Bleu de Chanel

Bleu de Chanel (literally translated as "Chanel's Blue" or "Blue Chanel") is a men's fragrance created by Jacques Polge for French fashion house Chanel in 2010.[1] It was the first men's fragrance released by the brand since Allure Homme Sport in 2004, and the first men's masterbrand introduced since Égoïste in 1990.[2] The original fragrance is an eau de toilette;[3] the 2014 eau de parfum version was also formulated by Jacques Polge,[4] and the 2018 parfum version was formulated by his son Olivier Polge.[5] French actor Gaspard Ulliel was the first ambassador for Bleu de Chanel and remained as the face of the fragrance for twelve years, until his death in January 2022. He was succeeded by actor Timothée Chalamet in May 2023.

Bleu de Chanel
Eau de Toilette concentration of Bleu de Chanel
Fragrance by Chanel
CategoryWoody aromatic
Designed forMen
Top notes
Heart notes
Base notes
ReleasedSeptember 13, 2010 (2010-09-13)
LabelChanel
Perfumer(s)Jacques Polge
ConcentrationEau de Toilette
Eau de Parfum
Parfum
Tagline"Be unexpected"
WebsiteOfficial website

Conception and scent

Bleu de Chanel is described as a woody aromatic fragrance, which is identified by the combination of "aromatic herbs" and an "opulent center and base."[6] The fragrance contains top notes of lemon, mint, pink pepper, and grapefruit; middle notes of ginger, Iso E Super, nutmeg, and jasmine; and base notes of labdanum, sandalwood, patchouli, vetiver, incense, cedar, and white musk.[3]

Release and advertising

The marketing campaign for Bleu de Chanel was discussed as an example of branded entertainment in the fashion industry.[7]

French actor Gaspard Ulliel was announced as the first face of Bleu de Chanel on February 16, 2010,[8][9] becoming Chanel's first male ambassador.[10] A television commercial filmed in New York City premiered online on August 25, 2010 and was later released on TV in September 2010.[11] It was directed by Martin Scorsese and starred Ulliel and Ingrid Sophie Schram. In the commercial, Ulliel played a young filmmaker in the middle of a press conference who sees his ex-girlfriend (Schram) among the journalists and reminisces about the past and the beginning of their relationship, until he says: "I'm not going to be the person I'm expected to be anymore", gets up and leaves the room. It also featured The Rolling Stones' song "She Said Yeah".[12]

Chanel's American chief operating officer John Galantic noted that the selection of "the quintessential American film director" Scorsese was intended to create "a product and brand communication uniquely tailored to the American market," where the brand's men's fragrance business was not fully developed.[2] The fragrance hit the stores on September 13, 2010.[13]

On February 5, 2015, a new commercial starring Ulliel was released.[14] Directed by James Gray, it was filmed in Los Angeles and featured Jimi Hendrix's cover of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower".[15][16]

British filmmaker Steve McQueen directed a new commercial for Bleu de Chanel released on June 1, 2018. Shot in Bangkok,[17] it also included underwater scenes filmed in London.[18][19] It featured Ulliel crossing the city looking for a woman (played by German model Nur Hellmann)[20] he saw in a building in front of his while David Bowie's "Starman" plays in the background.[18]

Ulliel was the face of Bleu de Chanel for 12 years, up until his death on January 19, 2022.[21] When he died, Chanel's official Instagram and Facebook pages shared a tribute to him.[22] Chanel also paid tribute to Ulliel during their Spring/Summer 2022 Haute Couture show at Paris Fashion Week on 25 January 2022. A model dressed as a bride finished the show by carrying a bouquet of camellias—Coco Chanel's favorite flower—tinted midnight blue as a nod to Ulliel and the Bleu de Chanel perfume.[23]

On 2 June 2022, Chanel released the first commercial for Bleu de Chanel without Gaspard Ulliel. In the new commercial titled "Instinctive and Electric", a drummer –played by musician Vincent Girault aka De La Romance–[24] plays along with "Fire" by Jimi Hendrix while lights throughout the city start to flicker to the beat and a mysterious woman shows him the city.[25] In May 2023, Chanel announced that actor Timothée Chalamet was to be the new ambassador for Bleu de Chanel.[26][27][28]

Sales

Bleu de Chanel was a top Christmas seller for American luxury department store Bloomingdale's in 2010, and also the chain's biggest men's fragrance premiere ever.[29] It was the second best-selling men fragrance between January and October 2011,[30] and between January and August 2012 according to The NPD Group.[31] In 2016, it was the third best-selling men fragrance.[32] In June 2021, British retailer The Fragrance Shop revealed that Bleu de Chanel was the second most popular fragrance in Britain.[33]

