Hermès is launching a new home scent collection created by Celine Ellena, the daughter of Jean-Claude Ellena, the house’s perfumer. In a collaboration with a renowned ceramist Guillaume Bardet, Ellena has composed five new scents to perfume candles, ceramic pebbles and an origami horse. The collection includes À Cheval! (pumpkin), Champ Libre (sulphur), Fenêtre Ouverte (lagoon), Des Pas Sur la Neige (taupe), and Temps de Pluie (celadon).
The candles are available in 3 different sizes: 1100 g at 350€, 620g at 250€, 220g at 150€. Each perfumed pebble is 200€. A set of 4 scented origami horses is 62€ (I had to look twice to make sure I didn’t make a mistake, but yes, they are 62€…)
The collection will be available in Hermès boutiques and in selected sales venues starting from December 2014. Via press release.
71 Comments
Annette: Hmmm… Hmmm…. Still looking at the prices. Hmmm…. December 2, 2014 at 8:29am
Victoria: I know exactly what you mean. Especially the price of the origami horses made out of paper. 🙂 December 2, 2014 at 9:45am
Annette: Hmmm… Maybe those horses are magical? You know, you rub their tails and a genie pops up and grants you unlimited access to all Hermes goods completely free of charge. That would be a real bargain:) December 2, 2014 at 11:30am
Victoria: That would be a good deal, then. 🙂 December 2, 2014 at 4:27pm
Jordi: Scented paper 62€. I’ll regretfully pass on this one, despite they nailed the kind of product I wanted from them, but the prices are way way out of anything reasonable December 2, 2014 at 9:52am
Victoria: Yes, this is not for me. For 62 euros, you can get a bundle of fine Japanese paper and have money left over for a bottle of perfume. December 2, 2014 at 10:00am
Polly: Even if I was very rich indeed, I am not sure I could ever bring myself to buy those horses. As a gift, they look just a teensy bit desperate. December 2, 2014 at 10:39am
Victoria: Neither would I! Doesn’t really make sense. December 2, 2014 at 12:05pm
Jordi: I was thinking also you could get incense sticks much cheaper than that and even getting better results. I think you had a post about incense sticks, I will have to check it again as my perfume “mania” is extending to how my house should smell XD December 2, 2014 at 10:25am
Victoria: Oh, my, for that price, you can get some pretty fine incense! December 2, 2014 at 4:26pm
limegreen: For that price, the origami horse should at least have a Hermes scarf or saddlebag. 🙂 December 2, 2014 at 11:28am
Victoria: Yes! At least! December 2, 2014 at 4:27pm
Sofie: 😀 December 3, 2014 at 2:42am
Austenfan: I’m going to save up for that origami horse 😉 December 2, 2014 at 12:00pm
Victoria: 🙂 I’ll make an origami horse for you. I can even scent it. December 2, 2014 at 4:28pm
MontrealGirl: Love your suggestion, Victoria. Thanks for the giggle. December 2, 2014 at 5:45pm
Victoria: I can make other kinds of origami too! 🙂 December 3, 2014 at 8:39am
Austenfan: I might take you up on that offer 😀 December 3, 2014 at 11:51am
spe: Nepotism….makes me feel disgust. I’ll pass on ALL of it. December 2, 2014 at 12:20pm
Victoria: This is so common in the fragrance industry. December 2, 2014 at 4:30pm
Claire: spe. I agree, it is all just off-putting. Also, I can’t imagine the horse could have much scent impact. “Desperate” is probably a good response. Too much money and too little sense. I think I’ll go gather more of my citrus scented geranium leaves to crush and scent the room. December 2, 2014 at 1:52pm
Victoria: I like the idea of a home fragrance collection, but some of these objects just don’t make much sense.
One scented object I love is L’Artisan’s amber ball. I never got a refill for mine, and it has been several years, and it still smells very strong. December 2, 2014 at 4:32pm
Brenda: There certainly are times in one’s life when one “goes a wee bit crazy” on something that is a little over the top. We’ve probably all been there – at some point – and felt our fair share of buyers remorse because of it. This, however, would be … in my book…..extreme! While I appreciate indulgences – for me, there would be a limit as to that amount of money being spent on – virtually, myself! I will definitely take a pass! December 2, 2014 at 3:18pm
Victoria: This doesn’t seem like an indulgence to me. More like an excess! I realize that I’m not the person this collection is aimed at, but still, I can’t understand these prices. December 2, 2014 at 4:35pm
Awfulknitter: Hermès do seem to be aiming at the end of the luxury market that’s incomprehensible to real people! I was just looking at the £325 Christmas tree bauble (so that would be more than 400€)! And yet I do covet them more than a little bit – I’m sure they’ll be good quality and there will be at least one scent that I really like. I will just have to remind myself of how many True Grace candles I could buy for the same price! December 2, 2014 at 4:46pm
Victoria: Since I fell in love with the violet scented incense my friend gave me (and it sure wasn’t expensive at all!), I can’t imagine a better scent for my home. 🙂 This makes me immune to the temptations of any candle, especially the one that costs this unreasonably much. I’m sure those ceramic bowls are well-made and beautiful, but again for that much money, you can buy something even more luxurious. As for candles themselves, no candle ingredients cost this much, unless they use pure agarwood or something. Which doesn’t seem to be the case. December 3, 2014 at 8:34am
Annette Reynolds: Absurd is the word I’d use. I can think of no candle worth that much money, unless the wax contains gold nuggets…
And yet there are people out there who WILL spend that kind of money, when there are people going hungry and animals to be saved.
I’m not saying it isn’t fun to indulge oneself once in a while, but I’d hope the indulgence was actually worth the cost. These – in my opinion – are not. December 2, 2014 at 5:13pm
Victoria: I trust that those who can spend 62 euros on four pieces of paper have enough money that they support charitable causes, but I just don’t understand what about these products warrants such a price tag. December 3, 2014 at 8:36am
MontrealGirl: When I saw the header with Celine I was at first excited as I love her Pure Eve from The Different Company. I like candles and I like contemporary white ceramic too. But this? I find the colours clash with the white and the prices are just ….well, obscene. I did a double take, then converted into dollars and couldn’t believe my eyes. I think it is very poor taste from Hermes. In comparison, I do agree that the amber balls from l’Artisan are beautiful and would make a special gift. As for scented candles, give me pure bees wax with a natural essence like lavender or pine any day. There is also a candle from Malin+Goetz from New York called “Dark Rum” that is tempting. December 2, 2014 at 5:43pm
Victoria: Even pure bees wax candles smell amazing, although they instantly make think of the Orthodox church. They usually don’t burn any other kinds of candles there, and the mix of honeyed and incense-like aromas is so distinctive. December 3, 2014 at 8:39am
MontrealGirl: One more point – not only are the colours not to my liking but what kind of marketing person came up with the names for them, especially for a scented candle. I mean, really – ‘sulphur’? December 2, 2014 at 5:48pm
Lindaloo: In fairness to Hermes, not that they need my help, the “sulfur” refers to the color of the inside of the ceramic holder. The actual scent is called Champ Libre. If you’ve ever seen piles of sulfur at dockyards waiting to be loaded it is amazing what an intense, bright yellow it is. Perhaps this line will interest a collector of ceramics, but there are lots of fabulous candles around that are much more affordable. I’d spend the money (not that I have it) on Hermes perfumes … or a scarf. December 2, 2014 at 9:45pm
Austenfan: Hermes scarves are incredibly beautiful. I would actually save up to buy one of those. December 3, 2014 at 8:37am
Victoria: I agree with Lindaloo, it’s the color, since sulphur does have a gorgeous yellow shade. December 3, 2014 at 8:40am
Joy: I volunteer a lot in dog rescue. Any of these items would pay for a lot of basic veterinary care. Not even a consideration for me! I will just bath my dog then spray on a tiny bit of Gris Clair. My dog will be a walking potpourri. Hee! December 2, 2014 at 6:14pm
Victoria: You have a well-scented dog! 🙂 December 3, 2014 at 8:40am
bregje: Ha ha this makes me laugh:). of topic but some of my neighbours have nicknamed my cat:the clean laundry cat. (because of his fresh scent;)).
