Citrus
Rochas
There are brands that go well beyond simply achieving fine commercial performances. Some of these endure through the ages and gradually become true monuments of our heritage. The perfume and couture house Rochas is considered as such. It was founded nearly a century ago and has since carried the image of our country across the entire planet.
Rochas perfumes
The beginnings of Rochas
It was in 1925, when he was only 22 years old, that Marcel Rochas created his first couture house. He established it in Paris and quickly became an international figure in couture. What is more, he was very soon nicknamed the “couturier of youth.” At the same time, he was also the first to create jewelry and accessories to complement his textile designs. His name made a place for itself among the greatest Hollywood stars such as Marlène Dietrich, Carole Lombard, and Mae West. Marcel Rochas then decided to explore the world of overall beauty even further. This is how he turned to perfumery, in 1936. There, he successively launched the fragrances Audace, Air Jeune, and Avenue Matignon. At first, these fragrances were distributed exclusively in Rochas boutiques. They were then withdrawn from sale during the war before reappearing in 1944. It was also at that time that Marcel Rochas decided to create a company entirely dedicated to his fragrances: Rochas Parfums. He set this up in collaboration with Albert Gosset and continued his rise. That same year, Rochas created the fragrance Femme, a true emblem of perfumery further adorned with a crystal bottle signed by the house of Lalique. Rochas then quickly partnered with the perfumer Edmond Routniska, who created for the house the fragrances Mousseline, Mousse, and Moustache, to name only a few. In 1953, Marcel Rochas decided to close his couture house to keep only his perfume business. Unfortunately, he died two years later, worn out by his life of relentless work.
The rebirth of Rochas
Upon Marcel Rochas's death, it was his wife and muse Hélène who took over the reins of the company. She gave the house a second wind and brought it to an unprecedented international scale. Many of its fragrances became true legends, such as Madame Rochas, Eau de Rochas, Audace, and Lumière. The house also collaborated with several renowned perfumers such as Guy Robert and Nicolas Mamounas. Likewise, since 2008, it is the perfumer Jean-Michel Duriez who has been creating the house's olfactory works. Today, Rochas is owned by the Interparfums group. The French production of Rochas fragrances takes place at its Poissy site, a production unit that employs 400 people and manages the strategic launch of the group's various projects.
While the successes of the house of Rochas are too numerous to count today, there is no doubt as to its undisputed best-seller. As one might recognize, it is Eau de Rochas, a fragrance that needs no introduction and yet was created a very long time ago, in 1948!