Showing posts with label perfumer profile. Show all posts
Showing posts with label perfumer profile. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Interview with Perfumer Ramon Monegal of Ramon Monegal Perfumes

Ramón Monegal Masó is the perfumer and driving force behind prominent niche perfumes firm Ramón Monegal from Barcelona, Spain. Certainly among the best discoveries of 2012 and a collection with something for everyone, the line attracts attention for two main reasons: Ramón Monegal at once continues an honored craftsmanship tradition, that of Spanish brand Myrurgia (of the erstwhile Maja) ~where he tenured as Creative Director and later Vice President~ and preempts trends and ideas of the future in his own independent line. Personally I was very impressed by several of the creations, so naturally I sought to question the author himself. Here is an interview he kindly granted me, highlighting some of his inspirations and the thinking behind the new line.



Elena Vosnaki:  It is rather astounding these days to find a niche line that offers such quality, quantity and diversity within their portfolio. Fourteen scents seem almost too many for any line, yet you have produced several within it that are bound to become cult favorites (I'm just mentioning in passing Mon Patchouly, Mon Cuir, Impossible Iris, Cuirelle, Umbra...). How did the vision for the RM line begin and how did it expand into what it contains now? 

Ramón Monegal: My current collection is the consequence of a career that never had freedom of expression. Nowadays my perfumes are the result of my own experiences and my bigger desires that never saw the light and has been my “raison d’être”. Those experiences and desires plus my current freedom have made my first collection possible. How will my collection evolve? This is very difficult to answer because once I have seen the success of my perfumes I can affirm that I will go on through a path of the excellence and trying to get closer to art, which is my main goal.

EV: How does it feel getting out of the traditional, family-owned Myrurgia (now under Puig) into a separate sector that would be more personalized? 

RM: I feel a great responsibility to all those who gave part of their life to teach me, I feel proud to be the fourth generation of a family dedicated to perfumery, I am encouraged and excited to be able to show my work, and a great satisfaction to be able to train my children to give continuity to the family tradition.

EV: Do you feel that the Spanish perfume tradition has more to offer to the international scene than what is currently recognized as "prestige"? I'm asking because many perfume fans are aware of the French-school, the US-school, maybe the British or Italian "school" of perfume tradition, but not the Spanish; they relegate it solely to the Eau de Cologne type of scents and the classic Maja (of course!). What do you have to say to that? 

RM: That’s true! We should make them change their minds. Some years ago nobody thought of Spain when talking about haute cuisine. However nowadays Spain is ranked first in the field of haute cuisine! It was possible by imagination, risk-taking and the talent of a chef, Ferran Adria, who with his Restaurant “El Bulli” obtained worldwide recognition with his creations. I think today Spanish perfumery is second-rate and in order to leave mediocrity behind, we should go back to it true origin, approach the art with passion, imagination, talent, freedom, courage and good education. We need to look and find the true origins again.

EV: Is entering the niche field the only way of growing a reputable brand without the back-up of big conglomerates these days? Does it offer other competitive advantages? 

RM: I think the big groups restrict freedom with too many filters, and therefore the resources diminish in favor of Marketing. I sincerely believe that a small company like ours is more agile and able to adapt better and faster to new technologies. In a company like ours we hear the opinions of our direct customers and respect them, we are able to spend more on the development of the perfume, the perfumer is the true author and thus the values are authentic, the atmosphere is exciting and everyone feels they are participants, therefore perfumes are better. If we add the experience I think the benefits are huge compared to the disadvantages, especially the economic ones we suffer for not belonging to a large group.

EV: The RM line is full of interesting and novel takes on raw materials that are reference points for niche perfumes and for perfume aficionados. Was it a conscious choice (offer a new "spin" on old beloveds) or was it a process of going with the vision of a composition for each perfume which resulted in that effect? 

RM: The language of perfume is the language of ingredients and also of the perfumer. In my case I was lucky that my experience was not only in laboratories. Throughout my career I have had the responsibility to locate and evaluate materials purchased worldwide, which has forced me to be up to date, and given me additional knowledge of its nuances and values. When working on a budget you lose the freedom to use certain materials and certain proportions, but when you make a personal perfume, when part of your soul is within the perfume, you regain the right to use whatever you want and become duty to get rid of trade obligations and approach to art. Today we have fantastic pure natural materials as well as synthetic molecules with an extraordinary quality. In my opinion the author of the 21st century should be able to use them all, regardless of price, or provenance. All that matters is the quality and the fine nuances.

EV:  I noticed that you carry three "musk" types in the line: White Cotton, Agar Musk and Cherry Musk, each very different from the other. What was the rationale behind those? 

RM: Actually in my Barcelona’s shop I have up to 5, but for my international collection I have selected only 3. The perfume personality defines and at the same time attracts the environment. Musk molecules attract me and I'm addicted to them. They have the virtue of resembling human pheromones but are still noticeable, exciting, pure, delicate, gentle, and are an excellent base to combine with all kinds of chords and olfactory images, and was something I always wanted to play in my previous stage but they never let me do.

via stylelovely.com

EV: The packaging of the series is exquisite and very classy. Who do we have to thank for? How did the inkwell idea came about? 

RM: My initial training was architecture, which I left to train as a perfumer, and my training has always defined the basic structures of my perfumes and base plates. More recently another of my concerns, the literary, led me to write the novel "Perfumer" [ed.note: in Spanish], that I wrote in my period of reflection and I discovered the value of an inkwell: the container of a material, the ink, that in the hands of the writer can turn into any kind of story. When I thought of drawing my perfume container, in a volume that it could define and indentify to myself,  the idea of the inkwell came to mind: it could be a good container for any olfactory history and it could have an strong architectural volume, and that is how I drew my iconic flacon. Then I had to adjust the proportions to incorporate a valve to make it rechargeable, and I chose high-quality materials as the semiautomatic glass, zamack to the hinge (a metal alloy of zinc, aluminum, magnesium and copper) and bakelite for the lid and for the packaging.

EV: What are some of your favorite things: Favorite city, favorite food, favorite perfume note, favorite fabric, favorite color...? 

RM: My favorite city is Barcelona because it is on a human scale, bright, artistic, Mediterranean, intellectual and inspiring. I love the new gastronomy Ferran Adria deconstructed ingredients based on first order, also the Japanese-style raw fish, with young & fruity white wine. I like the flowers tuberose and jasmine, galbanum incense and resins, iris root and vetiver, cedar and sandalwood, the molecules of musk and amber. My favorite spices are pink pepper and nutmeg. My favorite fabrics are linen, silk and leather. And my colors, black and yellow together.

EV: Where can one find your perfumes in Europe and in the US? Do you have plans of expanding to other markets as well? 

RM: In the U.S. we are available at Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus and in a selection of the best independent stores such as Luckyscent. In Europe we are already in Spain, Germany, Italy and coming soon in Romania, Berlin, Vienna and Brussels. We have begun the expansion less than a year ago and our plans are going step by step, selecting only the best places all over the world.  

EV: Is there a special fragrance that has marked you while growing up or one which you admire a lot from another perfumer? Why? 

RM: The smells of childhood marked me a lot, especially those from the sea; also the pitch (tar and leather) used by a master in the art of caulk caulking boats, in a small fishing village located on the Costa Brava where I spent my summer vacation, the tanning from the leather bags of my mom and the leather smell from the Aston Martin’s seats of my father. I love the smell of incense in liturgical celebrations ... Later, and in my training period as a perfumer, I found that the smell of humid earth comes from its roots and fell in love with ginger and vetiver root, especially the unclassifiable iris from Fiorence, which I chose to create my first customized fragrance for the was going to be my wife, María, for the day of our wedding, 36 years ago.There are classics that I have studied thoroughly and I am still admiring nowadays perhaps more than ever, as for example the true Jacques Guerlain's Shalimar, the incomparable iris of Chanel No.19 by Henri Robert, the Cuir de Russie by Ernest Beaux, the extracts of East woods by Lucien Maisonier in Myrurgia, besides other and obviously not forgetting perfumers as Artur J. Pey, Pierre Bourdon or Marcel Carles .

You can discover the perfumes on the official site.

