The aroma of legacy

Omani high-end perfume brand Amouage hosted a unique pop-up at The Grove in Los Angeles, US showcasing the brand’s heritage and craftsmanship.

Amouage at a glance

• Founded in 1983
• Operated by SABCO Group
• 14 standalone boutiques in Oman, the UAE, the US, China and Malaysia
• Available across 100 countries through 1,000+ touchpoints including high-end department stores, perfumeries and airports

A versatile showcase of heritage

Highlighting Omani architecture, landscape and subtle references to its historic position in frankincense trade, the Amouage pop-up at The Grove reinforced the brand’s deep heritage, innovative thinking and creative prowess. The exterior of Amouage’s first of-its-kind pop-up was composed of rough stone and desert sand-inspired rammed earth architecture. Oman’s rich landscape and craftsmanship were brought to life using bespoke handmade earthy pottery jars, arched doorways and design elements such as Mashrabiya – the traditional oriel window with perforated geographic patterns. The cut-hole patterned walls that playfully interacted with natural light gave the space an ephemeral touch.

“Our pop-up space in Los Angeles was designed to transport clients from the city’s vibrant pace to the tranquil experience of Amouage’s high perfumery. Central to the design was a surreal piece of Omani landscape: a monolithic reflective table with crimson red sand, set against rammed earth walls and natural clay ceilings, creating a powerful and rooted dynamic,” explained Renaud Salmon, Amouage’s Chief Creative Officer.

Moreover, the use of augmented reality (AR) based activation rendered the pop-up space sensorially immersive and engaging as visitors could use their smartphones and other devices to create and share videos and photos of their experience.

Short term, yet timeless

A pop-up by definition is a short-term space that must be designed to attract interest within a limited time and doesn’t necessarily have to be timeless. Conceptually that was a challenge for Amouage – whose DNA is classic and timeless – at The Grove, Salmon admitted.

“Within around three months, we had to zero in on a high traffic area that attracted the right audience and design a giant shoe box in a manner that reflected our brand legacy. There were many considerations, including building something that made sense from an ecological and investment points of view and planning the right assortment mix, among other things”.

Being inspired by Balad, a mountain village in Oman that’s famous for clay pots, Salmon thought clay could be the key recipe to reimagine the shoe box. However, the Balad clay is of a specific colour and creating the right pigment was a challenge.

“Clay is something that feels temporary and it’s not super expensive either. But we needed the right craftmanship to bring to life clay pots of a specific colour that’s the hallmark of Balad clay pottery items. Plus, we had to abide by regulations and couldn’t have all structural elements made of clay. It was about transforming the existing structure into something organic, fluid, artistic and importantly, reflecting the soul of Amouage. This required craftmanship skills, plus knowledge of the location itself,” Salmon shared.

The result was not only extraordinary but also environmentally responsible as 80% of the items used to design the short-term space are reusable.

14 boutiques in 40 years: The business case

Over the past four decades, Amouage’s retail presence has grown organically, focusing on creating unparalleled fragrance experiences. “Every Amouage boutique must feel like a destination and each destination must offer unique experiences while keeping the brand DNA at heart, rousing unique emotions,” Salmon emphasised.

Amouage specialises in creating spaces that are an artistic blend of structure and drama, minimalist yet warm, contemporary but not cold. The mandate while designing every boutique or short-term space is or each such destination to tell a story anchored in Oman. That’s why it’s unlikely that Amouage will “mushroom” everywhere.

“It takes time to design such experiential and immersive spaces. An Amouage boutique can take up to two years to build. The creative thought process isn’t just artistic but involves a strong business case. For instance, when we started thinking about the pop-up space at The Grove, we factored in that Amouage doesn’t have presence on the West Coast in the US. But we’ve seen significant demand for the brand through our online channels. So, a temporary boutique at a prime location in Los Angeles was a great opportunity to understand whether people would be receptive to a physical location. It was heartening to see people engaging with some of our most prestigious and iconic creations and buying fragrances with price points around $500 and all this from a temporary location. There was an increase in Google searches and an uptick in social following too,” Salmon elaborated.

Looking ahead, the next Amouage permanent boutique will open in Oman, followed by another in China. Asked about temporary boutiques, without divulging much, Salmon said, “We are still trying to identify the right locations and also the right season for such pop-up experiences.”