Luxury perfumery: what does Kilian Paris' second Parisian flagship look like?

After opening its first store on Rue Cambon in 2014, Kilian Paris inaugurated its second flagship in the City of Light on March 13. The luxury perfumer of the Estée Lauder group set its sights on Rue Vieille du Temple, in the heart of the Marais district.

Could it be a jewelry shop or a hotel bar without the hotel?

Despite the conventional appearance of its Haussmann-style facade, the new address of Kilian Paris, at 40, rue Vieille du Temple, in the 4th arrondissement of the City of Light, once again plays the trompe-l’oeil with its pocket format of 25 m².

Because behind the 250 ml decanters, costing 800 euros each, and the opulent counter, there is no trace of spirits, but many exceptional fragrances.

After opening a first shop in Seoul, in Hannam-dong in January and in Milan at 1 Corso Matteotti in February, Kilian Paris returns to the land of the prestigious ancestors of the founder. He is a descendant of the great Hennessy family, a name inextricably linked with the French wine and spirits market.

Resolutely nocturnal and theatrical, the boutique, combining exposed stone, polished parquet flooring and subdued lighting, is transformed into a time capsule in the style of Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris”. The setting, somewhere between a speakeasy, a hotel bar and a cabaret, promises a return to the Roaring Twenties.

A bar at the center of attention

Without doubt the common feature of all the Kilian Paris boutiques from Seoul to Milan to Paris: the bar is the central point of the multi-sensory experience of the House.

This is hardly surprising when you consider that the founder’s ancestors include Richard Hennessy, founder of the cognac company of the same name and Irish brandy merchant who emigrated to France in 1740, as well as another Kilian, who was behind the consolidation of the company in the early days of the LVMH group.

Not to mention that when Kilian Paris launched its six inaugural fragrances in 2007, the designer was in the habit of frequenting the hotspots of the nightlife scene, such as Hôtel Costes, Castel and Omar in New York. Understandably, the bar is also an important part of the brand’s retail concept.

The bar is also at the heart of Kilian’s pop-up experiences, such as during the Cannes Film Festival, when it is nestled in the bar of the Carlton palace on the Croisette. Each fragrance of the House, inspired by the composition of authentic cocktails, is even available in a gourmet drink version (Old Fashioned, Princess, Angel’s Share…) at the brand’s events.