Fashion Quarterly | 8 things you didn't know about Zadig & Voltaire

You may know how to be a boho rocker à la Zadig & Voltaire, with cashmere knits, ripped jeans and killer biker jackets, but do you know what is behind the French brand’s je ne sais quoi?

Luckily the international marketing director at perfumer Beauté Prestige International, Giona Zen, was in town to talk about the brand’s latest scents. He’s worked with the brand for two years and was the perfect person to tell us about the Zadig & Voltaire world.

1. The founder of the brand, Thierry Gillier, has a stylish heritage. He is grandson to the co-founder of Lacoste, and lover of tennis, Andre Gillier. “From a very young age he was passionate about fashion and design,” says Giona.

2. The brand itself is a family affair. The creative director of the brand, Swedish-born Cécilia Bönström, is also the wife of Thierry – and a former Zadig & Voltaire model. They must have a great ‘how did you two meet?’ story.

3. Art is very important to the Z&V family. Thierry and Cécilia have amassed a stunning art collection for their homes (from New York to Normandy), which inspire the brand’s new collections. “When you go to his house it’s a kind of museum, it’s amazing,” adds Giona.

4. The bottles of its new perfumes, This Is Him! and This Is Her!, are deliberately broken to fit together side-by-side. They are to be displayed lying down “as a contemporary piece of art”.

5. The brand is named after an 18th century French philosopher named Voltaire who wrote The Book of Fate (Zadig ou la Destinée). Like the brand, Voltaire was a contemporary rocker – breaking the rules and seeking new ideas.

6. The new sophisticated-yet-sweet perfumes both have notes of sandalwood and vanilla. The women’s perfume includes chestnut and jasmine and the men’s adds incense and grapefruit.

7. The model muse for the This Is Her! perfume is Joséphine Le Tutour. She’s a French mega babe that perfectly embodies the brand’s youthful and artistic vibe.

8. Established in 1997, the brand was one of the first “affordable luxury” fashion offerings for shoppers. This also means Zadig & Voltaire is closing in on its 20th birthday… We can’t wait to see the party pics!