This weekend, Somerset House sheds its neoclassical grandeur for something altogether wilder. For four days only, from September 25 to 28, the cultural landmark transforms into Fort Sauvage – Dior’s scent-soaked cinematic playground celebrating a decade of the house’s best-selling fragrance, Dior Sauvage (yes, it’s the one you can smell coming down the street long before you see it).
The world’s most-worn scent has always carried with it a certain mythos – magnetic, free, resilient. But now, in the heart of London, that spirit is being bottled in an entirely new way: as an immersive Western-inspired world. Picture the Wild West colliding with the refined DNA of Dior to form a space that feels equal parts film set, 15th century saloon and high-glam dreamscape. Yeehaw!
Step inside and the journey begins at The Fragrance Bar, a saloon-styled ode to olfaction where Calabrian bergamot, patchouli from Indonesia and Provençal lavender swirl into the five iterations of Sauvage: Eau de Toilette, Eau de Parfum, Parfum, Eau Forte and Elixir – pick your poison. Slot machines, roulette and wild dice give the space a playful edge, offering exclusive Dior keepsakes for the lucky winners.
Then comes The Wild Theatre. Here, Dior unveils its latest campaign – fronted once again by Johnny Depp, the face of Sauvage since its 2015 debut. Shot by Jean-Baptiste Mondino, the new film unfolds as a rugged canyon adventure, echoing the grandeur of ‘60s Westerns while revealing unseen behind-the-scenes footage. It’s a cinematic ode to a fragrance that has, for 10 years, steadfastly held its place as a cultural icon.
Elsewhere, the Barber Shop offers grooming rituals courtesy of Dior Beauty Grooming Expert Hayden Cassidy, while The General Store stocks everything from Sauvage to J’Adore, Miss Dior to Dior Mencare. A frontier for all.
As part of this decade-long story still unfolding, Dior has taken the world’s most-sold fragrance and built a fort around it. A fort for fragrance. A fort for freedom. A fort that smells fantastic. And for one long weekend in London, the untamed spirit of Sauvage takes centre stage. Saddle up, you won’t want to miss it.
Photography by Matthew Beedle for Christian Dior Parfums.
