Nathalie Helloin Kamel of BPI reveals the secret to brand building

Published: 30-Apr-2013

BPI recently launched Pleats Please – the long awaited fragrance debut for Issey Miyake’s diffusion line

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Shiseido owned Beauté Prestige International (BPI) is known for building successful fragrance businesses for niche fashion brands. Nathalie Helloin Kamel, BPI’s Chief Brands Officer talks about Pleats Please – the long awaited fragrance debut for Issey Miyake’s iconic diffusion line.

How has Pleats Please been received so far?

We started the roll-out of Pleats Please in France and Spain last year with a wider roll-out planned for later this year. It’s been positive so far, and we’ve found that people really understand the joy and spirit of the fragrance. The only thing is that there’s not a wide understanding of the Pleats Please brand, so we really need to explain what the brand is and tell that story. I think more and more in the fragrance industry, story telling is what it’s all about.

What are your plans for the other BPI brands this year?

We recently signed a new licence with Azzedine Alaïa, which will be on counter in the first semester of 2015. With Elie Saab, we’ll continue developing the brand, and so far we’re happy with the progress we’ve made. Narciso Rodriguez is also doing well, especially with the recent launch of L’Eau. It finished last year as the number two brand in Italy, which is an amazing achievement for a selective brand. It’s also doing really well in Spain where it’s a top ten brand.

In which markets are you seeing the most growth?

It really depends on the brand. With Elie Saab, we’re performing well in the Middle East, while Issey Miyake is strong in Asia, the US and UK, and Narciso is really growing in Spain. Something we’ve learned at BPI is that it’s important to make choices. You can’t appeal to everyone with every brand so it’s important to focus on being strong in the countries where we have known strengths. The temptation can be to focus on certain geographies, but it’s really about reinforcing the strengths of brands in order to bring results.

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