The opening ceremony of The Little Red House took place on
May 18, 2023
. During the event,
Symrise
fine fragrance perfumers
Alexandra Carlin
and
Maxime Exler
, Deputy President of Fragrance
Ricardo Omori
, Global Fragrance President
Eder Ramos
, and other key team members welcomed clients, influencers, and media. Sharing information about
Symrise
, its heritage, present and future ideas for fragrance creation with its diverse capabilities. Guests could also take a first look and sniff of the new De Laire base Piviane Impériale.
Symrise
continues to strengthen its position in the key fragrance market of
China
by inaugurating The Little Red House. It is located at The Roof in the
Xuhui District
, the iconic building in the heart of
Shanghai
designed by renowned French architect
Jean Nouvel
. Its industrial and clean design creates a cozy and inviting ambiance, giving guests a unique and inspiring space to spark ideas, co-create and achieve modesolutions in real time. The name "The Little Red House" relates to the
Symrise
signature red logomark, the red walls of the chosen location, the cozy concept of a welcoming home space, and the "go to" Chinese platform The Little Red Book (Xiaohongshu 小红书). It represents the "go to" place for fragrance creation and carries the beautiful Chinese name of Xiaohongwu 小红屋.
Also, the hub offers space dedicated to market research, creative arts, and olfactory culture, featuring exclusive events and cultural programs. This includes fragrance master classes, perfumer encounters, and trend talks to learn, connect, and share knowledge, and many more. The Little Red House audience includes
Symrise
clients, perfume lovers, KOLs and the media, to experience a collaborative space that encourages exchanges and feel nourished by a creative energy.
"We believe in leading at the forefront of innovation and accessibility to our customers. Just like L'Appartement Étoile in
Paris
, the Little Red House is strategically located in the center of
Shanghai
and brings us closer to our customers. It also provides a modeambience that sparks creativity," says
Julianne Pruett
, Global President of Fine Fragrance.
"We consider
China
a strategic market for
Symrise
. To support our customers in a most agile way, we opened an R&D facility in 2019, invested €200m in a factory that opened in 2020. Now, The Little Red House will give us a dedicated space to co-create with our local and international customers. Also, it will highlight many of our high-tech capabilities. Therefore, The Little Red House marks the continuation of the
Symrise
expansion and reinvention of the Fine Fragrance category in
Asia
," explains
Ricardo Omori
, Deputy President of Fragrance.
Fragrant homage to
China
by launching De Laire base Piviane Impériale at the opening
To celebrate the opening of the Little Red House and paying homage to the fragrant
China
, perfumers
David Apel
,
Suzy Le Helley
and
Maxime Exler
worked on the revamp of an iconic De Laire Base: Piviane. It pays tribute to
China's
long love affair with Peony. The flower was considered a symbol of the country during the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907) and became the favorite flower of the people at that time. In a survey led by
The China Flower Association
in 2019 Peony was voted the national flower, topping all other flowers with an amazing 79.7% of the votes. In feng shui it forms one of the most auspicious flowers and symbolizes love, prosperity, and beauty, also popularly known as the "monarch of the flowers."
The new Piviane Impériale De Laire carries the leathery signature of the iconic Piviane and replaces the animalic undertone with a smooth smoky sensation and an intoxicating yet delicate floral bloom. A blend of exclusive synthetic and natural captive ingredients known to De Laire bases, the modeformula features Symrose, Sympep, Artichoke Symtrap Longoza and Vetiver from
Madagascar
. Piviane Impériale forms the quintessence of fine floral sophistication. A chiaroscuro between a blooming bright peony wrapped in a shadowy smoky leathery facet. The ultimate touch of majestic femininity. A celebration of fine fragrance and
China
.
"We had embarked on an amazing journey deep diving into the De Laire universe again, even more so for this special project in
China
. We modernized the base by elevating the leathery signature from animalic to smoky. For that I played with our new Sympep captive. I also added a touch of Longoza that refreshed the floral heart. This also results in a floral bloom, here with a unique premium touch. Exactly these traits make our De Laire bases so special," describes
David Apel
, Master Perfumer -
New York, USA
.
"After working in
China
for the last couple years, this new base truly pays a tribute to Chinese beauty, and their love for fragrance. I love to explore new ingredients and challenge myself. So, alongside our Symrose captive I played with the addition of the Artichoke Symtrap. It really brought something fresh, unique, and genderless," says
Maxime Exler
, Perfumer -
Shanghai, China
.
"The contrast between the delicacy of the florals and the leathery part of the original Piviane has always fascinated me. I found it exciting to play with our Vetiver from
Madagascar
in the revamped Piviane Impériale. It smells quite elegant and brings a smoky and sublime undertone. This enabled us to keep that amazing contrast - In a new and genderless interpretation," says
Suzy le Helley
, Perfumer -
Paris, France
.
