Giorgio Armani immediately adored the first wood-incense tester of Privé fragrance Bois d’Encens he smelled, because it reminded him of going to church as a boy with his grandmother.
The first whiff of tester number one left such an impression that he rejected the next 80 versions of the fragrance.
L’Oréal executives said this story sums up the way Armani works with the company in creating new fragrances.
“He really can’t get enough of Bois d’Encens! He will spray it on anyone who is willing. And funny enough that one is the bestseller of the four — his vision is always spot-on. He is a demanding man, which is good, he is interested in everything and has a point of view for everything, and that is great,” said Renaud de Lesquen, international general manager of Giorgio Armani Parfums and Cosmetics.
From the beginning, Armani has closely watched and smelled the development of his fragrance business. The beauty license he signed with L’Oréal in 1980 was one of his first deals, just five years after starting his enterprise. The beauty license placed the designer in an enviable position. And according to L’Oréal, the company knew it was on to a sure bet.
“The thing we knew from the beginning was that he is a designer of quality. He was not hands-off — he followed and continues to follow closely what we did,” said Jack Wiswall, president of the designer fragrance division at L’Oréal USA.
Two years later, the companies created their first fragrance, Armani Donna, a women’s scent that was closely followed by the men’s counterpart, Armani, in 1984. Minor successes, the scents managed to sell respectably in Europe and the U.S.
While the label’s fashion line triumphed immediately, big dollar beauty success remained elusive until 1996, when Acqua di Gió for men was launched (in April 1996 in Europe and in August 1997 in the U.S.). Acqua di Gió was the fifth attempt and the “biggest home run” the companies hit, said Wiswall.
“Together we are two brilliant companies so you have to get success as an end result eventually. Acqua di Gió Pour Homme has become the number one men’s fragrance in the world and has remained there for the past five years by a wide margin,” said Wiswall.
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Another winner on a global front was found in Emporio Armani fragrances for men and women launched in 1998 — a launch crucial for the women’s fragrance arena, a sector in which the companies had previously met with tough competition. Key women’s fragrance launches afterward were Sensi (fall 2002 in Europe, spring 2003 in the U.S.) and Armani Mania (2004).
“We found the women’s category much more competitive and it took us a little longer to break into it,” said Wiswall.
Some industry executives, however, maintain that Armani is yet to create a memorable women’s fragrance.
“One of the shortcomings of Armani is how many launches they have done, but then they are good at killing a project that doesn’t work, like Mania — nobody remembers that women’s fragrance, which was launched in 2000. They have incredible success with men’s fragrances that is absolutely nonstandard,” said Arnaud Goullin, general director of Beauté Prestige International Italy.
Undeterred, the company upped the ante on its presence in the women’s beauty market in 2000, when it subtly launched the Giorgio Armani cosmetics line in Europe. It bowed the following year in the U.S. Enlisting the help of English makeup artist Pat McGrath, the designer developed a 280-stockkeeping-unit collection that included eye, lip, nail and skin color. Little advertising supported its launch, and the line was selectively distributed to five doors worldwide.
Five years on, and new cosmetic seasonal products are still presented with little fanfare. But that is about to change. De Lesquen said the company is actively searching for a makeup artist to sign as creative director of the collection (after Pat McGrath signed with Procter & Gamble) and its 70 doors will roll out to 300 in the next three years. There are also plans for a skin care line that will be introduced at the end of 2006.
“We can say the cosmetics line has been a huge success for us. It’s important for branding and it gives a complete full vision of the brand. As far as beauty is concerned, its expression is feminine and the vision of Armani is the ultimate in sophistication. The strategy is to become a global brand,” said de Lesquen.
Giorgio Armani Cosmetics set a precedent for what would follow in the fragrance portfolio.
The story goes Armani always carried with him a scent created especially for him. From that concept, Privé was born and launched in December, a quartet of scents that went deliberately against Armani’s commercial, big-profile fragrances.
“Privé is a new way of working for us,” admitted de Lesquen.
Distributed selectively in just 27 doors, L’Oréal and the designer have plans to add more scents to Privé.
“The Privé project was really something personal for Armani. Privé is placed at the top end of the market and it’s not a big volume generator, but it’s a project that is dear to Armani,” said Serge Jureidini, general manager, Giorgio Armani Parfums/Cosmetics.
Today the company is concentrating on rolling out new men’s fragrance Black Code globally.
“The men’s fragrance category is breaking through with wardrobing — that is, men are wanting two or three different fragrances in their boudoir, and will put them on depending on how they are feeling, what they are doing. We think there are wonderful options here for us,” said Wiswall.
A women’s launch is also said to be slated for 2005, though L’Oréal executives wouldn’t elaborate on details.
Italian beauty retailers and executives praised the brand for its success and ability to create desirable fragrances.
“Armani scents have been successful in our stores, they always sell themselves and have consistently reached high levels of sales in the past. However, we noticed that sales [of Armani scents] dipped in 2004, but that could be in line with the market being absolutely flooded with fragrances and low demand. We found that young people are Armani fragrances’ biggest consumers, but they are flighty — they will all buy a new release but often won’t repeat the same purchase the next time they look for a fragrance,” said Antonella Mandelli, general manager of perfumery giant Mazzolari.