The perfume industry's current 'usual suspects' - Tom Ford's Grey Vetiver, Marc Jacobs' Lola, Dior's Miss Dior Chérie, or Paco Rabanne's 1 Million - were honored at the German Duftstars gala on May 7.
But there is an interesting trend to be found here, according to the president of the German Fragrance Foundation, Klaus Sørensen: all honorees are characterized by their high levels of individuality. "An individual scent is perceived as an indispensable aspect of your own personality," he said, adding that this year's perfumes all had strong identities.
This is an interesting counter-trend to niche perfumes, whose makers have been trying to avoid definite identities, be it unisex fragrances or Margiela naming his first fragrance Untitled. It seems as if with current prestige scents, the consumer does not just buy into the brand's universe, but also into the personality the ad campaign promotes. Niche brands, however, recently seem to have distanced themselves from this one-dimensional approach, leaving their scent's identities up to consumers' interpretation.
Here are all Duftstars winners, further indicating the year's favorites in the run-up to the US Fifi Awards on June 10:
Lifestyle
women's: Vintage by Kate Moss
men's: Signature Story for Him by David Beckham
Classics
women's: Allure by Chanel
men's: Le Male by Jean Paul Gaultier
Exclusive
women's: Lola by Marc Jacobs, Essence by Narciso Rodriguez
men's: Grey Vetiver by Tom Ford
Prestige
women's: Miss Dior Chérie by Dior
men's: 1 Million by Paco Rabanne
Public Vote Lifestyle
women's: By Night by Christina Aguilera
men's: Black Man by Mexx
Public Vote Prestige
women's: Boss Orange by Hugo Boss
men's: 1 Million by Paco Rabanne
Ad Campaign
Parisienne by Yves Saint Laurent
Lifetime Achievement Award
Leonard A. Lauder
Note: the distinction between Exclusive and Prestige is determined by the availability of the fragrance.
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