MISSION ALDEBARAN

At Milan Design Week 2025, and on the occasion of his Salone debut, Parisian couturier Marc-Antoine Barrois will debut his newest perfume ALDEBARAN with a large-scale installation designed by French designer Antoine Bouillot. Grounded by the fragrance, the installation combines olfactory art and experiential design to immerse visitors in Barrois and Bouillot’s interpretation of optimism and hope amidst challenging times.

Developed in collaboration with longtime collaborator and perfumer Quentin Bisch, ALDEBARAN is a single flower fragrance that embodies the essence of the tuberose, a plant known as “the flower of the night” for its bloom’s potency when in the dark of night. The perfume itself is named for the giant red star Al-Debaran. Discovered in the Middle Ages and burning 400 times brighter than the sun, the celestial body is a symbol of hope and optimism.

The MISSION ALDEBARAN installation will take place at the historic Salone dei Tessuti, an iconic 1930s Milanese landmark once central to the city’s bustling fabric trade. The venue will be transformed into a dreamlike environment where light breaks through darkness, a homage to the fragrance’s namesake and an ode to optimism’s perseverance. Visitors are prompted to enter a mirrored cube at the center of the Salone and find themselves within a dense forest of ropes shrouded in darkness and silence. Compelled to navigate through the obscurity, they emerge into a bright clearing at the heart of the exhibition.

Within the central clearing, and beneath a pulsating star, lies a field of ALDEBARAN-infused paper-crafted tuberose flowers, surrounded by Barrois and Bouillot’s first ever furniture collaboration. The limited-edition collection features wooden stools and benches crowned with sculptural stones, inspired by pebbles from the beaches of the island of Belle-Île, off the coast of Brittany, and paying homage to the instinctual pull of organic forms and materials. The installation and furniture collection mark Barrois’ entry into the design space, communicating the expansive reach of his practice – from Haute Couture to Haute Parfumerie and now collectible design.

To round out the installation, Marc-Antoine and Antoine tapped additional partners, including composer and Ed Banger artist Thomas Roussel, who crafted the installation’s original soundtrack; distinguished scientific researcher Aurélie Jean who authored a thought piece that explores the intersection of algorithms and optimism; and astrophysicist Anthony Salsi who offered his unique perspective to define the vibration and temperature of the installation’s star fixture in relation to the Al-Debaran celestial body. Finally, philosopher Marie Robert will provide invaluable insights into the enduring power of optimism.

The fragrance will be exclusively previewed at the installation before its global launch and the furniture will be available for purchase at Marc-Antoine Barrois flagships in Paris and London and through StudioTwentySeven in New York and Miami. Visitors to Milan Design Week are invited to immerse themselves in MISSION ALDEBARAN at Salone dei Tessuti, from April 8th to 13th.