More about Creed
In the past, personal fragrances were reserved exclusively for royalty, but today almost anyone can have one. The traditional company Creed produces fragrances to order, which are produced exclusively for the client for five years. After that, they become available to everyone and are added to the range of more than 200 colognes and eaux de toilette that Creed has produced in its more than 250-year history.
When you order from Creed, you are in good company. Queens, princes and stars have always been among its customers. Creed was a supplier to Queen Victoria's court, and the long-reigning monarch loved ‘Fleurs de Bulgarie’, the scent of Bulgarian rose and grey ambergris. The fragrance was also delivered to the Hofburg Palace (the official residence of the Austrian president) in Vienna for Emperor Franz Josef and Empress Elisabeth, and Prince Rainier of Monaco had ‘Fleurissimo’ composed from tuberose, violet, iris and rose for his wedding to Grace Kelly. After the five-year exclusivity period for the princess, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was one of the first to wear ‘Fleurissimo’.
At Creed, perfume making is a family affair. Since 1760, when James Henry Creed founded his company in London, the craft and the business have been passed down through the family. Olivier Henry Creed is now the sixth generation at the helm, and the seventh is being prepared for the future in the perfume stronghold of Grasse (a city in southern France known for its perfume industry). Creed is ‘very British’ and ‘très français’. The French Empress Eugénie wanted to have her favourite perfume source nearby and convinced the Creeds to move from London to Paris in 1854, where the headquarters and fragrance boutique are still located today. The fragrances are manufactured in the traditional manner, as Creed fragrances are still handmade. Like his ancestors, perfumer and company director Olivier Creed travels the world himself to purchase the raw materials for the fragrances. Ninety percent of production is exported, with lucrative markets in the Middle East and, more recently, in America.
What is good enough for kings is only right and proper for screen gods. Film legends such as Marlene Dietrich, Cary Grant and Gary Cooper brought the English-French fragrances to Hollywood decades ago. Frank Sinatra was among the fans, Paul Newman likes ‘Bois du Portugal’ (cedar, sandalwood and vetiver), horse whisperer Robert Redford orders ‘Green Irish Tweed’ (sandalwood, ambergris, violet, verbena and iris), which is also said to be Prince Charles' favourite Creed fragrance. Madonna and David Bowie wear Creed, as do supermodels Naomi Campbell and Cindy Crawford.