French beauty firm Chanel is to open its first dedicated fragrance boutique in July in London’s Selfridges department store. The new 60sqft concept boutique is said to offer consumers an exclusive environment in which to experience Chanel’s fragrances and will feature the brand’s entire perfume portfolio including the Les Exclusifs scents, which have previously only been available in Chanel boutiques.
The new space is said to embody to the luxury and exclusivity of a Chanel boutique and will feature a black, beige and white colour scheme, Gabrielle Chanel’s favourite colours. The boutique will offer personalised scent consultations, special fragrance events and guest speakers, alongside limited and special edition fragrance products.
The boutique will also house a new Olfactive Bar developed by Chanel’s deputy perfumer Christopher Sheldrake. The black lacquered table will feature Chanel’s 48 fragrances, including eau de parfum, eau de toilette and cologne concentrations, each represented on patented ceramic blotters soaked in the fragrances. The idea behind the concept is to allow consumers to smell multiple fragrances in one consultation without saturating the air, says Sheldrake.
The fragrance portfolio will be arranged into eight fragrance divisions to make it easier for the consumer to navigate. These range from the Citrus family including Eau De Cologne, and the Light Floral family comprising Allure and Chance, to the Deep Oriental family, which includes Cuir de Russie. In addition the space will offer visitors the chance to sample the raw materials used in the fragrances and an illuminated manuscript featuring pages that turn via a motion-detecting sensor that follows the story of Chanel’s fragrance heritage.
“The new concept will underline the fact that Chanel is a fragrance expert as well as a fashion house,” explained Sheldrake. “This is a meeting point for perfume and will enable customers to choose the best fragrance for themselves.”