Reviews of Impossible Iris and Mon Patchouly on these links.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

[IP]01 exhibition in Paris: Where Drawing & Perfume Meet

Perfumer Cécile Zarokian and illustrator Matthieu Appriou are uniting illustration and perfumery in a unique vernissage that will take place on 28th September 2011 (starting at 18:30), incorporated into the Rives de la Beaute exhibition (28Sep-2Oct) in Paris at Atelier-Galerie, 51, rue de Vnaigriers-75010 (that's in the 10th arrondissement). The name of the project is of course self-evident: I for illustrator, P for perfumer...

We have liked Zarokian's work on Perfume Shrine indeed: Her Epic for Women for Amouage has received raves on a review we had posted in the not too distant past. But who is she? Let's see in more detail.

Cécile Zarokian graduated from I.S.I.P.C.A (Institut Supérieur International de la Parfumerie, Cosmétique et Aromatique Alimentaire), the reference school for perfumery training worldwide founded by Jean-Jacques Guerlain in Versailles in 1970. During her two-year vocational training in Grasse Cécile learned how to create perfumes under supervision of Robertet, one of the leading creators and manufacturers of fragrances in France. Consequently she pursued her carreer at Robertet’s creative centre in Paris, where Cécile strengthened her knowledge of perfumer trade on behalf of Michel Almairac, who has successfully competed for numerous fragrances during his carreer.
She was still a trainee when she won her first woman’s eau de parfum, Epic for Woman, which had been designed for an Omanese fragrances brand, Amouage, and launched in France at the end of 2009.

In 2011, Cécile decided to found her own company, CECILE ZAROKIAN SARL, in order to be able to dedicate her entire time to working freely as a freelance perfumer. You can check it out at:
www.cecilezarokian.com

Matthieu Appriou graduated from the École supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Brest in 2000.
He went on with his artistic research by creating installations in Les Beaux-Arts.
Matthieu exhibited two pieces of work in 2001 and 2003 respectively: “On va tous y perdre des plumes” at the Centre d’Art Passerelle, in Brest for the collective exhibition Au bénéfice du doute, and “Châto immo” at the gallery 40mcube within the project of Chantier public, in Rennes.
Since 2005, he has settled in Paris collaborating with the agency Comme ça on projects for
J.M.Weston, Hennessy, Krug, DomPerignon, La rose des vents-Scène Nationale de Villeneuve d’Ascq, Le théâtre de l’agora-Scène Nationale d’Evry-Essonne.

In 2008, he created NO-OM, and worked on the graphic standards of the group regart.net
(Webflashfestival / Centre Georges Pompidou), as well as that of Champagne Jean Comyn.
He also contributed to the design of the web sites of Bollinger, Château Lynch Bages as a consultant and created the 2009 demoguide site for Microsoft.

Illustrator under the pseudo “Telmolindo”, currently reprsented by  the artist agency Créasenso, he has worked for  La Caisse desMonuments Nationaux, Eurostar, Van Cleef & Arpels, le Musée des Ducs de Nantes as well as for Archéa, Musée d’archéologie of the town of Louvres. You can check out his website here.

You can also check out the Project on its own page.

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Perfumer Portrait: Yves Dombrowsky

Just six major multinational corporations, nick-named The Big Boys in Chandler Burr's in depth analysis of the fragrance industry The Emperor of Scent, are responsible for almost everything that we smell in our day-to-day lives, from deodorants and functional products (down to toilet cleaner) to luxury perfumes.New Zealand isn't among the countries you first think of when perfume or indeed scent business is mentioned. And yet there is thriving perfume industry in New Zealand, powered by the growing local natural cosmetic companies. Participating to this growth is "olfactory artiste" and designer of scents Yves Dombrowsky.

The French-born, Auckland-based perfumer is one of very few professional perfumers working in the country with such scent creations under his belt such as America's Cup fragrance, the scents for creams and cleansers by Antipodes, Trilogy and Health Basics, and the smells of washing powder and soaps by Ecostore. Another one of his creations is ambient scent for Nike and Supre, as in-house perfumer for Ecomist, meant to ignite the desire to "shop till you drop"; if you believe in the adage that smell is the most primitive sense and the one which acts directly to emotion, that is.
"I used to work in the field of environmental microbiology and as part of this role I was exposed to the potential of essential oils and this is when I familiarised myself with their smells. It wasn’t until I went to France as part of a project I was working on that I had my first introduction to a perfumer [a veteran at Chanel]. Impressed by my olfactory abilities, he invited me to stay longer to perfect my basic knowledge and return to New Zealand as an agent for their company. After a few years, I set out on my own and invented my own way to design and market perfume - it is now my passion." [source]

Dombrowsky has created perfumes for Rodd & Gunn, Jonah Lomu, Stitch Ministry and Native for Men; and is also working with Trelise Cooper to create a new perfume for her range (The perfume contains both bergamot (familiar to most through Earl Grey tea) and orris root (a flavour in Bombay Sapphire gin), both inspired by two of Cooper's favourite drinks. 

Dombrowsky's perfume "bar" (a variation on the perfumer's organ) houses 179 perfume "bases", each nuanced with notes that evaporate at different times, each base illustrated with photos and explanations about the notes, so as to guide clients into a personal discovery through scent. "Every perfume is numbered, and has a matching system to go with it," he explains."With this we have thousands of different formulas for creating a scent."

[Source of quotes]

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Francis Kurkdjian: Star Perfumer to the Stars, Creator of Best-Selling Fragrances

Few perfumers in the course of the past 150 years have enjoyed such a sky-rocketing course to stardom as has the handsome Francis Kurkdjian, formerly a dancer, piano player and aspiring tailor and eventually a perfumer and co-founder of his own niche fragrance house, Maison Francis Kurkdjian. Kurkdjian (his name of Armenian descent pronounced “koor-zhan”) was the nose behind such fragrance best-sellers as Jean Paul Gaultier’s characteristic male-torso-flacon Le Mâle, Armani Mania, Miracle Homme, Elizabeth Arden Green Tea, Narciso Rodriguez For Him and For Her, Acqua di Parma’s Iris Nobile as well as the initial Christian Dior private "cologne" fragrances Eau Noire (2004) with its daring use of helichrysum/immortelle that recalls maple syrup and curry.

“Francis was behind around 30 blockbusters, from global blockbusters to blockbusters in niche industries,” says Marc Chaya, president and co-founder of Maison Francis Kurkdjian Paris (MFK). “He worked with Romano Ricci on niche line Juliette Has a Gun [ed.note: Miss Charming and Lady Vengeance, both based on delicate musky rose accords which he loves], and also did Rose Barbare for Guerlain's boutique exclusive line.” More impressibly Francis recreated Marie Antoinette’s scent based on a book about the French queen’s perfumer by Elisabeth de Feydeau, and he scented the palace of Versailles’ fountains for two special events with his beloved, trademark metallic rose accord.

Indeed Kurkdjian seems to have favourite themes which he manipulates into his compositions: two of them make a frequent apparition in feminine fragrances; the musky rose that feels fluffy and yet a tad dusky thanks to woody patchouli nuances at the background (Lady Vengeance, Rose Barbare), as well as the man-made, sweet, clean and fresh, piercingly bright orange blossom accord which he perfected  for Narciso For Her and respun in Lanvin's Rumeur in 2006. He also loves his musks and ambrox, especially in his masculine fragrances, fusing the warmth and clean feeling of the former into the soothing hum of the latter. For those reasons there's things to love and things to shy away from in his work, but the talent and consistency of his work is undisputed.
Francis's perfumer idol is none other than prolific perfumer Alberto Morillas, one of the greats in the business; with sales like the ones he's generating, however, Kurkdjian isn't far from being admired by fans. His work is respected by other perfumers, but mostly adored by discerning customers, often of the celebrity of perfumes-connoisseur Catherine Deneuve (who loves the rich Lumière Noire pour femme, which was born out of her comission for a private scent, but she later agreed to add it to the line when Francis opened his own house) Kylie Minogue (who wears Apom pour Homme) is another dedicated customer. Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge (formerly known as Kate Middleton) has been an inspiration for Kurkdjian: the occassion of the royal wedding made him picture her in something intimate and warm, like the new Elie Saab fragrance he created. (We now know Kate went with something completely different, but that's besides the point).
His bespoke service involves a travelling "crate" with bottles of essences which he brings along on a scented profiling of the individual: the process can be laborious and take from 3 months (sending back and forth samples for evaluation and recalibrating) to one year for those with very definitive views on the subject! The project had began casually enough; talking on the plane with well-heeled co-traveller Terry de Gunzburg resulted in a comissioning of a tailor-made fragrance, one which smelled of "orange groves in Italy and earth" (according to an article by Susan Irvine on British Vogue in the mid-1990s)


