Nina Ricci invites consumers to liberate their fantasies with L’Extase

As previously reported, Puig and the house of Nina Ricci have created a new flagship feminine fragrance called L’Extase. The scent was unveiled in January, at the Plaza Athénée in Paris. The Moodie Report was the exclusive travel retail media at the launch event.

L’Extase is making its debut this month, launching exclusively at Galeries Lafayette Paris before rolling out to domestic and travel doors in the rest of France and other European markets, in addition to South America, Russia, the Middle East and Asia.

Fragrance face Laetitia Casta with Master Perfumer Francis Kurkdjian (left) and actor Quim Gutiérrez at the L’Extase launch event (photo credit: Nina Ricci)

As its name suggests (L’Extase means ecstasy or rapture in French), the fragrance concept centres on eroticism and the idea of a woman in tune with her most secret desires, who is unafraid to experience pleasure with all her senses. The face of the fragrance is actress and model Laetitia Casta, who appears in the ad campaign with actor Quim Gutiérrez. The strapline is ‘Liberate Your Fantasies’.

L’Extase – envisaged as a key new feminine pillar for Nina Ricci, alongside L’Air du Temps and Nina – heralds a new chapter in the brand’s story. “It is a strong statement,” acknowledges Nina Ricci Parfums International Communication Director Marion Bablot. “Sensuality has always been present in the brand, but in an inexplicit form. Today we think eroticism has arrived as a worldwide phenomenon that talks strongly to women. And once again [in fragrance terms] Nina Ricci is taking the lead.

“All of our fragrances are an ode to femininity,” she continues. “We are perceived as a sensual brand, but one that is not always that assertive. That has changed. Today the Nina Ricci woman is able to show, to reveal whatever she wants. She is a women in control, who knows herself, what she wants and what she can give.”

The L’Extase flacon was inspired by a Nina Ricci clutch

The L’Extase juice was composed by Francis Kurkdjian – his first for Nina Ricci. A musky oriental floral, it features two main accords: Barely Rose and Musky Shadow. The former combines white petals, natural roses and pink peppercorns. The latter blends benzoin, cedar, musk and amber.

“It is a unique and very memorable construction,” notes Bablot. “The two accords echo and chase each other in a very subtle way. It manages to be sweet and rich; voluptuous yet light. We are very happy with the test results and believe we have a great signature that will endure for years.”

The L’Extase fragrance flacon was inspired by a couture clutch, one of the house’s iconic accessories. “The bottle is heavy, yet sensual,” comments Bablot. “At Nina Ricci we pay a lot of attention to our bottles, which are often very symbolic. This one is sleek, curved and contemporary. We hope that women will want to both keep it in their bedroom and hold it in their hand.”

The flacon is coloured dark mauve, embellished with a black satin ribbon and a gold plaque embossed with the address of Nina Ricci’s 39 Avenue Montaigne Paris flagship. The outer carton is a powdery pink; the interior is inscribed with the message ‘Liberate Your Fantasies’, echoing the ad campaign.

The full-length L’Extase ad, directed by Gordon von Steiner, was previewed at the Paris launch event. Casta crosses paths with a stranger (Gutiérrez) in a lift. We then see the couple entwined together in a series of steamy but stylish shots. At the end of the montage the lift doors open and Casta departs, having experienced L’Extase in either dream, reality or fantasy format. The corresponding print campaign was shot by Dusan Reljin.

The liberation of Laetitia
Nina Ricci describes Laetitia Casta as the perfect embodiment of the L’Extase woman – and it is obvious why. During the course of The Moodie Report’s one-to-one interview (conducted without entourage, not even a PR), she proves to be intelligent, articulate, candid and courteous, with a great sense of humour. Up close, she is naturally beautiful. Her make-up is minimal; her movements are fluid; her manner is warm. In short Casta is enviably ‘bien dans sa peau’ (at ease with herself) on every possible level.

She agrees that L’Extase – and the corresponding ad campaign she appears in – is likely to surprise many consumers. “It’s true, for Nina Ricci it’s a big change,” she acknowledges. “Before they have worked with younger women, not someone so independent and mature. Nina, for example, was fresh and sweet. Now they have created L’Extase, which is much more open. When they came to me, I liked this idea of a strong, independent woman, who chooses, who dreams – it’s really exciting.”

The character Casta plays in the ad is very much in control, I suggest. “Or maybe not in control?” she counters, with a gleam in her eye. “In a good way, of course. For me, the brain is the most sexy part of the body. [With this campaign] I wanted to express the message that it is OK to accept who you are and the dreams, desires and fantasies that you have. [That it’s OK] to be free.”

Laetitia Casta fronts the steamy but stylish L’Extase ad campaign

Casta is an accomplished actress, and in 2011 was nominated for the Best Supporting Actress César for her portrayal of Brigitte Bardot in the film Serge Gainsbourg: Vie Héroïque.

