BrandingIFA Paris MBA · Luxury

Schiaparelli: The Hand of Scent

A surrealist couture house deserves a fragrance that is a work of art, not just a bottle.

Schiaparelli project visual
€600entry price for an art-object fragrance
3phase launch ending in an invite-only unveiling
4target segments, from UHNW collectors to Gen Z
01The problem

A gap no one has filled

Schiaparelli's DNA is surrealism, bold couture and storytelling, but it had no distinct place in luxury fragrance. No competitor combined haute-couture surrealism, perfume as an art object and collectible packaging, in a market growing towards $45.8B by 2033.

02How I approached it

From archive to white space

  1. 1
    Traced the brand's history, from 1930s surrealism through dormancy (1954) and revival (2012).
  2. 2
    Analysed competitors such as Chanel Les Exclusifs, Le Labo, Byredo, Diptyque and Maison Francis Kurkdjian.
  3. 3
    Benchmarked prices, from standard EDPs (€110–265) to Schiaparelli's own vintage collectibles (up to €995).
The insight

Don't sell a scent. Sell an object you can wear, keep and display.

03How it's solved

Perfum d'Art

The golden hand

A crystal bottle held by a golden hand that detaches into a cuff bracelet, in brushed gold, oxidised silver or black lacquer.

“Golden Heat”

Cardamom and saffron, hot leather and wax resin, golden musk: a scent that reveals its heart before its top notes.

Surreal launch

Ghost-hand teasers, secret-signal ads, then an invite-only unveiling at 21 Place Vendôme.

Rare distribution

The flagship, timed online drops and private seeding in gold-embossed glove vials.

04What I'd measure
Waitlist sign-upsTeaser poll responsesEvent attendance and sell-outEarned media from the reveal

“What can't be held?”

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