Francis Kurkdjian was born in Seine et Marne on May 14th, 1969, to a family outside the fragrance industry: his grandfather a men's tailor, his grandmother an inspecting eye in the family business. His first scented memories involved the aroma of sewing oil, clean cloth, tailor chalk and the spice rack sneeking in from the pantry, while an overseeing Art Deco panther was looking on the proceedings. His whole professional ethos was influenced by the ideal of giving pleasure, much like those in the tailoring business are brought up to do.
Francis studied at ISIPCA, the eminent French perfumery school, before composing Le Mâle at 23. He won Prix François Coty in 2001 and the rest is history. The irony is Chaya had no idea who Kurkdjian was when they met at a Jean Paul Gaultier fashion show. “Francis said to me, ‘I am a perfumer,’ and I said, oh, really, does such a thing exist? I thought that was Gaultier doing it himself.” Chaya eventually quit Ernst & Young to co-found and head Maison Francis Kurkdjian in 2009. “Founding MFK was about bringing fresh vision to the fragrance industry,” Chaya says. “It was about founding a modern luxury fragrance house and celebrating the talent of one of the most talented perfumers of our time.” Kurkdjian is more restrained in his evaluation of the company: "La Maison Francis Kurkdjian is an expression of my idea of beauty in perfumery and luxury in general. This House is a tribute to Paris - her spirit of freedom - and blends tradition and technology. My House is dedicated to small joys distilled into 24 hours of perfumed life. Each experience is an olfactory story that lives within my product".

Currently the Maison Francis Kurkdjian line comprises the following fragrances:

Aqua Universalis
A fresh unisex cologne based on the mock sweet orange note which permeats "clean" white floral compositions and laundry detergents (and indeed the house's own laundry product aromatized with the same scent), flanked by hesperidia on top and musk/ambrox on the bottom.
Aqua Universalis Forte
A more concentrated (40%) version of the "clean & fresh" Aqua Universalis theme with boosted Calabrian bergamot, added citron, added florals (rose and jasmine)and a more powerful musk.
Pour le Matin
The vision of a Mediterranean garden, replete with rustic herbs (thyme and lavender). Available as Cologne and Absolue (Eau de Parfum)
Pour le Soir
The vision of Francis's mother in a fur coat for a night out: powder and lipstick on, rich fragrance leaving a seductive trail behind.Uniting the holy (benzoin incense) with the profane (animalic and cumin-rich accords), it's a perfume to be noticed in. Available as Cologne and Absolue (Eau de Parfum), the latter featuring intense cumin and added ylang ylang.
ApoM pour homme & pour femme
Basically an acronym for "a piece of me", the duo was inspired by travels to Lebanon and the Lebanese people with their dark good looks. The scent speaks of orange blossom's beauty and cedarwood's austerity, while being infused with ylang ylang for the feminine version and with (sweet, narcotically floral) and amber for the masculine one (sportier and manly).
Lumiere Noire pour homme & pour femme
Spiced rose, cumin, hot pepper and patchouli, plus narcissus for her and mugwort herb for him mingle in the fragrance equivalent of a long evening gown and a tuxedo: the rich, decadent composition is truly luxurious.

At the end of t2011 MFK will release small, five-milliliter perfume roll-ons perfect for the purse and on the go. The packaging including the stoppers on the flacons are inspired by the zinc & gold rooftops of Paris.The line already incorporates incense paper strips (infused with benzoin resin), leather bracelets permeated with essences, deos, laundry detergent in Aqua Universalis scent, scented candles and room sprays and Les Bulles d'Agathe, soap bubbles in either mint, pear, cut grass or violets scents for the kid in us!

Visit Kurkdjian's official website at Francis Kurkdjian.com



Ref:
Interview on Ecodesign Canada
Interview on Vogue UK
Article on ParisBao
some quotes via the Philippine Global Community
portrait shot via vogue.uk, trunk via parisbao.com

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Chris Sheldrake: "I taught a little bit of English to the perfumers and a retired perfumer taught me a little bit about perfume"

Sheldrake didn't intend to be a perfumer when he was young. He wanted to be an architect. His father thought he should learn a European language before he started his architectural studies so Sheldrake took a three-month work-experience job at Charabot, a fragrance company in the south of France.
''I taught a little bit of English to the perfumers and a retired perfumer taught me a little bit about perfume. After about three months, he said, 'I think you've got a nose. Would you like to stay?' So I stayed another three months, then another six months, then two years, then three years and architecture was the past.'' Sheldrake worked at another fragrance company, Robertet, before going to Chanel in Paris and working with Polge in the early 1980s. He left after ''three fantastic years'' for more experience at global perfume manufacturer Quest International. He has fond memories of creating a rosy, fruity fragrance for a Unilever shampoo called Lux Super Rich when he was in Japan. ''It was probably the biggest-selling perfume [product] for Quest at the time,'' he says.

Thus reminisces Christopher Sheldrake, perfumer known for his work at Serge Lutens perfumes and currently head of research & development at Chanel fragrances, a propos the upcoming Chanel No.19 Poudre. Please refer to our previous quotes from Sheldrake on the new Chanel flanker and our announcement on Chanel No.19 Poudre. More on how Christ Sheldrake works and views industry "bedroom scent" demands on this link.

Read the entire article at Smh.com.au

pic via knackweekend

Friday, February 4, 2011

Francois Demachy: Perfumer at Parfums Dior & elsewhere (and footnotes on La Collection Couturier Parfumeur)

I was flatteringly asked by an industry magazine to comment on the work of François Demachy, perfumer and artistic director of Parfums Dior, in view of the 2010 re-issue of Diorama for US distribution and the introduction of "La Collection Couturier Parfumeur" this past autumn. The information was conductive to an interview with the perfumer himself, which appeared in this winter's edition of fashion magazine Industrie. In the interest of our readers who do not have access, I'm sharing some of the points discussed in relation to how Demachy's work has evolved at Dior and LVMH over the years, as well as my views on his personal aesthetics, supplemented by short reviews on some of the newer exclusive scents in "La Collection Couturier Parfumeur".
I welcome your own comments and views on the subject!


The first question involved the possibility or not of a clear-cut "signature" in the work of Demachy. Some perfumers who have attained almost a guru status among perfume enthusiasts (I'm thinking Jean Claude Ellena, Christopher Sheldrake et al) have a very specific style which they express through their every project.

Elena Vosnaki: It would be very difficult to ascribe a clear-cut "signature style" to any artist when they're bound by commissions or commercial briefs. The artist has to follow the patron's demands to some degree; also their specifications and range of options in regards to the media available (the budget for ingredients, growers' and labs' options as availability allows, specific range of concept or focus groups etc.). Perfumers who act as art directors naturally have a greater artistic control over the projects they oversee, but it's not 100% free either. While Jean-Claude Ellena enjoys a sort of what seems like unprecedented artistic freedom at Hermès, probably due to his already documented manifesto and Hermès’s lesser financial dependency on the turnover of their perfumes, Dior and Demachy present a different case: Dior Parfums cater for a huge chunk of the LVMH portfolio and therefore there are several considerations when launching a new fragrance.
Having said that, the latest Escale series for Dior as well as a few flankers for Dior’s best-sellers (Miss Dior Chérie L’Eau, J’Adore Eau de Cologne Florale, Dior Homme Cologne, Farhenheit 32) bring on a new clarity to the range which cannot be attributed to anyone else but Demachy. It’s hindsight in a way, as both perfumers see Edmond Roudnitska as their mentor and have been influenced by his restrained style; an observation worth keeping in mind when reviewing all the latest Eaux in the Dior range. So I think that Demachy will crystallize his vision in the coming years, especially if his desire for a more “hand-crafted” feel is (hopefully) sanctioned by LVMH. The increased quality ~amped with more precious naturals~ in J’Adore L’Absolu, as well as the re-issue of ultra-classic Diorama seem to be positive steps in the right direction, which is further honed with his output in La Collection Couturier Parfumeur; especially in New Look 1947, a gorgeous floral with silky aldehydic sprinkling; and Mitzah, a sexy amber focused on the Ambre83 base that flanks resins with labdanum and castoreum, feeling like provocative underpinnings under a structured dress.

