On June 21, Pratt Institute welcomed 250 guests at its Art of Packaging Award Gala, an elegant, black-tie event that celebrates excellence in packaging design. This year’s gala, held at a private club in Midtown Manhattan, raised $350,000, which benefits the Marc Rosen Scholarship Fund for Packaging by Design at Pratt Institute.

In total, the annual event has raised $3.5 million for scholarships for graduate packaging design students at Pratt, where Rosen teaches the world’s only graduate course on cosmetic and fragrance package design.

The Art of Packaging Award is presented each year to a beauty/cosmetics company that has excelled in the art form. Jean Madar, chairman of the board and CEO at Inter Parfums, Inc., who founded the company 30 years ago, accepted the award for the company’s many accomplishments in fragrance packaging.

In presenting the award, Rosen noted: “Jean Madar perpetuates this ethic. His creativity will continue to serve as an inspiration to our students at Pratt, the package design engineers of tomorrow.” 

Supermodel and entrepreneur Carol Alt emceed the evening. In her opening remarks, she spoke about the long-term effects of alluring bottles. “What’s more beautiful than compelling packaging? Or the click of a lipstick?” she asked. In particular, she reminisced about her wonderful, lasting impressions of the Jean Paul Gaultier corset flacons.

Madar Takes the Podium

Gilbert Harrison, founder and chairman of Financo, Inc., introduced Madar as “an icon in the beauty industry.” With sales of over $300 million, he said, “Inter Parfums is sold in 100 countries. The key to success is gaining market share, which is what Madar has done.”
Interparfums partners with more than 20 brands, including Jimmy Choo, Abercrombie & Fitch, Anna Sui, Balmain, Banana Republic, Karl Lagerfeld, Lanvin, Montblanc and Van Cleef & Arpels.

Madar was visibly touched by the award and spoke about the power of the package. He said, “A bottle needs talent and inspiration, to make sure knowledge and craft is transferred throughout the generations.” Addressing Rosen, he said: “I was probably younger than most of your students when I founded Inter Parfums in 1985.”  He added that he would love to study with Rosen at Pratt one day.

At Inter Parfums, Madar said, “We’re still artisans, still craftsmen; we still work like a boutique company, a family. The creative process is not an ivory tower—everyone should be involved.”

When developing a package, the CEO said he doesn’t mind spending hours talking about a cap or shoulders of a bottle, adding, “You owe it to the brands you partner with. Our bottles know how to tell a story. It’s not a formula, but more like alchemy.”

As an example, he referred to the packaging for the Mont Blanc fragrance. An “ink bottle” was a natural choice, he said, but it wasn’t enough. “We also needed to incorporate the fine art of writing.” Madar said it’s important to collect brand signs and see where they lead. “Creation is a state of mind, a process,” he said. “Packaging is the most complicated part of the process. The best juice on earth will not sell if the packaging doesn’t communicate.”

Madar received some additional applause when he said that Inter Parfums does not rely on focus groups to choose good packaging. “It’s more the impulse that makes it happen,” he said.

Student Scholarship Winners

Alt thanked Madar and then introduced Rosen. “There’s only one person I know who could put together an evening like this,” she said. “He also knows how to pay it forward. He’s a selfless soul: Marc Rosen.”

Rosen made reference to his agreement with Madar’s remarks on focus groups, and thanked everyone for their support and generosity. He then showed great pride in introducing this year’s student winners, announcing that while Pratt usually limits the number of scholarship recipients to four, talent was so strong that they had chosen six this year. The students’ work—which includes a perfume bottle prototype, a scent card, box, shopping bag, and advertisement—was showcased in the reception area.  (See sidebar on previous page for the winners and their packaging projects.)

The event also celebrated the announcement of the Marc Rosen Scholarship for Packaging by Design, which will provide full tuition on the basis of merit to Damini Singh, a first-year student in the Graduate Communications Design program beginning in 2016-17. The scholarship may be renewed for a second year, making it Pratt’s only scholarship with the potential to cover the entire cost of tuition. Singh, who flew in from India for the event, will begin her graduate degree in Communications Design in Fall 2016.

This Year’s Pratt Scholarship Winners and Their Projects

Paula Ip: The name for Ip’s scent “Lumi” comes from the Finnish word for snow. It is for a woman who is independent and mysterious, but also elegant and serene like winter. The bold fragrance is intended for the evening.


Talia Douaidy: Douaidy’s “H2 Eau” is a fragrance that is as clear as spring water. It combines the spray of a waterfall in Iceland, the fragrance of flowers, and the scent of  a Spring forest. The movement of water and minerals inspires the design of the bottle. 

Xinlu Li: The name for Liu’s fragrance “Demain” means “tomorrow” in French. With the concept of tomorrow, Demain is a green fragrance, and is designed for women who become more charming and more peaceful as time goes by.


FangYi Chu: Chu’s fragrance “Allegro” is inspired by the movement and rhythm of a woman walking elegantly and confidently. Allegro is a fresh and delightful floral scent providing a shimmery and sweet feeling, but also a unique personality.


Brielle Wilson: Wilson’s “Éclat” is for a woman who is classically elegant with a glamorous edge. The woman is sophisticated and professional, yet always keeps her spontaneous zest for life. 


Eugene Kim: The name for Kim’s “Spectre” means “spectrum” in French. The fragrance is elegant yet complex and is inspired by the multi-faceted woman.
So much packaging talent in one room!