20 minute read
Loday p
WORDS: AMY SESSIONS
THE DREAM TEAM
Co-founders of Ex Nihilo, Benoît Verdier, Olivier Royère and Sylvie Loday discuss their first memories of scent
What is your first memory of scent? BV: I’m a real Southerner! Whenever I smell a fragrance or ingredient that is reminiscent of my parents’ garden in the South of France, I am transported there: Pine trees, Figs, Lavender plant and aromatic trees, even the smell of the red-hot soil of Mediterranean landscapes... these are is my first olfactory memories. OR: My first memory consists of a reception in the heat of the tropical gardens of the French embassy in the Philippines. My childhood cradled in my mother’s perfume, Joy by Jean Patou, and my grandfather’s delicate eau de Cologne, Arnys. SL: My olfactory memories are a true melting pot, reflecting my composite culture: Brittany’s ocean and salty tides with America’s big cities, pancakes and maple syrup. So, any milky notes and cinnamon notes remind me of my first memories in America. Which notes in a fragrance do you personally look for? BV: I like very much Iris for its sophisticated touch, orange blossom for its sparkling e ect and all the woods with a crush for Tonka Bean and Vetiver. We travel a lot and I can say we really hate this uniformed International Airport smell, a mix of the sillage of Duty-Free stores and all these commercial juices, it’s the same smell all over the world! OR: I love Sandalwood and smoky notes because it reminds me of my youth in Sweden. Anything that is smoky captures my attention. SL: I love smells with character, that are atypical or express its owner’s personality. All three of us look for this, but personally I enjoy more complex, and intellectual floral bouquets notes. Which ExNihilo scent is your favourite and why? BV: I would say our most iconic creation, Fleur Narcotique. When I smelled it for the very first time, it was really something stunning and very addictive. We were looking for some quintessential sillage to embody the new Parisian woman from the Right Bank, then Quentin had this idea of an overdose of Peony with an edge of lychee, we automatically fell in love with it and today it is our most iconic creation! OR: I think we share the same love for Fleur Narcotique, but I would also add Bois d’Hiver because of its powerful woody notes. SL : That’s easy, Fleur Narcotique. I love the fragrance just as much as the story behind it.
IMAGES: SUPPLIED
THE LEGEND
Contemporary, internationally-renowned perfumer Francis Kurkdjian, Co-founder of Maison Francis Kurkdjian discusses what it takes to launch a successful brand in the perfume space
What do the first 30 mins of your day look like, your morning routine? I am an early bird. I wake up at 6am at the latest and I am instantaneously operational! My brain is immediately ready to go. I drink a hot cup of water to wake up or matcha tea then a couple of hours later I have a couple of expresso shots. Then I go to the shower where I love to use my scented shower gels. It’s like my morning routine to pick which one I will be using, depending on my mood. When it’s cold outside, I use Aqua Vitae shower gel, if it’s a bright sunny and hot day, I use Aqua Celestia. Aqua Universalis, when I travel away from home. What is at the heart of Maison Francis Kurkdjian, the DNA? Maison Francis Kurkdjian is a perfumer’s house that celebrates freedom of creation, quality of products and services and kindness at all levels. You previously created one of the most widely selling fragrances at Jean Paul Gaultier. Tell us how your past experiences led you to cofound your own brand? Right a er Le Mâle for Jean-Paul Gaultier, I went to live in New York for several years, creating fragrances for beauty companies such as Estée Lauder, Elizabeth Arden or Coty. In early 2000, I returned to Paris, continued to create fragrances for many other beauty and fashion companies and started to create bespoke scents at the same time. In 2003, I met Marc with whom I became friends. We both realized that we were sharing the same vision of lifestyle and definition of luxury. Plus, we had complementary professional and creative skills. We co-founded Maison Francis Kurkdjian in 2009. His vision and sense of business have been one of the key points of the success behind Maison Francis Kurkdjian. I am very proud of what we have built together over the past 11 years. How did you know you were ready to make the leap and launch your own brand? It’s not about being ready, it’s about feeling you have to do it. An inner force and energy overwhelm you and urge you to do it. I wanted to share my vision on scents and luxury with the public. I have envisioned an entire scented line wherein lies a harmony within all the product forms.
