Lifestyle
Lalique Reinventing With Color, Collaborations
Originally a jewelry designer at Cartier and Boucheron, Rene Lalique went on to be recognized as one of France’s most renowned Art Nouveau designers. As he moved into glass design, he was known not only for artistry but also technological skill. Lalique revolutionized the perfume industry and created some of the most famous bottles for the greatest perfumes, some of which are still in production today. Lalique remains covetable for collectors and connoisseurs around the world. International Lalique spokesman, Craig Zehms, spoke to NMdaily about the new Rouge line and new collaboration with Yves Klein.
NM: Lalique has a rich history. Could you tell us about it?
CZ: The designer Rene Lalique, who was born in 1816, started out as a jeweller and moved into glass design, which he used in a lot of his jewel creations. He was not only a brilliant designer but also an innovative technician. He literally designed much of the equipment that we use today. When he moved into glass he embraced technology and made beautiful objects more affordable to more people. We have not changed the way we make crystal and the process is very time consuming. Our success rate is less than 40 percent, so for every 100 pieces we are finding 60 that don’t meet our standards. And for some pieces, depending on the technique we are using, we have less than a 10 percent success rate. I think when people look at Lalique they tend to sense the amount of handwork that’s done on a piece. We have as many as 27 different hand finishings in a piece. A piece can take over a month to make.
NM: Perfume bottles were fairly utilitarian before Lalique, could you tell me how he influenced the design of the perfume bottle?
CZ: Francois Coty had been making perfume for a number of years and approached Lalique to design his packaging. At the time very generic perfume bottles were put in elaborate packaging. Lalique suggested designing a specific bottle for a specific scent, so a customer could identify a scent by its bottle. This was revolutionary even though it seems so simplistic to us now. The aesthetic of the bottle and the color of the bottle became as important as the precious fragrance in the bottle. Lalique designed bottles for over 20 different companies.
NM: What are the most famous Lalique bottled perfumes?
CZ: L’Air du Temps by Nina Ricci is one of the most recognizable bottles. Currently Lalique produces the crystal bottles for Tom Ford. We have partnered with other fragrance companies in producing their bottles. Lots of times we don’t necessarily advertise that fact.
NM: Could you tell me about the Rouge line?
CZ: The Rouge line is something we introduced at the beginning of the year, taking classic designs and making them in red crystal. Technically red is one of the most difficult colors to make in crystal and glass because you use gold to make red…and if the ovens get too hot the gold burns and turns brown. The success is less than 20 percent with the Rouge line. Historically these pieces have come in at the highest prices at auction because fewer of them were made. An original amber serpent vase, which we brought out in Rouge last fall, sold at auction for $58,000.
NM: What influenced the Rouge line?
CZ: We’ve seen a substantial interest in color. Even though we do so much clear crystal there has been a substantial increase of interest in amber, blue, and red. People are much more accepting of color and adding a color pop into their home.
NM: What have been the most exciting projects or collaborations with Lalique recently?
CZ: We just did a collaboration with the artist Yves Klein. He was a painter, among other mediums, and he was known for the bold colors he used. He created and trademarked a color called International Klein Blue, which is a vibrant cobalt blue. In 1963 he purchased the moulds of Winged Victory of Samothrace [the icon of the Louvre in Paris] and painted the statues in International Klein Blue. We used these same moulds and created a Winged Victory of Samothrace in Lalique crystal in International Klein Blue. It brings together many different aspects of the art world. I think it’s the beginning of collaborations for us.
