Notes

Albert Fouquet, who lived at the beginning of the 20th century, was the son of a Parisian aristocratic family and a perfume expert. He traveled a lot around Europe and South America, collecting unique natural ingredients for fragrances. Fouquet developed the fragrances for a long time only for his own use, assisted by the family butler, Philippe.

Attending the social events of the French elite, Albert encountered a growing demand for his own fragrances. However, he refused to sell his fragrances on.

One summer evening in 1937, Albert met a young American student on vacation on the French Riviera who was touring France in his convertible. Albert and his new acquaintance, John F. Kennedy, immediately got along well. JFK was mesmerized by the fragrance that the charming Albert wore and persuaded Albert to supply him with a sample of the fragrance he wore.

The next morning, Albert left a scent sample at JFK's hotel with a message in which he wrote: "In this bottle you will find the dash of French glamor that your American Personality lacks".

After returning from vacation, Albert received a letter in which John thanked him for the fragrance and told how his fragrance has been praised by friends in America. He asked Albert to send eight more samples, and if his production allowed, one more for Bob.

Albert wanted everything to be perfect and with Philippe's help he found the perfect glass bottles for his fragrances in a Parisian pharmacy. Next, he ordered packing boxes that featured a design similar to the one on John F. Kennedy's collared shirt when they met. Finally, he made labels for the bottles and boxes according to John's request: "Eight & Bob"

After a few months, Albert was surprised when he started receiving letters from America, e.g. Hollywood from directors, producers and actors like Cary Grant and James Stewart, who had met and fell in love with the scent through John's father.

Unfortunately, Albert died in the spring of 1939 in a car accident in Biarritz. The family's butler, Philippe, was the only one who could take care of the orders for a few months, until World War II broke out and he had to leave the Fouquet family. In the last shipment, Philippe carved bottle-shaped notches inside the books, where he hid the scents so the Nazis wouldn't confiscate them.

Decades later, the original Eight & Bob fragrance recipe and its precise production process have been brought back into use, courtesy of the late fragrance artist's family.

The Original is an exclusive fragrance created by Albert Fouque for elegant men and women. The fragrance is available in a 30ml size (€59.90), as well as a 100ml size (€159.90), which is packaged inside a book, just like the last batch sent by Philipe at the end of the 1930s.

Check out our Eight & Bob selection from here and discover fascinating fragrance-specific stories!