THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS
Haute parfumerie house Henry Jacques makes its Hong Kong debut with a wondrous new boutique at Elements
Henry Jacques has always been about family and its newest boutique in Hong Kong is no exception. The renowned French perfumery house’s third stand-alone boutique in Asia after Singapore and Kuala Lumpur brings its rich history, visionary spirit and painstakingly crafted products to life at Elements mall.
Established in Southern France nearly half a century ago, Henry Jacques got its start as a bespoke perfumery house dedicated to crafting unique and exquisite scents for an exclusive clientele. Founder Henry Jacques Cremona, inspired by an encounter with one of the last great perfume noses in France, began by sourcing precious essences from around the world to create extraordinary perfumes that challenged industry norms.
Together with wife Yvette, who since the beginning has added the final harmonious note to each Henry Jacques creation, and their daughterturned-CEO, Anne-Lise, Cremona has since entered into retail to bring scents from his library of 3,000 in-house creations to a wider audience.
The Hong Kong boutique, designed by the maison’s artistic director and long-time family friend Christophe Tollemer, reflects Henry Jacques’ French roots and is modelled on a historic Parisian apartment “where objects and art pieces are blended to form a story, never once denying grandeurs of the past and bestowing modernity with timeless charms”.
The entire 460sqft space was conceived and assembled in France from solid oak, before being vacuum-packed and re-assembled in Hong Kong. Tollemer’s exceptional attention to detail can be seen in the hand-stained chevron-pattern flooring, hand-sculpted basswood mouldings and elegant matte-gold ceiling adorned with a sparkling Porta Romana “Bianca” chandelier.
In addition to the grand Corian perfume organ that greets guests at the entrance, the boutique features large windows and walls of hand-blown crystal flacons while an alcove and cosy lounges are decorated with velvet stools, Bergère 1930 armchairs and Aki Kuroda lithographs. Here, guests can indulge in Henry Jacques’ bespoke perfumery service or discover their favourite scent at their own leisurely pace.
Among the highlights in store is the full collection of Les Toupies, well known for their whimsical crystal flacons designed by Tollemer to resemble spinning tops. Each chapter in the Les Toupies story is conceived and developed as complementary pairs that live together in perfect symbiosis and harmony – similar in form yet entirely different.
From Mr. H & Mrs. Y – a love story dominated by cedar leaf, geranium, sandalwood and tobacco for him and ylang- ylang, rose damascena, jasmine and iris for her – to the more avant-garde No.16 & No.81 and the exuberant Fanfan & Galileo, each Les Toupies creation has its own distinct flacon that evokes the character of the fragrance within.
Much like Henry Jacques itself, Les Toupies is a labour of love for the Cremonas and Tollemer and nothing less than “a story of life”. And this is just the beginning.