Francois Coty

Artist, financier, politician, industrialist, philanthropist, lover, and above allparfumeurFrancois Coty revolutionized the fragrance industry during the first thirty years of the twentieth century. The genius visionary behind such legendary scents as Chypre and La Rose Jacqueminot, Francois Coty ro [...]
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Artist, financier, politician, industrialist, philanthropist, lover, and above allparfumeurFrancois Coty revolutionized the fragrance industry during the first thirty years of the twentieth century. The genius visionary behind such legendary scents as Chypre and La Rose Jacqueminot, Francois Coty rose to extraordinary fame and fortune during his lifetime, following his extraordinary nose to exalt women with his innovative luxury products. Presenting a dazzling study of the sensational Emperor of Fragrance and Frances first billionaire, this unprecedented biography traces Cotys life and legacy from his familial roots through his death in 1934 and the transformations of Coty, Inc. into the cosmetics powerhouse it remains today. Born in 1874, next-door to the house of his relative and idol Napoleon Bonaparte, Francois Coty was orphaned at the age of seven. He spent his childhood under the care of the Jesuit priests and elderly women of his ancestral Italian family in Ajaccio, the capital of Corsica. After briefly serving in the reserves of the French army, Coty became a parliamentary attache for a well-connected family friend and prominent Parisian senator.Coty spent four years absorbing Pariss political and cultural scene of the fin de siecle before discovering his extraordinarily sensitive sense of smell. He set out to create his first fragrance in 1904; by 1906, he was a millionaire. Drawing upon Cotys personal correspondences, memoranda, and papers, the authors have crafted a modish and masterful biography of Frances first man of fragrance. Rich in intimate anecdotes involving such figures as Coco Chanel, Rene Lalique, former kaiser Wilhelm Hohenzollern II, and Sergei Diaghilev, this comprehensive treatment of one of historys most captivating, elegant, and complex fashion and business leaders will be appreciated by history aficionados, fashion industry devotees, and anyone who enjoys a fine fragrance and a good story.