2008 Editors’ Choice Award Winner: Fragrance
Leiber by Judith Leiber
by Gary Farn Ltd.
Leiber by Judith Leiber is the iconic handbag designer’s first fragrance. The bottle’s star-shaped facets make the bottle glisten like the Asscher-cut diamond it was modeled after. In the palm of the hand, the heavyweight bottle feels like a large gem. The bottle also brings to mind one of Judith Leiber’s evening bags, which are often referred to as bejeweled works of art.
Frank Zambrelli, president and creative director for Judith Leiber, designed the packaging. The Asscher cut is his favorite gemstone shape. “We chose this shape because Judith Leiber is known for its gems, and this is a gem cut featured on a lot of our handbags,” adds Theresa Plavoukos, vice president of marketing, Gary Farn Ltd.
“This bottle is opulent as a Judith Leiber bottle should be,” says CPC Packaging awards panelist Steve Corsi, director of design development for Markwins International. Awards panelist Corey Gelman, owner of fragrance brand Chic Baby, agrees. “Even if I hadn’t seen the fragrance name, I would have immediately guessed that it was by Judith Leiber. It’s such a beautiful, elegant design,” she says.
The brilliance of this bottle isn’t only in the aesthetics, however. The bottle required precise engineering to manufacture. Many vendors suggested modifying the complex bottle design in fear that it couldn’t be produced, according to Plavoukos. “The main challenge was that the bottle’s neck sits below its shoulders. This made it very difficult to distribute the glass evenly,” she says.
The glass bottle was molded by Pochet. “An effort was made to keep the facets sharp while the glass was cooling, because edges tend to round when glass cools,” explains Plavoukos. The glass is bookended by silver prongs on either side, reminiscent of a setting for a jewel. The Zamac prongs were plated and supplied by Jackel.
The pump’s actuator was embedded deep within the prong. Valois supplied the pump. Engineering such a low-profile actuator was extremely difficult. It required numerous technical drawings, as well as close collaboration by all suppliers. “It took a lot of care throughout the development process to stay true to the design concept,” says Plavoukos.
As a final touch, the gem of a bottle is packaged in what resembles a jewelry box. The carton was produced by Wilco with Mylar board that was printed with metallic ink and a pearlescent overlay.
The packaging development process took one year. Awards panelist Alan Bodker, executive director of Origins package development, says, “From an engineering perspective, the team at Leiber did a great job on this bottle.”