Next the discussion touched on Diorama, the re-issue for the American market as contrasted to the former versions.

EV: Diorama is of course one of the “parfums-phares” of Dior and stands among Roudnitska’s work as the summation of his course from the “patisserie” style of Rochas Femme to the more vibrant offerings that followed (Diorella, Dior-Dior etc). It’s absolutely stunning in its vintage form, the fruitiness taking on a burnished, tawny quality half-way between garbage and mouth-watering delicacy, which makes it compelling. The till recently circulating edition in the Paris boutique was very good, but a bit attenuated compared with my vintage specimens. I would be thrilled to have it reconstituted it in its original form, although I’m fearful that first the hawks at Brussels are watching with a stern eye (IFRA restrictions are something that Demachy himself bemoans and admits as being a major obstacle for the old guard) and secondly, it’s not going to be tremendously popular with the general public; but that’s all right, it’s a connoisseur’s fragrance anyway.
[I have reviewed the former exclusive edition on this link and my thoughts on the 2010 Diorama re-release are posted here].


In what has to do with his work at LVMH, Demachy applies some interesting aspects and ingredients to bring on fragrances that will feel contemporary but also quite sensual.

EV: I think Demachy's old-school Grassois romanticism (he was born in Cannes in 1949) coupled with a very clear, a little savage but at the same time “translucent” technique make for this interesting synergy of modern and classic. For instance, his Escale à Portofino is a perfect mélange of a tried & true concept and a contemporary-feeling formula. It smells bright and fresh without evoking a stuffy, obsolete sensibility of “splashing citrusy tonic after shaving”. There’s sensuality and elegance in Portofino, if one looks carefully. The citron essence, specially treated for Dior (they also have 2 varieties of petit-grain reserved for them), is also of interest and I think it constitutes a trend we’ll be seeing more of.
He's quoted to say: “I believe in the virtues of aromacology: a fresh cologne, with Mediterranean accents of citrus fruit and aromatic scents immediately creates a good mood.” It was on that axiom that the exclusive Cologne Royale was built for Dior. On that train of thought, I would love to see him expand and fine-tune his vision of the great “Eau” (If not surpassing the gigantic Eau Sauvage, then offer the feminine suggestion to speak to young women of today); possibly beyond the established Cruise collection of the Escale scents, into a stand-alone major feminine new launch perhaps! Not only a “parenthesis in the world of perfumes” ~as he described his entry for Escale à Portofino~ and certainly a major step beyond the nostalgic Eau de Grasse Impériale composed at his father's apothecary.
And of course, now I have sampled his all too recent work for La Collection Couturier Parfumeur, I can see that the line is clearly destined to include some classics-to-be: Leather Oud is already shaping up to be a cult favourite, exploiting the multiple nuances of agarwood alongside a rough note (leather) that is making a come-back most forcefully along the industry. His pastoral theme of a certain rustic roughness in Granville (also in the Collection Couturier Parfumeur ), as expressed through the use of provencial herbs ~rosemary, thyme, basil~ shows vigour!


Last but not least, Demachy oversees projects ourside Dior as well: The question is whether he infuses them with a personality that is uniquely his own and how does this happen from an aesthetic viewpoint.

EV: I happen to feel that he has an endearing old-fashioned love for the traditional role women designate perfume for: romance! This was also highlighted in some of his work at Chanel where he collaborated since 1977 (albeit a phase shrouded in a little mystery till recently). I will bring a personal experience to illustrate my point: I recall how I was gifted with Diva by Ungaro when I was merely 18 years old by my beau who liked perfumes. Iliterally grew up with chypres, being of Mediterranean descent, so it was a natural for me, but the expansive, rosy-mossy embrace that engulfed me was almost too emotional: I felt that the perfume was speaking words of love, not only because it was offered me by a loved one, but because it was so very romantic and expressive in itself, a little "hit you on the head with sentiment!". When Demachy collaborated at Ungaro with Jacques Polge (officially head perfumer of Chanel for the last 3 decades) for it, they must have dreamt up of a fiesty Italian heroine such as the one in Visconti’s “Il Gatopardo”. Demachy, I feel, likes the gesticulating, expressive style of the Italians and the sunnier disposition of the insular Roman palazzi to the gloom and reserve of steel-skyed Versailles and its plottings.
His Italian predeliction (he is especially simpatico to the Mediterranean climate and loves the cities of Syracuse and Siena) is also showing in some other creations: Aqua di Parma Colonia Intensa, for instance or the reworking of Pucci’s Vivara (2007). It was sad to see the entire Fendi line disappear into thin air nevertheless, his being Palazzo, although certainly no fault of Demachy himself!

Christian Dior La Collection Couturier Parfumer fragrances are circulating in the following sizes in Europe: 150 euros for 125 ml, 225 euros for 250 ml et 330 euros for 450 ml and ONLY in 250ml bottles for the time being in the US.

photos via Dior, punmiris and estheticrfactory.fr

Monday, December 20, 2010

Patricia de Nicolai: Portrait of a Woman in a Man's World

"When I started, the big manager of the company was the brother of my grandmother. He wasn't the perfumer but he was the big manager. He wasn't an artistic man. First, he said 'you're a woman --' " and secondly, referring to the many years of training and apprenticeship required to become a master perfumer, she explained, "he told me, 'You'll get married, you'll have children, you will stop your job after a while.' " It's a typical tale across many occupations, even ones where, like fashion, the mythology and creative muse is female. "In Guerlain they are very machiste," de Nicolai continued, lifting a clenched fist to illustrate the emphasis. "The family who worked in the brand was only men, no women. And they like to embroider on those love stories!"
Thus elaborates Patricia de Nicolaï, 54, great-granddaughter of Maison Guerlain founder Pierre Guerlain, an ISIPCA graduate herself who was awarded best perfume creator in 1988 by the French Society of Perfumers and currently president of L'Osmothèque, the perfume museum in Versailles [you can read more on the Osmotheque on this link]. On her own site she graciously states "Jean-Paul Guerlain was her coach and thanks to him she has been trained in the best possible companies, places where you really learn the job to become a perfumer".

Whatever the case might be, her extensive line of perfumes enjoys a cult following, from the delectable masculine New York (which Dr.Turin has been wearing for years by his admission), the iris-strewn Balkis and the creamy tropical Juste un Rêve to the lush and balanced Maharanih, the more-than- just-a-cologne Carre d'As and the springtime in a bottle Le Temps d'une Fête. Some even come up as instant spontaneous fragrance recommendation whenever one searches for a creamy, delectable grown-up vanilla (Vanille Tonka), a melancholy heliotrope with feminine mystique (Sacrebleu), the definitive sophisticated summery cologne (Cologne Sologne) or the perfect mimosa (Mimosaique).
All the way right down to the candles and home fragrance which kickstarted her perfume company back in 1989 alongside Jean Louis Michau, back when the concept was still novel and romantic, her line breathes elegance and quality. Someone even once said that one of her candles was enough to start a minor religion...
She admits being influenced by the Guerlain tradition, the rich timbre, the beauty of the scents, the distinction of a signature style, and the tenacious sillage they impart. After all, her own personal fragrance as a young woman had been Après l’Ondée. She grafted those qualities into her own line to much success. In a world populated by men, Patricia de Nicolaï is a woman who has proven her own mettle and that's to be respected.

Read more on the article by Nathalie Atkinson on the National Post.

Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Perfumer's Portraits


pic of Patricia via her own site

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Francoise Caron: A Woman for All Seasons

"Françoise Caron's long line of perfume creations reads like a diverse and stylish list of artistic accomplishment, with nary a misstep, yet always with the harmonious feel one gets upon wandering amidst a Greco-Roman glyptotheque: From one of the most enduring classics of modern perfumery, beloved by anyone who comes into contact with it, L’Eau d’Orange Verte for Hermès, to niche offerings such as three Eaux de Cologne and four candles for Astier de Villate, all through the formula for the signature scent of the Angel body line (Thus befittingly augmenting her brother’s, Olivier Cresp’s, oeuvre, since it was he who composed the original Angel scent).

L’Eau d’Orange Verte began its career on the bathroom shelves of dandies and chic bourgeois girls as well as traditional men who just wanted to smell good, with another name: It was issued as Eau de Cologne d’ Hermès in 1979 (the name was changed in 1997) after a brief was issued to perfume-producing companies in which Jean Claude Ellena, current in-house perfumer at Hermès, had also submitted an entry. Triumph ensued very soon: This was seriously good cologne; tangy, bright, and happy-smelling, projecting at a cool radius to everything it touched, remaining timeless and effortless to this day. Its panoply of classical arms is its success: the traditional Eau de Cologne weapon, the sour tang of bitter orange, cutting through heat like a scimitar; the herbal-green accord rustic and Arcadia-evoking...

“An eau de cologne needs to be simple, with top notes that aren’t heavy, that don’t purport to stay on long; yet simplicity doesn’t mean absence of personality either” she notes, upon the 30th anniversary of the fragrance’s launch. “It also needs to be cooling”, its alcohol content a major constituent of the refreshing feeling it produces upon evaporation.
The effect is reinforced through the secret inclusion of a little mint and that ace in the sleeve, blackcurrant buds, offering a fruity touch with a catty whiff. Françoise is still profoundly touched whenever she encounters her creation amidst the hotel toiletries offered at some of the world’s choicest hotels..."

This is only part of a longer perfumer's portrait article on Françoise Caron which appeared on Fragrantica. Click this direct link to access it.

Friday, March 19, 2010

Beatrice Piquet (1963-2010)


Perfumer with Intenational Flavors & Fragrances Inc. Paris-based Béatrice Piquet succumbed to a prolonged illness... Famously responsible for the masterful L'Instant pour Homme for Guerlain, Burberry The Beat, the classic Trussardi Uomo in the black crock bottle, Bulgari Rose Essentielle, Davidoff's Echo, Boss Deep Red and Dark Blue, as well as assorted fragrances for Benetton, the Beckhams and Banana Republic, she was a quiet player in this emerging game of rock-stars. May she rest in peace.


If you want to grab a profile of the perfumer, you are referred to your local library for the Madame Figaro magazine of December 11, 2004, p.64.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Mathilde Laurent Responds to Perfume Shrine's Questions (& a little on Cartier Les Heures du Parfum)

Most of you are familiar with Mathilde Laurent through her early work at Guerlain, when as a young graduate of ISIPCA, under the aegis of Jean Paul Guerlain she created her modern epics, faithful to the patrimony of papa Jacques: Her Guet Apens (later re-issued as Attrape Coeur, the whole entangled story can be read on this link) is one of the most celebrated "new Guerlains" among cognoscenti, in the degree that it reflects a true Guerlain character, yet is resolutely of its own era.

Her Shalimar Eau Légère, reviewed and cherised on these pages, is another one which takes the best of tradition and injects it with the saturated hues and bold lines of a contemporary Francis Bacon painting. Like her artistic idol Camille Claudel ~as divulged to Marian Bendeth on a Basenotes project last year~ Mathilde appreciates modernity coupled with sensitivity and creativity.
Pamplelune with its sunny grapefruit side is, surprisingly enough for its daring sulfurous mien, still a Guerlain best-seller and one of two Aqua Allegorias (a sub-line in the Guerlain portfolio with lighter, less complex scents) which has remained in production ever since introduction of the line, the other being Herba Fresca with its surprising take on mint. (Her other creations in the Aqua Allegoria line included Ylang et Vanille and Rosa Magnifica) At some point, Mathilde Laurent left Guerlain to spread her wings unto greener pastures, including a brief stint at jeweler André Gas in 2006 (for the Polynesian tropical scent Ensoleille-Moi) and the current in-house perfumer position at the venerable Cartier headquarters, where she is composing bespoke scents (Sources place the price for juice to last 3-5 years up to 60,000 euros or $75,500). Her masculine, (again) mint-ladden Roadster for the mainstream jewellery house release last year has graced our pages and was considered a successful entry, poised most wisely between commerciability and artistic merit. Mathilde's talent is undisputed, her desire and ambition to compliment the art of perfumery with a decisive and landmarking contribution nevertheless is laudable. For her "perfume is a message, an expression of oneself" and a perfumer is "a sillagiste!"

I took the invitation that Elisa de Feydeau kindly opened for her francophone readers and asked Mathilde a couple of questions which she was most gracious to reply to. For the benefit of our English-speaking readers, here are her answers.

My first question had to do with something I had read in Perfumes, the Guide, a quote by Luca Turin in his Pamplelune review, in which he equated Laurent's turning to bespoke perfumery to "the saddest waste of human talent since Rimbaud decided to study engineering" (If this isn't praise, I don't know what is!). I was wondering whether the foreboding feeling created by this remark in my mind had come to a reversal through the new line Les Heures du Parfum for Cartier (a high-end project more on which below) and whether she was hopeful that the new line would open a dialogue between herself and perfume lovers; those Others beyond the scope of the mega-rich who have the means to order their very own perfume. After all, as revealed by Jean Claude Ellena to us before, custom perfumery runs the risk of inadvertdly "deceiving" the customer.

Mathilde Laurent herself had explained the bespoke process in the past in very clear terms: "Together (with the client), we explore scents associated with meaningful life experiences, from pleasant childhood recollections to a present image the client wishes to project. We transpose the Cartier style, a perfectly studied simplicity, into the scent. Just a few carefully selected high-grade ingredients are blended, so that each essence remains distinctive, not lost in a hazy combination." In the pursuit of good materials, she's relentless: "I look for the truly exceptional, the atypical, the never-before-seen" (The floral extracts used cost about $5,000 per kilogram, or $142 per ounce). "The provenance of the flower, its rarity where it was bred, the manner of extracting its essence, the climatic conditions that year, all are taken into account."
In hindsight Mathilde appreciates Luca Turin's accolades enormously: "He was among the first to support me and encourage me". She terms the bespoke service "a step, a detour in order to get someplace else". "I could never imagine not creating for The Others", she reveals, although she's quick to point out that "bespoke perfumery is for me a wonderful means to be close to those who love and wear perfume and to push the envelope regarding experimentation on new accords, to test and increase one's creativity and one's technique. Bespoke perfumery acts as a complimentary course for me, it nourishes my work on other projects. I hope that Cartier's Les Heures du Parfum will generate a dialogue with people wearing them, since for me perfume is a message that the skin diffuses, I am always interested in expression, perfume is always destined for the Other".

Another issue that is burning perfume lovers and the industry itself with the intensity of a surgical laser is the pressing issue of restrictions on perfumery ingredients. (You can read a recap and personal thoughts with a minimum of emotional sidekicks on this link and on that one). Mathilde Laurent proved to me to be both practical and wise: "Regarding the perfumery materials which are restricted from our palette, I pretend they never existed. Nevertheless, I continue to search for the effect they present, even though it might be considered a tad Utopian; to substitute with other ingredients and combinations. One must always start from scratch and search, search...Having "come of age" at Guerlain however {she started apprenticeship there at the tender age of 23, going to exotic places and learning about ingredients with the very best} I have intimately known all of those precious materials before they were rationed and their effect has most definitely marked me. I do keep them in memory, always!" Hopefully, with creative minds such as Mathilde's, even the parsimonious palette of essences that is left to perfumers can take a new shape and be utilized in a novel syntax that have been left unatttured till now. The future is here and it is brave!
As to her own pleasure, Mathilde has left herself to be seduced by her latest creation for Cartier XIII La Treizième Heure, a smoky leathery composition, even though she declares she never wears perfume on her free time (Her other rare ~she stresses~ indulgunce is Guet Apens). After all, she hopes to instigate a discourse, not a monologue, and I hope she will always succeed in doing that!

