Seoul, South Korea -- FRANCE'S FIFTH most popular perfume, Lolita Lempicka, is named for a French fashion designer, formulated by French fragrance experts and sold in an apple-shaped bottle crafted by a French artist. Conspicuously stamped on a label on the bottle are the words "Made in France."

So it might come as a surprise to learn that the company behind the fragrance is based here in South Korea, 5,600 miles -- and light years, in terms of fashion sense -- away from Paris.