In 2006, Thierry Mugler unveiled an extraordinary coffret containing fifteen perfumes, meticulously crafted as an olfactory interpretation of the film Perfume: The Story of a Murderer. The movie, adapted from Patrick Süskind’s novel of the same name, follows the dark and twisted journey of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, an 18th-century Parisian fishmonger’s apprentice with an uncanny ability to discern and manipulate scents. His obsession with capturing the essence of beauty leads him down a murderous path, distilling the aromas of women in his quest to create the ultimate fragrance. The perfume set was designed to mirror the evocative and sometimes unsettling scents described throughout the film, immersing the wearer in Grenouille’s world of scent-driven obsession.
Each of the fifteen perfumes in the collection represents a pivotal moment or atmosphere within the story, transforming words and visuals into a sensory experience. Renowned perfumer Christophe Laudamiel, alongside Christoph Hornetz, envisioned the project in 2000, long before the film's release. Unlike conventional perfume launches, which are often constrained by marketing strategies, this collection was conceived purely as an artistic and emotional endeavor. "The work was really targeted to get the best possible fragrances, characters, beauty, and esthetic message, whereas with more commercial projects you have to target marketing results," Laudamiel explained. He likened the experience to adding color to black-and-white images, emphasizing how the scents could bring new depth to the audience's perception of the film and its haunting narrative.
