Perfume has long been associated with Provence. Above the French Riviera, the hilltop town of Grasse has been known as the world’s fragrance capital for hundreds of years, and it has not lost its renown. Louis Vuitton recently acquired and renovated a 17th century perfumery there to house the laboratory where Vuitton and Dior’s new scents are now invented, and their head perfumer, the Grassois Jacques Cavallier Belletrud, is a celebrity in the business. Nearby, an institute teaches the art of creative perfume-making on the only course of its kind worldwide. At higher altitudes, lavender is still grown and distilled for its essential oil on a wide scale across Provence. Images were shot on assignments for the New York Times, Stern and N (Norwegian Air’s in-flight magazine).
