Floral
André Fraysse
André Fraysse liked to say: Like love, a fragrance must captivate a woman from the very first contact. He is among the great names in perfumery who forever marked the history of the finest fragrances. It must be said that perfumery underwent profound upheavals over the last century. Once reserved for the elite, it became democratized. Likewise, perfumery extended to men, who until then had known only eaux de Cologne. Yet it took men to accompany these changes. André Fraysse was one of them.
André Fraysse, a defining figure of the house of Lanvin
It was in the mid-1920s, in the midst of the interwar period, that the couture house Lanvin decided to diversify. Indeed, having achieved great success, Jeanne Lanvin decided to venture into the perfume business. The house created a first fragrance in 1925. It was named My Syn. It met with a certain success. Lanvin therefore decided to repeat the experience. To do so, the company called upon two perfumers, Paul Vacha and André Fraysse. Together, they created a fragrance named Arpège. A genuine success, this fragrance marked the lasting launch of the Lanvin brand into the world of perfume. A trusted figure was then needed to oversee Lanvin's many fragrance creations. This great fashion house set its sights on André Fraysse, who had joined the Lanvin workshops a few years earlier as an assistant. He was then barely 25 years old. He became Lanvin's official perfumer throughout the interwar period. He illuminated that era and turned the perfumery of his time into a kind of enchanted interlude. We owe him in particular the fragrances My Sin, Arpège, Scandal, Rumeur, Prétexte by Lanvin, among others. Of all these fragrances, only one survives today, having outlived even its creator, who died in 1976. That fragrance is none other than the iconic Arpège.
André Fraysse, creator of a legendary fragrance
Arpège is now regarded as André Fraysse's greatest creation. This fragrance was first created for the 30th birthday of Jeanne Lanvin's daughter, Marguerite. Having raised her alone, the designer held a very particular affection for her. André Fraysse crafted for her a refined and warm fragrance, composed of numerous fresh and airy flowers. Upon discovering this scent, Marguerite exclaimed: It sounds like an arpeggio! It must be said that she was passionate about music. That is how the name of this fragrance came about. Moreover, beyond the seductive composition crafted by André Fraysse, Arpège was given top-tier packaging, designed by an experienced designer named Armand Albert Rateau. The whole was presented in a distinctly Art Deco spirit. It is this combination of expertise that allowed this great fragrance to reach us today and to place André Fraysse within a certain form of timelessness.
Creations by André Fraysse
Floral
Floral
Floral