Les Heures du Parfum by Cartier are set to be 13 fragrances in the "neo-niche" mold of luxury brands such as Chanel Les Exclusifs, Hermessences, boutique Guerlain scents, Armani Prive, Van Cleef & Arpels etc. (material-oriented compositions, uniform bottles, limited distribution). Cartier touts them as 'one really haute collection of fragrances for connoisseurs' to commemorate . The scents take on Latin numbers instead of names to reflect the digits on the famous Cartier watches, plus a lucky number thirteen in honour of the number of la maison Cartier's first address at 13 Rue de la Paix in Paris. They are to be spaced out in a period of a few years. The first five are coming out this November on the 10th in 35 Cartier boutiques all around the world. Eau de Parfum in 75 ml flacons for 250 dollars (Chayaruchama told me they're already at Saks in New York City, so New Yorkers take note and report back!).

Fragrance Notes for Les Heures du Parfum according to Grain de Musc (who got them straight from the horse's mouth and is enthused):

I – L’Heure Promise (The promised hour): a green iris with petitgrain, fresh herbs, sandalwood and musk.
VI – L’Heure Brillante (The shining hour): a bright aldehydic citrus cocktail with lemon, lime and a gin accord. X – L’Heure Folle (The crazy hour): an aldehydic fruity green with redcurrant, pink pepper, grenadine (pomegranate syrup), blueberry, blackcurrant, blackberry, violet, leafy notes, ivy, boxwood, shiso, polygonum (=knotweed)
XII – L’Heure Mystérieuse (The mysterious hour): a woody floral with jasmine, patchouli, elemi, coriander, incense, olibanum, juniper.
XIII -La Treizième Heure (The 13th hour): a sweet leather with maté tea, birch tar, narcissus, bergamot, patchouli and vanilla.


Portrait of Mathilde Laurent via Basenotes, images4.hiboox.com and luxuryculture, Cartier bottles via punmiris.com

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Interview with master perfumer Jean Claude Ellena


The first thing I sense in Jean Claude Ellena is his jovial, warm manner upon “C’est Jean Claude Ellena!” (This is Jean Claude Ellena!) Me, perfume writer and immense fan of his work, I feel a sense of elation as a dream has come true, due to extraordinary circumstances: a one-to-one interview with one of the truly Greats! His graciousness in granting me personally and the Perfume Shrine a big segment of his precious time is obliging and I can sense how truly charming his personality is; the things you have heard about that part are not tales. Like him or not, there is no doubt in my mind that Jean Claude Ellena is writing history as we speak. His coherent vision, his distinctive, instantly recognizable style, and his understated sense of chic have ushered in a new form of perfumes’ authoring that revolutionized the industry and has several esteemed perfumers following his lead. In 50 or 100 years from now, people will talk about him the way they’re talking about Jacques Guerlain, Germaine Cellier or indeed his former mentor Edmond Roudnitska. Not to suggest that he hasn’t cornered enough attention already! His appointment as in-house perfumer at Hermès has penned more lines than the latest Pulitzer Prize and waged quite a few jealous tongues in private. He remains unaffected, intent on his own ~admittedly ambitious, as befits his Aries, Scorpio rising, personality~ personal Ithaca; the journey is just as much an enriching pleasure as the final destination!

This interview in my mind had a core theme all along: Mare Nostrum, the Mediterranean, that infinite source of inspiration for civilizations aplenty and so I began by asking him a rather unusual question: “I have always entertained the ~wonderful to me~ idea that you have some distant Greek root in your lineage as both your demeanor & philosophical stance on life and your style of simple, austere and confident strokes is echoing the ideals of this civilization. Chandler Burr writes somewhere in "The Perfect Scent" that Ellena means “the Greek”, which is correct [Hellena is the official name for Greek, as evidenced in the now defunct royal title ‘King of the Hellenes’]. Being Greek I had always wanted to ask whether there is some truth to that, much as it is for Bulgari for instance (whose grandfather was indeed Greek, immigrating to Italy). At any rate I perceive you as very Mediterranean-inspired. Do you agree?” Jean Claude is thinking this over: “I can’t say that I am certain on this, don’t have records, but my grandmother did come from the Eastern Mediterranean, a long-time ago, the family traversing though Italy in the beginning of the 20th and finally residing at the South of France where we’re today. It’s true; the place has played an important part in shaping me, but also the ideas of the place, the ideals if you please. The Mediterranean spirit, the classical spirit of uniting beauty and la raison (reason, logic, sense) is very much my own too. This is something that has roots in Greek philosophy where beauty and reason were one and the same, but also in the problematic of one of my most favorite authors, Albert Camus. There is the entangled connection between beauty and logic, something that is very important to remember today. There is too much reason and reasoning behind everything today, especially with the Anglo-Saxon way of thinking in business, which is a bit “loud”, a bit all too present. We sidetrack beauty in favor of reason and that’s not how things should be, perhaps! My perfumes are constructed with the intention of no tricks, no labyrinths. You have to say “Ah that smells good!” That’s generous, that’s very Mediterranean. Then again there must be a minutely thought-out process, a methodology behind everything down to the last detail. But in general our century has lost la sensibilité, the sensibility; human beings have forgotten about it, resulting in a mass-market approach to everything ~products, relationships…Jean Giono’s books give that sense to life, that life has no inherent logic, no pattern. We have lost that sense of sensing the world, its strangeness and its charm”. The beautiful quote of Camus comes to mind: “At the heart of all beauty lies something inhuman, and these hills, the softness of the sky, the outline of these trees at this very minute lose the illusory meaning with which we had clothed them, henceforth more remote than a lost paradise... that denseness and that strangeness of the world is absurd...”

Jean Claude’s own childhood and young age opened up vistas to this beauty that he appreciates in subtle and finer things. It’s inevitable that picturing him growing up in a family of perfumers in Grasse (his father and brother are also perfumers, as is his daughter Céline), amidst the wonderful paysage, reading Jean Giono when he was 30, I wonder if he ever dreamt that one day he would arrive where he is now. “Absolutely not! It never occurred to me. I was doing badly at school, so my father said ‘you have to work’. And indeed that’s what happened. I started in the industry and learned from the craft. Even as a small boy I’d go with my grandmother for flower-picking at dawn in the Grasse fields. At 16 I began work at Antoine Chiris in Grasse, one of the oldest perfume houses in the world and with my 4-years experience when in 1968 the Givaudan établissement opened a perfumery school in Geneva I went there. I was the first student to enroll at that school!” He apprenticed under Maurice Thiboud, even at that early time simplifying the formulae to their essentials. “I was lucky in that I met a lot of people, I learned from them, they said I had potential and they encouraged me. I was never sure of my talent, whatever that may be; but I am very certain that I enjoy immensely what I do, I can tell you that!” And now his daughter Céline is continuing in his footsteps. “You must be very proud!” “Indeed I am! Family is very important to me”. His tie with his wife Susannah, of Irish and artistic ancestry, goes back 40 years and he has kept close ties with his extended family. They all live close by and spend every Christmas under the same roof. A very Mediterranean thing, I might add!

It was at 19 that Jean Claude Ellena got interested in Roudnitska, prompted by an article in a magazine given him by his father titled “Advice to a Young Perfumer”. He found in it the spark of a new direction: simplicity! The thought has taken a specific shape in my mind: “I can’t help noticing that the Spartan outlook in life in general requires some maturity; Greeks used to say “Laconism (ie.being simple, to the point) means Philosophizing”. Usually when someone is new in any profession they want to add, to augment, to impress, to go over the top! In perfumes, that means more power, more diffusion, more notes, and more ornamentation. Your own style is pared-down, loving to subtract: if you can say a whole essay in a few lines, you do so! Do you feel that this is something you learned from Roudnitska, or was the path to simplicity and maturity in your own life that necessitated this stance?” He laughs merrily as he recalls an argument they had with Roudnitska one day talking about philosophy. “Oh, but we had fun with Edmond! Good times together! We both believed that beauty is synonymous with generosity. He was very important to me. He opened a door to perfumery; he showed a new way, that things had to be simpler than they were at the time when a formula might contain hundreds of sub compounds representing various notes. But I like to think that I am going further, progressing what he started. This Spartan outlook you talk of is a necessity that has some ideal behind it and it also has quite a French expression in music. If you listen to Ravel or Debussy ~whom I both love very much~ there is this aspect of discreet pleasure, of sensuality, an intellectualism that is not devoid of sensuousness, of sensory pleasure in its simple melodious form.” As pleasure is a sensory notion, at this point we revert on his fragrances’ style: they have the sexiness of a woman who doesn’t flaunt her charms, but rather hides more than she reveals, instigating the desire to dig deeper and see what lies beneath, and leaving things to the imagination. “This is much more interesting, more intriguing! I like that idea. I try to follow it in my perfumes.”

