After nearly a decade away from fragrance, Balenciaga has boldly reentered the olfactory world with a ten-piece perfume collection. Titled Les Dix, the lineup pays homage to the maison’s very first scent, Le Dix, launched in 1947 by Cristóbal Balenciaga himself. Archivists spent fifteen years tracking down a single surviving bottle of the original Le Dix. Using advanced analysis and modern perfumery techniques, they reconstructed the scent and reinterpreted it alongside nine entirely new compositions that reflect Balenciaga’s daring spirit.
A Collection of Contrasts: Fusion of Past and Present
Each fragrance in Les Dix embodies a unique facet of the house’s DNA, blending traditional high-perfumery ingredients with avant-garde molecules:
- Le Dix Parfum revisits powdery iris and violet leaf, enhanced with innovative iris aldehydes and creamy benzoin.
- No Comment champions fierce confidence through resinous Spanish cypress and rough-cut woods.
- Getaria evokes Cristóbal Balenciaga’s coastal hometown with salty citrus, pink pepper, and crystalized seaweed.
- Twenty Four Seven wraps you in a vanillic-woody cocoon, offering a “pause” from life’s rush.
- To Be Confirmed explores ambiguity with a kimono-tulip accord and silver-needle tea swirl.
- Muscara channels couture drama through smoky iris and kohl-inspired depth.
- 100% redefines rose for skeptics, blending multifaceted petals with unexpected green notes.
- Cristóbal pays tribute to oud with Assafi essence, patchouli, and oakmoss in a grand, sculptural silhouette.
- Incense Perfumum celebrates Balenciaga’s love of black through transcendental incense oils, labdanum, and cedarwood.
- Extra surprises with spicy saffron and leather, echoing the house’s bold tailoring.
Iconic Bottles: Sculptural Design Meets Sustainability
All ten fragrances are housed in refillable, sculptural flacons that faithfully reproduce the original Le Dix bottle’s square silhouette, heavy glass cap, and hand-tied ribbon. Packaging is designed for minimal environmental impact: recyclable materials, no single-use plastics, and refill options to extend each bottle’s life.
Boutique at 10 Avenue George V
To mark the launch, Balenciaga opened its first dedicated perfume boutique at 10 Avenue George V, the very address where Cristóbal Balenciaga established his Paris couture house in 1937. Les Dix is available there alongside select Balenciaga stores in Europe and North America, and on balenciaga.com. A global rollout will follow, bringing the collection to the Middle East, Asia, and beyond.
Couture in a Bottle
Balenciaga’s ten-fragrance collection isn’t just a commercial endeavor, it’s a statement of intent. By marrying rigorous archival research with bold contemporary perfumery and sustainable design, the house reasserts its position at the intersection of fashion and beauty. Les Dix proves that, more than seventy-five years later, Balenciaga’s olfactive legacy still commands the same power to surprise, inspire, and endure.
