The 14th edition of the François Coty Prize recognized perfumer Fabrice Pellegrin for his entire career. At the same time, Christopher Sheldrake received the Honorary Award – an award more coveted as it represents the holy grail of the profession.
François Coty Prize: Honoring The Present Of Perfume Honorary Prize: The Perfumer Christopher Sheldrake
Relaunched in 2018 by Véronique Coty, great-granddaughter of François Coty, after seven years of absence, the eponymous prize which rewards the creativity of a perfumer inducted its 14th winner.
“A prize that belongs only to them to promote them as artists, pillars of creation … We dream in a certain way of bringing these artists from the shadows to the light”, specifies Véronique Coty. In the person of perfumer-creator Fabrice Pellegrin, it is the heritage of François Coty’s creative daring that is once again celebrated. Another award was the Prix d’Honneur recognized for the career of perfumer-designer Christopher Sheldrake; known for having greatly contributed to the enrichment of olfactory creation.
It must be said that we owe to François Coty for having laid the foundations of modern perfumery – a clever blend of scents extracted from natural raw materials, embellished with synthetic products. The empire that survives her, represented in particular by her great-granddaughter Véronique Coty, wishes to reward perfumers for their initiative and their talent!
Recognized as the holy grail of the perfume profession – being dubbed by your peers counts for a lot – the François Coty Prize jury had previously awarded the biggest names in the profession!
Jean Guichard, Olivier Polge, fabulous nose of Chanel, Christine Nagel to whom we owe in particular the olfactory wonders of Hermès, or the one who was recently appointed to the post of perfumer-creator of Dior, Francis Kurkdjian …
It was in 2021 the nose Fabrice Pellegrin who was therefore dubbed by the jury … “This prize has a particular resonance because the six members of the jury were laureates in the past years”, he confided on the evening of his victory, in the salons of the Hotel Lutetia in Paris.
We owe Fabrice Pellegrin some of the most memorable perfumes of the decade. Calèche Eau Délicate Hermès … Do Son for Diptyque in 2005. Insensé for Givenchy. Womanity for the grandiose house Thierry Mugler in 2010. And more recently, the sensational Scandal fragrance by Jean Paul Gaultier… Composed in collaboration with Daphné Bugey!
Fabrice Pellegrin finally walked away with this coveted prize, coupled with a crystal sculpture designed by René Lalique in 1928 the Victoire. A very beautiful metaphor for the power of perfumes on our senses.
Christopher Sheldrake also received La Victoire. He is a British perfumer who many consider to have revolutionized the world of perfumes.
A daring character, he is considered by his peers to be “the second man” of the Serge Lutens and Chanel houses. Indeed, these brands seem to swear by him and today we can no longer count the impressive number of fabulous perfumes that he created throughout his career, which is far from over!
Finally, the François Coty Prize aims to give perfumery its often minimized place. And as Véronique Coty rightly puts it: “Perfumery is still too often considered a minor art. The goal being that this art of creating perfumes is known as a major art. We dream of a perfume section at the Académie des Beaux-Arts… ”A good hearer…