SAMPLE .. Creed, Cuir de Russie, 'Russian Leather', DECANTED SAMPLE from Flacon, Eau de Parfum, 1854, 1953, Paris, France ..

Creed is a British multi-national perfume house. Based in Paris, it was originally established and founded in England as a tailoring house in 1760 by the antecedents of French British fashion impresario Charles Creed, and it became widely known for fragrances in the 1980s. Creed is a niche perfume house, which has boutiques in Paris, London, New York City, Beverly Hills, Dubai Mall, Kuwait and Vienna in addition to stands in high end retailers across the world. The house creates its perfumes in-house by two perfumers .. a father and his son. The current generation consists of Olivier Creed, who is credited for Green Irish Tweed, Millesime Imperial, Silver Mountain Water and Aventus among others, and his son Erwin Creed.

James Henry Creed founded the House of Creed in London in 1760 as a tailoring establishment. It rose to fame in the mid 19th century under Henry Creed as tailors and habit makers for the fashionable dandy Count d'Orsay, Queen Victoria, and Empress Eugénie, who issued the firm of Creed & Cumberland a Royal Warrant for tailoring articles. Olivier Creed's first eponymously named fragrance was a traditional eau de cologne with matching aftershave. Its release date is unknown, although bottles are still in circulation. Creed also has other high-profile creations in its catalog such as Angelique Encens, which was said to have been originally created in 1933 for the Bishop of Paris.

Creed has stated that it has created perfumes exclusively for celebrities and well-known political figures. Creed claims that Tabarome Millesime in 2000 "was commissioned by a legendary British statesman who loved fine brandy and highest quality cigars" .. presumably Winston Churchill. Also, Creed's Vetiver is marketed to have been created for "one of America's leading families, a political dynasty now known worldwide for its energy, vigor, and impeccable style" .. presumably the Kennedy family. This claim is challenged by other perfume houses and has not been confirmed by Creed or historians.

According to the Creed website, the House of Creed began as a bottle of Royal English Leather .. a rich mix of mandarin, ambergris and sandalwood—commissioned by King George III, after becoming enamored with a pair of Creed scented gloves. James Creed creates the first Creed fragrance, Royal English Leather, for King George III and his court. He wanted King George III to be able to rest his chin on his gloved hand and inhale the glove’s fine aroma. Henry Creed II, Third Generation of The House of Creed, is born. Considered the most innovative perfumer within the House, he expands the brand throughout Europe. He is heralded as creating the most beloved, well-known scents commissioned by Europe’s monarchy. In 1854, the House of Creed officially relocates to Paris, France. Creed is awarded several Royal Warrants for their dedication to providing fragrances to royal houses across Europe.

The Private Collection of Creed fragrances include fragrances that were initially created for a particular clientele and designed to underline their own particular characters and personalities. Five of these perfumes were already created in the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s for several Hollywood legends and are now available for the discerning perfumista. The Private Collection fragrances come in a toned, classically formed glass flacon with a suede covering over the lid and sealed with a golden thread. 

Cuir de Russie is one of the oldest fragrances from the House of Creed. It was created in 1854 to honour Napoleon III, nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte.
The redesign of Paris is owed mainly to Napoleon III .. old, curved roads, and narrow streets gave way to broad avenues. From an art history point of view one of his most important decisions in 1863 was that in addition to the official Paris Salon, the Salon de Refusée was built. Thus, giving the Impressionist painters the opportunity to present their work to a wider public.

Creed Cuir de Russie, as one of the oldest Creed fragrances, belongs to the Creed Private Collection, which consists of perfumes originally created for famous clients. The Private Collection scents, when available, are offered in large 250 ml. tinted glass flacons with ground glass stoppers, covered in natural hide and sealed with gold thread. The Cuir de Russie fragrance is very intense, an enchanting blend of spices and citrus notes, sandalwood, birch wood, bergamot and amber. It was originally created in 1854 for King Napoleon III and Empress Eugenie, who appreciated masculine fragrances. Cuir de Russie is a capivating blend featuring the essence of a Birth tree found only in Russia by the Black Sea.

The notes of Cuir de Russie consist of Sandalwood, Leather, Silver Birch, Styrax, Bergamot, Ambergris, Amalfi Lemon, and Neroli. Cuir de Russie was launched in 1953. the nose behind this fragrance is James Henry Creed Firth Generation.

Creed Cuir de Russie has been discontinued by Creed & put in their vault as a classic & will only be brought out once a decade as a limited edition.  This authentic Juice is now very hard to find. It has been pulled from all stores including the Paris boutique

"These essences and absolutes of flowers, woods, spices and herperides selected, sorted and chosen every year by our perfumer Ollivier creed are natural as well as our infusions of ambergris, vanilla, and other fragrances. This composition is an assembly of prestigious and rare essences. The method of maceration and traditional filtration temolgne of a house that has been able to go tradition and quality for more than 2 centuries."

The luxe perfumers at Creed go to great lengths for their famed leather note. They make their Russian Leather scent by importing birch wood from Russian forests, bundle it tightly with soft leather, age the bundles, and then use steam distillation to extract the scent.

This really is an astonishingly beautiful fragrance. I am offering decants from this rare flacon as this particular perfume is currently discontinued.