Awards
Year Ceremony Award Result Ref.
2011 Fragrance Foundation Awards Best New Male Fragrance Won [34]
2015 Canadian Fragrance Awards Best Full-Market Launch – Men's Won [35]
2019 Fragrance Foundation Awards Fragrance of the Year – Men's Luxury Won [36]
Media Campaign of the Year – Men's Won [36]

References
  1. "'Bleu de Chanel' channels strength and elegance in new Parfum-strength fragrance". Fashion Network. 29 May 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  2. Naughton, Julie (16 July 2010). "Chanel To Launch New Men's Masterbrand". Women's Wear Daily. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  3. "Bleu de Chanel". Fragrantica. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  4. "Bleu de Chanel Eau de Parfum". Fragrantica. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  5. "Bleu de Chanel Parfum". Fragrantica. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  6. "Woody Aromatic Perfume Group". Fragrantica. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  7. Rose, Jonny (26 September 2013). "Let me entertain you: The rise of branded entertainment". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  8. Milligan, Lauren (16 February 2010). "Chanel On Film". Vogue. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  9. Lanktree, Laura (17 August 2010). "Q&A: Gaspard Ulliel for Chanel Bleu". Flare. Archived from the original on 23 January 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  10. "Gaspard Ulliel: Chanel's first 'male muse'". Gulf News. 6 October 2010. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  11. Grinnell, SunHee (23 August 2010). "Scorsese Dons Chanel". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  12. Naughton, Julie (16 February 2010). "Scorsese Directs Chanel TV Campaign". Women's Wear Daily. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  13. Balestriero, Rita (6 September 2010). "Bleu de Chanel". Vogue Italia. Archived from the original on 23 January 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  14. "Gaspard Ulliel in a vertigo in the new Bleu De Chanel film". Vogue. 5 February 2015. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  15. "CHANEL Le Bleu by James Gray". Vimeo. 4 August 2016.
  16. "James Gray directs the latest Chanel Bleu campaign". Fashion Network. 2 February 2015. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  17. "Bangkok — and Bowie's 'Starman' — star in new Chanel commercial (VIDEO)". Coconuts Bangkok. 4 June 2018.
  18. "Bleu de Chanel". Numéro Thailand. 5 June 2018.
  19. Minthe, Caterina (28 May 2018). "Dive Deep with the Latest Chapter of Bleu de Chanel". Vogue Man. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  20. "Nur Hellmann". Models. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  21. Zhang, Tianwei (19 January 2022). "French Actor, Face of Chanel Perfume Gaspard Ulliel Has Died". Women's Wear Daily.
  22. Chanel [@chanelofficial] (19 January 2022). "It is with deep sadness that we learned of Gaspard Ulliel's passing". Retrieved 23 November 2022 – via Instagram.
  23. Périer, Marie (25 January 2022). "Le bouquet de la mariée Chanel haute couture rendait hommage à Gaspard Ulliel". Vogue France (in French). Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  24. "Bleu de Chanel 2022 – Instinctif et Électrique". Packshotmag (in French). 8 June 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  25. CHANEL (2 June 2022). "BLEU DE CHANEL. Instinctive and Electric - CHANEL Fragrance". YouTube. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  26. Osborne, Grant (15 May 2023). "Timothée Chalamet to be new face of Bleu de Chanel".
  27. Nnadi, Chioma (15 May 2023). "Timothée Chalamet on French-Guy Hair, Filming With Scorsese, and Being the New Face of Bleu de Chanel". Vogue. Archived from the original on 15 May 2023. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  28. Leo, Amanda (15 May 2023). "Timothée Chalamet Ushers In An Audacious Era Of Masculinity As The New Bleu De Chanel Ambassador". Elle. Archived from the original on 15 May 2023. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  29. Saint Louis, Catherine (5 January 2010). "Smells Like 2010". The New York Times.
  30. Tschorn, Adam (15 December 2011). "The essence of masculinity". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  31. Meisel, Melissa (6 November 2012). "The Sweet Smell of Success". Happi. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  32. Gustafson, Krystina (20 July 2016). "This industry launched 100 products last year, but a top seller is 94 years old". CNBC. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  33. Parsons, Sarah (14 June 2021). "The 10 most popular fragrances of 2021 in Britain so far". Cosmetic Business. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  34. "Previous Winners of The Fragrance Foundation Awards UK". Fragrance Foundation Awards. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  35. "Winners of the 2015 Canadian Fragrance Awards". Cosmetics Magazine. 24 April 2015. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  36. "2019 Winners - The Fragrance Foundation Awards". Fragrance Foundation Awards. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
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