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Have you had any mentors along the way and if so what has been the best advice they have imparted to you? I was once given this advice: “Never think you are satisfied; never think you are done.” How do the creative and commercial sides of the business work together and do you feel particularly drawn to one side of the business? The Maison is a balance around Marc Chaya, CEO and co-founder, and I. The main reason of our success lies in the fact we both strongly understand each other and are capable to step into each other’s shoes. I’m a perfumer with strong business sensibility while Marc is a performant business leader with a strong creative drive. I focus on composing extraordinary fragrances and emotions while Marc focuses on strategy, marketing and sales development. We both work together in order to ensure beautiful aesthetics and a sound creative direction. The aesthetic of Maison Francis Kurkdjian feels superlatively elegant and clean. Was this a clear vision from the outset? Oh yes, totally, it was the vision from day one. From the packaging and bottle to the visual identity everything is made in-house. Quality, refinement, soberness are the 3 key words that we had in mind during the conception. Each product is precisely detailed. To me, all these are the definition of true and modern luxury. The bottles took their inspiration from antique crystal bottles we bought in a flea market in Paris. We totally redesigned them to include a natural spray and more to bring the unique technology of an invisible spray tube to give the bottle its transparency, elegance and aesthetics. What has been the biggest challenge since launching the brand and how did you overcome it? On my side, each new fragrance is a new creative challenge and the biggest. It is a new story to tell and, in the end, it has to become an ideal olfactory form. Most recently when we launched l’Homme À La Rose, the aim was to create a fragrance with a rose scent you could not miss, while keeping it very masculine. That was a very complex challenge during the creation of this fragrance. So, I paired a grapefruit accord with Damask rose oil from Bulgaria to give a sensation of natural vitality. At the heart of the composition you have some rosy notes, coupled with a very woody accord which brings some verticality to the fragrance. Finally, the woody amber base notes infuse sensuality to the trail. Thus, the rose accord stays at the heart of the fragrance and cannot be missed, and the other top notes in the background bring masculinity and strength. The last year was a time that saw brands change strategy. Have you had to pivot as a business? Marc and I don’t really look at what competitors are doing. We have our own path to follow. Last year, we empowered our digital strategy that was already in process. How has social media a ected the business and which platform has been most useful? The power of marketing via social networks is very strong now. Marc Chaya and I have a real digital strategy in mind. We are aiming to become the first digital brand in our field and today, we have more than 200K followers on Instagram. It’s not so much about the number but more how they follow you and engage with the brand. But, let’s not forget that the product and its quality remain essential! Quality is definitely the new luxury. Do you see any buying trends globally in terms of scents and if so which? Being contemporary does not mean you have to follow trends. As far as I am concerned, I stay away from trends. Instead, I follow my artistic vision and my feelings about the contemporary world we live in. Trends o en disappear as fast as they appear. I want my clients to feel di erent and not feeling concerned about wearing an outdated fragrance or not. I want to reassure them that they are allowed to wear di erent things, creating their own fragrance wardrobe and selecting a scent to fit a certain mood or occasion. Trends are good for fashion as the pace for fashion is to outdate what was once fashionable. Scents are based on a di erent momentum. Which is your personal favourite and why? I don’t have any favourite scents. As a perfumer, when it comes to my personal taste, the ones I have in mind for the future are always the most intriguing and appealing to me. In fact, the most exciting in life is always what lies ahead. This is The Fragrance Issue – what is your signature scent/your earliest memory of scent? Surprisingly, since I have been creating perfumes, I no longer wear fragrance outside of what I am currently working on. I need to personally experience each of them, live with them until I decide they are completed. Hence, I don’t have a signature scent. Actually, I strongly believe that the dictate of wearing one single fragrance (aka signature scent) is totally passé and outdated when you consider our modern lives. Women and men now have much more freedom and power to express all the facets of their personality. From work, to love, being a parent… we all are multiple and there is not one single fragrance that could embrace all the facets of one personality. This is why I have created a collection of perfumes that can be experienced as a fragrance wardrobe similar to a wardrobe in the Fashion world. Each scent from Maison Francis Kurkdjian has its own unique signature and can fulfil all your emotional answers. It is a unique positioning in the fragrance industry. You can be loyal to a brand and expect a diversity of moods. From Aqua Universalis and its unique freshness to the creation of Baccarat Rouge 540, the olfactive spectrum is wide and accompanies women and men in their life.
