{"id":115244,"date":"2022-08-02T14:59:23","date_gmt":"2022-08-02T13:59:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/centmagazine.co.uk\/?p=115244"},"modified":"2022-08-02T15:00:38","modified_gmt":"2022-08-02T14:00:38","slug":"the-philosophical-scent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.centmagazine.co.uk\/?p=115244","title":{"rendered":"The Philosophical Scent"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

So what do a clothing company, a collection of perfumes and philosophers have to do with each other? Well, it’s the French fashion brand Zadig and Voltaire whose name is linked to the Novella by the writer Voltaire. Find out more in The philosophical Scent<\/em>, where classic meets modernity, Here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fran\u00e7ois-Marie Arouet 21 November 1694 \u2013 30 May 1778, known by his nom de plume<\/em> Voltaire was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher famous for his wit, his criticism of Christianity and of slavery, as well as his advocacy of freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and separation of church and state. So that’s Voltaire but what about the Zadig part of the link?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the ancient language of Hebrew the word tzadik, means righteous, but the link to Voltaire here is probably not much to do with that but a link to a character in his book Zadig; The Book of Fate<\/em>, in french known as  Zadig ou la Destin\u00e9e<\/em> from 1747.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It tells the story of Zadig, a philosopher in ancient Babylonia. Voltaire does not attempt at historical accuracy, and some of the problems Zadig faces are thinly disguised references to social and political problems of Voltaire\u2019s own day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Philosophical in nature, it reflects human life in the hands of destiny that is beyond human control. A story of religious and metaphysical orthodoxy, both of which Voltaire challenges with his presentation of the moral revolution taking place in Zadig himself, as he faces many trials and tribulations in the book’s journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So now we have the connection with the name of the French clothing company which opened its first store in Paris in 1997. The company\u2019s owner, Thierry Gillier, is a Parisian native and is the great-grandson of Andre Gillier, one of the founders of the sportswear company Lacoste, so there is fashion and sportswear heritage in his blood<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet Gillier was a bit more Rock and Roll, inspired by the rebellious styles of Patti Smith and Marianne Faithfull.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Together with a former model (and now his wife) Cecilia B\u00f6nstr\u00f6m at the helm of creative control Zadig & Voltaire grew and began to amass a cult following among women who were drawn toward the brand’s boundary between masculine and feminine; comfortable relaxed wear, and refined materials. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This french brand is seen very much as a chic, yet edgy rock \u2018n roll style DNA, that\u00a0embodies the concept of easy luxury every single day took that fingerprint and moved into perfumes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n