STYLE Edit: How a French family in Grasse built Henry Jacques, one of the world’s top luxury perfume brands, with a little help from their friends

May 27 , 2022

Haute perfume to die for – how one family’s vision went global, leading to the launch of luxury brand Henry Jacques. Photos: Henry Jacques

Style Edit

When Henry Jacques Cremona had the idea to create scents inspired by his travels in France’s perfume capital of the world, his wife Yvette Cremona masterfully managed their laboratory

Now, almost half a century later, their daughter Anne-Lise helms the perfume house that has gone truly global, and its boutiques are designed by family friend Christophe Tollemer

At the heart of every success story are a group of extraordinary people. In the case of ultra-exclusive French perfume house Henry Jacques, those people are the eponymous founder Henry Jacques Cremona, his immediate family, and a select few special individuals who have played indispensable roles in turning his elevated vision of perfumery into reality.

Henry Jacques’ first laboratory was founded in France in 1975.

Henry Jacques is the most coveted of contemporary perfumes, and the house creates a range of classic fragrances, as well as tailored scents for individuals, presenting them in the sort of spectacular packaging that such precious ingredients demand. Based in the beautiful southern French town of Grasse, the heart of the country’s fine perfumery industry for almost three centuries, the company was founded in 1975 after its world-travelling founder decided to create a range of fine scents influenced by the places around the globe that had most inspired him.

Henry Jacques is deeply rooted in tradition, and yet oh-so contemporary too.

The special alchemy that created Henry Jacques, though, was only possible because of the coming together of three different people: the founder himself, a visionary and dreamer who forms the soul of the brand; his wife Yvette Cremona, whose more grounded approach to the business of fine perfumery made her the queen of the Henry Jacques laboratory in Grasse; and one of the country’s last great “noses”, whose mastery of the olfactory arts was so complete that they were able to concoct scents at whim.

Henry Jacques and Yvette Cremona’s daughter, Anne-Lise, is now CEO of the brand, and seems to have inherited the best of both her parents’ talents.

These days, the tradition of the house’s two glamorous founders is continued by their daughter, Anne-Lise Cremona, who has taken over as its CEO and led it into a glorious new era while staying true to its legacy and traditions. Combining the creativity of her father with the discipline of her mother, she has overseen the company’s expansion into new markets and into retail – including a store within Elements mall in Hong Kong. She has also steered the company’s move into ready-to-wear perfumes, including a collection of 50 essences that the maison refers to as Les Classiques, as well as the bespoke creations in which it has traditionally specialised.

Christophe Tollemer is responsible for the gorgeous look of Henry Jacques’ boutiques and flacons at the perfume house.

Again, though, it’s the team that makes the magic happen. Anne-Lise’s indispensable partner in creating the maison’s offerings is Henry Jacques’ artistic director and long-time family friend Christophe Tollemer. It is he who designs the beautiful flacons in which Henry Jacques’ perfumes are packaged, along with the stunning cabinets and boutiques from which they are sold – creations that, like the brand itself, combine the finest of tradition with an innovative contemporary twist.

The company pays every bit as much attention to the sourcing of these accessories as it does to the sourcing of the ingredients it uses in its fragrances, with only the very finest making the grade, and everything crafted in-house by hand at Henry Jacques’ laboratory.

That kind of attention to detail is possible because Henry Jacques is above all a family affair – one owned, run and staffed by people with an absolute commitment to the very best.

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