At Suresnes, François Coty used the latest chemical products in the shape of synthetic fragrances. They would enable him to create a luxury perfume without the luxury price tag – a pioneering development at the time. The bottles are exquisitely elegant, having been designed by Baccarat and then Lalique. They were mass-produced, with the crystal stoppers being hand-carved.
Coty’s very first perfume, which came out in 1904, was a roaring success. Called ‘Rose Jacqueminot’, it paid tribute to the pharmacist from whom Coty first discovered eau de Cologne before moving to Grasse. The factory expanded rapidly, growing from 15,000m² in 1915 to the point where it was the town’s biggest employer. The 4,000 employees received a number of benefits that were really ahead of their time: a pension fund, a savings fund, paid holidays etc. Architect Jean Barot oversaw the expansion of the site in 1936 when the soap factory, the powder and cosmetics factory, the administration and HR departments, warehouses and plant rooms all needed somewhere to go!
The white spots are my lights reflecting on the glass. There are no white spots on the paint.
