Fashion meets fragrance as L’Oréal signs agreement with Proenza Schouler

It is not uncommon for fashion houses to take the steps into the cosmetics and fragrance arena; just one look at the shelves gives us many examples from Burberry and Gucci, to Dior and Tom Ford.

The results can be phenomenal; while a fashion house is putting its brand image on the line by entering the cosmetics sphere; it can also work remarkably well, as seen by the above examples, as beauty products and perfumes often come at a more affordable price than the fashion items offered, yet are presented as equally desired items.

Control and moderation through exclusive distribution channels and price points are also tactics used to maintain the luxury image.

Agreement​

This latest deal will see New York-based Proenza Schouler, founded by designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez in 2002, step away from the fashion collections and handbags it is renowned for, and place its trust in the world’s largest cosmetics manufacturer, to develop a range of luxury fragrances.

“Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez clearly belong to the very short list of today’s most aspiring US designers whose creativity will bring the perfect complement to L’Oréal Luxe’s portfolio of iconic fragrance brands,”​ says Nicolas Hieronimus, President L’Oréal Selective Divisions.

Proenza Schouler will be in good company too, joining L’Oréal Luxe’s Designer Brands Fragrances portfolio, which includes Cacharel, Diesel, Maison Margiela and Viktor&Rolf.

Nathalie Durán, International General Manager, L’Oréal Designer Brands Fragrances, believes the addition of the fashion house will also help further the French firm’s standing in the fashion arena as it is viewed as one of the most inspiring women’s brand today, attracting attention from celebrities such as Kim Kardashian.

“The brand’s commitment to innovation, detail, beauty and craft mirror the very core values of L’Oréal’s Luxury Designer Brands Fragrances,”​ she adds.

Fragrance ‘dream’​

Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, the brains behind Proenza Schouler, also praise the chance to work with L’Oréal, stating it has always been a dream to enter the fragrance market, and to do so with the beauty behemoth is ‘incredibly exciting’.

“We look forward to translating our visual aesthetic into the subtle and highly emotional world of scent,”​ they say.

Proenza Schouler has expanded rapidly worldwide. The first handbag collection was launched in 2008, followed by a license agreement to produce and distribute the brand’s footwear collection in 2012.

Today the brand boasts ten flagship stores and over 100 points of sale in the most prestigious locations across more than twenty different countries.