“But I find advertising shoots more difficult,” she confides, “because they are shorter. You have to put everything together in just a few days; it’s much more concentrated. And a commercial doesn’t really tell a story – it portrays emotion or sensation. So you have to be quite clear about the feeling.”

What did she feel personally the first time she smelled L’Extase? “I think it’s really strong and sensual – very erotic,” she replies. “And I love the bottle – it’s almost like a piece of jewellery. Nina Ricci has always created beautiful strong bottles, like for L’Air du Temps, which my grandmother used to wear.”

The message of a fragrance is equally important, Casta believes. “If a fragrance had a stupid message, I would never do it,” she insists, with feeling. “You have to have integrity. If you are the image or the face of something you can’t just be this plastic figure – it’s more than that to me. Yes, you communicate something and you make people dream, but it has to have meaning and a sense of something profound.”

She continues: “You cannot say anything stupid. The world today is difficult and sad [the interview takes place just two weeks after the Charlie Hebdo attack]. I have the chance to do a job that makes people dream. But even if it’s a small message, we have to say it honestly. I have always felt this way.”

Casta talks openly and honestly about her age and the challenges she anticipates as she approaches her forties. “Of course you change,” she asserts. “You are not the same woman, and you have to be honest with yourself. It is difficult to look at yourself in a mirror and ask, ‘where am I right now in in my life? What do I want? What don’t I want? How can I change things to be more happy, to grow?’ But you must do it.

“On a more superficial level,” she smiles, “I make sure to take time for me, to relax, think and just be by myself. I take a bath or have a facial with Hervé Herau – a true magician with skin.”

Travel offers another escape. Casta hails from Corsica and still spends a lot of time in the Mediterranean. “I love Italy,” she confirms, “especially the south.” Puglia is a particular favourite.

Retail therapy is also important. “I’m a good shopper!” she laughs. “I love French pharmacies. And vintage shopping. I also love to shop at the airport, because there is so much time to use.”

Casta began modelling aged just 15, a move which subsequently led to a diverse and successful career in the arts. In 2000 she was chosen to represent Marianne on the French national postage stamp. In 2012 she was awarded the Chevalier de L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by Frédéric Mitterand.

Does she have yet more ambitions to fulfil? A detailed long-term plan? “The older I get, the more relaxed I am about things,” she shrugs. “I am really dynamic; I have done so much in my life since I was very young, and I still have dreams that I want to realise. But I also feel that life is short, and I have to enjoy it as much as possible. Plus I have three kids, who take a lot of my time. My priority is to get them where they want to be.”

Master perfumer Francis Kurkdjian chose white petals, natural rose, peppercorns, benzoin and musk for the L’Extase juice

Does she have any maternal advice? “I don’t try to be a good mother,” she replies firmly. “That doesn’t mean anything today, for me. I’m just trying to grow with them”¦.it’s all about love. Love, consistency – and food!”

Casta insists that her envy-inducing body goes hand-in-hand with a healthy appetite. “My great-grandmother was Italian, so food is important. I love food! In my family if you don’t eat it’s because you’re sick.”

Moderation, Casta maintains, is the key to looking as good as she does. “Sometimes I let myself go a little, and sometimes I take care again,” she explains. “But I’m not too constant or too controlled – I hate that. I just try my best.”

That best is very much on display in the L’Extase ad campaign. Is that a unsettling prospect for a thirty-something mother-of-three?

“Let me tell you something about nudity,” Casta responds. “My job has asked me to work with my body – in the same way as a dancer or an athlete – since I was 15 years old. So my mind-set is not the same as that of a normal person on the street, if they were asked to take off their clothes for a photo.”

She continues: “The way I see things is totally different, because for me it’s about creativity and art, about something elegant and poetic, which pulls things up. Nudity that drags things down I would never do.

“I knew from the start that a house such as Nina Ricci would create something chic and not obvious. We are born naked – it’s completely natural. It’s our mentality and our [mind-set] that can make things dirty. And sometimes the more we try to hide, the more vulgar it gets.”

Casta concludes: “I think pure nudity is the essence of a woman – it’s who she is and what she sees when she wakes up in the morning. And she needs to love and accept her body and her femininity for what and how it is.”

The essence of ecstasy
Francis Kurkdjian is a nose like no other. Prodigiously talented (and refreshingly outspoken), he created Jean Paul Gaultier’s blockbuster Le Male when he was just 25. More recently, in 2009, he co-founded his own luxury fragrance house, Maison Francis Kurkdjian.

“L’Extase is different [from its Nina Ricci predecessors] – it’s less whimsical,” he asserts. “I’m not going to say it’s more grown-up, because I don’t like that phrase; it doesn’t mean anything to me. This is not about age, it’s about attitude.”

