Prada releases complementary his and hers fragrances

Two side-by-side photos of ’L’Homme Prada’ and ’La Femme Prada’ fragrances against a black background - one bottle has a silver cap and interior and the other bottle has a gold cap and interior

Conceived by Daniela Andrier of the Swiss fragrance house Givaudan, and designed as mirror images of each other, ’L’Homme Prada’ and ’La Femme Prada’ come in mirror-image bottles

(Image credit: Prada)

By Christopher Stocks

last updated 9 August 2022

in Features

Though they’re produced under licence by the Spanish perfume giant Puig, 'L’Homme Prada' and 'La Femme Prada' bear all the hallmarks of Miuccia Prada’s eponymous brand. Conceived and designed as mirror images of each other, they come in matching bottles – the men’s in grey glass with a silver cap and silvered interior; the women’s in clear glass with a gold cap and reflective gold inside.

The perfumes themselves were formulated by Daniela Andrier of the Swiss fragrance house Givaudan, who has worked on most of Prada’s other fragrances. For 'L’Homme Prada' she has adapted the classic (and currently ubiquitous) men’s fougère style of perfume, which includes lavender, oakmoss and coumarin to give an impression of forest – or literally ‘ferny’ – freshness, and added neroli, geranium, patchouli and, two ingredients more often associated with feminine perfumery, iris and amber. This gives it a hint of sweetness that balances the slightly astringent smell of lavender, and also gives the perfume extra staying-power.

'La Femme Prada', for its part, revels in its femininity. Based around the fresh yet sensuous scent of frangipani, with touches of tuberose, vanilla, beeswax and ylang-ylang, it offers an instant contrast to 'L’Homme', but here, again, Andrier has cleverly introduced a ‘shadow’ note from men’s perfumery: vetiver, which gives 'La Femme' a dry but lasting finish.

Of course no major perfume launch these days would be complete without its advertising campaign, and Prada scores high marks for its attention to detail. Photographed by Steven Meisel, four young actors – Dane DeHaan, Ansel Elgort, Mia Goth and Mia Wasikowska – ‘play’ the Prada man and woman, reflecting Miuccia Prada’s belief that ‘there isn’t a single icon representing the dream of a woman or a man. It is actually the opposite, that these people represent the reality, the differences and so on.’

Two side-by-side photos of the gold ’La Femme Prada’ fragrance and the ’Prada woman’ played by Mia Goth who is dressed in a dark blue coat with a light coloured piece underneath. Both photos have a black background — The women’s bottle is created in clear glass with a gold cap and reflective gold interior. Pictured right: actress Mia Goth plays ’Prada woman’ in the advertising campaign. *Photography: Steven Meisel*

Two side-by-side photos of the silver ’L’Homme Prada’ fragrance and the ’Prada man’ played by Dane DeHaan who is dressed in a brown coat. Both photos have a black background — The men’s bottle comes in grey glass with a silver cap and interior. Pictured right: ’Prada man’ is played by Dane DeHaan. *Photography: Steven Meisel*

Two side-by-side illustrations of the scents used in the Prada fragrances. The first illustration has a black background and the second has a light grey background — ’L’Homme Prada’ has adopted the classic men’s fougère style of perfume, which includes lavender, oakmoss and coumarin (pictured left); while ’La Femme Prada’ revolves around the fresh yet sensuous scent of frangipani, with touches of tuberose, vanilla, beeswax and ylang-ylang (right)

INFORMATION

'L’Homme Prada', £69 for 100ml eau de toilette; 'La Femme Prada', £99 for 100ml eau de parfum. Exclusive to Selfridges until 5 September. For more information, visit the Prada website

Photography courtesy Prada

Wallpaper* Newsletter