Louis Vuitton’s new book is an illustrated atlas of perfume

Louis Vuitton pieces together the essence of perfumery, uniting nature, luxury, travel, and scent, in the Maison’s latest book by Thames & Hudson. Louis Vuitton: A Perfume Atlas, elegantly maps out the global influence scents have, and offers a rare insight into the artistic craft of the nose.

Uniting the creative minds of Jacques Cavallier-Belletrud, Louis Vuitton’s master perfumer, and Lionel Paillès, a Paris-based perfume journalist, the curated tome journeys through five continents, to trace the origins of Louis Vuitton’s fragrances.

Louis Vuitton: A Perfume Atlas

Through illustrations by Aurore de la Morinerie that delicately define each page, plus photographs, and narrative texts, the monograph begins with the starting process of perfumery, exploring how flowers are cultivated, and the techniques utilised to harvest the delicate blossoms. The best growing seasons are stated, while the reader continues to venture through how essential oils are extracted, and distilled to create an intriguing well-bodied fragrance.

The rhythms of the seasons begin in China, with magnolia and osmanthus, through to the scents of India with tuberose and jasmine. From floral notes to those that are woody or fresh, each seed pod, berry, and stem has an origin and story to be told, playing a specific role. (In the Louis Vuitton laboratory, 450 different fragrant plants are used to create its scents).

The book also outlines the inspiration behind the Maison's signature perfumes, such as Étoile Filante, which highlights the scent of osmanthus, a white flower which Cavallier-Belletrud encountered in Louis Vuitton's dedicated perfumery Les Fontaines Parfumées in Grasse. Where other fragrances, such as Attrape-Rêves, have keynotes of cocoa, patchouli heart, ginger and Turkish rose. The cover itself comes in three collectable iterations featuring jasmine, rose and lemon.

Louis Vuitton: A Perfume Atlas is available 11 April 2024, published by Thames & Hudson.

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