YSL Beauté launches an important fragrance with Libre Eau de Parfum, being new (not a flanker) – a creation stemming from a heritage in breaking boundaries and valuing today’s yearning for true freedom.
Back in 1966, M. Saint Laurent created the first tuxedo for women. A little too free for the haute couture clientele, who were not sure about it, the Saint Laurent Rive Gauche version was a success. The label’s younger clientele was quick to purchase it, making the tuxedo a classic. This exemplifies freedom for Yves Saint Laurent, and its Beauté division has embraced it today with Libre – a Fougère (some classify it as Oriental Fougère). A juice seven years in the making and over 1500 variations. The Master Perfumers, Anne Flipo and Carlos Benaïm, are renowned for creating numerous commercial successes.
What it is
Libre Eau de Parfum is the new fragrance of freedom, a statement fragrance for those who live by their own rules. A reinvention of the floral perfume, it combines Lavender Essence from France with the sensuality of Moroccan Orange Blossom, for a unique floral fusion complemented by a daring note of Musk Accord.
What is does
Libre means free. It is a celebration of freedom: a fragrance for those who do what they want and dare to be exactly who they are. The bottle is a couture statement featuring a black asymmetric cap like a sexy couture dress, gold chains around the neck that are reminiscent of the iconic YSL it-bags, completed with the timeless Yves Saint Laurent logo.
The creation
Built on tensions between the sexy and the cool, Libre is a masculine structure and a feminine heart. The elegance of Paris and the vibrancy of New York, where it was conceived by IFF’s Master Perfumers Anne Flipo and Carlos Benaïm.
Libre is a freestyle take on the Fougère (fern notes), a classic style for men’s fragrances featuring lavender. Anne Flipo’s move was to gender-bend it into a feminine scent is being described by the brand as “provocative” just like Yves Saint Laurent retailoring the tuxedo for women.
For Libre, she customised the Fougère’s key ingredient to highlight its flamboyance with Diva Lavender heart from Provence, emphasising the warmest, sweetest facets of the essence.
When Carlos Benaïm fashioned the most sensuous Orange Blossom absolute she’d ever smelled, revealing the hidden, burning-hot character of the sweet white flower, she fell for it instantly.
Vanilla from Madagascar and a classic ambergris note, Grisalva, flesh out the femininity of the Fougère structure and add a burning intensity to its addictive Floral heart.
Flacon designer, Suzanne Dalton did what might be called audacious: She “felt free to dare the inappropriate”, she says. She took liberties with an icon. Because she could. And because the Cassandre, (the legendary YSL logo), is the only one that can be instantly recognised in any position. She flipped the iconic YSL on its side, bent it to follow the sharp angle of the bottle and nailed it to the glass – a jewel of engineering. Echoing the sensual fusion between metal, glass and fragrance, a precision-cut glass V underlines the décolletage of the Y.
From the campaign director’s mouth
Nabin Elderkin – the campaign director comments: “Now more than ever the iconic vision of the YSL Woman is an inspiration to the world. The balance of feminine and masculine, the do-not-give-a-f**k badassery, the knowing-exactly-what-she-wants-and-going-for-it energy that propels this brand and this film is both timeless and of the moment. We’re not going to make a run of the mill fragrance spot. This is not another film with a listless woman lusting after some man, running coyly through the city, moping around looking bored. This is a bold departure from the norm. This is an epic, emotional, mind-blowing, eye-dazzling call to arms for women everywhere to embrace their FREEDOM.”
Dua Lipa is YSL Beauté fragrance ambassador
Dua Lipa is pop music’s bold new voice. Since her eponymous debut album in 2017, London-born Dua Lipa has been breaking records, becoming the most streamed female artist in the world.
She is a dreamer and a doer. She has made history when she was nominated for five categories at the 2018 Brit Awards. The video for her hit single ‘New Rules’, her anthem for female empowerment, gained over a billion views on YouTube, making her the youngest female artist to hit this target.
She is a cultural definer. The winner of two Grammy awards and three Brit awards, with an uncompromising sense of self and a willingness to speak her truth, Dua was hailed as a Next Generation Leader by Time magazine. With tens of millions of followers, she is one of the most engaged individuals on Instagram.
She is a fashion icon. With her edgy, sultry beauty she’s being booked by fashion’s most prominent photographers.
Sydney’s stylish influencers and social personalities joined beauty media to view the campaign unveiling and get a preview sniff of the alluring new perfume
For this story and socials see October’s print esprit Magazine Australia. Click HERE to order your copy.