, revealing in transparency the pictures taken by Camille , who was a photographer before joining the maternal laboratory. The launch dynamic was unfortunately quickly halted by a new wave of Covid-19 and a re-containment, in the fall.
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