More of a coffee table compendium than a coffee table book, Louis Vuitton’s A Perfume Atlas is a multi-sensory ode to the fine art of fragrance. Created in collaboration with master perfumer Jacques Cavallier Belletrud, A Perfume Atlas invites readers on an olfactory journey over 400 pages; with the hefty coffee table book delving into 45 idiosyncratic, location-specific ingredients that comprise the Louis Vuitton olfactory universe, each accompanied by visually rich imagery depicting the journey of harvesting, extracting, blending, and distilling.
From the Rose de Mai of Grasse, France (featured in Rose des Vents) to cacao from the Ivory Coast, West Africa (a key player in Nouveau Monde) and neroli flowers from Tunisia (found in Imagination), A Perfume Atlas spans several continents and seasons, exploring the locations each ingredient comes from as well as their heritage and folklore.
Perfume expert Lionel Paillès distils the essence of each intangible olfactory sensation into words, while watercolour illustrations by Aurore de la Morinerie and photographs by Sébastien Zanella contribute to the multi-sensory journey. While A Perfume Atlas is available as a standalone product for $280AUD, well-heeled fragrance aficionados can take it a step further with the $5000USD limited-edition box set which adds another dimension to the experience through the inclusion of extractions of all 45 ingredients mentioned in the book.
Each vial is bottled and labelled with its name and origin, with the set presented in a Louis Vuitton coffret. The book itself is available with a choice of three covers; lemon, rose, or jasmine.
Words by AR Staff
