Men even more so.Ĭhristine Nagel, the intrepid nose at Hermès, was adamant, nevertheless, that such widely accepted clichés would not form the basis of, nor even appear in, the new addition to the house’s collection, expressly avoiding the inexorable aggro-ambers that form the basis of the vast majority of men’s fragrances. People like to sink into their comfort zones. If the norm for women is endless percolations of the candy florachouli, years, even decades, of Angel, Coco Mademoiselle, La Vie Est Belle, Flowerbomb, and all of their imitators, anything outside those socially accepted parameters becomes perilous and risky for the average consumer. I am trying to imagine ‘your average man’ picking this up from the shelf in a department store or airport from the huge selection available and selecting this one as their first choice rather than a much safer bet : to a large extent the public’s scent receptors have long been formed on what is current, what they smell around them. I personally find it tiring, but when it first emerged on duty free shelves back then it was very original – there was a new refinement and elegance a toned silhouette with less brute muscle, more sinew.Ĭhristine Nagel’s brand new creation for Hermès is entirely different to its predecessor, and even more groundbreaking: a futuristic take on freshness green and clean, both alien and human, without a traditional masculine edict in sight. H24 is the first Hermès men’s fragrance release in 15 years, the last being the innovative, now-modern-classic Terre D’Hermès, a flinty, grapefruit, mineralistic vetiver suspended in Jean Claude Ellena’s minimal, but very tenacious, central concept that in the unfolding years has become highly popular. Mainstream fragrance is often conservative at best, only inching very slowly, trendwise, in unchartered directions, sometimes even exacerbating already exaggerated masculine tropes – Dior Sauvage, Paco Rabanne One Million – to the point where an entire gender becomes shackled. The ‘requirements’ for men’s perfumery are so entrenched, so unbudging, that it would be impossible to overemphasize how tired the whole enterprise often feels. The H24 skincare range reportedly suits all skin types in need of “calming and reconnection with the natural world” (more on that below), with an emphasis on using natural ingredients.īelow, a look at the key products of the skincare range.It takes a certain bravery to try something new. Similar to H24’s Eau de Toilette mythology of being inspired by the scent of irons on wool fabrics in Hermes’ ateliers, the new Eau de Parfum also seeks to evoke the scent of cloth – specifically raw linen, a fabric favoured by Veronique Nichanian, artistic director of Hermes’ men’s universe.Īlongside the Eau de Parfum, the H24 universe (the name is a reference to the maison’s Paris flagship at 24, rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore) now includes a five-piece skincare range (a lightweight moisturiser, a face mist, a bar soap, a deodorant spray and stick).Īccording to the maison, this is the house’s first full-fledged skincare collection for men. Just like the original, the EDP is also refillable ($196 for a 125ml refill). The new Hermes H24 Eau de Parfum retains much of the original design and intention behind the original Eau de Toilette, such as the idiosyncratic green, metallic notes and the sharp, geometric flacon designed by Philippe Mouquet.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |