At Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, collaborations are never a marketing ploy. Yes, the fragrance house has created scents with fashion luminaries like Alber Elbaz and Dries Van Noten — but Frédéric Malle, who founded his eponymous perfume "publishing house" 24 years ago, is adamant that each partnership he enters blossoms from a foundation of mutual love.
Malle's latest project, a collaboration with Acne Studios, is no different. "I'm always looking for someone that shares our values, yet is going to bring us a very specific point of view," he tells Highsnobiety, adding that both he and Acne Studios have a respect for tradition and a penchant for forward-thinking flair. Jonny Johansson, the Swedish clothier's creative director, "twists" classic garments "with funny colors, with funny proportions, with materials that are unexpected," Malle says. "I think our business is very much like that."
Classic with a twist: that was the concept Malle and Johansson brought to perfumer Suzy Le Helley, the nose behind the collaboration, which is officially — and very straightforwardly — dubbed "Acne Studios par Frédéric Malle."
"We shot very elegant and super luxurious, but twisted it with something more modern," Le Helley says. The fragrance is, at its core, structured around aldehydes, a class of synthetic molecules that have been used in perfumery since the early 19th century. Perceived by many as soapy and "sparkling," aldehydes are featured in a slew of iconic perfumes — most notably, Lanvin's Arpège and Chanel No. 5.
But Acne Studios par Frédéric Malle, which releases online and in-store on April 17, is nothing like the Arpèges and the Chanel No. 5s of the world. A dose of peach and vanilla temper the fresh, powdery nature of the aldehydes, suggesting something edible and addictive. At the base of the fragrance is a smooth, musky woodiness — just the right amount of sensuality.
For Malle, the fragrance evokes comfort and tenderness. "It feels innocent at first, but then it's so magnetic that you forget the innocence really quickly."
Some might interpret Acne Studios par Frédéric Malle as a gateway to more fashion-inspired projects (a lucrative prospect, considering the industry's collab-heavy landscape), but that's not what Malle wants. "If it becomes a system, it becomes a marketing recipe," he says. "I won't name names, but there are some people who are quite successful that I wouldn't touch with a 10-foot pole because I don't like what they're doing. I need to fall in love. I need substance."
