Killian Hennessy is no stranger to luxury. Named for his grandfather, whose “H” is part of the LVMH brand, Hennessy’s lineage is steeped in it. He unabashedly embraces the elegance and pleasure one receives from life’s finer things, but he doesn’t take it for granted. Luxury is not just a temporal commodity to Hennessy.“Real luxury cannot be disposable,” Hennessy said.
The latest evolution of his By Kilian fragrance collection, has taken a substantive and elegant turn, as Hennessy is reconfiguring a fragrance’s ephemeral nature and creating something that is tangible, launching the Jewels of L’Oeuvre Noire collection of wearable perfume necklaces and bracelets.
Hennessy swept into Saks Fifth Avenue, where he unveiled his new collection which includes four necklace styles such as an Onyx Tassel Necklace made from black onyx beads and mounted in either rhodium or 18 karat gold plate and then suspended from a micro-encapsulated silk cord. There are six scents to choose from.
“This is an entirely new way to think about fragrance. This makes fragrance something you can see,” Hennessy said.
The other two tassel designs incorporate scent through the perforated pendants that open to reveal the ceramic fragrance disc inside. Hennessy also created a vintage-inspired locket with the same made-to-measure ceramic fragrance disc tucked inside.
“This is an entirely new way to think about fragrance. This makes fragrance something you can see,” Hennessy said.
His leather bracelet collection employs similar micro-encapsulation technology, freeing the fragrance as the bracelet is worn. The scented bracelet lasts about a year and Hennessy said once the fragrance has faded, you still have the “beautiful leather bracelet.” The bracelets are intended for men and come in five male centric scents, but the leather and gold look, may appeal to women as well.
The leather comes from a tannery in France and was inspired in part by traditional French “gantiers parfumeurs,” perfume experts who infused men’s gloves with fragrance to make them more beautiful.
Hennessy blends old world and new seamlessly with the Jewels of L’ Oeuvre Noire and is extending the concept to include rings and earrings for holiday, but don’t look for the signature By Killian scents to show up in a lotion or body wash.
“Nothing is as good as parfum and I don’t want to degrade the scent,” Hennessy said. His sensitivity to maintaining the integrity of a fragrance is fueled by his childhood playing in the family cellars and his exposure to the "angels share" or the percentage that evaporates from the cognac oak barrels as in an offering to the gods. Consequently, many of Hennessy’s fragrances are tinged with the scent of sugar in alcohol and the wood of cognac barrels as a sweet nod to continuing his family’s history.
Elisabeth Jones Hennessy was a former buyer at Bergdorf Goodman and now runs By Kilian with her husband.
