Fleur du Mâle de JPG

The name of Jean Paul Gaultier’s new men’s fragrance Fleur du Mâle (Flower of the Male) was inspired by the title of Baudelaire’s collection of poems — Les fleurs du mal (The Flowers of Evil). The debut of Jean Paul Gaultier’s Fleur du Mâle has been accompanied not only by references to poetry but by much talk concerning the state of men’s lives in 2007. Léa Vignal-Kenedi, who heads the fragrance division of Jean Paul Gaultier, said in Women's Wear Daily: “Over the past 12 years [since the introduction of the original Le Mâle], many barriers have been lifted for men." She said men have more fashion and beauty choices and that Monsieur Gaultier “…wanted to speak of this blooming of today's masculinity, of joie de vivre, of happiness" (12/15/2006). Quoted in the Daily News Record, Vignal-Kenedi said: "Jean Paul wanted to demonstrate that men have a right to the same pleasures as women."
Gaultier produces a men’s makeup line, Le Beau Male, and may believe wearing le maquillage and sporting a flowery scent (Fleur du Mâle) provide men “pleasures” they have been denied in the past. Gaultier and his advertising and marketing team have stressed the fact that Fleur du Mâle contains orange blossom. Like Le Mâle (1995), Fleur du Mâle was designed by Francis Kurkdjian. While Le Mâle seems made for winter, Fleur du Mâle has the aura of spring.