Lead by the Grasse-born perfumer Jacques Cavallier Belletrud, Louis Vuitton has announced the launch of its first perfume collection since 70 years. The collection will focus on pure floral and leather notes, using an innovative CO2-extraction method has been developed to preserve the essence of the flowers.

The home of Louis Vuitton’s new perfumery, Les Fontaines Parfumées is located in Grasse and already houses Dior Fragrance Laboratory. The estate, acquired by the brand in 2013, has an actual perfume fountain from the 1920s, where visitors would (and soon will be able to again) fill up their bottles.

Inspiration for all the products of the house lies in traveling: “Since it was founded, the Maison Louis Vuitton has always been guided by a passion for distant horizons and made a promise to accompany voyagers’ curiosity wherever they travelled. Metaphorically, travel is not a destination. It is a feeling. It is a continuous movement that nourishes body and soul. Today, we travel through the savoir-faire: Louis Vuitton perfume.”

In 1920, Louis Vuitton began with the production of luxurious toiletries products such as crystal perfume bottles called Editions d’Art. The crystal bottles were decorated by artists such as Camille Cless-Brothier, Gaston Le Bourgeois and André Ballet. The first known fragrance of the house is Heures d’Absence, launched in 1927.

It was followed by Je Tu Il in 1928, and then Réminiscences and Eau de Voyage in 1946.

The upcoming perfume notes include refined natural leather that represents the DNA of the brand, extracted beige leather that is used on handles and edges of LV handbags and suitcases. Aromas of flowers like May rose, Chinese osmanthus, magnolia and Arabian jasmine Sambac.

The bottle design is yet to be revealed, but we’d predict something futuristic-looking, probably silver, and covered in the brand’s iconic monogram.

Les Parfums Louis Vuitton will be available from September 2016.

Photo credit: Olle Bengtsson