DANDY VS CLASSIC
Claude Martinez, President and CEO Parfums Christian Dior
L’UOMO VOGUE: How has the male perfumery market changed in recent years and how has Parfums Christian Dior faced these changes?
CLAUDE MARTINEZ: Men’s perfumery is growing and becoming more important, especially with the ar rival of strong signature scents such as Sauvage, which appeal to a highly diverse global audience. These new men’s fragrances necessitate a considerable investment combined with considerable ambition. And we apply exactly the same high standards to these creations as we do to our major women’s fragrances. As far as creation is concerned, there is currently a double trend: on the one hand, a more open-minded spirit enables men’s compositions to explore new fragrance territories, while on the other hand, we retain the signatures that are “classics”, with scents that express an instant and obvious masculinity.
C.M: They are contrasting trends. There is a category of men looking for a return to perfumes that provide a comforting, classical representation of masculinity, which can also be seen in the strong images of open spaces and escapism. Meanwhile, another category of men is looking for or iginality above all, and a different offer to lead them into other ter ritories. This double trend is a real contradiction that is inspir ing for us.
L’U.V. Does the taste of the male market differ around the world?
C.M: The world has changed and distances have been erased thanks to travel. And therefore cultural differences are also fading away, although we still see some regional specificities. We can still say that Americans prefer freshness and have a certain idea of a “clean” scent, as do Asian populations. However, Southern Europeans and Middle Eastern populations remain open to more sophisticated and more sensual scents, with daring floral and gourmand or even “animal” notes.
L’U.V. Prestige and niche fragrances are the subcategories driving growth. How do you explain this trend?
C.M: Men are on a quest for tr ue luxury, and are rejecting perfume as a prosaic consumer product. This is seen in the search for quality, authenticity and rarity, as well as creative originality. They want to see unusual, surprising stories. However, we see the same paradox previously mentioned. This very specific, slightly “dandy” attitude also comes alongside a desire for something more classic, more basic and timeless. Which is a straightforward and direct expression of virility. Today we can say that only a few rare, great classics, share a global market while also seeing a more exclusive, yet sustained niche development.
L’U.V. If gender is an outdated concept, and men can wear a rose bouquet without questioning their male identity, how do you explain the global growth of the men’s segment that is supposed to reach USD 23.85 billion by 2023 (source: statista.com)?
C.M: Again, it’s the same paradox! The notion of gender is cur rently keenly debated but that doesn’t diminish the need to reassure men about a simple, obvious expression of their vir ility. However, this contradiction is not a negative. It enables highly audacious, and even gender-free scents to blossom. At the same time, this refusal of the gender concept allows us to bring more subtlety to so-called classic scents. A perfume such as Sauvage is powerfully masculine, but remains complex, sensitive and rich in contrasts. Just like Johnny Depp, who is the perfect embodiment of this new male identity, both ultra-virile and brimming with emotion.