Paper Passion Perfume

Paper Passion Perfume captures the unique olfactory pleasures of the freshly printed book. Designed by boutique perfumer Geza Schoen in close consultation with Gerhard Steidl and in collaboration with Wallpaper magazine, the book expresses that distinctive mix of paper and ink which gives a book its unmistakable aroma. Schoen spent days in the depths of the paper-filled Steidl headquarters in Göttingen, sifting through books, papers samples and inks, to find inspiration for a perfume that is true to books, wearable and which ages well--just like a good book. It took Schoen 17 trials to preserve what he calls "the right balance between the smell of paper as such and an enjoyable perfumistic aesthetic." The elaborate packaging of Paper Passion Perfume does more than justice to the perfume within. The packaging is a real book with a cut-out compartment in which the bottle sits. The first part of the book contains texts on the pleasures of paper and the Paper Passion project by Nobel Laureate Günter Grass, Karl Lagerfeld, Geza Schoen and Wallpaper Editor-in-Chief Tony Chambers. The end product is a unique perfume--an homage to the luxurious sensuality of books and, in Karl Lagerfeld's words, "the silent smell of paper."