But seriously,i completely agree with all of you. For that kind of money you could feed a couple of orphans for a month.
And believe me:i know about good paper versus bad paper since i used to paint a lot.But i never paid that much for so little.
I am asking a new Hermes perfume for christmas though. Both jardin en medi.. and jour need to be renewed. December 10, 2014 at 11:46pm
Victoria: That’s a funny story! My mom’s cats also smell really fresh. She gives them a bath occasionally, mostly because they like to play in the basement where they get very dusty. December 11, 2014 at 9:49am
Figuier: Well they do look very very pretty, those candles – although I was briefly appalled at the thought of a ‘sulphur’ scented candle until I twigged it probably referred to the colour! (and, as MontrealGirl says, even then…)
The prices are nuts. But I guess the target market won’t mind… December 3, 2014 at 5:23am
Victoria: Yep, totally nuts. Makes Frederic Malle candles look affordable. December 3, 2014 at 8:42am
Figuier: Good point – so maybe they’ve made a deal with Malle & other similarly priced brands, to act as a ‘normalizer’ of previously exceptionally expensive candles… December 3, 2014 at 9:01am
Victoria: 🙂 December 3, 2014 at 9:04am
Awfulknitter: Aargh! I just looked at the website and now I’m intrugued by Santal Cardamome. And Russian Nights. And Notre Dame. And…and…and… December 3, 2014 at 4:08pm
Victoria: Step away from the computer slowly. 🙂 Yes, those candles are tempting, although still more expensive than reasonable. December 4, 2014 at 5:16am
Courant: Unbelievers and ye of little faith, Hermes is actually very reasonable. I bought some of their scented beans which grew into a beanstalk of mighty proportions overnight. I had intimate relations with a giant and shimmied down the beanstalk with a golden goose, which set me up for life. Pixar bought the script and JCE is doing the voice over. December 3, 2014 at 5:42am
Annette: Would you disclose the address of the shop so that I can get myself those beans? Not particularly fond of geese (was hissed at one too many times as a child) but I may make an exception for this gold breed 🙂 December 3, 2014 at 7:20am
Courant: Reformulated and then discontinued, sorry…. December 3, 2014 at 4:35pm
Victoria: I’m on the subway and I’m trying not to laugh out loud. But it’s hard! 🙂 December 3, 2014 at 8:43am
crikey: for one brief moment I thought the origami horses were ceramic in the style of folded paper in which case, huh, ok, that could be nice. But paper? pfft. 6.2Euros would be pushing it. December 3, 2014 at 7:24am
Victoria: That’s what I thought, but the press release says paper. In one version of a press release they are even listed as 84 euros, but it seems that it was corrected to 62 euros later. December 3, 2014 at 8:43am
Annette Reynolds: Me, too! I’m still shaking my head over this one. Anyone out there can Google how to make an origami horse, et voila! But I can guarantee you that I wouldn’t be able to sell the one I made for any amount of money, let alone $76.
