Carolina Herrera De Báez On Keeping Up With An Iconic Brand
Carolina Herrera De Baez, joined Herrera’s House of Fragrances in 1996 as the creative director and, ever since, has taken its fragrance line to new, previously inconceivable heights. In this reveal-all interview, she talks about the iconic brand, her relationship with her mother, and of course, perfumes.
As time passes and trends come and go, few people and even fewer achievements remain etched in our memories. One such memory is when fashion doyenne, Carolina Herrera stunned her front-row guests at Manhattan’s Metropolitan Club when she sent a series of evening gowns down the runway some 35 years ago. And as A-listers such as Andy Warhol, Bianca Jagger, and Bill Blass cheered her impeccable vision as it was translated on cloth, the designer was instantly catapulted into the limelight. That collection, an instant hit, was the kind of watershed moment many designers seek but fail to achieve. And regardless of whether we like it or not, that memory takes us back to an era when a fashion royal was born.
Three-plus decades and many a celebrity fans later, The House of Carolina Herrera has branched into perfumes for men and women, bridal wear, and accessories. It is almost Herculean to imagine the kind of trials and tribulations the brand must have faced to survive in a tough environment, especially the beauty market. With immense competition in sight but with the kind of determination only a designer of her calibre could possess, CH launched her first perfume, the eponymous Carolina Herrera, in 1988. Her daughter, Carolina Herrera De Baez, joined Herrera’s House of Fragrances in 1996 as the creative director and, ever since, has taken its fragrance line to new, previously inconceivable heights. “My intention is always to create a perfume that is modern and unique and at the same time classic and timeless; the same way my mother has been doing fashion for the past 35 years. And look how successful she has been,” says De Baez. Which begs the next question—is there a secret to the brand’s success? “I believe that even if you have to adapt to the changing times, it is important to remain true to the values and codes of the brand,” she adds.
And while their perfumes have garnered ample attention for catering to a wide variety of fussy connoisseurs, the unique packaging has also caught the eye of experts. “We know that the scent is important, but so is the packaging. That is the first thing you see when you buy a perfume. It has to be attractive. Sometimes we opt for classic shapes, like for the Herrera Confidential line—that celebrates the heritage and codes of Carolina Herrera. And other times we prefer something bolder. For Good Girl, we wanted a bottle that would make an impact on the woman wearing the fragrance. What better way to empower and give confidence to a woman than a pair of high heels,” says De Baez. Another factor that has sustained the brand in the market for so long is its competitive pricing and a brand image that is not afraid of an evolving market. In doing so, Herrera’s House of Fragrances has captured both the young and the mature market alike. “I think the brand embodies values that speak to everyone, whether young or more mature. I don’t believe it is a question of age. We adapt to modern tastes of course but what we want is to empower the people who wear our fragrances, to give them confidence in their daily lives.”
So what keeps her nose fresh then and how does she formulate concoctions that have kept generations hooked? “Curiosity always keeps my nose fresh,” she chuckles. “I had never imagined that making perfumes would become my job even though I have always been fond of scents, flowers, and fragrances.” Never one to leave out credit where its due, De Baez says her mother was the one who asked her to get involved in the creative process when Herrera’s House of Fragrances was ready to launch a younger, modern frangrance many years ago. What started off as a summer job became a career of many highs. This admission only leads us to believe her relationship with her mother, unlike most high-profile mother-daughter relationships, is a strong one. “My mother and I have a great relationship, based on mutual respect and confidence. She gives me freedom; she trusts me and supports me in anything I do. She is a wonderful woman!” Just last year, De Baez launched the Carolina Herrera Limited Edition perfume, a spin on the original launched back in 1988 to honour her mother. “This fragrance perfectly embodies what my mother represents. Its scent is feminine, classic, and timeless. I could not think of a better tribute than to rework that perfume. Ever since I remember, her signature scent has always been a blend of jasmine and tuberose. We worked together with master perfumer Carlos Benaim to create this fragrance. Carlos formulated the original perfume so it only seemed logical to rework it with him. Together we applied a modern twist, adding volume without changing the main accords to make it even more premium and sophisticated,” she says.
De Baez admits that one of the finest ingredients in perfumery is the jasmine from India and that if she ever had to dedicate a fragrance to the country, she would pick this flower. She first came to India in 1991 and visited the sets of a Bollywood movie in Jaipur and is a self-confessed Bollywood music buff—an almost unexpected admission. “I love the music and the country. A few years ago I even took dancing lessons and loved it.” We love you back, C.