Waft on by | Stop and smell the roses | the perfumers’ creed

The luxury French perfume house, Creed, has opened a boutique in Sydney’s Double Bay.

On a November evening in chic Double Bay, the bold and the beautiful are milling about on the footpath outside 36 Cross Street, clinking glasses of Perrier-Jouet to celebrate the opening of the first Sydney stand-alone boutique from the enduring luxury perfume house, Creed.

Inside the jewel-box of a boutique, the air is misty with fragrances that speak as much about history as smelling irresistible.

After all, commissions for Creed fragrances have come from kings, queens, stars and statesmen, among them King George III, Queen Victoria, Napoleon III, Diana, Princess of Wales, Sir Winston Churchill, Elizabeth Taylor, David Bowie, and Cary Grant.

For the rich and famous, a perfume must turn heads. Call it olfactory aura.

The House of Creed was founded in England in 1760 as a tailoring establishment, supplying the English court with custom tailoring and scented gloves, leading to a commission from King George III in 1781 for what became Royal English Leather. You can still buy it today.

The House relocated to Paris in 1854, and is these days seen as one of the last bastions of authentic French perfumery. Creed perfumes didn’t become publicly available until 1970, a savvy decision made by sixth generation Creed boss, Olivier Creed, today controlling the magic perfume wand with his son, Erwin Creed, who flew in from Singapore for the Sydney opening.

Creed fragrances contain a high percentage of natural components. Essences are sourced from Bulgaria, Turkey, Morocco, India and Haiti. Scents are created using an almost obsolete infusion technique, whereby each component is weighed, mixed, macerated and filtered by hand. No wonder Erwin Creed maintains that “Luxury is about taking your time, knowing how to stop.”

Seventh generation perfumer, Erwin Creed

The look and feel of the Sydney store in Double Bay is courtesy of Paris-based architect Can Onaner whose concept for the Creed boutiques is inspired by the work of fellow Austrian architects, the modernists Josef Hoffmann and Adolf Loos. They aim to evoke luxury without ostentation.

As Onaner explained at the opening of Paris’s Left Bank boutique, “It was about expressing sobriety and purity by highlighting noble materials and connecting elements of history to today.”

Expect to be met by a glittering, transparent twist on the shadow box with marble, mirrors, timber and a gold metallic grid that frames the brand’s signature bottles.

The signature Creed cocoon: marble, mirrors and gold grid

The Sydney store, says Nick Smart, Director of Agence de Parfum, which distributes Creed in Australia, reflects the affinity the French have with Australians. “It’s a partnership that goes back to both World Wars. I think they appreciate our sunshine and free-spirited nature. Australia has been a good market for Creed.”

The Sydney boutique will offer, along with blockbusters such as Aventus and Love in White, several lines exclusively: Rose Impériale, Love in White Summer, Les Royales Exclusives, the Acqua Originale collection, and elegant travel atomisers.

While major cosmetic companies have been busy buying up niche brands like Le Labo, By Kilian and Frederic Malle, Creed holds firm to its relatively niche underpinning, valuing rarity, authenticity and backstory over the mass market.

Speaking at a Luxury Daily conference in New York, Emmanuel Saujet, CEO of International Cosmetics and Perfume, which distributes Creed in North America, said: “Niche is a place where we believe the customer is looking for something different, something based on story-telling.

Creed’s exclusive travel atomisers

“The functional is no longer as important as the emotional in luxury. The customer is not looking solely for fragrance. They are looking more for who’s behind it, what it’s created for. What are the unique aspects of the aromas, how was it made, what are the clues in the packaging all about? How does it relate to my emotions?

“We have to engage with that at the point-of-sale. Craftsmanship, the artisanal, and the ingredients we use are there to strengthen the story-telling.

“Luxury has become redefined, it has been so overcrowded. We want to be the shining star.”

Creed Boutique, 36 Cross Street, Double Bay, Sydney; +61 2 9362 3021;  creedperfume.com.au; opening hours: 10am -5.30pm daily. Also available in David Jones, Myer, Harrolds and specialist perfume outlets.

 Photos: Esteban La Tessa, Susan Skelly, and supplied