Yesterday I was invited to Paris to meet Tom Pecheux Creative Makeup Director for Estée Lauder, to discuss his unique relationship with the beauty company and witness the unveiling of four new Color collections including his first full range of nail lacquers.
Pecheux was brought on board by ELC just three years ago as Creative Makeup Director and designer of the Pure Color collections. Since joining the beauty company he has vowed to bring his unique fashion point of view to a brand, which has previously been a favourite of mothers and grandmothers who still identify it with its founder; the ultimate American business magnate and high society lady, Estée Lauder.
I arrived at a chic Paris apartment yesterday morning – the venue for the preview and interview – soaking up the rays on a beautiful balcony overlooking the river with a perfect view of the Eiffel tower.
[Above: Tom Pecheux, Estée Lauder Creative Makeup Director and Charlotte Smith trbusiness.com Editor]
It was apt that Lauder chose the stunning location to showcase the four new makeup collections - that will be rolling out into domestic and travel retail markets over the next six months – as Pecheux revealed that Paris had been the inspiration for the nail colours he had created.
PURE COLOR NAIL COLLECTION
But before I cosied up to Pecheux on one of the pristine white sofas, the Pure Color Nail collection was presented to a select group of beauty journalists. “Even though Estée Lauder is an American company, we have always had very strong relationship with Paris,” began one of the Estée lauder Representatives.
One of the principle launches for Estée Lauder’s next season Pure Color collections, is nail polish. “The first nail polish bottle was introduced in 2000; it was designed in Paris…when we looked at upgrading the nail collection everybody wanted to change the bottle, but Leonard Lauder [son of Lauder founders-Ed] said ‘absolutely not, this is an iconic bottle’,” she continued. The inside of the bottle has been shaped to make the liquid inside, look like a drop of nail polish, which clings to the end of the brush just before you apply it to the nail.
The select group was then shown the motion editorial for the Pure Color nail collection, which features Tom and French-born EL spokesmodel, Constance Jablonski, galavanting around Paris on a cold December night. The conceptual piece offered the audience an explanation for the nail colour assortment.
“I mean as you know, nail is the big trend,” said Pecheux. “I originally came up with 50 nail lacquers.” But he soon realized that it would be unfeasible to create such a huge collection all at once.
'FASHION POINT OF VIEW'
Pecheux reduced the size of the collection, preferring to keep the unique colours with a ‘fashion point of view’. “My job is to bring a true fashion point of view with respect to every type of woman in the world. I wanted to bring my knowledge of the fashion industry and influence from the fashion shows on which I work, to this collection. I use fashion and makeup trends to inspire me.”
In then end Lauder and Pecheux decided upon ten colours to start with, following with the next thirty, forty colours in the next six months. “Some will be limited editions, some will disappear, but we have high hopes for this nail collection,” added Pecheux.
Under the Creative Makeup Director’s orders, Lauder has departed from the typical reds and pinks of the past, opting for a lot of ‘trendy’ dark nail lacquers; some with refined glittery finishes, ‘in vogue’ with high fashion models stomping major catwalk shows all over the world.
The ten-piece collection is split into two collections; Paris by day and Paris by night aka; Beyond Black and Metal Mania.
INTRIGUING SHADES
“This dramatic palette of intriguing shades, textures and finishes expresses confident style and attitude with unprecedented colour and impact,” says ELC.
“When creating this collection I wanted to capture the intensity and naughty side of Paris when it truly comes alive…at night, said Pecheux.
“Beyond Black is defined by five deep shades that saturate nails in rich and dramatic color, capturing the allure of the Parisian Femme Fatale,” says Lauder.
“Metal Mania dresses nails in glam glitters for a modern metallic finish, enticing women to experiment, with daring effect.”
VIOLET UNDERGROUND
Pecheux then moves on to ‘one of his favourite collections’, Violet Underground, which comprises a Five Color EyeShadow Palette, a Quick-Thick EyeLiner in Punker Black, Velvet Lipstick in Black Cassis and Violet Crush; Color Gloss in Chaotic Currant and Rebellious Violet and a Nail Lacquer in Black Iris.
[Above: Violet Underground Collection]
“This collection is centred around a colour which I think suits everyone. I think the quality of the matte lipstick is unique…it’s long-lasting and feels luxurious and it doesn’t dry out the lips.”
