Oriental
Grès
From fashion to perfumery, there is often but one step. Indeed, many great Haute Couture houses have ventured into olfactory creation in order to enhance each of their creations with an invisible adornment. This was also the case for the house of Grès.
The founder of the house of Grès
The Grès brand was founded by Germaine Émilie Krebs, known as Alix and then Alix Grès, who became famous under the name Madame Grès. This great couturière was above all an artist. Indeed, she was first drawn to dance, then to sculpture, before deciding to turn to fashion.
Grès perfumes
Oriental
Floral
Floral
ChypreThis change of course pleased her family more, as they considered this path more “appropriate”. She thus began in this field in 1934 and opened her first workshop, which bore the name Alix Couture, on rue de Miromesnil in Paris. To do so, she partnered with Julie Barton. Together, they created a first summer collection made up of multiple draped pieces and very little stitching. Furthermore, Madame Grès demonstrated a very innovative spirit with this collection. It used new fabrics and had, above all, an avant-garde vocation. A year later, the label was renamed Maison Alix and was entirely taken over by Madame Grès, who decided to go solo. It was then in 1942 that Germaine Krebs decided to sell her brand in order to found her own house at 1, rue de la Paix, in Paris. The Grès brand as we know it today was launched!
The development of the Grès brand
The first collection from the house of Grès was a genuine success. Indeed, Germaine Krebs decided to elevate the draping technique within it, and this greatly pleased the female audience of the time. Barely five years later, in 1947, the Grès brand decided to continue its rise by creating its very first fragrance. Since that day, these two worlds have coexisted under the same entity and have influenced one another. Both are nourished by Madame Grès's boundless creativity and her many travels. Furthermore, India left a particular mark on the house's creator. She brought back from that country various Indian weaving techniques as well as rare and exotic scents. It was in this context that Grès saw the emergence of the perfume Cabochard, in 1959. This resembled nothing else at the time and propelled the Grès brand to the forefront of the international perfumery scene.
Since 1988, the Grès fashion house has belonged to the Japanese group Yagi Tsusko. The Grès perfumes, on the other hand, were acquired by Art & Fragrance in 2008. Moreover, Madame Grès passed away in 1993. Nevertheless, the house continues its creative lineage and regularly releases new fragrances deeply inspired by minimalism and iconic Parisian elegance.