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PARIS -- L'Oreal is hoping for a little bit of Dutch magic.
The world's biggest beauty firm is adding a new label to its designer fragrance wardrobe, its first in 17 years. As spectacular as that sounds, even more so is the choice: The long-term deal inked Tuesday is with young Dutch design wizards Viktor & Rolf, whose brand will be positioned as a global player from the word go.
Viktor & Rolf, which is expected to launch its first fragrance by 2005, is part of L'Oreal's Prestige et Collections International (PCI) division, overseen by Patricia Turck-Paquelier and including such established brands as Parfums Giorgio Armani and Parfums Cacharel.
WWD first reported that Viktor & Rolf were in discussions with L'Oreal about a beauty license on March 8.
"It's great to be with L'Oreal," Viktor Horsting said in an exclusive interview. "For us, it has been an ambition to get into perfume and beauty for a long time. We think fragrance and beauty are a very important part of fashion -- they give a bigger picture than just clothes. We're very interested in the aura around fashion, to create a world rather than just a product."
Turck-Paquelier stressed the Viktor & Rolf brand will in no way be niche. "We think the brand has incredible potential because of Viktor & Rolf's talents and clear, unique positioning in their category," she said.
L'Oreal's strategy is in contrast with that of most other major beauty groups, which have recently launched or are scheduled to...