One of the new exciting products in the Violet Underground collection is what Pecheux endearingly refers to as ‘my Sharpie’. Pecheux believes that this is one of the many new products that will appeal to consumers that don’t usually shop with Estée Lauder.
“The look you can create with the Sharpie does remind you of Hollywood glamour, but it can also be used to create punk or rock looks, which are not usually associated with Lauder.”
CREATIVE DIFFERENCES
Pecheux is very open and frank about his difference in opinion with Lauder and talks journalists through the process he went through when coming up with the visuals for the Violet Underground campaign.
“With this beautiful visual of Constance – it’s very cosmetic, it’s very make-up you can sell make-up products and a beautiful woman very effectively with this image, however I think makeup should always be linked with a woman’s lifestyle and her personality and it should be a bit more about her character and not just about her beautiful makeup.
[Above: Constance Jablonski modelling Violet Underground]
“[To this effect] I created a different image.” Pecheux holds up another visual of an Asian model wearing a blonde wig looking suitably chic and aloof. An image, that wouldn’t be out of place in beauty editorial spread for Vogue.
“I wanted to capture a girl going out to Studio 54, a girl going on the runway; I think this image is more fun and conveys more about the girl’s lifestyle and less about her pretty makeup.”
VIVID SHINE
Pecheux says that discussions over the visuals went back and forth, but eventually it was decided that the original close-up cosmetic-focused image of Constance Jablonski would be the dominant visual used to promote the new colour collections. “50% of people at the Estée Lauder [head office] were very enthusiastic about the image and fell in love with it. But the other half were not convinced.”
[Above: The visual which Pecheux created for Violet Underground]
[Left: Estée Lauder Vivid Shine eyeshadow teal]
Pecheux will also release a Vivid shine collection, consisting of 20 Pure Color Gelée Powder Eyeshadows with satin finish, a selection of nail colours and 20 lipsticks.
“16 of these are very wearable lipstick shades and the other four are what I call ‘transfer lipsticks’.” The idea of these lip colours; in gold, silver, grey and white, is that when they are applied over the top of one any of the other shades it can transform the original colour.
“These 16 then become adaptable to your mood or the occasion at which you’re wearing them. This is something we do for the runways all the time to create a unique ‘couture colour’. We used foundation, concealer or pencils to change the various shades we had.”
PURE COLOR BLUSH COLLECTION
Lauder and Pecheux has also revamped the Color Blush collection which Pecheux described as ‘old and dusty’. “I have introdue some very bright colours here, because I need tones I can use on dark skin as well as light. If you put one of the more subtle shades on Joanne [Puerto Rican spokesmodel, Joan Smalls-Ed], it’s going to look like highlighter so we needed blush with powerful pigment.”
[Left: Estée Lauder Pure Color Blush]
Pecheux talks about the women which inspire him:
“I don’t like weak women. I like strong women; they can be wonderful mothers and wives and businesswomen and have a strong point of view and that’s who I like to create makeup for. It wasn’t my duty to think about creating makeup for a specific woman it’s about creating makeup for every woman with a fashion point of view.
“I think the new collections can do more than answer any woman’s desire. I don’t want to answer desire, I want to create desire and you don’t have to, but I think it is better if you have an open mind.
I asked Pecheux whether his mission to bring a fashion-forward point of view to a classic beauty brand has always been easy to implement in the three years since he started working for Lauder.
MISSION POSSIBLE
“My mission to start with is to have product that I can use. I’ve been with Estée Lauder for almost three years now, but I’ve been in make-up for 25 years, so I’m certainly not going to create a product that I cannot use. It started off with me being very selfish and making products for me.
“Yes I do work in fashion and yes I do believe that that is the reason why Estée Lauder came knocking at my door and said ‘can we work together.’
When I asked whether Pecheux had encountered any friction between himself and ELC with respect to his unique fashion point of you in the last few years, his response remained positive, but honest.
“So far our relationship has been amazing and ELC is a huge and successful company. When success is there and numbers are positive, certain people are scared to move forward. I don’t want to put off all of the grandmothers that use Estée Lauder makeup, but I also need products that I can use for myself.
“My ego is very pleased when a 20 year old girl tells me that she likes my product and I am also pleased when her grandmother tells me the same.”
[A full length interview will appear inside the Beauty Report coming soon from the June issue of the Travel Retail Business]
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