Omani perfume home Amouage on Friday unveiled a redesign of its first retail location in Muscat.
The flagship at Sabco Centre has undergone an 18-month transformation to create a contemporary area that’s an architectural homage to the model’s heritage. The situation is the place the fragrance maker’s story started 4 many years in the past and marks a symbolic reconnection with the model’s roots throughout a interval of world enlargement and document progress.
The shop encompasses a dramatic two-floor-high crystalline glass facade housing a creative depiction of an imposing frankincense tree, native to Oman’s desert. Envisioned by chief artistic officer Renaud Salmon and designed by Héroïne Paris, the area serves as each a retail setting and a creative assertion.
“This boutique holds profound significance not solely to Amouage however to my household and to many individuals in Oman,” stated Sayyid Khalid bin Hamad Al Busaidi, chairman of Amouage. “It was right here at Sabco Centre that we constructed Amouage’s first boutique ever 40 years in the past, and it was right here that we constructed the primary trendy shopping center in Oman in 1985, inaugurating a brand new period of purchasing expertise in Muscat. Right now, the relaunch of the boutique is a tribute to our previous and a testomony to how far we’ve come. Whereas the area has been utterly remodeled, its essence stays unchanged; a spot the place our ardour for the artwork of perfumery will proceed to thrive for generations to return.”
On the heart of the area stands the towering seven-meter-high tree, a up to date sculpture commissioned by Salmon and handcrafted by Ouvrage Paris. “I used to be impressed by my quite a few journeys to Wadi Dawkah, in addition to the rugged grandeur of the undertaking,” Salmon defined. “I loved the concept of a totemic illustration of a frankincense tree, bringing a powerful environment, emotion, and visible gravitas by means of its uncompromising form and measurement.”
The boutique is completed in supplies together with darkish oak, polished black stainless-steel, brass and gold leaf touches, and features a customized desk by French designer Dimitry Hlinka for an total look the corporate describes as “a refined twenty first century brutalist patchwork.” There’s additionally an intimate “majlis” or front room space for bespoke fragrance rituals and consultations, an ode to Omani hospitality.
The flagship options Amouage’s full vary of fragrances along with luxurious physique merchandise.
This reopening coincides with the the discharge of two new perfumes, Resolution and Existence, marking the conclusion of Amouage’s Odyssey Assortment. The fragrances symbolize the end result of a five-year olfactory journey that started in 2020 with 10 perfumes, together with Meander, Ashore, Crimson Rock, Search, Steerage, launched over the course of 5 years.
The ultimate additions to the gathering had been impressed by Salmon’s expertise climbing Jebel Shams, Oman’s highest mountain. Each fragrances had been created by perfumer Quentin Bisch. Resolution, described as a “contemporary woody fragrant,” opens with an “terribly piercing” mixture of bergamot, juniper berries, frankincense and myrrh, whereas Existence, a “floral musky” perfume, facilities round lily of the valley and frankincense.
The distinctive flacons replicate every perfume’s character — Resolution is housed in seagull-gray glass representing its “dazzling single-mindedness,” whereas Existence seems in a celadon hue expressing its “extra ethereal sensibility.”
Belgian artist Louise Mertens created the accompanying visuals for the most recent and closing two fragrances of the Odyssey assortment.
The flagship reopening and perfume launches come throughout a interval of sturdy progress for Amouage. The corporate reported a 30 p.c improve in gross sales for 2024, with annual retail gross sales now exceeding $260 million — about 2.5 occasions the expansion price of the worldwide perfumery market.
The expansion stems from what Al Busaidi described as a “clear craftsmanship-driven enterprise mannequin” that prioritizes “creativity over traits, artistry over mass manufacturing, and excellence over haste.” The method has resonated with luxurious shoppers globally, with specific power within the Americas, which noticed a 61 p.c improve in gross sales in 2024.
Amouage’s omnichannel technique continues to evolve, balancing exclusivity with accessibility. The corporate’s fragrances can be found in 1,000 choose factors of sale and 17 devoted boutiques worldwide, with the boutique community recording 31 p.c gross sales progress final yr. In the meantime, the model’s e-commerce platform grew by 54 p.c in 2024 following an entire redesign.
On the coronary heart of Amouage’s operations is its “Manufacture in Muscat” ethos, the place each fragrance is formulated, blended, macerated and bottled by hand. Even with rising international demand, the corporate stays dedicated to this artisanal method, investing in coaching craftspeople and increasing amenities with out compromising high quality.
The corporate not too long ago took a minority funding from the L’Oréal Group, which is able to help additional improvement whereas preserving its unbiased imaginative and prescient. Waiting for the remainder of 2025, Amouage plans to develop its headquarters and manufacturing amenities in Muscat, whereas opening new flagship boutiques in Rome, Riyadh and Singapore.