L’Extase is Kurkdjian’s first fragrance for Nina Ricci, but he maintains he has always felt an affinity for the house. “I have known the brand for so many years; in fact I grew up across the street [from the Avenue Montaigne boutique],” he explains. “I gazed at the windows when I was young, and know all the classic fragrances such as L’Air du Temps and Farouche.”

The L’Extase ad campaign features a passionate encounter – real or imagined – between two strangers who meet in a lift

When creating L’Extase, Kurkdjian was mindful of Nina Ricci’s unique heritage, which is he describes as international, French and “super-Parisian” all at the same time. His brief was to compose a fragrance that reflected what the house had to say about femininity and female sensuality.

The creative process itself is like a jigsaw, according to Kurkdjian. “You have the brief of the client, the brief of the brand, and your own perception, sensibility and emotions,” he explains. “All these pieces have to fit together to make the right picture.”

L’Extase took about a year and a half to complete, although Kurkdjian is dismissive of time-scales. “They don’t mean anything,” he shrugs, “because there are periods where you work a lot and times where you don’t work as much.”

He is also reluctant to talk about individual notes – which is unusual for a nose. “Ultimately the notes should not appear,” he states. “I try to blur the limits between the notes, so you can’t tell if you’re smelling rose or peony. But there is a pink sensation, and also something deep and dark.

“It’s hard to translate the name into perfume; to decide what L’Extase should smell like,” Kurkdjian continues. “It’s super personal, and super abstract. So my pitch was about having no limitation of what you breathe, how nothing stops your nose from going deep into the perfume, smelling from head to toe.”

The ingredients themselves, he says, are very simple: a rose accord, and a musky vanilla accord with benzoin. How they are used and combined, however, is where the true skill lies.

Kurkdjian – an avowed balletomane – uses dance as a metaphor. “On stage, ballet dancers don’t show the suffering of the rehearsal,” he explains. “That has to disappear for the performance. The end result has to seem effortless. It’s the same with fragrance.

“I hate all this backstage and ‘making of’ stuff,” he declares vehemently. “I don’t see that it brings anything. Everybody wants to know everything nowadays – but for me it just kills the magic.”

Kurkdjian is responsible for conjuring up a lot of new fragrances. “Right now I am working on 44 different projects,” he reveals. “But I don’t work on all of them at once, every day. For me [this volume of work] is interesting, and it keeps my mind alert.”

Kurkdjian likens being a nose to being an actor or a rock star. “You never know how long your fame is going to last,” he observes – a situation that perhaps makes him feel under pressure to deliver a best-selling scent every time?

He thinks hard before replying. “Outside my own little world of the perfume industry, there is no way I could dramatise what I do,” he explains. “How could I, how dare I, when there are so many other things to worry about in the world?

“Yes, I feel concerned about what I do and I want to be my best – but there is a limit. Perfume is part of my life, but you have to have some perspective too. I am not saving lives; I am not a politician; my finger is not on the button of an atomic bomb.”

Kurkdjian is also well aware that other elements – aside from the juice – dictate how successful a new fragrance is. On this occasion he saw the bottle design in its early stages, and was asked for feedback. He praises the name and the overall concept. “All the parts blend well,” he notes. “I like it all and I’m proud of the entire end result.

“For the launch it’s all about the look, the name, the colours – the scent is [secondary],” he remarks. “That’s just how it is. It’s different for the second bottle. If the consumer buys twice, it’s because of the smell.”

Does Kurkdjian have a preferred genre – or gender – of fragrance to work with? “After I created Le Male a senior perfumer sat me down in his office and told me I had to make a choice,” he replies. “He said if you keep doing only men’s fragrance, you’ll be talking to just 30% of the market. And if you do only vanilla or musky fragrances like Le Male, you’ll be talking to 10% of that 30%.

“Going back to the actor [analogy], you build a career on longevity, but if you play the same sort of character over and over in a movie, at some point people stop calling you because you are too predictable. So you have to be versatile.”

He laughs: “I want to be [the nose equivalent] of Meryl Streep. She’s my point of reference, because she can transform and do anything, be anyone. I don’t want to be like George Clooney – because he’s always George. Even at the end of Gravity I was expecting him to serve a cup of Nespresso.”

Such versatility, however, isn’t easy. “You have to work at it,” he admits. “Some fragrances come more naturally to me than others. But again, like ballet dancers or actors, you practice and you train. In the very beginning it can be difficult to suppress personal likes and preferences. It feels awkward. But at some point you will fail if you keep doing the same thing. When I switch from fresh to woody to floral I am playing a character, which is exciting.”

The interview draws to a close and I finish by asking Kurkdjian if he has a favourite fragrance out of all his creations over the years. “No,” he replies instantly. “It’s always the thing you have not yet done that is super exciting. So the best fragrance is the one you haven’t yet created. It’s all about finding the next challenge.”