I would love to have been a fly on the wall of THAT marketing meeting… December 3, 2014 at 12:21pm
George: As origami horses, they’re a bit beginner’s: that’s the sort of origami horse I’d expect to see from someone much more downmarket. I”m going to wait for the Chanel version. December 3, 2014 at 9:10am
Victoria: At a rice cracker shop in Tokyo, I got two origami frogs as a gift with my purchase. When you press lightly on them, they jump forward a couple of times. Quite remarkable! December 3, 2014 at 9:19am
Aurora: Thank you for that image of the jumping origami froges (it made me smile) now that’s something worth having in contrast to this Hermes line which I don’t find tempting especially as thanks to your wonderful article I was able to get some lovely Japanese incense Autumn leaves in particular is very nice and I have my trusted papier d’Armenie so I’m all set for home scents. December 3, 2014 at 10:30am
Victoria: Isn’t Autumn Leaves great? I also love that scent, and I wish it were a perfume. December 3, 2014 at 11:01am
George: That sounds charming! A couple of these nags as gift with purchase would be charming too. I wouldn’t be surprised if that indeed happened- as a way of introducing people to the home range when they buy from the fine fragrance or other ranges- maybe with the statement that the free gift is worth x based on what will be an established sales price.
I got a small rubber incense sample with a recent FM purchase (their version of the pebble, I feel). It was stinky! December 3, 2014 at 9:01pm
Victoria: What was the rubber incense sample scented with? December 4, 2014 at 5:19am
George: Not sure, not labelled, but I think it was Saint Des Saints from the note description. I was impressed with the device (which must be significantly smaller than the actually sold ones) and the scent, but I am too protestant to want either my home or clothes to smell like that. I dug it out this morning, and the scent still travels across the room. Worth noting that a pack of three costs under half an Hermes pebble. If I wanted a set of Avignon-type scent bombs, it would be ideal. I haven’t closed my mind to the possibility of ever researching or buying one of the others, though. December 4, 2014 at 6:07am
Victoria: I love those kinds of scents, and I used to burn plain frankincense at home. But after an unfortunate incident with a piece of hot charcoal, I stopped that. Comme des Garcons also has a great incense candle, actually called Avignon, and yes, it’s even more potent than plain frankincense! December 4, 2014 at 6:24am
Susan: Victoria – can you share the name of the violet incense you spoke about? Thank you! December 3, 2014 at 10:30am
Victoria: It’s by an incense company called Shoyeido, and I don’t remember the exact name, but if you search their website for the word violet, it should come up. Actually, I haven’t tried any Shoyeido incense that I haven’t liked! They’re terrific. December 3, 2014 at 11:00am
Awfulknitter: All of the incense I’ve tried has a strong smoky scent – so much so that I can’t be in the same room when it burns. Possibly I’ve been buying the cheaper stuff! Is Japanese incense the same? December 3, 2014 at 4:11pm
Hannah: It depends on the kind of incense. I think sticks that are meant to be burnt daily will have less smoke. And those are usually cheaper. Nippon Kodo’s Morning Star is low smoke and it is inexpensive. December 3, 2014 at 4:36pm
Hannah: Unless you mean the scent intensity, which in that case Japanese incense is probably more subtle, but that isn’t a case of cheaper vs more expensive. December 3, 2014 at 4:42pm
Victoria: Good quality incense shouldn’t be too smoky. Of course, it all depends on the varieties and blends, but in general, Japanese incense doesn’t produce much smoke. December 4, 2014 at 5:17am
Susan McCallister: Thanks so much – I will try Shoyeido! December 4, 2014 at 11:20am
Victoria: They have very good sets, so I recommend looking into them. And the prices are very reasonable. December 4, 2014 at 11:26am
Hannah: So are the horses supposed to go in drawers? December 3, 2014 at 4:56pm
Victoria: I think that you might carry them around in your purse or keep them anywhere you wish. December 4, 2014 at 5:18am
Farnas: For 60 e i bought Cacharel Noa and pair of beautiful gloves for my girlfriend,but now i see i could have spent it much better:)))This is why i never liked Ellena,he sells more an idea than the actual scent itself,ilusion over the real emotion…wrapped up in a nice word-transparency…it was always my opinion and i have never liked his scents,beside Declaration maybe ..there,i said it!:)
I like Celine’s work,but this is just to much,i make origami for my niece all the time and i can scent it…for free! December 4, 2014 at 6:58am
Victoria: Noa and a pair of gloves sound like a lovely gift! I bet she will love it. December 4, 2014 at 8:35am