Amouage has its sights on the U.S.
The luxury perfumery, dating back to 1983 in Oman and operated by the Omani SABCO Group, has 14 stand-alone global locations in the Middle East and Asia, including Muscat, Dubai, Malaysia and Shanghai. In February, the business entered the U.S. market with its first Stateside store at New Jersey’s American Dream mall. Looking to continue its efforts on a bigger expansion, Amouage just unveiled its first West Coast activation with a pop-up in Los Angeles at The Grove.
“Over the past three years, Amouage’s retail presence has organically grown around the idea of creating the most incredible possible perfume experiences through destinations that tell a story fundamentally anchored in Oman while incorporating the specificities of each new location,” Renaud Salmon, chief creative officer of Amouage, told WWD in an exclusive statement.
“It is this element of our design ethos and respect for perfumery that has allowed us to be recognized in the industry for creating boutiques of architectural distinction,” he said. “With our temporary boutique in L.A., we wanted to create a space with the ability to immediately transport clients away from the vibrant pace of Los Angeles to the tranquil experience of Amouage’s high perfumery offer.”
While many beauty brands have held activations at The Grove, they’ve largely been white cubes, minimal and simple; Amouage’s design stands apart. Inspired by the Omani desert, the space features arched doorways and incorporates earthy materials and stones in a crimson-colored landscape. With perfumes on display — priced between $380 and $590 — details take influence from a mashrabiya, the projecting oriel window enclosed with carved wood that was largely used during the Ottoman period in the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. In all, it’s a dramatic structure that’s impossible to miss at The Grove. The brand oversaw its creation with help from three agencies: U.S.-based Gladiator Productions, Parisian-based Héroïne and Belgium-based Wildvertising.
The pop-up is “expected to keep our growth momentum going as we continue to invest in our retail network development,” Salmon added.
The pop-up’s grand opening on Wednesday was attended by actors Jamie Chung and Sam Trammell, along with Forvr Mood’s Jackie Aina and content creator Olivia VanDerMillen, among others. The pop-up is open until Aug. 26.