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It
was not until he went to see it for himself at
the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
that the idea of the fragrance really came to
be. The wait in line to the see the 45.52 carat
diamond, valued at $250 million, was two hours.
He took notes on what the people around him said
while waiting and how they reacted when finally
in front of the diamond. The people wanted to
touch it and would ask one of the six guards to
take a picture of the family in front of it. "I
knew it needed more of a life," says Gregory.
The fragrance provies an opportunity to offer
a more personal aspect of the diamond.
A
LONG JOURNEY TO THE FINAL PRODUCT
It
took nine years before the concept became a reality.
He was turned down by nine internatinoal fragrance
companies with excuses ranging from 'it won't
work' to 'the timing is wrong.' "The last
question I would ask each was why they didn't
want it," recalls Gregory.
The
companies would respond by asking him why they
would want a fragrance based on a diamond with
a curse, to which he would say, "who wouldn't
want to know more about it?"
He
and his business partner, Charles Rapp, ended
up investing in it themselves and contracted it
to Quest International, which connected them with
fragrance desinger, Claude Dir. He worked with
Gregory for four years to develop the woodsy-floral-oriental
scent. "I was picky,"says Gregory. "You
have only one chance to do it right."
Gregory
wanted a European fragrance with no synthetics.
In order to help inspire Dir, Gregory gave him
a poster of the Hope Diamond with the instruction
to look at it everyday as if seeing it for the
first time.
At
the heart of the fragrance is Creme Brulee, a
favorite of his great-grandmother, which gives
a "caramel, enticing effect," says Gregory.
He
contacted Marc Rosen to design the packaging for
the product line, which includes eau de parfum
and Perfumed Liquicreme. Each is capped with a
crystal-faceted, indigo stone.
A
FRAGRANCE BACKGROUND
Fable
is not Greogy's first experience with the fragrance
industry. The 35-year old has actually been involved
in the business for 14 years. His first job was
as a "model," a position now called
fragrance consultant, for Caesar's Man at Dillard's.
He dressed in a toga and brought in enough customers
to get the attention of executives, which led
to other fragrance jobs with Dillard's, Mercantile
and Parfums Boucheron. His duties at his various
job sincluded arranging special events, teaching
people about the products and listening to the
customers discuss what was wrong with the product.
He ended up with journals on every line.
Gregory
explains that he has always been told of the value
of listening to people 75 of the time and talking
25 percent of the time. A lessto to which he still
adheres.
THE
MAKING OF A CLASSIC
Gregory
believes Fable is a classic and is building the
brand slowly and carefully. Sold at such stores
as Bergdorg Goodman, Neiman Marcus and Sephora,
Fable is at present available at 34 stores. Gregory
plans to be in only 250 stores throughout the
United States and Canada and turns down request
from store buyers to sell in more places. "Companies
have used and abused the word exclusivity,"
he says.
Gregory
keeps true to his listening philosophy by personally
calling store consultants and buyers to learn
what can still be done and what can be improved.
He
advertises the fragrance by partnering with the
stores. Advertisements for it are included in
catalogs and billing inserts. Customers who do
buy the fragrance are mailed a hand-written thank-you
note from Gregory who tells them he hopes they
"cherish the unique blend of fragrance notes."
At
personal appearances he shows off dress that belonged
to his great-grandmother, a replica of the diamond
and old photographs. Women, notes Gregory want
the story behind it. They will be able to get
all fo the story as well as photographs never
before seen by the public in a biography, Queen
of Diamonds, that he co-wrote with Rapp's sister,
Carol. It is due out it September. A network mini-series
is also being developed.
Rolling
out this fall is the bath and shower gel of Fable.
However, for those waiting for the men's version
of the fragrance, it will be a while — until
the fall of 2003, to be exact. Explains Gregory,
"The product is in my heart, it is not a
clothes company. We are not putting out proucts
every 18 months. It took nine years for Fable."
The
scent for men's Fable will include a middle note
inspired by his great-grandfather, Edward Beale
McLean. The packaging will feature the red color
the Hope Diamond glows when light hits it.
Gregory
also plans to introduce a home collection with
a lighter scent and a bedding collection with
linen, comforters and shams.
"This
is not a one shot fragrance," he maintains.
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June
2000
