Talk about new car smell!
Groupe Clarins is adding some horsepower to the Porsche Design portfolio, which is expanding into fragrance. A new men’s scent, called The Essence by Porsche Design, has been developed jointly by the beauty firm and the Porsche SE subsidiary that produces high-end accessories. The scent could generate up to $23.4 million in global retail sales during its first four months.
Called The Essence by Porsche Design, it was developed jointly by the Porsche SE subsidiary producing high-end accessories and Groupe Clarins’ Parfums Azzaro. As reported, the two companies signed a long-term beauty license agreement in June 2006.
Gérard Delcour, president of Parfums Azzaro and Porsche Design Fragrances, explained Porsche Design had been searching for — among other criteria — a family owned company with savoir faire in fragrance. Parfums Azzaro, meantime (under the Clarins-Courtin family’s auspices), had been looking for a another strong brand to add further muscle to its scent business.
“It is a name everyone knows; next to ‘Porsche’ is the word ‘design,’ which is something modern and in the l’air du temps,” said Delcour, adding that the pairing of names “gives a strong brand.”
Porsche Design, based near Stuttgart, Germany, was started in 1972 by Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, grandson of the famed carmaker. A trained designer, he first worked in his family’s car company, where he designed the fabled 911, and then began the design firm, where he remained until retiring in 2003.
Since then, Porsche Design has focused on growing its brand visibility through enlarging its mostly accessories selection, which already runs the gamut from sunglasses to watches to pens, and also its door count. The plan is to double its sales points in the next few years from around 60 today. The company has numerous projects to create everything from high-rise buildings to cell phones, as well.
“It is based on refined design,” said Brigitte Lacaze, international marketing manager for Porsche Design Fragrances, who added that Porsche Design’s creations are always functional, timeless and masculine.
