PARIS — The Emilio Pucci fashion house is venturing into makeup for the first time, in May. Its five-unit, limited-edition color cosmetics collection was created with Guerlain.
Both houses are owned by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.
“The partnership was almost obvious,” said Renato Semerari, president and chief executive officer of Guerlain, of the Guerlain by Emilio Pucci makeup project. He added, “Pucci has an important heritage, including refinement, luxury and attention to detail.”
Pucci executives felt the partnership was a dream team.
“In every woman’s mind, I think, Guerlain represents a dream brand,” said Laudomia Pucci, the Italian fashion house’s image director and daughter of its founder, Emilio Pucci.
She quipped, “It’s funny we never did cosmetics before, but I guess we’ve had other things to do.”
Cosmetics product development was inspired by a fuchsia, turquoise, pink, mauve and apricot scarf Pucci created specifically for the project. Its print appears inside the products’ outer packaging and also on some fabric cases containing the makeup.
Billed as the line’s star product is an Eye Set in a zip-up case that can be reused. It contains a “kohl & eyeliner” mascara, plus a four-color eye shadow palette. The Eye Set costs 68 euros, or $88.40 at current exchange rates, in France and $75 in the U.S.
Also in the collection are Guerlain’s signature Meteorites pressed-powder beads that come in the scarf’s colors; so, too, do its outer packaging and the fabric case holding the brush applicator. A 33-g. Meteorites container is to sell for 42 euros, or $54.60, in France and $50 in the U.S. The brush will retail for 28 euros, or $36.40, in France and $35 in the U.S.
Guerlain for Emilio Pucci’s 5.1-g. blush mousse goes for 32 euros, or $41.60, in France and $39 in the U.S. The 5-ml. lip glosses come in four shades, each of which is to sell for 23 euros, or $29.90, in France and $26 in the U.S. Two glosses combine three colors recalling the Pucci scarf’s swirls.
“It’s a short lineup and a short retail run,” said Olivier Echaudemaison, Guerlain’s creative director, who explained Guerlain by Emilio Pucci would be available only from May until August. The one-shot collection was designed to increase both brands’ visibility and to attract people beyond Pucci and Guerlain’s traditional customer base.
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“It could attract a younger clientele. It’s so different, it could attract just about everybody,” said Guerlain’s Semerari.
While there will be no traditional advertising for the collection, a shot of model Julia Stegner’s face covered with a colorful wave reminiscent of the Pucci scarf and featuring Guerlain’s logo will be displayed at points of sale.
“We tried a scarf on the head, Audrey Hepburn style, but it was too classic. This is more fashionable and modern,” explained Echaudemaison.
When Pucci suggested body painting for the visual, Echaudemaison declared it was “too Seventies.” The final image recalls pop art and body painting since Stegner is featured with the colors enveloping her face and shoulders.
Evidently, there was lots of give and take in the creation of the new makeup collection. Pucci said that when Echaudemaison suggested hot-pink colored blush, she persuaded him to compromise, and they came up with a paler pink.
“It was a healthy partnership,” she said.
With a view to making the line a must-have collector’s item and to create buzz, company executives said they decided Guerlain for Emilio Pucci would be a one-shot project. Semerari added it was not easy to unite two brands in the long term, as each has its own strong identity and strategy.
“We didn’t want to force a marriage [but] rather share a passionate moment,” he said, but did no rule out possible future collaborations with other brands.
While executives declined to discuss sales targets, industry sources estimated the collection would generate between $13 million and $20 million at retail worldwide during its four-month run.
The line will make its debut in Guerlain’s 500 points of sale worldwide in May. In the U.S., the collection will be available in 80 doors, including Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman. “This collection was produced in limited quantities to make it the ‘It color collection’ of the summer season,” said Pamela Baxter, president and ceo of LVMH Perfumes & Cosmetics, North America. “The collaboration is important for Guerlain as it links us with an admired and contemporary fashion brand, which brings us more brand awareness.”
— With contributions from Julie Naughton, New York