Page 18 - The Brand 2019

Another lasting influence in his life and career would be his collaboration with François Coty, the man who had initiated him to the subtle art of the perfumer, and from whom he had just parted, to create his own brand.
Revered as the father of modern perfumery, Coty had created rare and exclusive fragrances. In Petitjean’s eyes, however, he had commited the ultimate crime: in search of more sales, he had allowed standards to slip.
Armand Petitjean decided to take up the challenge: the brand he would create would be the embodiment of prestige - or it, quite simply, wouldn’t be.
He did not enter the venture on his own. He was surrounded by a group of like-minded colleagues such as the d’Ornano brothers, the chemist Pierre Velon, and Georges Delhomme, Coty’s former design director. All of them were former admirers of Coty’s, who had felt disappointed by the direction in which he had taken his company.
16 THE BRAND
François Coty