louis vuitton les-extraits: frank gehry starts from the marc newson designed perfume bottle and adds a twist to it

‘les-extraits’ series : a twist of the original shape

louis vuitton in collaboration with the well-known architect frank gehry, have created a new fragrance series, dubbed les-extraits collection. taking its cue from the original vuitton fragrance bottle designed by marc newson, the architect played with forms, generating a harmonious coexistence between lines and curves. he stretched its initial form and added a charming elliptical shape to the right part of the bottle. taking a sheet of aluminum and crumpling it like paper, he topped the flacon with an ethereal, hand-polished cap stamped with the LV seal inside.

‘I wanted to approach the project from a sculptural point of view. to bring something different to perfume. it’s not a finished geometric form, it’s just movement. visual movement with the added interest of ephemerality’ said frank gehry.

all images courtesy of  florian joye  ©louis vuitton

a sculptural cap tops the falcon

taking shape as a silver-colored sheet that dances in the wind, the cap adds an ethereal touch to the bottle. the form of the flacon is a tiny-scaled revival of the fondation louis vuitton structure, designed by frank gehry; twelve expansive panes made of 3,600 tiles of glass give the design the impression of colliding sails sweeping in the wind.

les-extraits collection by louis vuitton includes five new fragrances by the brand’s perfumer, jacques cavallier-belletrud: dancing blossom, cosmic cloud, rhapsody, symphony, and stellar times. ‘I wanted to venture where no one goes anymore. to reinvent the notion of an extrait in a contemporary way. to bring in light, expand matter, and lighten things up. I wanted to deconstruct the very architecture of perfume. that’s how les extraits collection was born: five perfumes with no top, heart, or base notes, in order to reveal the quintessence of each olfactory family.’ mentioned jacques cavallier belletrud.

‘I wanted to revisit perfume’s major families. to give them a twist, expand them, exaggerate certain facets, and reveal purity. in revisiting chapters, florals, chypres, and ambers, you create movement and rounded, caressing forms, every time. I wanted to imagine a freshness that lasts. and a sensuality that’s not heavy.’ said the brand’s perfumer.

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project info:

name: les-extraits

brand: louis vuitton

designer: frank gehry

photography: florian joye