You might be wondering how we have come thus far without mentioning the word minimalism ~it has become almost an axiom that whenever Ellena’s name is uttered in perfume circles, the word minimalism ensues. As if it was his manifesto. I feel that some people misunderstand the term attributing to it only the “transparent”, “watery” effect of many of his fragrances while on the contrary reading his book Le Parfum in the Que sais-je? Series I understand that he attributes to it the sense of playing “note for note”: devoid of sentimentality. He is categorical on this: “I don’t ascribe myself to minimalism; this is a misconception of my work. Simplicity is not minimalism and I don’t consider my perfumes minimalistic. The thing is they don’t try to say a lot of things at once; they are what they are! They provoke an impression, a feeling, which often requires months of reading behind it. They are simple, delicate, but like we discussed before, like Impressionistic music, they certainly have sentiment, they’re not only a mental exercise!”
“Apart from the aesthetic choice is there also some practicality into opting for sparse formulae? One tends to rely much less on ready-made bases like it was customary in the past, therefore there is better control of quality/supply of raw materials (and less variability on their standards), and also it gives the opportunity to start one’s own small niche house, like you did with The Different Company. Would you agree?” I ask him. He’s quick to do so. “Of course there is the technical aspect as well. As you correctly surmise, it’s easier to control the quality levels that way and to be completely certain of the vocabulary one uses in authoring. To bring you an example, I used to use Haitian vetiver + vetiverol + acetate vetyverile but I was never satisfied. Now I have a special distillation of vetiver, tailored-made for me. Why am I doing that? Because vetiver ~which is a material I adore~ has a very earthy feel. That’s its charm but it also often overshadows the top notes, it tends to engulf everything at its stride. So this concentrée de vetiver bypasses that problem and allows me to work like I want to. On the other hand there are two patchoulis on the raw materials market today, the “clean” one which you can smell in a plethora of fragrances and the real one. But whereas the “clean” one is popular and can be incorporated easily into a formula it lacks character, it has a one-dimensional personality. On the other hand real patchouli has a distinctive character, is multi-faceted and aids my formula into being what it is, when I choose to weave it in. I only use real patchouli myself.”

The luxury market is a vast theme for discussion but one he is quite eager to discuss. I sense that Hermès has largely emerged as the ne plus ultra chic luxury house (which it always was, in its way), but also gained momentum in its perfumery section over other luxury brands ~even over Guerlain which is a classic perfumes house, at least in the eyes of perfume lovers who seek distinction. In great part this triumph can be attributed to Jean Claude Ellena: a coherence of style that never seems to try too hard (at least in the outer effect, not the creative process, naturally!). I ask him if he believes that being appointed in-house perfumer for Hermès in 2004 has been a change of course for the company, five years now into it. He doesn’t want to take full credit: “It’s a deliberate direction that Jean-Louis Dumas Hermès and Véronique Gautier have taken and I suited them. I collaborated with them into a new wave which was pre-decided for Hermès but also evolved along the way. The brand wanted a different kind of product. There was no artistic director for the perfumery section before and although I had created Amazone Eau de fraîcheur for them in 1989, I didn’t know they wanted me for in-house perfumer till the question was asked. Our first collaboration with newly appointed Véronique was for Un Jardin en Méditerranée in 2002. But I ask questions to my own style, I show a new generosity and the result came out such as you see now. The power at Hermès is that the artist calls the shots. There are no focus groups, no marketing research on what we should launch. Only very few people decide on the finality of the launch. Hermès is very quality focused”. It is a small, traditional house that wasn’t initially thought of in relation to perfumes, but which has gained a respected following. “We are not going after big money, but after good money. We propose very sophisticated products for those who have a taste for them. We do not want to become too big, just be on a normal level. The increasing of an already superior quality is in my mind the only way out of the current economic crisis ~which hasn’t hit Hermès for what is worth. I like that we have an honest approach to the customer. It’s as if we say to them ‘If you like the product (and I do want them to like the product obviously), it’s OK and we’re very pleased. But even if you don’t like the product, that’s OK too’. I don’t want to break my back trying to cajole or deceive the customer, trying to ‘win’ them at all costs, be everything to everyone! There would be dishonesty in doing that and I don’t like it. I prefer to attract the ones who can become attracted in the first place. We’re not trying to outdo everyone in this business!”

At this point our discussion takes a path into other perfumes in the upscale, luxury game, a game that is ferocious, despite appearances and although tact dictates I cannot reveal the names discussed (it’s not very hard to guess anyway) he literally chuckles mischievously as I mention that his Hermessences have created several followers of the concept down the road! He is quick to point out that the prestige card is being played a lot, which might implicate the novelty factor that the exclusive Hermessences had in the first place, being a series of fragrances to be circulated only through Hermès boutiques; as well as the big size of expensive products. “There is a very obvious, easy way to show quality, Ellena says. You either increase the price or you increase the size. These are both very visual interpretations of luxury and the eyes play an important role in the luxury market. As to whether a big bottle has any real relevance, if there is a demand for it from the customer base, then why not? I don’t find it a bad thing in itself assuming there is a use for it.” When I point out that in perfumes a big bottle poses a very tangible obstacle in being a monetary investment when building a vast collection for the fragance enthusiast (as it is such a commitment over smaller ones), he reflects a bit on the market at large. “I do think there is no more excitement due to too many things on the market. There is too much product out and companies driven by the economic approach often don’t care for repeat customers, those loyal to one or two fragrances. They know that new brings in money, so they’re launching a hundred new things instead of focusing on less. I can’t say that I approve.” However one cannot dismiss the fact that products aim to sell, even if on a level-headed schedule. Therefore my question on marketability has some bearing on this. I have been curious along with many whether the transparency and watery effects predominant in this school of perfumery which Jean Claude represents are targeted to the Asian market which abhors opulent Westernized creations and applies scent very delicately. “What would you have to say to this, Jean Claude, in relation to your scents created for Hermès, especially the latest Un Jardin après la Mousson, Hermessence Osmanthe Yunnan, the exclusive Japan-only issue Eau de Ginza based on cherry blossom {Eau de Ginza was part of specific Hermès creations- including a silk scarf- especially designed to celebrate the Hermès Boutique of Ginza re-opening in 2006} and the new Hermès Colognes?”
Since we are dispelling myths, we might as well shatter that one as well: “There is no such planning or aim behind all this. It’s not borne out of a marketing strategy, but out of an aesthetic choice mainly. It’s true that Eau de Ginza was aimed for exclusive distribution in our Ginza Boutique in Tokyo, but in general the Asian market doesn’t really feature too much in perfume buying. They are not buying many fragrances, or if they do, they only buy them for the presentation. Hermès is a smaller-scale brand, a family controlled business with a very upscale profile. It’s very well known in Japan, but not predominantly for our perfumes, more for the silks and leather goods. Hermès is very popular in France, Spain, Italy and Germany, in Europe in general, where the perfumes sell well, and comparatively not very prominent in the USA. It has a very European profile and aesthetic and this is tied to its history. It hasn’t ventured outside its boutiques, like so many designer brands have, like ~to bring an example~ Chanel or Armani have their accessories such as sunglasses or watches available outside their stores. Hermès is boutique-only with the exception of some of its perfumes and only that. This keeps a certain level in everything but also a certain smaller scale recognisability; which is fine by me!”

