Eight & Bob - Champs de Provence

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Albert Fouquet, the son of a Parisian aristocrat, belonged to the elite of French society in the early 20th century and was a perfume connoisseur. In a room on the upper floor of the family home, a château, Fouquet created and perfected various essences for his own use. He was assisted in this by Philippe, the family butler. At every social occasion, he surprised those present with his exquisite fragrance, which became increasingly popular in exclusive social circles. However, Fouquet always rejected suggestions to market the perfume.

One night, during his summer holiday on the French Riviera in 1937, Albert befriended a young American student travelling through France in a convertible: John F. Kennedy. Only a few minutes after they met, the vain JFK was fascinated by the essence Albert was wearing. Kennedy's charm and kindness prompted Albert to leave him a sample of his Eau de Cologne the following morning with the smug note: ‘In this bottle you will find some of the French magic that your American personality lacks.’

After returning from his holiday, Albert received a letter from John in the United States thanking him for the kind gesture and informing him of the success his perfume was enjoying among his friends. He asked Albert to send him eight samples, ‘and if your production allows, one more for Bob.’ So Albert decided to send a box with enough extra perfume samples to cover the shipping costs. His perfectionism extended not only to the perfume itself, but to everything related to it. He did not place the order until Philippe finally found some beautiful bottles in a Parisian pharmacy. Albert considered them suitable for his eau de cologne and labelled them with John's amusing request: ‘EIGHT & BOB’. Albert could hardly believe it when, a few months later, letters arrived from the United States from various Hollywood directors, producers and actors such as Cary Grant and James Stewart. Everyone wanted the ‘EIGHT & BOB’ eau de cologne, which they had obviously discovered through Joseph Kennedy, John's father, who had connections to famous stars through his former business dealings in the film industry.

Unfortunately, the success of his Eau de Cologne was not to last much longer. In the spring of 1939, Albert died in a car accident not far from Biarritz. Philippe, the only person who could fulfil the orders, continued this work for only a few months, as the outbreak of the Second World War forced him to give up his job with the Fouquet family. In the last shipments, Philippe hid the bottles in books, carefully cutting out the pages by hand to prevent the perfume from being confiscated by the Nazis.

Decades later, thanks to the family of the butler Philippe, the formula for ‘EIGHT & BOB’ was completely rediscovered, along with its delicate and refined production process. Once again, it was considered one of the most exclusive Eaux de Cologne, favoured by elegant men worldwide.