Amidst a stellar and packed fashion month, Wonderland slips off the schedule for a quick escape to China with Diptyque – because really, how on earth could one say no to such an invite?
Tory Burch’s show is wrapping up on my phone’s tiny screen when I get the notification that my car has arrived. It’s the 15th of September – the last day of New York Fashion Week, the day before the season closes. Call it fate, or whatever you will, but 2025 happens to be one of those rare occasions when fashion journalists across the globe are blessed with a breather between New York and London. So, what better way to spend it than nipping out to Shanghai for 36 hours? The thought barely forms before I accept the invite from Diptyque as its landed in my inbox.
It feels like the perfect match – the haute couture of beauty brands taking its Parisian roots to China for the first time with Un Air de Paris, an immersive pop-up experience guiding audiences through the rich history of the candle and fragrance-making specialist. And Wonderland is bound to come along for the ride. I’m in.
Growing up in South America, China always represented what I meant when pointing at the “other side of the world”. The idea of visiting such a place always felt so far from my reach that I never allowed myself to daydream about what Shanghai might look like. I start jotting down some notes on my ride to Heathrow Airport – the food, surely, will be amazing. They say toilet seats there are quite hi-tech. And there’s the comfort of knowing that whatever creation Diptyque has in the pipeline, it’ll be exquisite. A reminder comes from a whiff to my right – there’s a Diptyque car air freshener keeping me company in the passenger seat. The attention to detail never goes unnoticed.
Speaking of creations, I’m travelling armed with a secret. In my luggage sits Lazulio, the maison’s latest addition to Les Essences de Diptyque, which had landed on my desk a week prior and hasn’t left my skin since. A radiant, sun-drenched composition by perfumer Quentin Bisch, it draws parallels between the lapis lazuli stone and the iridescent plumage of peacock feathers.
There’s no denying the power of craftsmanship in fragrance-making at first try. Complex and layered, the scent takes you on a journey from the magnetic, cold-stoned side of the metamorphic rock to the cosy opulence of the feathers, quietly infused with a fierce, animalic touch. Tangy rhubarb blends with balsamic benzoin, tingling vetiver and a whisper of rose. It’s… very chic. Very Diptyque. “It takes me back to summer days in Morocco with my best friend,” my travel companion, actor and influencer Emma Brooks, tells me at her first try of the creation in Shanghai, at the Un Air de Paris pop-up.
I couldn’t agree more – it’s a fragrance that feels like time travel, a modern creation that pays homage to Diptyque’s roots and bottles up the brand’s ethos: history, technique, excellence, sophistication. But it’s equally about expansion, evolution, and looking ahead.
“In Shanghai, everything is larger than life,” someone says as we sit down for dinner with friends of the brand from the four corners of the world who’ve come to celebrate such an important step. The statement feels spot on – on the 14th floor of the building where the Michelin-starred Hakkasan restaurant sits, the world outside feels unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Dystopian, electric, breathtaking – colourful lights shine over skyscrapers and a sea of tourists.
But for those familiar with the House of Diptyque, it’ll come as no surprise that grandeur isn’t the brand’s idea of luxury. So how does a Diptyque pop-up hold its own amidst the hustle and bustle of mega Shanghai? Through authenticity, of course. No ambassadors, no celebrity appearances, no Hollywood-scale campaign. Nestled in the historic heart of Zhangyuan, the French maison has crafted an experiential pop-up that takes visitors on a journey through what it means to be Diptyque – and what makes it truly one of a kind.
Its Parisian spirit intertwines with Shanghai’s iconic Shikumen architecture, creating a dialogue between two cultures and offering a unique interpretation of the maison’s world. Conceived as a dreamlike stroll through the sources of Diptyque’s universe – from its roots at 34 Boulevard Saint-Germain to its emblematic savoir-faire and distinctive visual language – the pop-up unfolds like a sensory poem. Candle-making workshops happen to my right while other guests wander through an in-house garden of source materials, each space designed as a multi-sensory experience, allowing visitors to see, smell, touch, and feel what defines Diptyque.
The maison’s creative spirit emerges not through reconstruction, but through interpretation – a poetic wander between reality and reverie. House signatures might be just as difficult to bottle in a fragrance as they are to translate in real life. But once again, Diptyque does it with regal precision. And it doesn’t take 36 hours – just a couple of minutes inside its world – to feel that. Paris Fashion Week 2025 might’ve been the biggest and best in a long time, but of all places, it was in Shanghai where I watched a brand master, to a tee, the art of translating its ethos into a room.
Words – Sofia Ferreira
Content shared from www.wonderlandmagazine.com.
