Since the mid-1990s, Escada Beaute has been one of the more prolific perfume companies to cater to the United States market. As of 2009, Escada Beaute has released 40 fragrances,19 of which are discontinued.
What is Escada?
Escada is a German-based luxury clothing brand founded in the early 1970's by husband and wife team Margaretha and Wolfgang Ley. Margaretha, who was once a runway model in Paris, quickly gained notoriety for her use of vivid colors in her designs (her penchant for color would later be apparent in the bottle design of the company's many fragrances). Due to its remarkable success, Escada quickly began acquiring or creating other brands in the 1980s and early 1990s, including Kemper, Cerruti 1881, St. John Knits, and Badgley Mischka. Escada Beaute was created in-house and specialized in beauty care products, including fragrance.
Escada Beaute
Escada began to falter when co-founder Margaretha Ley died in 1992 at the age of 56. A global recession, compounded by Escada's too-rapid expansion, sank the company in debt. Escada sold several of its subsidiaries to make good on its losses, including its share in St. John Knits. The company continued to promote its Escada Beaute division, and in 1998, it acquired Parfum Gres Productions in Paris. However, the early 2000s saw yet another economic downturn for Escada, and in 2002, the company sold Escada Beaute to Wella Group AG, including the license to its brand name.
Escada by Margaretha Ley
In 1990, Escada Beaute released its classic Escada by Margaretha Ley. Perfumer Michel Almairac of Creations Aromatiques created the heady oriental, which includes top notes of bergamot, hyacinth, peach and coconut; heart notes of jasmine, ylang-ylang, orris and orange-blossom; and base notes of sandalwood, musk and vanilla. The fragrance was sold in a heart-shaped, hand-blown bottle designed by Margaretha Ley herself, with the help of Ben Kotyuk. The perfume is still in production today.
Early Escada Fragrances
Prior to its sale to the Wella Group, Escada Beaute released around 21 fragrances for men and women. Some of its more popular releases were Chiffon Sorbet (1993), Escada Collection (1997) and Lily Chic (2000). The last Escada fragrance to be released prior to Escada Beaute's sale to Wella was Tropical Punch in 2001. The fragrance, which featured vivacious notes such as hibiscus, passion fruit, papaya, pomegranate, peach and white musk was contained in a bright pink- and red-shaded bottle, and firmly established Escada fragrances in the young adult niche.
Current Escada Favorites
In the 2000s, Escada continued to release fragrances with unique names in bright, contemporary packaging, including Ibiza Hippie (2003), Island Kiss (2004), Into the Blue (2006) and Moon Sparkle (2007). Most of the fragrances continued along the vein of Tropical Punch, incorporating exotic fruit and aquatic/ozonic notes with traditional florals and musks. In fact, many fragrance lovers claim that Escada perfumes are largely responsible for establishing "fruity-floral" as a contemporary new fragrance family. As of May 2009, Escada's most recent release was Ocean Lounge, which contains notes of lychee, plum, pear, strawberry, mimosa and jasmine. Escada fragrances can be found in most department stores, or online at www.sephora.com.
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