After 35 years of cooperation with makeup artist and fragrance creator Serge Lutens, Shiseido announces it has entered into a “memorandum of understanding” for acquiring the Serge Lutens trademark. The agreement also provides that Serge Lutens will continue as Creative Director of the brand.
Serge Lutens started to work as an artistic director for Shiseido in 1980. “It was largely thanks to this collaboration that Shiseido was able to successfully break into European markets,” said the Tokyo-headquartered cosmetics maker.
In the 1990, Serge Lutens decided to create a line of high-end fragrance, which was initially sold in a single boutique named Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido (later renamed Les Salons du Palais Royal Serge Lutens) in Paris. In 1999, a new a more accessible line named Serge Lutens was added, allowing for broader distribution. Serge Lutens fragrances are now available in around 2,000 outlets in 35 countries.
“For the future prospective of the brand, Shiseido and Mr. Lutens have agreed that it is best for Shiseido to acquire the trademark and then to invest further on the brand while enhancing the strong relationship with Mr. Lutens,” explained Shiseido in a release. In particular, the Japanese firm intends to open freestanding Serge Lutens boutiques in major cities worldwide while taking care to preserve the brand’s prestigious image.
