Future Classics, Raise Your Hands

I spent some time at an estate shop this past weekend where I discovered a display case full of fragrances and fragrance bottles. One that caught my eye was Elizabeth Taylor’s White Diamonds in its beautiful bottle and elegant box – a gift perhaps from a man to his wife? This sharp, gentle, floral from Elizabeth Arden debuted in 1991 and is considered a fragrance classic, making it eligible to be on the ballot for the 2007 Fragrance Hall of Fame. Time Magazine reported on the launch sixteen years ago, saying “Times are shaky in the $18.5 billion U.S. cosmetics and toiletries industry, yet no fewer than three giants are launching new fragrances this season, reportedly spending as much as $25 million each on advertising alone.” The other big launches were Estee Lauder’s SpellBound and Calvin Klein’s Escape.

The field of 2007 Hall-of-Fame-eligible fragrances also included Calvin Klein Eternity for Men, Davidoff Cool Water and Thierry Mugler Angel, the eventual inductee at the FiFi Awards, held last week in New York. I was very lucky to be in the audience to experience the excitement and passion the marketers clearly feel for their products. Several newly launched fragrances were awarded for their advertising and marketing efforts and Unforgivable by Sean John and Juicy Couture, along with a favorite of mine, Terre d'Hermes, were among the night’s winners. But the burning question is, were any new classics launched last year? What does it take to create a classic in today’s market?

P.S. You can check out the GCI photos from the event at our web site.