DIOR Jules

Jules marks the beginning of a fiery Dior communication in which cars don Jules and sponsorships race at top speed to draw attention. And the handsome Jules can afford it, so powerful and fresh is it!

When Dior turns impertinent it perfumes the “Jules” and masculine sports

The world of the powerful Jules marks an olfactory and commercial turning point for the powerful and so chic house of Dior. While the visuals had been drawn by René Gruau for decades, Dior was well aware that in 1980, to make a notable impression and thus achieve record sales, marketing had to hit hard.

So, in the image of the virile, sporty strength given off by the handsome, sturdy Jules drawn by Gruau, nothing would be too grand. Rallying, aviation, boxing and motorcycling are an integral part of the fragrance's image, according to Dior.

As a result, the house, having become playful and somewhat flashy, sponsored numerous sporting activities. At the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a Jules team took the wheel of a Porsche, and at the 1984 Paris-Dakar a Rolls Royce Jules competed. All of which helped sell, at full throttle, the deliberately rough-edged image of this handsome “Jules,” whose familiar nickname fully evoked the closeness the fragrance sought.

Virility, strength and masculinity for a powerful aromatic “Jules”

While there is no doubt about the fragrance or the concept of the powerful and thoroughly virile Jules, the bottle seems less clear-cut. Upon its release in 1980 the bottle was dark brown, set within a handsome (rugby) oval. Then in 1999 it appeared in Eau Sauvage's packaging, rather surprising given its pedigreed power. Afterward the “handsome fellow” returned to the classic Dior bottle, before finally settling into Higher's ultramodern bottle, which elegantly highlights its raw material and its valiant masculinity.

Despite all its changes of container, Jules has lost none of its strength. The top notes, presented under a lovely bouquet of spices and aromatics, catch us on the fly, sending straight to the nose the impetuous notes of Iranian galbanum with its green chypre facets. Then the heart, built around Indian black pepper essence, propels us into a burst of energizing wind, sprinkled with a few aromatic and floral green touches. Finally, Virginia cedar, Mysore sandalwood and Singapore patchouli wrap the composition in sensuality and depth, offering amber, leather and musk to the Male that Jules aims to represent.

Jules speaks to men of the 1980s in search of olfactory power, a fighting fragrance suited to sport or professional life. While Gruau's handsome, fairing-clad biker appeared in the highest sporting circles, the fragrance topped the charts of men's fragrance sales. Clearly, Jules would seduce men in search of a powerful and vigorous fragrance, an impertinent juice with bold freshness, according to Dior for Jules.