Since 2021, Louis Vuitton has been steadily reshaping the vocabulary of contemporary perfumery with its Les Extraits Collection—an olfactory manifesto dedicated to audacity, purity, and the extraordinary. At the heart of this ongoing reinvention stands Jacques Cavallier Belletrud, the Maison’s Master Perfumer, whose unmistakably modern sensibility continues to reimagine the grand themes of fragrance through unprecedented levels of depth and intensity. The latest addition to this sculptural olfactory universe is Fantasmagory, a fragrance that brings Louis Vuitton’s pursuit of the extraordinary to one of perfumery’s most iconic ingredients: vanilla.
The collection is the result of a rare creative encounter: the harmonious, intuitive partnership between Cavallier Belletrud and the legendary Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry. Together, they have forged a body of work that epitomizes perfume ‘à la Louis Vuitton’—a seamless dialogue between scent and sculpture, between the ephemeral and the structural. Their collaboration is guided by shared convictions: an enduring reverence for untamed nature, a deep-rooted belief in freedom of form, and a mutual desire to transcend conventions. The duo’s fascination with deconstruction serves as the backbone of the project, elevating each extrait to the realm of high art.
From its inception, Les Extraits has been an exercise in defying expectations—creating revolutions, not rifts. It challenges the very definition of perfume concentration, embracing fluidity as both method and message. These extraits are not simply stronger versions of existing fragrances; they are radical reinterpretations that probe the fundamental codes of haute parfumerie and reshape them from within.
Fantasmagory
The latest addition to this sculptural olfactory universe is Fantasmagory, a fragrance that brings Louis Vuitton’s pursuit of the extraordinary to one of perfumery’s most iconic ingredients: vanilla. But in Cavallier Belletrud’s hands, vanilla becomes something unexpected—an illuminated paradox, a play of shadow and radiance, an ingredient reborn under a new day’s light.
The inspiration for Fantasmagory reaches back to the phantasmagoric light shows of the 18th century—early immersive spectacles that blended movement, illusion and luminosity. Carrying this heritage of visual magic into the realm of scent, the fragrance opens with vaporous anise, diffusive and enigmatic, before soft floral and subtly leathery undertones emerge. Central to the composition is Vanilla Tahitensis from Papua New Guinea, prized for its luminous clarity. Here, the entire vanilla pod is cryogenically frozen prior to CO₂ extraction—a meticulous process that preserves absolute aromatic purity and reveals an unexpectedly silky, almost weightless texture on the skin.
Fantasmagory is not merely a gourmand; it is an exploration of contrast and texture, an illusion that feels both familiar and otherworldly. It is vanilla unbound.
When Architecture Becomes Bottle
In parallel with the fragrance, Frank Gehry embarks on a new chapter of his sculptural odyssey: the perfume bottle. For Fantasmagory, he reimagines the original Les Extraits flacon, softening the contours and refining the interplay of curve and reflection. The cap—perhaps the most striking element—resembles a fantastical, wind-tossed petal, a frozen gesture of movement. The translucent glass reveals a tender modern yellow hue that shimmers subtly with green undertones as it captures the light, echoing the fragrance’s radiant duality. The result is an object that transcends function, blurring the boundaries between design and emotion—much like the scent it houses.
Availability
Fantasmagory Extrait de Parfum, 100 ml — €510
Available from 16 October 2025 in select Louis Vuitton boutiques and at louisvuitton.com.