The notion of fragrances thought out in relation to the house’s tradition and the markets in which it is most popular brings us to the latest offerings by Hermès: a new Colognes Collection (the Hermès Colognes are more than a trio, rather a Collection with upcoming additions…) comprising Eau de pamplemousse rose, Eau de gentiane blanche (2009) & Eau d'orange verte (1979). Eau d’orange verte, originally titled Eau de Cologne d’Hermès, was created for Hermès in 1979 by Françoise Caron. Eau d’orange verte has notes of orange, mandarin, lemon, mint leaves, blackcurrant buds, oakmoss and patchouli. The other two were created by Jean Claude Ellena to launch later this spring along with the older one as a trio presentation [1]. Eau de pamplemousse rose is “somewhat classic,” with notes of grapefruit, orange, rhubofix and vetiver while Eau de gentiane blanche is aimed as “a counterpart to traditional cologne,” without any citrus notes. It contains notes of gentian, white musk, iris and incense. The bottle design for Les Colognes Hermès is uniform, derived from a carriage lantern, and housed in the signature orange of Hermès, sealed and wrapped in a ribbon-like sleeve. How did the concept came along? “The concept of the Cologne Collection came with the desire to make real perfumery, the artisan way. The Eau d’orange verte one has been a very successful Hermès fragrance because it’s simple and sophisticated, in other words it is a product which philosophically has its ties with what Hermès stands for as a house. Cologne is a product that has a rich history behind it, it’s linked to the past, to the beginnings of Western perfumery and the fragrance industry and it also has a very Mediterranean sensibility about it, l’oranger, le bigaradier, the citrus fruits, the refreshing part; but here is the challenge, to make it modern again, to tie it with today’s sensibility and needs! The Eau de pamplemousse rose is not pink grapefruit, like it might be translated; it is grapefuit and rose.” I interject that he must like that grapefruit accord as he has used it in In Love Again and Hermessence Rose Ikebana, as well as a smaller facet of it as a small rosy wink in Kelly Calèche and I ask him whether he has thought about his next Hermessence. He laughs good-humouredly once more, he laughs a lot in fact ~I sense he’s much too polite to contradict me even if that weren’t so~ and he nods. “It’s a couture version of the accord; you must smell it on your own skin! There is a special finish to it, which can be sensed when applied to the skin, can’t put it into words that well. I work on two or three projects at a time. Work a bit on one, have a little vacation, occupy myself with another. The latest Hermessence is Vanille Galante of course and we haven’t thought about a new one. It will come...”

The mention of couture brings me to another question: “Many perfumers do custom-made perfumes for wealthy patrons for a hefty fee and it’s been very au courant in ‘diluted’ form by some niche brands that supposedly ‘mix’ something for you or encourage layering of simpler notes to create something unique for each customer. Would you mind elaborating on your own antithesis to “parfumerie sur mesure?” He doesn’t hesitate one bit. “I don’t want to lie, therefore I don’t like custom-made perfume making. If you come to me and say you want something for yourself only and you describe it and it turns out you want something like Shalimar what am I going to do? Make something that pleases that side of you, something that will please your ego and conform to your desire. It would take me a couple of days and I could lie and say it took me months. But that’s not creation! There’s no vision or real artistry behind this, as it only demands a good technician. As I consider myself a good technician I would certainly be able to create that which you want, but I wouldn’t want to do that. Would you love the result in six months from now? Or would it be just a passing whim, something that you liked without knowing why and how? A mere pleasing of your ego is just that ~a phase, a whim, a caprice! That’s not the way to make something lasting. I prefer a more artistic approach, that of the couturier. A couturier designs a dress for a show and you see it at the defilé and admire it and say I want that, but for me. And therefore I take it and adjust the measurements to suit you, but it’s still my creation, my vision, an artwork which has been slightly tweaked for you to claim it as your own and that way you can appreciate it as art rather than artistry.” It is such conviction which separates Jean Claude from the many that are devoting their talents to a rich clientele which demands things on a whim.

He’s also very committed to the present. In the words of Camus: “Real generosity toward the future lies in giving all to the present”. Ellena’s style doesn’t do the tango (ie.one step ahead, two steps back). There is no nostalgia or atavism in his work: his gaze is on the here and now and on to the future. Even in his homage to previous scents, such as his L’Eau d’Hiver for Frédéric Malle is to Guelain’s Après L’Ondée, there is a sense of modernity. “How do you feel about the perfume-enthusiasts’ community who is so attached to classics of older times, some which are revered without the people in question even having the chance to smell them as they truly were at their prime?” He ponders on it philosophically: “You’re absolutely right! One cannot really replicate an era, or how an old classic smelled like. The fragrance has changed due to various reasons, but the sensibilities have also changed resulting in a fake experience. But in general there is no sense in nostalgizing. Because nostalgia brings along a sense of regret and regret means sadness (tristesse), and this doesn’t make sense for the creation process. There is a feel of decadence in nostalgia and of the end. Mais on ne peut pas construire l’avenir seulement sur l’histoire! (One can’t build the future only on history). Therefore we may admire the past but we must look into the future”.

Talking about the perfume online community, I am aware that you are aware of its voice. Do you feel that in some small part it can shape some directions in the market? Is it something that you sometimes discuss with your colleagues?” Jean Claude is quite encouraging: “I am most certain that it can. There is an interest in what people discuss online”. And what about the new trend of corporate blogs (I mention a few names)? Is Hermès thinking of launching one too? “No, it’s not an Hermès way to communicate and I am convinced personally that the consumer can see the difference between a real blog such as yours and a blog handled by a brand, powered by a company only for promotion. And this might have some bearing on the issue at hand as well, which is sad. However, we had created an online page for Terre d’Hermès which was encouraging a sort of dialogue between us and the audience. We asked for visitors to write their stories on perfume in general, not just Terre d’Hermès or Hermès for that matter and we would publish the best, the most passionate ones channeling their feelings about perfumes; we had received more than 1000 mails, some of them were wonderful!”
[If you go to this linkyou can click on "Perfumer, Alchimiste et Poète" for a clip of JCE and on "Contes" to read some of the submitted stories, a couple of which are penned by Jean Claude himself].

As I have gnawed on what seems like close to an hour and a half of his time, I am recapitulating bringing this full circle with his life-views. Over the years reading intently about his work I recall many little tidbits; I had greatly enjoyed this quote of his: “I don’t create from a brief but from an experience I live. It might be an experience on the spot, on a real place, as for the Garden-Perfumes; a souvenir from an experience within Hermès, as for Kelly Calèche inspired after a visit at the Hermès leather stock; or a personal creative challenge around a material, as for the Hermessence collection. For me, creation means to try to build a road while walking". So from all the experiences in your life, which one is the most precious which you would have loved to turn into a perfume? I ask him. It’s a question he doesn’t want to respond to with something specific. “I can’t say that I want a specific experience embottled. I do not desire to be understood on isolated pieces, but on my body of work; nor do I want specific segments to characterize my spirit. There is a certain volonté (desire, volition) in me to grasp things out of life, all experiences are good, even the bad ones, I take everything and get nourished by them each day. I don’t know where it will lead in the end, but I am walking on the path all the same. The world is not perfect, yes…Mais malgré tout, je regarde la joie!", he accents his words with great emphasis, with passion. (Despite everything, I hold on to the joy). Are you an optimist then? I tentatively ask. “Je suis un pessimiste heureux” he laughs heartily with his generous, charming, very Southern-French way. A happy pessimist, then, like the hero of André Blanc, Henry de Montherlant [2] ...that’s Jean Claude Ellena!

Sincere, heartfelt thanks to Jean Claude himself and the Hermès team for the consideration of the PerfumeShrine.
Copyright ©Elena Vosnaki for the Perfume Shrine, All Rights Reserved.

[1]The Hermès Colognes Collection will work its way out into the world starting in May at Hermès boutiques, and then in June Hermès fragrance doors including Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Barneys New York, Bergdorf Goodman. By early 2010, the Hermès Colognes Collection will reach a total of about 300 U.S. doors, including Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom and Sephora.
[2]Montherlant, Un pessimiste heureux by André Blanc was issued in 1968 by éditions Centurion.

The matter of the potential of his scents for reformulation has been already addressed on this article, therefore has not been included. Related reading on Perfumeshrine: Jean Claude Ellena, Hermès


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