ZADIG & VOLTAIRE
Zadig & Voltaire is a French fashion brand founded by designer Thierry Gillier in 1997. The brand's name refers to Voltaire's novel Zadig, or Destiny, and the creators describe their style as luxury casual; Cecilia Bonström, who has held the position of art director since 2003, characterizes her work with the phrase "Simplicity always wins." During the first years of Bonström's leadership, the Z&V style acquired features that have been preserved in the collections to this day: the brand gravitates toward rock 'n' roll aesthetics, uses mainly natural materials and combines elegant forms with complex, noticeable decor. During its work, the brand not only expanded its range, adding lines of accessories and perfumes to the women's and men's collections (and also tried itself in the music business, opening a recording studio), but also managed to acquire many collaborations. For example, in 2009, the brand released a branded phone together with Samsung, and in the following years, it presented limited collections together with models Erin Wasson and Kate Moss, jewelry designer Anneliese Michelson and other media personalities. The perfume history of Zadig & Voltaire began in 2009 with the release of the La Pureté fragrance. It was released in packaging resembling a book folio and had the subtitle Tome 1; it is reported that the first 20,000 bottles were sold only through the brand's own website and mono-brand stores. A year later, Zadig & Voltaire signed an agreement on the production and distribution of perfumes with the Clarins corporation (under the agreement, the brand released several flankers of the first composition), and in 2014, Shiseido acquired a license to use the name. The first major launch with the new partner was the duo of fragrances This is Him and This is Her in 2016, and in 2017, a continuation of the debut composition (Eau de Toilette Tome 2 La Légèreté and Tome 3 L’Être) appeared in stores. In the following years, both flagships received several more limited editions and flankers, and in 2018, the brand presented a new fruity-gourmand fragrance Girls Can Do Anything (which was reflected in the newer edition Girls Can Say Anything in 2019). Currently, the brand is gradually expanding its existing lines.
