Chanel N°5, the world’s best-selling scent in history, has officially been with us for a century. Over time it has marked the epitome of the Maison’s legacy and history, its relevance remaining unchanged. In honour of the momentous occasion, the luxury fashion house is expanding the classic scent for a limited-edition beauty collection termed “Factory 5”.
Created in 1921 by ‘Coco’ Chanel and French-Russian perfumer Ernest Beaux, Chanel N°5 is more than just a fragrance. Like all of Coco Chanel’s extraordinary creations, No.5 broke the traditional meaning of perfume, embodying desire and sensation to become spectacle sported by Hollywood stars, featured in movies and displayed at museums. In 1921, it was a standard that perfumes were single-note floral scents. Coco Chanel’s stretched this norm with N°5 by creating a scent that “could not be attributed to any one thing in nature”. The fragrance presents an unprecedented mix of more than 80 notes, including jasmine, may rose, Mysore, ylang-ylang, lily of the valley, sandalwood and iris. Ahead of its time, the perfume also includes an extraordinary amount of aldehydes, synthetic compounds that add to fragrances olfactory profile, creating unparalleled quality. As she told Beaux, N°5 ought to be “an artificial fragrance, like a dress, something crafted…a composed fragrance.”
How do you commemorate one of the world’s most recognized fragrances? Chanel has launched an admirable celebration by releasing a refined modern consumer experience through ‘Factory 5’. Factory 5 is a vibrant and relevant collection featuring 17 exclusive bath and body products boasting the iconic perfume. New products range from shower gel and soap to body oil and body lotion. The Chanel N°5 infused formulas are housed in everyday inspired packaging such as tea tins, cans and paint tubes. This industrial look is a tribute to the first bottles of N°5, which were contained in ordinary lab jars as a familiar object. Further, the suitable packaging is painted in an iconic channel aesthetic featuring a black and white functional design to illustrate the perfume’s versatility and its enduring significance.
According to Head of Chanel Global Creative Resources – Fragrance & Beauty, Thomas du Pré de Saint Maur, “By reusing these everyday objects, N°5 has subverted their functions. Dressing these objects with the N°5 identity, they become luxurious, iconic products while keeping their designs,”
International fragrance lovers can visit experiential ‘factory 5’ labs across the fashion capitals; Paris, London, Monterrey, Seoul, Chengdu, Hong Kong, and Kyoto. Each location is inundated with Andy Warhol inspired colourful Pop art inspired product shots. The contrast between the vibrant art and industrial packaging appreciates the unconventional historical nature of the fragrance when Coco imagined it in 1921.
Thomas Du Pré de Saint-Maur explains his creative direction stating, “Bringing it back to that pop art culture with the colour blocks… felt very relevant. It’s a fresh take on N°5…luxury has a duty and a responsibility to lift our mind and allow ourselves to have a greater, deeper, richer, more beautiful, more surprising life. It’s such a joyful collection.”
The ‘Factory 5’ centurion celebration is complementary to other birthday releases. Chanel has released 123 N°5 inspired high jewellery pieces, including a dazzling 55.55-carat Dimond necklace that features the iconic perfume bottle. They have also released a short film demonstrating the evolving concept of being a celebrity.
Happy birthday Chanel N°5!