Style Edit: Reimagining N°5 for the modern Chanel woman – master perfumer Olivier Polge explains the concept behind L’Eau, his latest fragrance, at an event attended by Hong Kong singer Hins Cheung
The in-house master perfumer reinterpreted the classic scent with a contemporary twist, infusing the original formula with fresh citrus notes and a lighter feel
Olivier Polge expresses surprise at his first impression of Singapore. “I was expecting a very dense city but I found the cityscape to be much more spread out and much greener than I imagined. There is something very calming about it,” remarks Polge, Chanel’s in-house master perfumer who is visiting the Lion City for the first time for a regional showcase of the Chanel N° 5 range of fragrances.
The event, held in a heritage colonial bungalow in central Singapore, was attended by celebrities from around the region including Hong Kong singers Hins Cheung and Kiri Tse as well as Thai-British actress-singer Rebecca Patricia Armstrong.
Polge says this surprising tranquility he discovered in Singapore mirrors his approach to reimagining the timeless perfume by finding moments of lightness and modernity within its storied legacy.
Since its creation in 1921, Chanel N° 5 has always been regarded as a revolutionary fragrance not just for its distinctive blend of floral and aldehyde notes, but because Gabrielle Chanel was the first designer to link a fragrance to the maison’s style codes.
Since then, subsequent perfumers have released various versions of the N° 5 fragrances such as the Eau de Parfum and the Eau Premiere that each tell their own story while sharing a common heritage as an icon of the house of Chanel.
“Having a house style is like a filter which allows you to have a certain freedom to open the door to new creations,” says Polge, who became the fourth nose in the history of the maison when he succeeded his own father, Jacques, in 2015.
He has since created 22 new scents for the house, including this year’s Comete, the latest addition to the Les Exclusifs de Chanel range, as well as N° 5 L’Eau, a fresh and contemporary version of the classic fragrance.