My earliest scent memories are definitely associated to the fragrances of my family. Each member had a distinctive scent, which I still remember. My grandfather used to dilute his own cologne. I never discovered the recipe though. I just remember him mixing things and creating his own blend. I was so fascinated and also proud of him! He was a hero to me. My grandmother was The Real Grandma: caring, loving. She covered me with kisses and of course her fragrance, Femme by Rochas, would be printed on my skin! My late mother had di erent fragrances. She was very modern I think for her generation. From fresh fragrances such as First by Van Cleef and Arpels or Fidji by Guy Laroche, to Mitsouko or the first fragrance by Karl Lagergeld. It was another era with fragrances that no longer resonate in people’s mind.
The Premier Perfumer
Aurelien Guichard is the genius behind MATIERE PREMIERE, the contemporary perfume brand crafting fragrances structured around one exceptional, carefully sourced, natural ingredient
What do the first 30 mins of your day look like, your morning routine? I like to wake up early. When I am in Paris, I drink my co ee by the window, watching the sun rise over the trees of the Jardin du Luxembourg. Then, I ride my motorbike across the Seine, through place de la Concorde and up the avenue des Champs Elysées, to go to my creative laboratory. I’m looking forward to the month of May, when I will be back in my home near Grasse, in the South of France. I will watch the same sun rise over our fields of Rose Centifolia, and walk along the gravel path that leads to my atelier-lab. What is at the heart of MATIERE PREMIERE, the DNA? In each MATIERE PREMIERE fragrance we allow one central, natural ingredient to shine, by upli ing its most beautiful facets. We put the emphasis on excellence in perfume quality, from raw materials sourcing to the final stages of bottling. We want to be one of the most qualitative brands on the market. Our promise is an unforgettable sillage, an emotional imprint that will never fade. In a way, I find our approach very close to the way people in the Middle East relate to fragrances, which I have always felt in line with. They have a love for beautiful raw materials, such a cypriol, rose, patchouli, saffron, spices and they also value perfumes as something that should have a strong identity, leave an imprint, that should express opulence by its immediately-perceived quality, its projection, its long-lasting power. You’ve worked for Maisons in-house, how did those experiences lead you to launching your own brand? I am still working today for many di erent Couture Maisons. I put my cra as a Perfumer at the service of these Houses. The designers share their initial vision, and then we build ideas together. With MATIERE PREMIERE, I am able to put my cra at the service of the raw materials that surround me. It is something I had always wanted to do, but somehow the projects with Couture Houses or brands never allowed it fully. I want to reveal the beauty of the most beautiful natural ingredients in dedicated, extremely qualitative fragrances. These creations have in common our MATIERE PREMIERE approach, where simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. How did you know you were ready to make the leap and launch your own brand? It’s a project I always carried in me. I was born the 7th generation of a family of Perfumers. I grew up between Paris and Grasse, where my grand-parents grew fields of roses, tuberoses and jasmine. As a Perfumer, I wanted to grow my own raw materials in the most qualitative way, and the first leap I took was to create my organic rose centifolia farm, in 2016.
Then I had the privilege to meet my two cofounders, and it became a collective adventure.
