20 Feb 2023
Distilling this propitious moment in time and breathing new life into its iconic legacy, the new Escape chapter of the Odyssey Collection by Amouage adds four new Eaux De Parfum to its compendium of iconic scents. Each creation laces Royal Frankincense with a broad palette of rare ingredients in a deft display of tradition-steeped modernity. By exploring introspective themes, Lineage, Search, Guidance and Purpose speak of escapism, the strive to grow, the search for a new path and the finding of a new life – transformation at last.
Renaud Salmon, who has been at the helm of Amouage’s creative direction since 2019, commented, “When exploring Oman, you can often feel like touching treasures in a very pure way. A lot of my ideas come from travelling alone, from going somewhere. The third chapter of The Odyssey Collection emulates this escapism and Oman's memorable redolence. This collection is a singular, introspective olfactory voyage that should stir successive feelings of curiosity with Lineage, courage with Search, inner triumph with Guidance and a sense of awakening with Purpose. By focusing this collection on the barren Omani island of Masirah, I wanted to pay tribute to Amouage’s roots in a contemporary language, staying true to the House’s ethos, or 'wave', to bring cultures and generations together.”
To bring this new chapter to life, Amouage collaborated with perfumers chosen for their creativity and sense of poetry: Karine Vinchon-Spehner (Lineage) – whom previously worked with the House on fragrances including Interlude Woman, Memoir Man, Overture Man and Boundless - as well as Quentin Bisch (Guidance and Purpose) and Alexis Grugeon (Search). Here cast under the light of contemporary creations, Royal Frankincense, the keystone of this quartet, reveals the most of its characteristic beauty and stark modernity. Furthering Amouage’s commitment to creating « comprehensive artworks », Escape marks an exciting new chapter in the House’s remarkable history as well as a deeper dive into the soul and identity of Oman.
A 21st century total artwork on par with Amouage’s legacy of ground-breaking creation, Escape is the result of a thoughtful dialogue between scent, imagery, music and literature fuelled by the unspoilt beauty of the remote Omani island of Masirah, by its sunbattered landscapes of sand and salt, its lone palm oases and ophiolite-strewn beaches. The quartet of fragrances comes in translucent bottles, the shades of which mirror the natural colour palette of Masirah. The collection’s sophisticated, sensual and abstract imagery is the brainchild of Belgian artist Louise Mertens and comes to life on each packaging and in a series of six photographs where physical sculptures from Olivia Van Impe seamlessly blend with Louise’s artworks. The artistic naming of each perfume is to be credited to Persolaise (Dariush Alavi). Finally, the collection also includes a 5-tracks EP of original soundtracks produced by Belgian music producer Cøpal, to be released on all major music platforms.
The Odyssey Collection: Chapter III – Escape is available in all Amouage boutiques and distributors worldwide and can be purchased online at www.libertineparfumerie.com.au.
