Trudon, the world’s oldest candle maker, has unveiled its mirrored jewel-box boutique in the Channel Gardens at Rockefeller Center, marking more than just a milestone—it signals a new chapter in boldness, creativity, and heritage.

At the helm of this evolution is Hugo Ferroux, Trudon’s Creative Director and former Head of Design at Saint Laurent. Drawing inspiration from Versailles to Rockefeller Center’s Art Deco geometry—and even the mirrored glamour of Halston’s 1980s office—Ferroux has crafted a space that reflects both light and legacy, capturing the Maison’s centuries of craftsmanship in wax and fragrance.

Creative Director Hugo Ferroux stands inside Trudon's new store at Rockefeller Center

In conversation with The Center Magazine, he shares how Trudon continues to honor its 17th-century roots while embracing modernity, maximalism, and the art of storytelling through scent.

A Vision Built on Light and Memory

When Hugo Ferroux visited New York, Rockefeller Center was his first stop. An Art Deco devotee, he was captivated by the architecture: the geometry, the grandeur, the interplay of light and stone. So when Ferroux learned just four days into his role at Trudon that the maison would open a boutique in the Channel Gardens, his reaction was swift: start over.

“They had started the work, and I said, ‘Okay, no, I don’t want that. Let’s scratch everything and we restart,” Ferroux recalled.

A mirror, floor-to-ceiling product display at Trudon at Rockefeller Center

The result is a space where mirrors multiply candlelight into infinity; where 17th-century French heritage converges with 1980s New York glamour. The inspiration? The Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, Art Deco skyscrapers, and Halston’s legendary mirrored office.

“I was obsessed with this idea of light reflecting light through the glasses,” Ferroux explained. “I really wanted it to feel like a bold experience from inside and outside. You’re like, ‘Wow, what is it? It feels grand.’ It feels like Trudon.”

A Language Written in Fragrance

Ferroux’s path to perfume was anything but conventional. He spent 12 years at Yves Saint Laurent, first designing shoes, then moving into art direction under Anthony Vaccarello, building narratives through architecture, set design, and image. When Trudon called, he had never worked in fragrance. But storytelling? That was his language.

Ferroux has “always loved building things on image to tell a story,” a sensibility which he then translated “through the nose, through image and history.”

A window display of various candles at Trudon at Rockefeller Center

At the center of that translation is frankincense, a note that traces back to one of his earliest scent memories: a perfume worn by his mother’s friend. Years later, he discovered it was built on the same resin once used in Parisian churches supplied by Trudon centuries ago.

“Frankincense is all woven through the entire story of Trudon,” he noted. “I’d love every note we create to have a bit of incense in it.”

His approach to fragrance is reverent yet rebellious; layered, surprising, and transportive. “I like the idea of something that gets you curious,” he explained. “I don’t want to replicate every classic perfume that everyone knows. I want to transport them into something bolder.”

Artistry in Every Pour

When Ferroux visited Trudon’s Normandy factory, it was the artisans who moved him most. Each candle is hand-poured, polished, and inspected with meticulous care—a process defined by precision and pride. “It’s a very familial spirit. Every decision keeps in mind respect for the house, the name of Trudon, and the quality we want to achieve.”

Various candles on display inside Trudon's new Rockefeller Center outpost

That dedication extends to every detail: the hand-poured wax, the complex scent compositions, the iconic vessel that has remained unchanged for decades. “Authenticity is modernity right now. People want to know where things come from. In that sense, Trudon feels more relevant than ever.”

Maximalism Meets Rockefeller Center

Trudon’s arrival in the Channel Gardens is a celebration of heritage and audacity. From wax to fragrance to glass, the boutique exemplifies the Maison’s narrative-driven approach. Patrons are invited to step inside and experience centuries of French craft reborn in a thoroughly modern, sensory-forward space.

For Ferroux, every candle is a statement: “When you light a candle, it automatically says something about you. It’s about feeling bold or experimental. Scent says, ‘I’m out there. This is who I am.’”

Bottles of Trudon perfumes and fragrances on display

That ethos extends to the boutique itself. “I’m not into quiet luxury. Everyone now is like, quiet, quiet, quiet. I want things to be seen. I want things to be smelled. I want it to be maximalist,” he said, capturing the daring energy that defines Trudon’s presence at Rockefeller Center.

Inside this mirrored jewel box, where candlelight multiplies into infinity and history glows against Art Deco geometry, the Maison has found its perfect stage—a space that doesn’t whisper, but gleams, glows, and declares boldly: this is who we are.

Trudon is located at 610 5th Avenue in the Channel Gardens, and is open daily from 11 am to 6 pm.