The Fragrance Foundation Hosts 40th Annual FiFi Awards
The Fragrance Foundation hosted its 40th annual FiFi® Awards ceremony on May 21 at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall in New York City. Frequently referred to as the ‘Oscars’ of the fragrance industry, the awards celebrate the art of perfumery and honor the top launches of the year. Comedian and Actress Jane Lynch, a seemingly unlikely fit for the fragrance world, kept the mood lively as the evening’s host. “Selecting me as host makes perfect sense, because when you think of a sexy, delicate and floral fragrance, you think, ‘Jane Lynch,’” she quipped.
Coscentrix’s Jill Belasco and The Estée Lauder Companies’ Leonard Lauder with Jane Lynch
Jill Belasco, The Foundation’s Chair of the Board, welcomed attendees and applauded the 2012 finalists. “We celebrate the great Perfumers, the creative designers, the exciting media
campaigns and the genius marketing minds that make the business so great,” said Ms. Belasco. She also shared the Foundation’s re-focused mission to “inspire, educate and win over new consumers to the category, while finding new and relevant ways to best serve our members.”
An impressive list of celebrities presented the coveted crystal statues in 27 categories—including Nicole Richie, Chaka Khan, Sam Champion, Martha Stewart, Jessica Stam, Josh Groban, Mariska Hargitay, Michelle Monaghan and Carol Alt. Among this year’s honorees, the Fragrance Hall of Fame award, which is bestowed upon a classic scent that has existed for over 15 years, was presented to 24 Faubourg by Hermès in the women’s category and Giorgio Armani Beauty’s Acqua di Gio in the men’s. In addition, International Flavors & Fragrances’ Perfumer Laurent Le Guernec accepted the Perfume Extraordinaire of the Year with Bond No. 9’s President and Founder Laurice Rahme for Bond No. 9 New York’s New York Oud.
Justin Bieber was granted the Elizabeth Taylor Fragrance Celebrity of the Year Award for the launch of his premiere fragrance, SOMEDAY by Justin Bieber. The award is selected by The Foundation’s Board of Directors and is presented to a celebrity who has embraced and promoted the world of perfumery. Though unable to attend the ceremony, Mr. Bieber graciously accepted his FiFi® with a video message shown to attendees.
Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel was also honored during the evening as the 2012 Hall of Fame recipient. Chosen by the Board of Directors, this award acknowledges an individual who has forever impacted the fragrance industry with their exceptional dedication, ingenuity and success. “We are very pleased that The Fragrance Foundation is recognizing Coco Chanel for her lasting impact and ongoing influence over the world of fragrance,” said CHANEL’s Christine Dagousset, U.S. Executive Vice President, Fragrance & Beauty. “Mademoiselle Chanel is a guiding inspiration in all we do at CHANEL, and we are proud of the infinite contribution she has made to the worlds of modern fashion, beauty and fragrance.”
The ceremony featured a heartfelt tribute for Evelyn Lauder and her extraordinary contributions and achievements. The Estée Lauder Companies’ Leonard Lauder and Karyn Khoury shared personal stories that displayed Mrs. Lauder’s unwavering spirit and passion for the industry. Mrs. Lauder was honored with the Hall of Fame award in 2006.
The Foundation and the Certification Advisory Board also honored the Fragrance Specialists who achieved the highest scores on the Certified Fragrance Sales Specialists (C.F.S.S.) Certification Exam. The C.F.S.S. program was designed to educate Sales Specialists with the goal of maintaining professionalism in fragrance selling. As the top scorers from the Fall 2011 and Spring 2012 sessions, Nordstrom’s Martina Jones of Shoreview, Minnesota and Diana Lopez of Topanga, California accepted their awards on stage.
For the complete list of the 2012 FiFi® Awards winners, visit fragrancefoundation.org.
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| Firmenich’s Armand de Villoutreys and Patrick Firmenich (2nd r.) with Give Back Brands’ Robert Hollander and Paul West | IFF’s Lorenzo Cavallaro and Matt Frost (r.) with Trudi Loren of The Estée Lauder Companies | Robertet’s Christophe Maubert, Sidonie Lancesseur and Jérôme Epinette |
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| Elizabeth Arden’s Eric Horowitz and Laurie Dowley with Mark Falthzik of Give Back Brands | CHANEL’s Christine Dagousset, Rebekah McCabe, Shweta Tripathi and Sarah Miller | SGD’s Gregory Cummings, Ashok Sudan, Shéhérazade Chamlou and Peter Acerra |
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| Mast’s Megan Crokos, Felicia Schepis and Gina Moore with Rob MacDonald of Fragrance Resources (2nd r.) | P&G Prestige’s Carolyn Tastad and Don Loftus | Takasago’s Yoshinari Niimura and Sean Traynor |
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| L’Oréal USA’s David Suffit and Patrick Jones with Yara Karmiloff of Givaudan (c.) | Givaudan’s Calice Becker and Kate Greene with Victoria Frolova of Bois de Jasmin (c.) |
The Estée Lauder Companies’ Bari Seiden with Bruce Teitelbaum of RPG |
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| LVMH’s Jessica Barlow, Nicholas Munafo and Dorothee Boeuf |
Elizabeth Arden’s Ron Rolleston with his daughter, Rachel | Mr. West with Firmenich’s Jerry Vittoria and his wife, Francesca (c.) |
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| Pochet’s John Marsden and Chris Capossela | L’Oréal USA’s Marc Rey, Rosemarie Sterling, Sherry El-Gawly, Noelle Denlinger and Justin Hartman | Symrise’s Catalina Zurek, John Lando, Jessica Wolf and Doreen Bucher with Mark Knitowski (2nd r.) of Victoria’s Secret Beauty |