Paper Passion is a new fragrance launched by Wallpaper* that captures the scent of freshly printed books. Inspired by German publisher Gerhard Steidl's passion for the scent of a freshly printed book, Wallpaper* commissioned the publisher to work with avant-garde perfumer Geza Schoen to bottle the fragrance.
Paper Passion's packaging, designed by Karl Lagerfeld, is a real book with a hidden cut-out compartment to house the perfume bottle in the middle. In the front of the book are short essays on the subject of paper by Lagerfeld, Schoen, German author and artist Gunter Grass, and Wallpaper* editor-in-chief Tony Chambers.
"Beautiful paper is for me the top of luxury," commented Lagerfeld, who also named the perfume. "I am a paper freak. It's a physical passion. I cannot live without paper. Touching perfect paper has something sensuous about it."
Schoen's task of capturing the scent and sourcing the necessary ingredients was a difficult one as the dry and fatty notes of printed paper are unusual in perfumery. He created the fragrance with just five ingredients, including ethyl linoleate and a selection of woody components to add dryness. Most perfumes contain between 20 and 100 ingredients, but Schoen stuck to a vision of simplicity.
"Wallpaper* has for the past three years brought together designers, craftsmen and manufacturers to create unusual and remarkable works for our annual Handmade exhibition," said Chambers. "This collaboration is one of our best: an extraordinary fragrance with beautiful packaging. A bottle in a book. A book in a bottle."