Melanie Morris sniffs out the new perfume in a grenade-shaped bottle
"Because I'm worth it" - a slogan that has worked its way into pop parlance - was the last thing Dutch fashion designers Viktor Hosting and Rolf Snoeren said in a video pitch to the heads in L'Oréal. And it tickled the corporate funny bones enough to make Viktor and Rolf the first fashion designers to work with L'Oréal's fragrance division since Giorgio Armani.
Viktor (always to the viewer's right) and Rolf (always to the left) may not be household names, but that could change with the launch of their first scent this month. "This is unconventional ... for us," say the duo, better known for their distinctive clothes that fuse art and fashion.
The perfume, Flowerbomb, is described as "an explosion of a thousand flowers". It's a happy, sweet, flowery scent that is urban, cosmopolitan and confident. It's not a million miles from Thierry Mugler's Angel - hardly surprising, as Viktor and Rolf's tailoring sits comfortably in the Mugler mould.
Flowerbomb comes in a crystal grenade-shaped bottle, a potentially controversial packaging that is played down by Viktor and Rolf, who describe it as a "diamond" grenade.
It took 400 versions, blended over two-and-a-half years by three noses, before a final scent was selected: a blend of jasmine, orange tree, orchid, freesia, rose and patchouli.
Viktor and Rolf want Flowerbomb to be one of those iconic scents that last a lifetime, such as Chanel's No 5 or YSL's Opium. "Fashion is very niche," Rolf remarks. "Not everyone can afford, fit or suit clothes, but perfume is for everyone." Flowerbomb is available in Brown Thomas, Dublin, and Dublin Airport.
KEEP MAKING SCENTS: 6 DESIGNER PERFUMES
* Thierry Mugler The ironically-named Angel has outlived its creator. Women love the chocolatey notes in this sweet scent.
* Jean Paul Gaultier This man knows the importance of blending substance and form. His scents are good, his packaging clever. La Femme and Le Male have become world-wide bestsellers with their distinctive figure bottles.
* Rei Kawakubo As she did with fashion, the Comme Des Garçons helmswoman broke the mould with her attitude to fragrance. Odeurs 53 and 72 are entirely derived from synthetic scents (electricity cable and asphalt, anyone?).
* Issey Miyake The Japanese designer's self-named fragrance - fresh, distinctive, light - was an instant cult favourite.
* Giorgio Armani Since signing up with L'Oréal 23 years ago, Armani has launched a number of scents for men and women. Armani for Men is a classic, while Gio is a lively little number for the ladies.
* Kenzo Hard to resist the elegant, slender bottles with a flower inside, and remarkable scent. A good buy at €63 for 50ml of eau de toilette, at Brown Thomas.