It’s probably fair to say that Guerlain is in a tricky position. On the one hand, it has to satisfy its owners by churning out a steady stream of till-friendly products. But on the other, it’s under pressure to uphold its reputation as one of the most revered perfume houses, an obligation which, these days, doesn’t often square up with creating the sorts of scents that attract Sephora-worthy commercial success. Thierry Wasser, the brand’s current in-house perfumer, has been extremely candid when describing the tensions which exist between his impulses as a scent-maker and the motivations of the brand’s marketeers. For instance, in a recent interview (please click here to read it) he questioned the wisdom behind the Shalimar Parfum Initial concept and he went so far as to state that the policy of releasing endless flankers of popular scents is nothing less than a “sickness”.
This tug-of-war between the various Powers That Be at Guerlain is on full display in their latest masculine, L’Homme Ideal, their first all-new male scent since 2008’s Guerlain Homme (also composed by Wasser). It is, without any question, a mainstream creation. Precisely what this means is a subject that could be debated at some length. A little while ago, I took part in a podcast discussion in which this very question was raised, and my fellow panellists and I couldn’t quite agree on a definition of ‘mainstream’ expressed in terms of stylistic codes; in the end, we decided that ‘mainstream’ and ‘niche’ are useful only as indicators of scales of distribution. However, if ‘mainstream’ does have any sort of style-related meaning, it’s probably related to notions of complexity and legibility. Forgive the crass generalisation, but ‘niche’ creations tend to be relatively multi-layered and lucid, whereas ‘mainstream’ scents are usually the opposite: they are flatter and more simplistic. but paradoxically, they also obscure their intentions behind an opaque gauze, as though they’re too timid to let their true personalities – mono-dimensional though they may be – enter the foreground.
PS Since the above was written, Guerlain’s UK advertising plans for L’Homme Ideal have become increasingly clear. The brand isn’t a household name on these shores and its presence on television and in print media is almost nil compared to the likes of Dior and Chanel. But the boat is obviously being pushed out on this occasion. A little while ago, several traffic lights along Oxford Street were taken over by promotional material for the scent. And a few retailers appear to be giving it a conscious push. Who knows… perhaps Wasser’s man will give Chanel’s a good run for his money after all…