Lili Bermuda To Unveil Perfume In New York
A 150 year-old perfume discovered recently in a Bermuda shipwreck has been successfully re-created and now will be available for purchase in a limited edition collection. Lili Bermuda will unveil the fragrance tomorrow night [Sept 23] at an exclusive Tribeca event.
The New York City beauty and travel industry press have been invited to attend, and the Perfumery said that dignitaries and celebrities from the United States and Bermuda are expected to attend as well to mark the historic significance of the occasion.
“The romantic history of this 19th Century perfume, its remarkable underwater discovery and now its spectacular replica have captivated so many people in so many places,” said Isabelle Ramsay Brackstone, owner and Master Perfumer of The Bermuda Perfumery. “Now we are ready to unveil the fragrance and allow people to literally wear history in a luxurious way.”
In September 1864, exactly 150 years ago, the Mary Celestia, a Civil War Blockade Runner sailing to Charleston, South Carolina, sank off the south shore of Bermuda.
An international team of marine archeologists discovered a well-hidden cargo of perfume bottles in the ship’s bow in 2011, after a Bermuda storm blew through and shifted the wreck.
The intact bottles were embossed Piesse and Lubin London signifying they came from a now defunct perfume house on Bond Street in London. It was a place sought after by the world’s elite and its perfumer, G.W. Septimus Piesse, wrote the first book on modern fragrance-making in 1857 called The Art of Perfumery.
Video courtesy of Look Bermuda:
Later it was determined the precious cargo of perfume – smuggled during the Civil War – was likely en route to the neck of a wealthy woman in the American South. Now, 150 years later, the perfume’s journey to America will be completed.
Mrs. Ramsay-Brackstone said, “The Piesse and Lubin fragrance recovered from our waters is truly a treasure from the ocean floor and we will go to great lengths to honor its cultural significance to Bermuda’s heritage.”
When unveiled tomorrow, The Bermuda Perfumery will announce purchase details including the volume of the limited edition and a new philanthropic effort associated with the sales effort.
The Bermuda Tourism Authority [BTA] will partner in the event to leverage the fascinating story of the Mary Celestia, showcasing Bermuda as a travel destination to some of the world’s foremost lifestyle media in New York, Bermuda’s top feeder market.
“This story embraces the Bermuda experience including the luxury, intrigue and exploration of travel,” said Bill Hanbury, Chief Executive Officer of the BTA.
“The rich narrative of the shipwreck and its recently recovered treasures marry style, culture, heritage and diving. Lili Bermuda is using these ingredients to promote its fragrance and we believe we can use them to market the destination as well.”
The Bermuda Perfumery has created fragrances in Bermuda since 1928. It is known for launching Lili Bermuda, the exclusive fragrance line of Bermuda, which exudes the essence of Bermuda through the art of perfumery. The perfumes are uniquely crafted at The Bermuda Perfumery in historic Stewart Hall in St. George, Bermuda.
Fantastic news, all the best to the Bermuda Perfumery
Congratulations Bemuda Perfumery! What a wonderful achievement putting Bermuda on the map.
Here we go again, all of these highly paid BTA executives riding on the coat tails of another’s achievement. Will they ever have an original concept? It is actually becoming predictable.
Good luck Isabelle!
I wish the very best to this perfume venture. However, what I really do not get is Bermuda Tourism Authority’s partnering, why?
Will this endeavour bring tourists to our shores? Will it create jobs in tourism? Will sales of this perfume benefit tourism? Which should be the underline reasons for partnering and/or endorsing ANY-one, ANY product and/or ANY event for Bermuda.
What mileage and benefit will BTA get from this partnering? And interestingly, what funding have they put into it, if any at all?
My skepticism rising from the well publicised and very skilfully hijacked X Factor partnership. Louis Walsh used that opportunity to re-launch Tulisa Contostavlos’s singing career. So who is Tulisa and why was she chosen to be photographed on our shores? Tulisa, is ex judge of the Ex Factor whose career was side-lined whilst her drug case was thrown out of court, less than a month earlier. The entire event (partnership) was used to showcase her emerging, bikini cad, from the ocean like a James Bond female character, to promote HER, NOT Bermuda. And unbeknown to Bermuda we partnered with Louis Walsh of the X-Factor for that?
In London’s newspapers, no mention of Bermuda, no view of Bermuda’s beautiful beaches; in all, Bermuda got meniscal mention and blighted photo opportunity (focus was on the bikini not the beach). But I’m sure that if Bermuda buys the photos from the photographer, we may find some pictures of our beaches then we can photoshop Tulisa out of the pictures, she is not the best role model.
Now how does this lost perfume revive Bermuda’s flagging tourism? How does it help the brand BERMUDA? Where and when will money come back to Bermuda, in sales, employment and tourism?
Seriously, who thinks up this stuff at Bermuda Tourism Authority?
@ ace girl and @ underground national security.
I would like to thank you for being so Negative.
At some point in life we must look at what is really important to Bermuda, putting Bermudians back to work – period.
Is asking how this particular partnership will achieve that negative, or is your comment a deflection from what is important to the average Bermudian who is out of work?
This partnership does not appear to have any discernible interest in putting Bermudians back to work, it does not appear to impact upon tourism in a measureable way that will increase our tourist numbers.
So what is the partnership for? A joint business venture? A new branding of Bermuda? And who are the immediately benefactors of this partnership? Job seekers? Taxi drivers? Hotel employees? Shops in Hamilton?
Bluebird, I must be honest, it benefits a very narrow select few and a charitable contribution to easy any moral indignation.
A few will drink champagne whilst many cannot afford bread on their tables.
I would be equally outraged if it were being unveiled by EFB.
Our tax dollars must be spent to assist the many, not just the few.