We thought we knew everything about vanilla. A comforting, sweet ingredient, sometimes too conventional. But at Louis Vuitton, it is reborn in a new light. With PhantasmagoryJacques Cavallier Belletrud imagines a modern, luminous and textured vanilla, which seems to vibrate from the inside. A perfume thought of as a ray, a radiance, an impression of movement more than a simple smell.
A free vision of perfumery
There Collection of Extracts at Louis Vuitton was born from a strong bias: to free materials from the traditional head-heart-ground structure to let them flourish together, like the instruments in a concerto. summarizes Jacques Cavallier Belletrud to Vogue. With Phantasmagoryhe continues this common thread by giving vanilla a new role: that of light.
This idea, both poetic and technical, finds its inspiration in the illumination shows of the 18th century. These plays of moving lights, ephemeral and hypnotic, guided the creation of the perfume. The result: a vanilla that sparkles, that breathes, that captures the clarity of the day without losing any of its sensuality.
The perfumer chose vanilla Tahitensis, known for its floral sweetness and almost almond nuances. Its entire pulp is cryogenized: a technique which preserves its freshness and its purest facets. The essence obtained is of rare transparency: a vanilla without heaviness, almost airy.
A chiaroscuro composition
To amplify this effect of clarity, Jacques Cavallier Belletrud played on contrasts. Around vanilla, he has woven a vibrant duo: a sweet and powdered almond, and a ginger with lemony and sparkling accents. The latter, a true signature of the perfumer, shakes up the roundness of vanilla with a lively, almost effervescent energy.
The result is confusing. Phantasmagory doesn’t just smell good: it captures an emotion. There we find the enveloping warmth of a childhood memory, mixed with the modernity of a solar glow. It’s a happy vanilla, smiling rather than hugging, bright without being sweet.
In the base, the composition stretches long on the skin, revealing a discreet sensuality, an amber, almost golden trail. The kind of perfume that does not seek to please at all costs, but which fascinates with its accuracy.
A bottle that captures the light
At Louis Vuitton, each perfume in the Collection of Extracts is a work in its own right. For PhantasmagoryIt is Frank Gehry, the visionary architect of the Louis Vuitton Foundation, who signed the bottle. He imagines a movement, a wave frozen in the glass.
Marc Newson’s famous apothecary bottle extends here in a free and airy gesture, as if the fragrance were escaping from it. The glass is adorned with a solar yellow, both soft and vibrant, which streaks with a green glow depending on the angle of the light. Topped with a weightless silver cap, the bottle almost becomes a kinetic sculpture.
The object perfectly expresses the spirit of the perfume: a play of balance between density and lightness, tradition and modernity, material and light.
The art of perfume according to Louis Vuitton
Since 2021, the Collection of Extracts explores the artistic dimension of perfume. Each creation is inspired by an emotion, a material, a movement. Stellar Times celebrated amber in its most solar dimension, Symphony played with the freshness of citrus fruits, Dancing Blossom paid homage to the grace of flowers…
With Phantasmagoryit is vanilla that becomes muse. A universal material, symbol of childhood and softness, revisited here in a conceptual and sensory approach. This new extract extends Louis Vuitton’s approach: combining high perfumery and art design, in creations that are lived as much as they are worn.
In store, Phantasmagory (Collection of Extracts) is offered at $510, in a concentrated and minimalist 100 ml format which enhances the diffusion of the material.
FAQ – Fantasmagory, the new vanilla perfume from Louis Vuitton
What is special about Fantasmagory perfume?
It reinvents vanilla in a bright and modern version. Jacques Cavallier Belletrud signs here a clear and joyful interpretation, far from traditional sweet vanillas.
What vanilla is used?
Tahitensis vanilla, worked in its whole pulp to obtain a pure and radiant essence thanks to cryogenization.
What does Phantasmagory smell like?
A delicate, slightly powdery vanilla, enhanced with sparkling ginger and sweet almond. A warm but airy, luminous but enveloping fragrance.
Who created the perfume bottle?
Frank Gehry, visionary architect and designer, imagined a solar yellow bottle-sculpture, with free lines and a floating silver cap.
What is the price of Phantasmagory?
$510 per 100ml bottle, within the Collection of Extracts from Louis Vuitton.
Is Fantasmagory part of a collection?
Yes, it joins the other olfactory creations in the collection — Stellar Times, Symphony, Dancing Blossom or even Myriad — all imagined as extracts of light.
