Fashion scents

Robert Piguet's CEO Joe Garces

He recommends several fragrances for Asian customers, such as Visa.

"This 1945 classic is a beautiful oriental that suits both men and women. It was the first, I believe, to include a little leather. It's fresh and lovely," he says.

"Note S is a men's fragrance and made for me personally. If you know your notes, you'll adore the clary sage in it. Jeunesse is one of the most recent releases and a crisp, fruity cocktail with cassis, pomegranate and raspberry. It's very young, modern and just plain joyful."

One of the biggest hits in China so far is Chai.

"In fact, you can only get it in Asia," Garces says.

"I love this perfume. It's a blend of green tea, lemon and honey. In the humidity of Southeast Asia, I can't imagine anything nicer to douse the heat."

He recalls giving a bottle to a Beijing property businesswoman.

"She was educated in the UK, a mother of two and also a jetsetter," he recalls.

"She told us about her passion for the sweetness of the scent and how she loves the touches of bergamot leaf and white tea.

"Another young female Chinese fashion blogger who lives between Hong Kong and Shanghai has openly said her favorite scent is Oud de Robert Piguet. It has a haunting beauty that contains saffron and myrrh to accent the leathery warmth of oud, while patchouli - with its bitter chocolate note - lends a rich complexity."

He adds that not only Chinese women but also some men "love" Fracas de Robert Piguet.

Garces kept Piguet's original bottle designs when he re-launched the brand. Piguet was the first perfumer to use black glass for his containers.

Robert Piguet Parfums and IH limited box sets are available in Hong Kong exclusively through Lane Crawford at IFC Mall.

"We make our fragrances available to Chinese consumers in Hong Kong since the city is a shopping paradise and easily accessible to prestigious customers from the Chinese mainland and Asia," Garces explains.

"As Chinese customers travel extensively around the world and have become some very important customers to the world's most famous department stores, we are expanding the list of Robert Piguet perfume store locations among the international luxury shopping networks."