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.

the first time that frank gehry designed a perfume bottle

‘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.

the envelope plays with light and offers each visitor the reflection of a revelatory moment

the bottle is entirely refillable

the bottle and its cap are sealed in a cylindrical white box with a lightly beveled top

project info:

name: les-extraits

brand: louis vuitton

designer: frank gehry

photography: florian joye