Frédérick Bourré & Sebastian Duchateau, creators of Ombres Portées, take a second look at the concept. This unique boutique in the old quarter of Lille, of which Katherine Pancol said, “Going there is never wanting to leave”, caters to the demand for a highly exclusive perfumery and cosmetics boutique. Far from the codes of traditional perfumery and extensive networks, Frederick and Sebastian, independent enthusiasts, have assembled the creators that inspire them for four years now. They will be very attentive judges at the Beauty Challenger Awards 2010 and tell us about their expectations.

How do you perceive the role of niche brands in the cosmetics market?

Before answering this question, should we not ask whether the concept of brands called “niche” really exists! For us, brands exist, why seek to qualify a mark, why try to put it in a “niche”. Is not it hard enough to create one? You know, some brands become noteworthy in a few weeks, others take years to emerge. For our part, we think it is better to invest a bit of time and last longer!

A second point – let us not forget that, on the whole, the cosmetic market is now saturated. There are very few openings for these emerging brands. Then whether a brand chooses a distribution that is ultra-exclusive or not, it has to, above all, be patient, have a strong backbone, correspond to a need, be innovative and border on excellence … And also never forget that consumers are not easily fooled, making room for a brand in a market is all up to them!

What is Ombres Portées positioning?

Ombres Portées is one of those rare enthusiastic independents, certainly crazy, surely qualified, and extremely vigilant. To do this job a maximum of qualification is of course needed, experience in the field, one has to be curious always and again … In short, one does not dub it a “Perfumery” overnight. Ombres Portées chose to become an ultra-exclusive perfumery but cannot, let us be very frank, take the place of a large group that has more resources to maintain certain brands. We often do our best but we have sometimes to resign ourselves for a lack of resources. For do not forget that a launch is expensive, that the smallest POS is expensive, a showcase is expensive, a bag is expensive, the list goes on … everything is expensive, don’t fool ourselves: brands cannot be just innovative, beautiful, exciting, they must also know how much it costs to exist!

What advice would you give them?

We are repeating ourselves…!!! We must above all be pragmatic: a cash flow projection, secure walls, the required resources, some good marketing levers, an innovative idea, a true story, passion, a pinch of risk in its first definition of adventure, time, time and more time (day and night for that matter!). And most importantly, a brand should never mistake a point of sale for a benefactor!

According to you, what are the strengths of a competition such as the Beauty Challenger Awards?

We see this competition as a disclosure, the spotlights will help us identify the qualities of some, the defects of others, the projectors will allow us to identify a brand that may emerge tomorrow. A word of caution however, no false promises here either because what we see is what a brand wants to show us, then it is up to them to meet our expectations. This spotlighting is a fantastic opportunity for an entrepreneur. Besides this, this competition allows us all to get together, to communicate, to arouse our curiosity, to find ourselves at the heart of our business, if only for that, thank you.

Frédéric & Sébastien

The Beauty Challenger Awards ceremony will be held on 13 Sept. during the Beyond Beauty Paris exhibition.

www.beyondbeautyparis.com

Kristel Milet – Chief Editor, Blog