Smells Like Queen Spirit

In 2001, Chanel Debuted Coco Mademoiselle, An Ambery Fragrance Meant To Embody The Young Version Of The Maison's Founder: Unconventional With Its Blend Of Citrus And Patchouli, And At Once Playful, Sensual And Unmistakably Confident. This Year, This Signature Scent Continues To Scintillate With The 20-year-old Actress Whitney Peak Cast As Its New Face. Here In An Exclusive Series Of Interviews With Chanel's Head Of Global Creative Resources For Fragrance And Beauty As Well As Fine Jewelry And Watches Thomas Du Pré De Saint Maur; The Brand's Nose Olivier Polge; And The Gen-z Starlet We Find Out What It Means To Keep The Essence Of Individuality Fresh.

- KATHRYN CARTER

Unfolding like a true mise en scene late one evening in Paris in February this year – at a dinner held in honour of Whitney Peak, the new face of Chanel’s Coco Mademoiselle fragrance – we are surrounded by the actress’s friends as well as friends of the French maison. Among them is Thomas du Pré de Saint Maur, Chanel’s head of global creative resources for Fragrance and Beauty as well as Fine Jewelry and Watches.

Under his creative stewardship, the brand is guided by the same compass as its late founder. Ever orienting itself with the language of life, Chanel remains fluent in the dialect of modernity while anchored to the traditions of its past. It does not contain desire, but it does liberate what we long for via unbridled luxury. Here is what may interest you, it says, knowing that we are capable of finding what to love ourselves.

It is at this fete in the French capital where we find ourselves engaged in a special and enlightening conversation about the visual codes of Chanel and the influence of poetry, desire and the extraordinary semiotics of what truly modern luxury is. Here, du Pré de Saint Maur shares more about envisioning Coco Mademoiselle for a new generation, and the language of luxury and how it keeps us alive.

IN YOUR ROLE AS IMAGE MAKER FOR CHANEL, HOW DO YOU BALANCE CREATION BEING RIGHT FOR THE TIME WHILE STILL STAYING TRUE TO THE HERITAGE OF THE HOUSE?