We share the same vision: we wanted to create a Perfume House dedicated to raw materials, and to o er perfumes that would be among the most qualitative in the world. Have you had any mentors along the way and if so what has been the best advice they have imparted to you? I have had the chance to work with and for the greatest. They all taught me to believe in my own ideas, and that our profession was one of the most beautiful in the world. Their advice has always been: the quality of the raw material in a perfume is everything, then it is the Perfumer’s role to make it unique, to make it smell wonderful, and to make it last. How do the creative and commercial sides of the business work together and do you feel particularly drawn to one side of the business? There are no two sides of the business for us. Everything we do serves our one and only obsession: to create an emotional imprint. Thanks to the unique sillage of our perfumes, thanks to the extreme quality of the raw materials, thanks to our work of composition. This is the core of our business, this is what will please our clients. The aesthetic for MATIERE PREMIERE is clean and minimal. Was this a clear vision from the outset? Our aesthetic is functional, linked with my daily life and décor as a Perfumer. Our 6ml bottle is the actual bottle we as Perfumers use every day, to evaluate our compositions. We dip the point of a blotter in it, and if we are convinced we adapt a spray on it, to wear the fragrance and evaluate further. Our 100ml bottle design is inspired by the 6ml bottle. The colour of our fragrances are absolutely natural, it comes from the raw materials and we find it absolutely beautiful. We add no synthetic colouring agent, and as little stabilizing agent as necessary. Our aesthetic has only one goal: to place the scent itself at the centre, to allow the raw material to shine, and let our clients enjoy the work of a Perfumer. What has been the biggest challenge since launching the brand and how did you overcome it? Our perpetual challenge is to source the best raw materials from all corners of the world, and to find a unique and creative way to highlight their most beautiful facets. And since we launched in October 2019, our challenge has been of course to develop despite the COVID restrictions. In this di cult context, we had to stay in touch with raw material producers, receive samples and keep our sourcing work going. We also did our best to develop our presence worldwide, to allow as many people as possible to try our fragrances. But there are still many cities and countries where people are asking for MATIERE PREMIERE and cannot find it yet – we’re working on it! The last year was a time that saw brands change strategy. Have you had to pivot as a business? The past year did not alter our strategy, we were on the contrary comforted in our will to o er unique, powerful fragrances, with a strong sillage. Clients seem to express the desire to go back to the essentials; it is exactly what we do in our fragrances – going back to the essence of the raw material. In a period when our faces are half covered by masks, when we must stay at a distance, when we cannot touch each other, we can still smell. Wearing a fragrance
signs your presence, it creates a bond, it is reassuring, both for yourself and for others. How has social media a ected the business and which platform has been most useful? Just like for any other business, more and more clients tend to carry out internet research about their future perfume purchases. They value users or influencers’ opinions, before making their own mind.
More than a niche fragrance house, we want to be one of the most qualitative fragrance houses, so what matters is any media or platform where people will experience and talk about our creations in their own words, with their own impressions.
Instagram is the platform where we express ourselves primarily as a Perfume House, but perfume experts and enthusiasts talk about our fragrances on any platform that suits their communities best: YouTube, Tik Tok, Facebook, Twitter and editorial. Do you see any buying trends globally in terms of scents and if so which? There are new trends appearing every day; we choose not to follow any in particular. There is something essential and timeless in valuing the quality of natural ingredients.
In terms of buying trends, the context for the past year has boosted online sales. It is never easy for products which you need to experience first, such as perfumes.
For us the scent is everything, and from the beginning we wanted people to be able to smell our fragrances. From our boutique online, you have the possibility to order scented blotters of our entire collection, to give you a first overview in the comfort of your home, as if you were in a boutique. Which is your personal favourite and why? I personally love our 6ml bottles. They have been part of my daily life as a Perfumer, and all my friends used to find them so attractive and rush to them in my bathroom, rather than the large bottles! I love that now, thanks to MATIERE PREMIERE, we are sharing this professional tool with perfume lovers, that they can get to use them every day, just like we Perfumers do. They come with their adaptable atomizer, and dispense 95 sprays. With the quality, power and sillage of our fragrances, it can last several weeks, it is the perfect discovery/travel size.
And in our custom sets, you can make your own selection of 3 or 6 fragrances, they can be di erent or all the same if you are a fan of one specific fragrance, it gives you a lot of freedom. I love our custom sets also because it is impossible for me to pick one particular fragrance as my favourite. I’ve loved raw materials since my childhood, and there is not one above the others. But of course, Radical Rose holds a special place in my heart, as it is the result of a global project, that started with growing my own organic rose centifolia flowers. This is The Fragrance Issue – what is your signature scent/your earliest memory of scent? I grew up in a family of perfume plant farmers. I remember vividly the rose harvests of my childhood: the smell of the shed where the pickers put down their baskets, filled with odorant flowers. Their scent mingled with the smell of the burlap sacks, of the kerosene from agricultural machinery, and the smell of clay. I created Radical Rose in that spirit.
IMAGES: FABIEN SARAZIN
