Le Galion Perfumes
No products were found matching your selection.
About Le Galion
A French perfume house established in 1930, Le Galion was one of the pioneers of the luxury fragrance market. Established by Prince Murat, a descendant of Napoleon’s brother-in-law Joachim Murat, the brand became highly coveted due to its innate Parisian chic. The name “Le Galion” was inspired by the beautiful ships with massive sterns that were often associated with freedom and escape.
In 1935, the ownership of the brand switched as rising perfumer Paul Vacher bought it with the intention of launching his own venture after working with several luxury brands. He created Sortilège soon after, which attained success as soon as it was introduced in Paris. With more than 80 natural essences, it became the signature fragrance of the ¨Stork Club¨ of New York and is still considered one of the brand’s jewels. Vacher followed it up with incredible perfumes like Bourrasque, Iris, and Tubéreuse that were made with the highest-quality raw materials.
With Vacher’s fame growing exponentially, he was approached by Christian Dior in 1946 to create a fragrance. He crafted Miss Dior – a classic perfume that continues to turn heads even today – and it was the beginning of long-standing relationship between him and the house of Dior. For Le Galion, Paul continued to create beautiful fragrances like Special for Gentlemen, Frac, Lily of the Valley, Whip, and more, never losing his magic touch. Forever a perfectionist, he said:
“A musician can delete a note, a writer a sentence, a painter can paint over the failed part of a picture; when we are not satisfied with a mixture it is impossible to correct, you have to start again. One milligram more or less in each dose and its failure.”
However, tragedy struck when Vacher died in 1975, and the brand lost some of its standing in the coming years. His daughter Dominique De Urresti became the next “nose” of Le Galion and created the perfume Mégara as a tribute in 1978. Vacher had been her mentor, and she had worked with him for a decade before his passing.
In 1980, an American group bought Le Galion but failed to upkeep the image of the brand. It was no longer associated with elegance, sophistication, and grace. Unsurprisingly, Le Galion soon collapsed. The story, thankfully, does not end here. Thirty years down the line, in 2014, Nicolas Chabot collaborated with Vacher’s daughter to relaunch the brand and bring back the original, refined fragrances that had won over an entire generation.
The Le Galion fragrances today uphold the legacy of Paul Vacher. They are made with only the finest raw materials, which are processed manually to preserve their olfactory properties. Developed in laboratories at Grasse and manufactured in the south of France, they are refined, elegant, and rich. Special care is put into the choice of the fragrance bottle to “protect” its “fragility, freshness, and longevity.” The website states:
“The fragrance bottle embodies a timeless design, drawing inspiration from the purist geometric shapes of the original bottle and the Art Deco period of its heyday. The cap is fashioned from black Bakelite…which contrasts perfectly with the faceted glass bottle.”
Besides Paul Vacher, Le Galion has collaborated with respected perfumers like David Maruitte, Rodrigo Flores-Roux, Quentin Bisch, Vanina Muracciole, Jean-Christophe Hérault, Amelie Bourgeois, and more.
