The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Imagine arrived in 2023 as part of Dévier's growing catalogue, a composition leaning into a warmer, sunlit register. The collection's broader theme reads like a private photograph: specific, warm, a little nostalgic. Dévier had built its reputation on dense, resinous work, so Imagine signals a shift in temperature, a softer hand on the wheel. The name does quiet work. It asks the wearer to picture a feeling rather than a place, to fill in the scene themselves. That's consistent with how the house operates: no marketing mythology, no origin myth built around a founder's story. Just a composition that leans on a clear, almost edible warmth and trusts the wearer to recognize what it reminds them of.
The interesting move here is the hazelnut in the opening, used almost like a gourmand base would be, but placed at the top of the pyramid where citrus usually lives. That's an unusual structural choice. It forces the lemon to do the brightening, the ginger and pink pepper to do the spice, while the nut provides a toasted, marzipan-like cushion underneath. Pairing frangipani and tuberose with coconut in the base also leans into creamy, skin-adjacent territory, but the tonka and ambergris pull it back toward warmth rather than sweetness.
The evolution
The first ten minutes belong to hazelnut and Amalfi lemon, a slightly toasted, slightly zesty opening that reads almost like a hazelnut pastry cut with citrus. Ginger and pink pepper thread through as a clean, warm bite underneath, never sharp enough to dominate but present enough to keep the sweetness from going flat. As the hours pass the white florals surface gradually. Lilac arrives first, giving the composition a soapy, slightly green softness, then frangipani and tuberose build a creamy, almost suntan-lotion warmth that has a recognizable tropical edge. The coconut note in the base begins to register here, blending with the florals rather than sitting on top of them. Eventually the top is mostly gone, and the scent settles into its drydown: tonka bean, ambergris, a whisper of vetiver grounding everything.
Cultural impact
Imagine reads as a distinctive entry within its own niche, leaning on hazelnut as the lead note rather than burying it in the base. Its structural choice, placing the nut at the top of the pyramid where citrus usually lives, distinguishes it from similar compositions and gives it more presence in the opening phase. The fragrance has found an audience among wearers who appreciate the edible warmth and the creamy floral development, and it has earned attention for the way it balances indulgence with wearability.
