Page 42 - BFM F/W 2024

Sun Worship
The first Louis Vuitton fragrance released under Pharrell is a sun-soaked “solar scent”
EVER SINCE PHARRELL WILLIAMS JOINED LOUIS VUITTON LAST
year, there has been nothing but reinvention for the fashion house. Through careful collaborations and a deference for the label’s illustrious history, the newly installed men’s creative director has pushed boundaries and subverted expectations without exception. And the latest launch from Louis Vuitton is no different: a unisex fragrance called LVERS. It’s yet another collaborative effort masterminded by Williams, one that this time sees him teaming up with master perfumer Jacques Cavallier-Belletrud. It’s also the first scent to be released during Williams’s tenure.
The creative director describes LVERS as an ode to the restorative, invigorating power of light. Specifically, the role that light plays in sustaining the natural world. Cavallier-Belletrud says that when he first met Williams to discuss the fragrance, this budding idea became their creative starting point. “He talked about his vision for a fragrance inspired by light,” says the perfumer, “delving into the topic of photosynthesis, a vital and empowering light that shines through nature and is at the heart of life.”
Louis Vuitton describes the resulting fragrance as a “solar scent” — a powerful and woody perfume that brings together bright, natural botanicals (such as warm sandalwood and spicy-sweet ginger) with greener notes, reminiscent of foliage and flora. “For LVERS,” Cavallier-Belletrud explains, “we have been experimenting for the first time with green notes and gal- banum in a whole new way.” An aromatic gum resin, galbanum introduces a crisp, almost dewy feel to the fragrance. Elsewhere, its base of woody cedar has been proficiently paired with a zingy, zesty top note of bergamot, a variety of orange tree.
Williams hopes that every spritz of LVERS will give wearers “a spray of sunlight,” one that will linger on their skin throughout even the dreariest of days. “As perfumers,” says Cavallier-Belletrud of bringing this concept to life, “our task is to understand and translate emotions into scents, much like how poets convey feelings through words. So, after returning from Paris, we had open discussions about this inspiration, imagining sun piercing through the trees and reflecting on the leaves. And that’s when the real work began.”
42 BFM / FW24 PORTFOLIO
SUN WORSHIP: TEXT BY JONATHAN WELLS.